My Wife, the Head of the Household

A short novella of just over 100,000 words.

The male lead, Lin Shijiu, comes from a poor family. Influenced by his upbringing, he resolves to escape the undignified life his father led. To help her rough-looking older brother find a husband, his grandmother sells him to the Wen family for nineteen taels of silver, where he becomes a low-ranking servant responsible for sweeping the courtyard each day. His only encounter with Wen Xian is when Wen Xian slaps him for being ugly. From then on, Lin Shijiu nurses a grudge and vows to make Wen Xian fall at his feet, despite his humble clothes.

Then his chance comes. Wen Xian offends a powerful figure, and her family is confiscated and exiled. For nineteen taels of silver, Wen's mother hires him as Wen Xian's husband, and he accompanies her all the way to the northern desert to herd sheep.

From then on, every time Wen Xian wrongs him, he secretly writes it down in his little notebook...