Without waiting for Mrs. Ming to answer, Madam Zhou added with a beaming smile, "You know my two rascals are about Lingyi's age, and quite presentable. I think they would look like a perfect match standing together. Why don't we arrange for the young ones to meet sometime?"
In the Dayan Dynasty, it wasn't uncommon for men and women to meet before marriage. However, it was rare for someone like Madam Zhou to come calling so personally and with such enthusiasm.
Sunlight filtered through the branches of an old cypress, casting shifting spots of light on the stone ground. Ming Lingyi kept her eyes lowered, but she could clearly see the flicker of a smile on her mother's face—one that was both resigned and forced for the sake of decorum.
