Chapter Twenty-Two: The Wager

Ding Mulan’s words plunged Qin Ruonan into a long silence as well. Though Qin Ruonan was only a young woman, with little profound understanding or experience of life and marriage, she was, after all, also a woman. The sorrow and helplessness that Ding Mulan inadvertently revealed moved her deeply. She was certain that no matter what, she could never possess Ding Mulan’s courage and spirit of sacrifice. To her, love was indeed something she yearned for in her heart, but pride was even more precious than love.

To sacrifice so much for love, that was far beyond what Qin Ruonan could ever accept.

After a brief distraction, Qin Ruonan quickly regained her composure, pushing aside the stray thoughts that had momentarily surfaced. She continued questioning Ding Mulan about Lu Min’s dealings with loan sharks: “The person your son-in-law Lu Ji mentioned earlier, Yao Chang, who lent money to Lu Min—have you ever met him?”

When Ding Mulan heard Qin Ruonan ask about Yao Chang, she shrank back, clearly still haunted by the memory. Hugging her arms tightly, she shook her head at Qin Ruonan. “I haven’t met Yao Chang, but once, before Lu Min had paid back the money he owed, a few thugs came to our house and made a scene. They smashed all the pots and jars in the yard, broke several window panes. I was terrified—almost to death. I called Lu Min, but he wouldn’t answer. Helpless, I called An Ju and asked her to help me get her father home, told her that there were people at the house, smashing things