"Master, the Eldest Miss is just outside the gate. She fainted the moment she got down from the horse carriage," the gatekeeper said.
"Walk faster!" Master Xue's steps quickened a few degrees.
Xue Zhi slowly came to, and the moment she opened her eyes she saw her father hurrying out through the gate.
"Father!" She called out once and then burst into loud sobs.
"Zhizhi." Master Xue rushed over, and father and daughter clung to each other, weeping bitterly.
"Your daughter is unfilial, I've come back too late. Is it really my mother?" Xue Zhi refused to accept it, still hoping she'd misunderstood.
Master Xue wiped away his tears. "Your mother passed last night. She kept talking about you, told me over and over that I must find you a good husband."
"Last night?" Xue Zhi wailed, "Just one night—Mother, why couldn't you wait for me?"
