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the story starts with Lily as an old woman reminiscing on her past. It then jumps to seven year old Lily in her “milk years” it is then the diviner who over saw the binding of young girls feet called the match maker to look at them because she had high arches which meant that she could have “perfect golden lily’s” it was then madam Wang determined that Lilly was an eligible match for a laotong relationship with Snow Flower. Lily’s foot binding began and her third sister died from infection on the same day her grandmother also died from old age. Soon a fan came for Lilly from Snow Flower and on this fan they would record all significant events for the rest of their lives. Snow flower and Lilly met for the first time when they went to the temple of gupo to pray for sons. After this snow flower stayed with Lily’s family on and off Lilly’s family wondered why Lilly never went to snow flowers and the match maker said that it was because they were of a much lower social standing but soon word traveled of Snow Flowers families misfortune and lily’s mother and father found out but decided not to tell Lilly as to not spoil her views of her new friend. Much time passed and the girls went into their “hair pinning days” they are fifteen including beautiful moon. It was the catching cool breezes festival when all the women returned to their natal homes while the men went to work in the fields Lilly’s father and uncle told the girls that they could go outside and finish their dowry’s when Beautiful Moon is stung by a bee and dies. The time had come for Lilly’s wedding ceremony’s but when Lilly is about to leave snow flower gives her an envelope with a letter saying that she was sorry for not telling her about her family’s situation and that she hopes that Lilly will still want to be laotong. After Lilly returns to her natal family her and her mother get into a large argument resulting in her and her mother barely saying another word to each other for the rest of her mother’s life which is cut short due to an outbreak of typhoid. Lilly and Snow Flower both become pregnant with their first sons and move into their husband’s houses fulltime. Lilly has another son and a daughter, Snow Flower has a daughter at the same time as Lilly but after that she has multiple miscarriages but finally she bears another healthy son and he soon becomes his father’s favorite child. Then Lilly’s husband goes on the road to make his way in the salt business. Soon after came an outbreak of typhoid many people died including Lilly’s mother in law lady Lu and the headman making Lilly and her husband the highest ranking people of the highest ranking house in Tongkou. Lilly’s husband returns home successful in the salt business. Lilly soon goes to visit Snow Flower but while there the taiping rebellion broke into their region so Lilly with Snow Flowers family flee to the mountains with the rest of Jintian. While in the mountains Snow Flower becomes increasingly depressed and soon her second son dies. Her husband is engulfed in grief and begins to beat Snow Flower. Lilly does not know what to say to her so she keeps quiet.