Chapter 1: Father, Daughter Does Not Want to Marry

"Father, I beg you, please do not marry Xi'er to the Magistrate's foolish son, alright?"

On the night before her wedding, Mo Xi'er ran into her father's room to make one last struggle for her own happiness.

She was the young lady of a wealthy household, and her mother had also been her father's most beloved woman before she passed. But everything changed the moment her mother gave birth to her.

On the day her mother gave birth to her, she died from a difficult labor. From then on, her father felt nothing but hatred toward her. Since her birth, she had never seen her father; she had been raised by Nanny Chen. It was when she was twelve years old that Nanny Chen told her the reason why her father would not see her.

Today was the second time in her life that she was seeing her father.

The first time, her father had come to find her. Seeing him then, she had been so happy; she realized this was what her father looked like. She thought he had let go of his resentment and was accepting her again, but she never expected that what he would tell her was that she was to marry the Magistrate's foolish son in three days. Upon hearing this news, she had knelt on the ground crying and begging him, but no matter how she pleaded, her father remained unmoved and finally left with a flick of his sleeve.

Looking at the Xi'er before him, Mo Yuanping's eyes were filled with loathing. He hadn't expected Xi'er to come; in his memory, Xi'er had always been quite weak and timid. But even if she had come, it wouldn't change anything.

Mo Yuanping looked at her coldly, his face full of disdain. "Is this all for that boy Shen Yuntian? Do you think that after he passes the imperial examinations as the top scholar, he will still come to the Mo family to marry you? You are overestimating yourself far too much."

Not wanting to see Xi'er, Mo Yuanping simply turned his back to her. "Go back to your room. I don't want to see you!"

Although she had thought her father might disagree, hearing him reject her so ruthlessly made Xi'er's heart feel a sudden, piercing pain, as cold as an icicle in a frozen cave.

Was she really going to marry someone she didn't love just like this? No, she was unwilling! Her Big Brother Shen was still waiting for her.

According to Nanny Chen, before Mother passed away, Father loved her very, very much. If she mentioned Mother, Father should agree to her request.

Xi'er knelt down, crying as she pleaded, "Father, I know you love Mother very much and miss her deeply. Xi'er misses her just as much. I am your and Mother's daughter! Can you please not betroth me to the Magistrate's foolish son?"

Mentioning his wife pulled Mo Yuanping's thoughts back to the day Xi'er was born.

The midwife had come out of the Madam's room drenched in sweat, her whole body trembling. "Ma... Master Mo, the Madam is... is hemorrhaging! We can only save one, the mother or the child. The Madam is inside, constantly saying to save the child, you see..." Having said that, she lowered her head, not daring to look Mo Yuanping in the eye. She had heard that Master Mo was famously devoted to his wife!

Mo Yuanping thought anxiously for a moment, then told the midwife decisively, "Save the Madam."

The midwife entered the room tremblingly, and not long after, the sound of an infant's cry drifted from within.

Mo Yuanping flew into a rage. He pushed open the door and entered the room. Seeing his wife lying on the bed, on the verge of death, he was so furious that he immediately ordered the servants to drag the midwife out and beat her to death with sticks.

The midwife knelt on the ground, trembling all over, crying and begging for mercy. "Please... please spare my life, Master! It was the Ma... Madam who insisted on saving the child! She said if the child wasn't saved, she would bite her tongue and commit suicide! I had no choice! In that situation, if we hadn't acted to remove the child immediately, neither the mother nor the child would have been saved! Master, please spare my life!"

Mo Yuanping ignored the midwife's words entirely and commanded the servants, "Don't just stand there, drag her out!"

The Madam lying on the bed struggled to let out a faint voice.

"Mas... Master, it was I who begged the midwife. The child has just been born, please do not commit a killing. Ac... accumulate some blessings for the child. It is a girl, named Xi'er. I hope you... cher... cherish her. I..."

Before she could finish, Madam Mo drew her last breath.

"Madam... Madam... why? Why? I don't want you to die, I don't want this daughter, no, I only want you! My wife!" Mo Yuanping cried out in grief as he held his wife.

*Clatter.* Lost in his thoughts, Mo Yuanping accidentally knocked over a ceramic cup on the table.

Looking back at the kneeling Xi'er, Mo Yuanping's eyes flashed with a murderous light, as if he wanted to kill her. He remembered clearly that it was because of giving birth to this daughter that his wife had left him.

Mo Yuanping pointed at Xi'er and said viciously,

"Do not mention your mother again! If it weren't for the fact that I promised her to keep you, I would have thrown you away long ago! I hate you! I hope you get as far away from here as possible." Having said that, Mo Yuanping stormed out of the room in a rage.

Every word her father said stabbed deeply into her heart. Was she still his daughter?

Xi'er slumped to the ground, powerless, and wailed toward the ceiling, "How can you be so cruel? Why must you treat Xi'er like this? Xi'er has done nothing wrong! Why? Why?!"

After a long time, Xi'er stood up weakly, her eyes vacant as she walked toward the door.

*Mother, why did you leave Xi'er after giving birth to her? Do you know that because of your death, Father has projected all his hatred onto Xi'er? Sob...*

Thinking of Big Brother Shen, who was far away in the capital, Xi'er's vision blurred with tears. She feared she wouldn't be able to wait until the day Big Brother Shen passed the imperial examinations.

Unknowingly, Xi'er had arrived outside her boudoir.

Seeing her young lady return, the maid Qiu'er said excitedly, "Miss, where did you go? You nearly worried me to death! I searched everywhere for you, I thought you..."

"Thought what? Thought I wanted to die, is that it? Hahahaha..." Xi'er laughed toward the sky.

For a gentle and elegant young lady to laugh so hysterically—what had happened to her? Qiu'er was terrified. "Miss, what's wrong? Please don't scare Qiu'er!"

The Miss wouldn't have gone mad because she didn't want to marry the Magistrate's son, would she? "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Qiu'er will go call a doctor."

Hearing the word "doctor," Xi'er finally snapped out of it. Her face darkened as she said, "Qiu'er... I am fine. You may withdraw! I want to be alone."

Xi'er walked weakly into her boudoir.

Though she was worried about her mistress, since the Miss had said so, she had no choice but to withdraw.

Returning to her room, Xi'er walked straight to the bedside and sat down. As she thought, she collapsed onto the pillow and began to sob again.

Why was her life so bitter? She had never received her father's love since childhood, and now she had to marry someone she didn't love...

Who else could help her? Xi'er shook her head and cried, "No one! No one!"

Would Big Brother Shen come to save her? Impossible! Big Brother Shen was far away in the capital; how could he make it in time? Her father was even more impossible to reason with; he wouldn't even see her anymore. So what could she do? Besides dying, what else could she do?

"Ah, right! Leave the Mo family and go to the capital to find Big Brother Shen."

Having said that, realizing she had spoken a bit too loudly, she hurriedly ran to the door and locked it.

Yes, leaving the Mo family was the only way out. Once she reached the Magistrate's house, it would certainly be impossible to escape.

Xi'er wiped her tears, stood up, and packed a few pieces of clothing from her wardrobe, quickly putting together a simple bundle.

In the dead of night, Xi'er took her prepared bundle, quietly opened her door, and walked with light steps to the backyard. Seeing no one around, she opened the back gate and ran out in a hurry.

However, it wasn't long before the Mo family servants discovered that the young lady had escaped. She was merely a weak woman and could not run fast; she was soon caught by the servants.

The servants held torches and stood opposite Xi'er. "Miss, there is a cliff ahead, there is no way left. You should come back with us!"

Looking at the cliff ahead, Xi'er was terrified. What should she do? She didn't want to go back.

"I worked so hard to escape. I beg you, please let me go!"

The Miss was wearing thin clothing, and the servants felt great sympathy, but as servants, they could only follow their master's orders. "Miss, we are only following Master's orders. Please don't make it difficult for us; come back with us!"

Hearing that the Miss had escaped, Mo Yuanping had also chased after them. Seeing Xi'er, he commanded the servants sternly, "What are you all standing there for? Grab the Miss and bring her back!"

"Yes, Master." The servants began to move forward.

Seeing the servants getting closer and closer, Xi'er retreated step by step until she was soon backed up to the edge of the cliff. "Father, if you take one more step, I will jump!"

Hearing the Miss say she would jump off the cliff, the servants were frightened and retreated one after another, not daring to step forward. "Master, this..."

Hearing Xi'er say she would jump, Mo Yuanping was also startled. Although he did not want to see Xi'er, she was his daughter after all! But then he thought, Xi'er was weak and timid; how could she jump off a cliff?

He turned and said to the servants, "She won't dare to jump; she's just scaring you. Quickly, go forward and catch her."

Following the Master's command, the servants grew bolder and moved forward.

Seeing the servants pressing closer, she hadn't expected her father to be so heartless, completely disregarding their father-daughter bond. "Father, I hate you! In the next life, I will never be your daughter again."

Xi'er turned to face the cliff. "Big Brother Shen, I'm sorry. Xi'er cannot wait for you any longer."

With that, Xi'er threw herself over the edge of the cliff.

Seeing the Miss about to jump, the servants rushed forward to grab her.

"Miss!"

But it was too late.

Seeing the Miss jump off the cliff, the servants looked at Mo Yuanping in terror. "Master, the Miss, she, she..."

Having witnessed Xi'er jump off the cliff with his own eyes, Master Mo collapsed onto the ground in shock. "Xi'er, why did you jump like that? How can I face your deceased mother? Wife, I have failed you! Scold me! Hate me! I really didn't think Xi'er would jump off the cliff. Wife, I..."

Before he could finish, Mo Yuanping fainted.

Seeing the Master faint, the servants rushed forward to support him.

"Master... Master..."

***

A word to the readers

I have revised some chapters. I hope everyone will give plenty of support to Mo Mo's new story! Thank you!