After Marrying Down to a Poor County, I Raised a Top Scholar from a Humble Family

Lin Zhaoyue opened her eyes to find herself on the bed in the bridal chamber on her wedding night.

Outside, her mother-in-law pounded on the door and shrieked, "Hurry up and consummate the marriage! A woman marries into the Shen family to bear heirs!"

Inside, the impoverished scholar blushed, clutching the wedding quilt. He spoke softly to her. "If you don't want to, I'll spend the night outside. Tomorrow, I'll personally take you home."

But as she looked at her husband, so handsome and refined, who still knew how to respect her despite being so poor that his rice jar was empty, her gaze drifted to the corner. A few neatly stacked bundles of manuscripts sat atop an old wooden chest. The pages had yellowed, but not a single corner was dog-eared.

Suddenly, she smiled.

Go back? Go back and let her stepmother and stepsister laugh at her?

Her marriage had been stolen from her, and she had been forced to marry into a poor family in a poor county. Her father was on the verge of a promotion and only wanted to avoid trouble, while her stepsister was waiting to see her spend the rest of her life trapped in a little courtyard fenced with bamboo.

Well, she refused to let that happen.

She would fill the empty rice jar, stoke the cold stove, dry the pile of damp firewood, and brew a jar of rice vinegar so famous that every village for miles around would know its name.

She would also personally raise a top scholar from a humble family.

Later, the Shen family courtyard was full of chickens and ducks, and the fragrance of vinegar filled the alley. He chopped wood while she cooked; he studied at night while she tended the lamp.

The poor scholar advanced from the county exams all the way to the palace examination. Wealthy, prestigious families vied to offer him concubines and daughters, while the nobles all said, "Lord Shen came from humble beginnings. If he marries into a powerful family, his future will be limitless."

But Shen Qingheng merely swept his sleeve before them all. "I studied hard through the cold winters not to betray her."

And she stood beneath the osmanthus blossoms filling the courtyard and smiled softly.

Back then, everyone said she had married down and would suffer.

But she knew she had never wanted to compare herself with anyone. She only wanted to make life better, just a little better.