It was a bright, sunny, Autumn morning in Taipei in 1898, three years after the Japanese took control of Taiwan. A pretty, teenage girl was walking with a handsome, young farmer, wearing a Chinese bamboo conical hat on the streets of Dadaocheng. They were conversing in Taiwanese Hokkien, a common language amongst Han Chinese in Taiwan under the Japanese Colonial Rule.
"Ahuey, I have decided on something which I have to tell you," said the young farmer.
"Why are you suddenly so serious, Ahuat?" questioned Ahuey, the beautiful Taiwanese girl.
"Because it's something serious," replied Ahuat. "I have decided that next week, after the crops have harvested and I have sold them for a good price on the market, I will go to your house to ask for your parents' approval for your hand."
After hearing this, Ahuey's face coloured and she immediately stammered. "Ahuat, this is not funny! Marriage isn't such a trivial thing for you to joke about!"
"No, I am perfectly serious," responded Ahuat as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, held Ahuey's hands and looked at her earnestly in the eyes. "Ahuey, will you marry me? I am a poor farmer and may not be able to give you a life of luxury, but I can guarantee that my love for you is true. I know we were childhood companions, so I have always treated you like a sister. Only until recently did I discover that my emotions for you are beyond that of a sister, but as someone that I would risk my life to protect, and for whom my love will never die. Ahuey, will you marry me?"
Ahuey was surprised by Ahuat's sudden proposal, as he had always been her childhood sweetheart, but she had not dared to tell him, as she felt that he only treated her as a sister. Now that she has discovered his love for her, Ahuey's heart fluttered like a butterfly. She only nodded quietly, after which Ahuat smiled benevolently.
Nevertheless, neither of them noticed a dark shadow quietly spying them from behind the bushes.
~To be Continued~
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