The Lotus Shoes

But we lived in a hierarchy that favored men. Women, be it peasant or lady, first wife or mentor wives, were pitches against each other, fighting among themselves for scraps of power and security.

We cannot let them win ... They own our bodies but they will never have our souls. Those are ours, always.

A daughter’s sin is a mother’s liability, just as a mother’s sin is a daughter’s burden.

I had not, until now, understood that in this world only men had the freedom to act, to roam, to live. This understanding plunged me into an abysmal pit, far beyond despair.

But she was my superior in character. I’d been given every advantage, but at the first sign of adversity, I’d given up, while Little Flower had fought against ill fortune, hardships, injury, heartaches, crushed dreams and impossible odds.

had not, until now, understood that in this world only men had the freedom to act, to roam, to live. This understanding plunged me into an abysmal pit, far beyond despair.

You—” I pointed at her “—are lowborn. I’m a lady. These facts are as solid as the ground we stand on.

Life as a muizai was full of hunger, suffering and humiliation, and I’d endured it all.

A daughter's sin is a mother's liability, just as a mother's sin is a daughter's burden.

Yet experience had taught me that promises from the genteel class were not to be relied upon if my safety clashed with their self-interest.