The Wallflower's Charm

[Blurb]

Ming Yao is the legitimate daughter of Marquis Lu. After her maternal family fell on hard times, she was sent away as a little girl to a remote estate.

Life at the estate was harsh and cold. Her mother's cough grew worse and worse, until she was coughing up blood every night. In desperation, Lu Mingyao heard that boiling persimmon leaves in water could stop the bleeding and soothe a cough.

Little Mingyao carried a basket and struggled up a bamboo ladder. Her small, tear-streaked, dirty face peered out from among the persimmon leaves and branches.

Below the wall, a boy in white was studying with his head bowed, elegant and untainted, like an immortal banished from heaven. Hearing the rustle of persimmon leaves, he calmly looked over.

One was mud on the ground, the other a cloud in the sky. Their meeting and their bond were all predestined.

Men strive and scheme for fame, fortune, and status.

Women labor and plan for the prosperity of their husband's family and an honorific title.

But Lu Mingyao resolutely chose to become the family's money-making errand girl, traveling far and wide. Through years of drifting like a duckweed, she often asked herself: Was this the right path for her?

Until he, now a Grand Preceptor, said gently: