In the winter of 1939, Huo Liaoliao took her last breath while fleeing, with the laughter of her enemy, Jia Hongchang, still ringing in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in 1926. She was sixteen, on the eve of her family's massacre, and her mother was tailoring the wedding dress that would deliver her into the jaws of danger.
In her previous life, she believed her in-laws' sweet talk and handed over the salt permits. In return, her loved ones died horribly, her family business was destroyed, and she herself vanished without a trace in the chaos of war.
This time, she clutched the wedding dress and resolved to do three things: refuse to marry, seize the salt permits, and make her enemies pay for their crimes in blood.
Starting with a single grain shop, she would reclaim control of the Northwest salt trade, step by step. She would contend with military and political powers, officials and merchants, and foreign compradors. And gradually, she would see clearly: what she wanted to reclaim was not just the Huo family's business, but the right of millions of people on this land to live in the light.
Those who stand in the light never simply wait for it to come. They fight for it.
