Li Zongsheng was the very definition of an official's son.
In the early years of the Republic, being an official meant money and power. With Plain Yellow Banner ancestry on top of that, his status rose another notch.
The more prestigious the family, the more they insisted on a marriage between equals.
How could his father and mother allow their child to marry some country girl?!
So, the moment Li Zongsheng returned home and stated what he wanted, he was confined to his room to reflect on his mistakes, forbidden to leave.
He had tried escaping, too.
Climbing through windows, scaling walls.
Every time, he was caught and dragged back for a vicious beating that nearly broke his legs.
His father even threatened him. "If you dare run away again, I'll kill you."
Li Zongsheng thought, Then kill me.
Life is precious, but love is worth even more!
And so, he began a hunger strike.
The struggle went on from morning to night, from the first of the month to the fifteenth, from early summer to late autumn.
Watching her own son grow more haggard by the day, wasting away to a husk, his mother was the first to give in.
"My child, if you really love her, then go. I'll speak to your father."
"Really, Mother?" Li Zongsheng poked his head out, his eyes shining.
His mother nodded through her tears. "What else can I do? I can't just watch you die."
And so, Li Zongsheng finally set off for the Taihang Mountains, eager to bring Liu Ying back to the city.
He would establish his own household, marry, and have children.
In those days, communication mostly meant shouting.
Failing that, there were letters.
Early technological products like telephones were for the rich.
So, throughout those months, Li Zongsheng