In the twenty-third year of the Republic of China, 1934, severe flooding struck the south.
North City remained relatively peaceful. Jin Mingzhu had spent more than ten days arranging to donate all the medicinal supplies that could be spared from the Zhengliang Pharmacy stores owned by the Lu family.
The weather was scorching, but she still dressed like a married woman from the late Qing dynasty, wearing a blouse and a long skirt. However, her pleated skirt had been modernized to accentuate her slender waist. As she walked, the countless delicate pleats spread apart and gathered together again, lending her an irresistible elegance.
The convoy transporting the medicine was about to depart. Jin Mingzhu was at the Chamber of Commerce, checking the accounts with the shop manager one final time, when Lu Xing, the gatekeeper of the Lu residence, arrived.
He peered anxiously through the doorway. When he spotted her walking past the window with an account book in her hand, he rushed straight toward her without hesitation.
“Young Madam, the Old Madam sent me to bring you home. Please hurry back and see what’s happening!”
For the past few days, Mingzhu had been busy at the Chamber of Commerce during the day and staying at her parents’ home at night. She hadn’t returned to the Lu residence.
She had no intention of going back, so naturally, she paid little attention to Lu Xing’s words. “The Old Madam sent you to find me, and now you’ve found me. You can go back. Tell her there’s a lot to do at the Chamber of Commerce and I’m busy.”
Lu Xing pulled a miserable face. “Young Madam, please don’t make things difficult for this humble servant. I know that female teacher our young master brought home has upset you. But even if you’re angry, you should still go back and show her who the real Young Madam of the Lu family is!”
Amused by his aggrieved expression, Mingzhu glanced back at him. “And who is the Young Madam of the Lu family?”
Lu Xing spread his hands. “You, of course! You’re the only Young Madam I’ll ever acknowledge! You’ve followed our young master all over the country for so many years and turned the Lu family from a ruined household into the wealthiest family in North City. Everyone in the Lu household knows it. Even the Old Madam knows perfectly well whose side she should be on!”
Seven years. Even Lu Xing, the Lu family’s gatekeeper, acknowledged her as the only Young Madam. Yet Lu Mingshu had brought another woman into their home.
Jin Mingzhu’s steps slowed.
As she reflected on this, memories of the distant past began surfacing.
Jin Mingzhu had not originally borne the surname Jin. She had been a princess of Prince Shun’s Residence. Her mother had died of illness, and her father had married another woman. After the princely residence was confiscated by the government, the family survived on a meager allowance. Then, before she had even reached adulthood, her father died as well.
The remaining family members lived together amid constant quarrels, and that was how she grew up. She and Lu Mingshu could be considered childhood sweethearts. He had been delicate and handsome since childhood, with fair skin and refined features. He had always shown great promise as a scholar.
She didn’t know when she had fallen in love with him. Perhaps it was because she had known since childhood that he would become her husband, or perhaps it was during one of those moments when he treated her with tenderness. Whatever the reason, she had loved him.
Her marriage arrangement with the Lu family had been made while her father was still alive. She had heard that Prince Shun’s Residence was still prosperous at the time and that the two families had been close friends for generations. After her father died, however, the Lu family stopped mentioning the engagement, and Lu Mingshu fell in love with someone else.
Coincidentally, the woman he loved was also a princess who had later adopted the surname Jin.
Compared with Mingzhu, who had no one to protect her, Jin Shuyao was exceptionally fortunate. Her father and brothers were still alive, and she had grown up surrounded by luxury, never wanting for food or clothing. She admired Western lifestyles and enjoyed wearing Western dresses and high heels. Wherever she went, she attracted attention.
Lu Mingshu had spared no expense in his pursuit of her. After his relentless courtship, the two had practically reached the point of discussing marriage.
Then, just at that moment, the Lu family, whose prosperity had already become little more than an empty shell, collapsed.
Creditors came knocking one after another. Old Master Lu couldn’t withstand the shock and fell seriously ill, leaving him bedridden. The Lu family became impoverished, and naturally, the marriage never happened. Jin Shuyao abandoned Lu Mingshu and went abroad to study. Unable to cope with the heartbreak, Lu Mingshu ran away from home.
Mingzhu went after him, accompanied him through that painful period, and helped rebuild the Lu family’s fortunes from nothing, eventually making them the wealthiest family in North City.
She had almost forgotten that someone named Jin Shuyao even existed.
But reality had proven that years of companionship and unwavering devotion meant nothing.
Jin Mingzhu had wholeheartedly supported Lu Mingshu’s decision to return to his studies. As a result, he had encountered Jin Shuyao again and brought her home.
Jin Shuyao’s father and brothers had squandered the family fortune on opium. Her studies abroad had been interrupted halfway through, and after numerous difficulties, she encountered Lu Mingshu again and returned to North City with him.
Mingzhu still remembered that day. She had specially gone to the train station to welcome Lu Mingshu home, only to find that she was welcoming a couple.
Jin Shuyao kept addressing her as “Elder Sister.” Mingshu brought the woman before the Old Madam, who flew into a rage. Jin Shuyao declared that she didn’t care about having an official status and only wanted to remain by Lu Mingshu’s side.
Lu Mingshu said he couldn’t simply abandon her and that he had to take care of her.
Feeling deeply troubled, Jin Mingzhu left the Lu residence.
In truth, she was a little tired. For so many years, she had thrown herself into everything without regard for her own well-being, always pushing forward. She was genuinely exhausted.
Mingzhu sent Lu Xing away. After finishing her review of the accounts, she instructed the convoy to depart ahead of her, then sat on the second-floor balcony of the Chamber of Commerce, drinking tea.
Sunlight spilled across her shoulders. Mingzhu held a teacup in one hand and lowered her head, breathing in its rich fragrance.
Although she had spent many years in business, the pride ingrained in her upbringing remained. When appreciating tea, one first examined its color, then observed its appearance and inhaled its fragrance. That was the proper way to enjoy tea. As she lowered her eyes, she caught sight of a tall, upright figure downstairs from the corner of her eye.
A young man in military uniform stood beside a vintage automobile. His tall, slender figure was strikingly conspicuous, even among the passing crowds.
Xie Fengxi had tilted his face upward and seemed to be looking at her as well.
This troublesome archenemy of hers was still young, yet he was already the most famous man in North City. He was several years younger than her. Back when Prince Shun’s Residence still existed, his grandfather had often brought him there. Xie Fengxi had been extraordinarily handsome since childhood, but his personality was that of an absolute scoundrel. Later… he had actually moved into Prince Shun’s Residence, while she was no longer a princess.
The Xie family was now at the height of its power. The former Prince Shun’s Residence had become the Marshal’s Residence, and Xie Fengxi was its Young Marshal. Mingzhu couldn’t remember when he had started opposing her at every turn. Her eyelids shifted slightly. She looked away for only an instant, but when she glanced back, he had disappeared. Only the vintage automobile remained downstairs.
Before long, Xie Fengxi came upstairs.
The door to Jin Mingzhu’s office stood open. As the young man walked in, he pulled off his gloves. He glanced at her with apparent indifference, approached the table, casually tossed his gloves onto it, and seated himself directly opposite her.
“You’ve practically donated more than half your fortune. Boss Jin, you’ve truly made me see you in a new light.” Xie Fengxi crossed his legs, shamelessly pointing his military boots toward her. “But I wonder whether the fortune you’ve donated belongs to the Lu family or to you personally, Boss Jin. Does Lu Mingshu know what you’re doing?”
The young man tilted his face slightly upward and looked straight at her. His exceptionally beautiful, peach-blossom eyes held a mixture of frivolity and curiosity.
They had clashed repeatedly in the past. The Xie family’s pharmacies and the Lu family’s Zhengliang Pharmacy had always been competitors, and the Marshal’s Residence had extorted plenty from her over the years.
Mingzhu took a sip of tea and set down her teacup. “There’s no need for the Young Marshal to concern himself with my affairs.”
Her meaning was essentially that it had nothing to do with him. But clearly, Xie Fengxi was very interested. “Boss Jin, are you cutting off his resources at the source? Are you doing this because you want to divorce Lu Mingshu, or are you trying to intimidate him into making up with you?”
At last, a crack appeared in Jin Mingzhu’s otherwise unruffled expression. “What’s it to you?”
Seeing her expression change, the insufferable Xie Fengxi curled his lips into a smile. “Oh, so you are angry. Furious, even. You’re just suppressing your temper while carrying out something big. Well, that makes sense. If you didn’t do something, would you still be the Boss Jin everyone praises? The princess of Prince Shun’s Residence was so proud and willful as a child. Who would have thought you’d become so restrained after growing up? If I didn’t know you so well, I might almost have believed you’d resigned yourself to your fate after Lu Mingshu brought another woman home!”
He had struck directly at the thoughts she was trying to conceal. Mingzhu immediately rose to her feet. “Xie Fengxi! Are we that close? Don’t you have anything better to do? How much of my fortune I donate is my own business! If I remember correctly, we don’t have the kind of relationship where we can sit together and chat like this. Please leave. Now! Get out of here immediately!”
Her voice was stern, and her eyes blazed with anger.
She was angry. She was finally angry! Looking at her furious face, Xie Fengxi laughed even more freely. “That’s more like it! If you’re angry, let it out. Who are you trying to please by holding it all in?”
The angrier Jin Mingzhu became, the broader his smile grew.
Mingzhu glared at him. “Get lost!”
She had even resorted to swearing. Who knew how much anger she was holding inside? Xie Fengxi lightly touched two fingers to his forehead. “Not yet. I, Xie, have something to say. Once I’ve said it, I’ll naturally get lost.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone rushed into the room.
Lu Mingshu entered wearing a long blue-green gown, his face already showing anger and suspicion. “Mingzhu, what’s going on? I’ve only just learned that you’ve donated all the medicine from the warehouses in Daxing, West City, and East City. I’ve also heard that someone is preparing to take over our pharmacies. What’s all this about?”
Mingzhu turned around and carefully examined Lu Mingshu.
He was still as handsome and refined as ever, the same Lu Mingshu he had always been.
In the past, she had thought that because her name was Mingzhu and his was Mingshu, the shared character “Ming” must mean they were destined for each other. Looking back now, that had merely been something she had convinced herself to believe. His name was Mingshu, and Jin Shuyao’s name also contained the character “Shu.” What did any of that prove…?
Mingzhu laughed at herself. Before she could move, Xie Fengxi, who sat opposite her, stood up first. “Boss Jin, you have matters to attend to, so I’ll leave you to them. I only came to tell you that if you no longer intend to run Zhengliang Pharmacy, the Xie family can take it over. Just name your price. And if Boss Jin has nowhere else to go, you’re welcome to come along with the pharmacies.”
He had opposed her at every opportunity. How could she possibly cooperate with him?
Mingzhu said, “Then hurry up and leave. I won’t see you out.”
“Think it over.”
Her tone was unpleasant, and she was clearly in an extremely foul mood. This time, Xie Fengxi didn’t argue. He nodded to her, his smiling gaze sweeping briefly over Lu Mingshu before he brushed past him.
Perhaps there had been something too meaningful in that glance, because Lu Mingshu felt his heart tighten. For some reason, whenever he saw Xie Fengxi hovering around Mingzhu, he felt deeply uncomfortable. But when he abruptly looked back, the man was already hurrying downstairs.
When he turned around again, Mingzhu had already sat down.
Anger surged through Lu Mingshu, and his gaze toward Jin Mingzhu grew even colder. “Jin Mingzhu, don’t you think you owe me an explanation? What’s going on with the pharmacies? And what was Xie Fengxi doing here?”
Outside the window, the sky was blue and dotted with white clouds. It had been far too long since Mingzhu had felt this carefree. Gazing at the few clouds drifting overhead, she leaned lazily against her wicker chair and relaxed. “Explain what? Aren’t you happy being with Jin Shuyao? Then let’s return everything to the way it was at the beginning.”
Making charitable donations was one thing, but donating so much of the family’s wealth had already shaken the very foundations of the Lu family’s business.
Lu Mingshu couldn’t understand what she meant. “What do you mean, return everything to the beginning? Jin Mingzhu, raise your head and look at me! You’re no longer some princess from Prince Shun’s Residence. You’re my wife, Lu Mingshu’s wife! But have you ever shown me any respect? Did you even discuss something as important as the pharmacies with me?”
Jin Mingzhu let out a soft laugh, the anger in her heart gradually rising into her eyes. “Why should I discuss it with you? Who are you to me? Since you want to return to the past with Jin Shuyao, I’ll grant your wish. I’ll give you back the Lu family exactly as it was when you met her!”
She intended to take away the wealth she had created over the years. Since Jin Shuyao wanted the Lu family, she could have a Lu family that possessed absolutely nothing.
Mingzhu abruptly rose to her feet. At that moment, she was no longer afraid of anything.
The shock in Lu Mingshu’s eyes was beyond description. Before he could say another word, a deafening explosion shook the entire upper floor. The sound seemed to come from the street. Mingzhu glanced outside and saw flames erupting along the road.
She had no time to continue arguing with Lu Mingshu and hurried downstairs.
By the time she reached the ground floor, the street had descended into utter chaos. Jin Mingzhu stood beneath the Chamber of Commerce’s octagonal tower and watched as Xie Fengxi’s vintage automobile came reversing straight back toward her. Before she could understand what was happening, a tremendous explosion suddenly erupted beside her.
Everything shook. A piercing noise rang through her head. Something struck her, though she couldn’t tell what it was, and Mingzhu collapsed.
Before her eyes closed, she saw Lu Mingshu.
Although she couldn’t hear his voice, she could see the panic on his face. He came over and gathered her into his arms, but she turned her gaze toward the distance, filled with unwillingness and regret. What had she been doing all these years? She had spent her life working tirelessly for Lu Mingshu and the Lu family.
Had it been worth it?
If she were given another chance, she would never choose him again.
*
Author’s Note
A marriage of convenience that blossoms into love, featuring a sweet, satisfying Republican-era romance between an older woman and a younger man!