In Jiangcheng in 1982, Su Wanqing is digging mud from the moat. She never imagined her life could blossom out of the mire.
A young educated woman newly returned to the city, she was secretly fed hormones by her stepmother, Wang Guixiang, until she weighed 170 jin. The recipe for palace pastries her mother left behind has been hidden for three years, and the job she finally secured at the food factory was stolen by her stepsister.
And now she's about to be sold off to a 40-year-old widower with two children in exchange for a 300-yuan bride price!
As she nearly drowns, a man in uniform grabs her wrist. The scent of soapberries mixed with the warmth of everyday life becomes her lifeline.
At a matchmaking meeting in a teahouse, she spots an old scar on the man's shoulder blade. In a panic, she claims he's her boyfriend, only for the iron-willed soldier to play along: “I'm her sweetheart.”
To escape their respective troubles, Su Wanqing and Lu Zheng sign a three-month marriage contract.
She thinks they'll simply make ends meet together, but who could have guessed...
With her one-of-a-kind pastries, Su Wanqing goes from black-market vendor to the richest woman at Jiangcheng's food factory, while slimming down into a stunning beauty, soft and slender as a willow.
She reclaims her mother's property and gives her stepmother and stepsister a taste of defeat!
Just as she saves up a million and draws up divorce papers, ready to live her best life alone, the man who once said they were only using each other turns red-eyed.
Lu Zheng pins her against the door, his voice hoarse and fierce. “Boss Su, in my dictionary, there's only widowhood, not divorce! If you want a divorce, you'll have to take my life.”
“Tonight... we should make an heir.”
