(No rebirth, no System, one female lead) Reedflower Isle, on the shore of Dongting Lake.
The orphan Chen Shi has three teachers, from whom he learns how to conduct himself, how to read people, and how to do business.
Starting with a single load of gravel, he puts down roots in industry.
Lin Xiuzhi, daughter of a fallen scholarly family, is the only girl in the village who can recite the Book of Songs. Others laugh at her for being so high-minded, but he tells her, "You are a girl who has studied." It is the most respectful thing anyone has ever said to her.
He earns the family the confidence to stand tall, and she gives it a foundation in learning.
Honesty in one's conduct, diligence in one's work, and benevolence in one's family.
Five children, five different lives. Hidden in their five names are the twelve words he inherited from his teachers.
From one person to a family, three generations, and a century-old legacy.
Passing down a life of farming and study is no empty promise. It is two people, spending a lifetime each tending to half of it.
