The first thing Wang Jiulang noticed when he saw Lu Mei was how thin she was.
Thin, and timid.
Her face was pale, her eyes trembling.
A gust of wind would turn them half-red.
She clasped her hands behind her back and hung her head, revealing only a crooked part in her hair.
She was as awkward as her hands, tangled together in a fidget.
So very ordinary.
He didn't say it aloud, but disappointment showed in his eyes. And it wasn't only disappointment. He was also somewhat relieved.
After all, he was a poor wretch forced to tie his life to hers.
He would have to find a way to win her heart.
Even though she was nothing but a country girl from some remote village who couldn't even speak without stammering.
He walked over.
He gently lifted her lowered face with his fingers, gazed into her eyes, and asked slowly, "Did you understand everything I just said?"
He had told her that he wanted her to leave this remote, desolate countryside and return home with him.
Lu Mei dug her fingers into her palm.
Head bowed, she answered timidly, "I understand."
Wang Jiu smiled with refined grace.
Then he asked gently, "Is there anything you want me to do for you before we leave?"
His tone was casual and dismissive. He assumed she'd ask for no more than a little money to tide her over.
But.
She suddenly raised her head and shot him a quick glance.
The fear hadn't quite left her eyes, and her toes still shifted uneasily against the ground.
She swallowed and nervously glanced at the sword at his waist.
Then she stammered,
"You..."
"Could you..."
Wang Jiu looked at her approvingly, encouraging her to continue.
Then she finally steeled herself, squeezed her eyes shut,
and said:
"Could you kneel to me once, too?"
…
Wang Jiu's smile disappeared in an instant.
Suddenly, he remembered.
The flash of resentment and jealousy in her eyes when his attendant had roughly forced her to kneel and pay her respects just now.
Theme: True love is priceless
