Song Huizheng was born into a lowly position as the daughter of a man's concubine, but unlike her mother, who spent all day gazing at her reflection in a bronze mirror and feeling sorry for herself, she took up glassmaking and became so absorbed in it that she had no time for melancholy.
Song Huizheng's daily life: helping out at a glass workshop, listening to master craftsmen praise her talent and skill, and dreaming of becoming a famous glass artisan one day and opening shops selling glassware all over the capital.
Then one day, her mother told her, eyes shining, "Your aunt says she'll find a way to get me into the Ren family as a concubine. Then you can take your father's surname, Ren! You won't be the daughter of an outsider anymore!"
Song Huizheng was unmoved. "Oh? What's the catch?"
Her mother looked away. "Your aunt has trouble having children. She hopes you'll become the concubine of her husband, Master Shen, have a son with both Shen and Ren blood, and let her claim him as her own."
Song Huizheng sneered. "An aunt and her niece sharing a husband. What a respectable family."
But her mother cried, threw tantrums, and threatened to hang herself until Song Huizheng finally gave in and was taken to the Shen family.
Before the wedding night, Song Huizheng sat on the edge of the bed, eyes closed, thinking about how large a dose of poison she should give Master Shen. Suddenly, she sensed something was wrong. She opened her eyes and saw Shen Yu, the seventh young master of the Shen family, leaning against the headboard and watching her. Just last night, they had worked together on a theft.
Shen Yu said, "You're going to be my eldest brother's concubine? Why not marry me and be my wife instead?"
Theme: Work hard and never give up.
