Jiang Shuyao married into the Marquis's household three years ago. Her husband was absent on their wedding day, so she performed the wedding rites with a rooster. When their child was born, he was absent again, staying at the border with another woman. In three years, he said fewer than ten words to her. She signed the divorce agreement and headed south to Mingzhou. Starting from an old house, she opened three shops in seven years and became the head of the merchants' guild for half the street. Pei Yanzhi used his back to shield her from a burning beam that broke loose in a fire, yet afterward he crouched in the shadows, afraid to let her see him. Seven years later, they sat at the same table again. She laid out the accounts of their three years together, one entry at a time, while he made up for seven years of silence, one sentence at a time. Standing beneath an osmanthus tree, he said, 'It's not too late from now on.' She replied, 'With you by my side for the rest of my life, everything is complete.'