Summary

In Chapter 5, the novel goes back in time to Lina’s teenage years and the circumstances leading up to her arranged marriage with Wei. The reader is provided with pieces of her backstory, such as how she was raised with the knowledge that one day she would marry the promising young son of her father’s dearest friend, and how on one hand, she liked the security that being betrothed to the most eligible boy in her village gave her, but how on the other hand, she was bored of her hometown and wanted the adventure of a new experience and new friends. During the years leading up to her marriage, she developed a friendship with Wei’s younger brother Qiang.

Chapter 6 returns to the present and turns to Wei as he nervously anticipates the arrival of his long-lost brother. He thinks back...