The Young Lady Is No Simpleton

[A Republican-era story!] [Sky-kicking, earth-stomping, seemingly delicate Professor Tao VS highly intelligent, seemingly harmless Tailor Qin] “Life in this world was never meant to be so joyful, but then you came, Tao Yining.” The Tao family had a daughter who was kept indoors as a child. Once grown, when matchmakers came knocking, she set off overseas alone, claiming that the world was so big and she wanted to see it. Tao Yining was the Tao family's only daughter. Her father was the wealthiest businessman in North China and chaired the North China Chamber of Commerce. Her eldest brother was a trusted aide to the military governor, commanding troops across Pingcheng and the surrounding cities. Her second brother was the head of the Crescent News Agency, writing about everything happening across the country. Some said that as a daughter of the Tao family, with such a fine background, she should simply live in comfort, find a good husband, and settle down. But Tao Yining never cared what other people said. Whenever students at Shangjing University mentioned Professor Tao Yining, the eyes of both men and women would sparkle with admiration. It wasn't just because she was beautiful, but also because of her audacity: she could put on a delicate air while still seeming capable of splitting the heavens and stomping the earth. As the times grew more turbulent, a gray wolf emerged within North China amid domestic strife and foreign threats, ripping a hole in the curtain of darkness and throwing its weight around until sunlight reached the land. ** A tailor shop at the end of West Street was packed with women every day, the scent of rouge and powder filling the place. They had all come to catch a glimpse of the captivating shopkeeper. Everyone knew how refined and aloof the shopkeeper was, untouched by the charms of any woman. Until one evening, with colorful clouds filling the sky, a beautiful woman stood beside his tall, bamboo-like figure. Her expression and bearing were unmistakably those of Professor Tao from Shangjing University.