Days blurred for Yin Su after the ceremony. She went about her duties without thought, without joy, without thinking. Planting. Harvest. Marriage. Birth. A happy time. For some.

Yin Su’s mother became remote. Their usual chats in the kitchen turned into silent chopping of vegetables. Yin Su found her crying while preparing the Great Lord’s favorite dish. Yin Su asked why but her mother could not form the words among the sobs.

It became clear all at once.

The Great Lord strode into the kitchen to speak to Yin Su as she was helping her mother with the evening meal. He selected a bronze medium-sized cook pot from the row of available cookers.

“This will be yours,” he said directly to Yin Su.

She looked at the beautifully crafted pot and could not find words. Thank you was all she could mutter. Maybe she was being promoted in her kitchen duties. Her attention went back and forth from her crying mother to the benefactor of this beautiful bronze.

The Great Lord looked at Yin Su’s mother. “You have not told her.”

“I could not.”

Yin Su could not hide her confusion. “Am I to do a different job?”

The Great Lord’s eyes softened. He placed a reassuring hand on Yin Su’s shoulder and said, “You are to be married. Today. Your husband is here to take you to your new home. The bronze pot is my marriage gift to you.”

“Marriage gift?”

“I am sorry, my daughter. I could not bring myself to tell you.” Tears streamed down her mother’s face.

“I am leaving?”

“You have been ready for marriage for some months now. It is time. Our kind Lord has arranged a match for you.”

“No, I do not wish to go.”

“Yin Su, you forget your place.” The Great Lord’s words were not unkind. “You have had a home here all your life. I have fed you. You are a clever girl and it amused me to allow you to learn. It is time you change your loyalty from me to a husband. You will obey him as you have obeyed me. When you have sons and they are grown, you will obey them. It is the way.”

Yin Su hung her head. It was true. Tradition dictated that she obey the head of this household. Confusion turned into curiosity. “Who is my husband? What is he like?”

The tiniest smile appeared on the Great Lord’s face. “Your new husband has served well. You are his reward for doing so. He is newly appointed as Gatekeeper at Hangu Pass. He will keep everyone safe from invaders from the west and will oversee taxes on commerce in and out.”

The Great Lord nodded to Yin Su’s mother, turned, and left the kitchen.

Yin Su ran her hand over the beautifully crafted cook-pot. She had used it many times when preparing dishes for celebrations, special occasions, or just because all the other pots were in use. The aroma of past events brought happy memories to her mind.

But now this beautiful cook-pot was to be hers. She did not quite grasp the implications. She recalled the delight when any member of the Great House married. Preparations would begin weeks before. Elaborate meals would be cooked. Friends would come from afar and there would be days of celebration and feasting. She would watch from the side, hidden from view, reveling in the beautiful silks that the guests wore. No silk for the servants. Her mother would make sure her clothes were clean, but there was nothing more.

She would not wear silk for her marriage. There would be no special meal. Her ceremony would be like her clean clothes. No silk. Plain clothes. Nothing more.

Everyone in the kitchen had stopped what they were doing and were staring at Yin Su. They rushed forward to embrace her. All knew of the Great Lord’s relationship with Yin Su’s mother. Yin Su had desired and been given privileges that no other had. But now a bronze cook pot? For a cook’s daughter? It was unheard of.

“Oh, Yin Su,” said a young kitchen worker about Yin Su’s age, “the Great Lord arranged a marriage for you. How wonderful!”

Another chimed in, “And what a beautiful cook-pot he has given you. I am so happy for you.”

“You will have a wonderful life,” said another, “Good luck and prosperity are coming to you.”

Yin Su’s thoughts were jumbled. She smiled at her friends with tears in her eyes. “But I must leave you all.”

“Yin Su, do not think of it that way. We all want to marry. But we all do not have the help of the Great Lord. I am sure he arranged a fortuitous match for you.”

Yin Su stared at the floor. She was being given away. To be married. She did not know her husband. Could there be a reason to celebrate?

Her friends’ excitement dried her tears. Her mother hugged her. Her friends hugged her. All wished her well. Her mind raced. What did this really mean? Was this a good thing? Possibly. Marriage meant she would have babies. She smiled. Yes. Babies. She would cook for her husband and care for her children. She would bear many sons. It was a new life. A new beginning.

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