Determined not to become just another discarded tool after serving whatever purpose they found for her, she ran away at the age of six, seeking out a renowned embroidery master to learn the craft.

Embroidery, a skill often passed down within a teacher’s own lineage, wasn’t something that could be easily taught to an outsider. Despite Fang Xiu’s persistent efforts to earn the teacher’s favor, she was initially turned away. Just as she reached her wit’s end, another embroidery master unexpectedly extended a helping hand.

When Fang Xiu married Father Lin, she was already a somewhat well-known embroiderer, but the pressure from her parents never ceased.

Fang Xiu would faithfully send money to support them, as well as her useless younger brother, yet she was unwilling to let them control her marriage and destroy her happiness.

Facing enormous pressure, Fang Xiu married Father Lin, a poor scholar at the time. She then severed all ties with her biological parents and left her old village behind.

For a while, she and Father Lin were happy together.

Father Lin found work as a school teacher in the village, and her exquisite embroidery always fetched a good price. Eventually, they had Qingxu, and later, Qingwan… but sadly, the good times in her life were too short-lived.

At the age of four, Qingxu suddenly developed a high fever that left her mentally impaired, with no cure despite all the medicine and treatments, Father Lin fell gravely ill and passed away early, leaving Fang Xiu with two daughters and no one else to rely on.

Over the years, Fang Xiu hoped to give her two daughters a hopeful future, but she knew that some things couldn’t be decided by her alone.

…

When Lin Qingxu and Fang Xiu returned to the courtyard, now only the two of them, it felt lifeless without the usual playful little one around. Everything seemed dull.

“Mom, I’m going to head back to the room,” Lin Qingxu said weakly, her eyes unfocused as she spoke, then began to walk toward the room she shared with Qingwan.

However, Fang Xiu stopped her.

“Wait, Qingxu.”

Lin Qingxu paused, turning to see Fang Xiu with her delicate brows furrowed, unsure of how to begin.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Lin Qingxu asked, noticing the usually decisive Fang Xiu seemed hesitant. It was the first time she had seen her mother in such a contemplative and uncertain state.

“Qingxu,” Fang Xiu began softly, her gaze fixed and steady. “I want to ask you about your marriage.”

Lin Qingxu’s breath caught, and her heart skipped a beat at the sudden shift in tone.

Fang Xiu’s eyes were sharp as she looked at her, her words deliberate: “Do you still want to call off the marriage with Su Yan?”

Lin Qingxu bit her lip, instinctively avoiding her mother’s gaze, her mind racing. She hastily replied. “Why are you asking me about this suddenly, Mom? Didn’t we say before that it couldn’t be changed?”

Lin Qingxu had been quietly practicing her embroidery skills in recent days, almost resigned to the fact that she would be married in two months. But now, with Fang Xiu bringing up the issue again so suddenly, was her mother reconsidering?

For a moment, she felt a wave of confusion and anxiety.

On one hand, she could see that if she didn’t marry Su Yan, she’d escape from the tangled fate that had been tied to certain characters in the novel. She and her mother could move far from Lotus Village, away from the potential threats of the demon clan, and live peacefully.

But on the other hand, if she didn’t marry Su Yan, she would still have to marry someone in a year or two. As someone with limited skills in household chores and a humble village background, with her previous foolishness still lingering in people’s minds, finding a respectable match seemed incredibly difficult.

Weighing the pros and cons, if she really had to make a choice, she would rather keep things as they were.

Fang Xiu’s gaze seemed to see right through her, but she still spoke with purpose: “What happened before is in the past. If you really don’t want to marry, Qingxu, I can go ahead and cancel the engagement. At worst, I’ll be left with the reputation of an ungrateful person.”

A vein twitched on Lin Qingxu’s forehead.

She realized her mother was probably just teasing her!

“No need to cancel it,” she muttered, her face clouded as she waved her hand, heading towards her room.

Fang Xiu watched her go, the sound of her steps fading as she was shielded by the door. She closed her eyes for a moment.

She hoped this decision wouldn’t turn out to be a mistake.

Lin Qingxu stared at the familiar room after Lin Qingwan left, noting how the surroundings hadn’t really changed much. Despite this, an overwhelming sense of wistfulness settled in—everything felt so different.

She collapsed heavily onto the bed, burying her head in the pillow as she let out a long, muffled sigh.

Fang Xiu’s words had more or less affected her.

Choosing to marry Su Yan, Lin Qingxu did have her own reasons.

Apart from Su Yan’s gentle and handsome demeanor, her decision was largely driven by her inner fear.

With nearly twenty years of modern life and education behind her, Lin Qingxu’s conservative thoughts ran deep, yet she was also a bit timid.

Faced with the choice between an uncertain danger and an entirely unfamiliar future on a larger scale, her heart led her to choose the former.

She couldn’t be sure of Su Yan’s future, but the brief encounter with him didn’t spark the resistance she had anticipated. Subconsciously, she had already begun to associate him with something different from the Demon Lord Li Yuan.

If she rejected the engagement, the consequences wouldn’t be just moral condemnation. Over the years, it was almost entirely Fang family’s support that sustained their lives. Both she and Fang Xiu were not careless; the debts they owed had to be repaid, and if possible, she didn’t want her mother to bear any more than necessary.

Furthermore, the current era and environment were unfamiliar to her. Rather than facing it alone, it seemed wiser to follow her heart and find someone to depend on.

Lin Qingxu closed her eyes, and as her decision solidified, a weight pressed upon her chest, leaving her unsettled.

=^_^=