A Sugar Water Shop in the Deep Mountains

Chu Jiao transmigrates into the body of the bride the Yue family bought to bring good fortune to their son, who has fallen into a coma. When she comes to, she hears a shrill voice hurling abuse nearby.

Chu Jiao throws off the red cloth covering her head, strides out of the house, and loudly curses, "Which shameless old hag is yelling here? Did someone die in your family, and you're afraid nobody will find out?" As she speaks, she casually picks up the heavy stone mallet used to pound pickles in front of the house. The villagers of Yue Family Village see this and think to themselves that Yue Ling's wife is not someone to mess with.

Two dilapidated rooms, a comatose son being kept alive with precious medicinal herbs, a frail daughter, relatives who keep showing up to cause trouble, and a hardworking, honest couple: Chu Jiao reckons she needs to find a way to make money first.

People in Nanling love sweet things, so she decides to try making sweet soups. She makes honey strawberry soup and passion fruit honey soup, and sells every last drop. Seeing how well they go over, Chu Jiao starts thinking about making other kinds.

Tapioca sweet soup, mung bean sweet soup, hawthorn and red date sweet soup, ginger and red date milk pudding, and more. Once she has saved up some money, Chu Jiao opens a little shop and adds more items to the menu, including perilla drinks, sour milk, lotus seed drinks, and osmanthus honey drinks.

Chu Jiao's sweet soup shop grows more and more popular, and as she earns more money, she hires a physician to treat Yue Ling, the comatose son of the Yue family. One day, as Chu Jiao carries Yue Ling into the courtyard to bask in the sun, the pale, handsome face in her arms opens its eyes.

"Did I... scare you? Don't be afraid." Hearing the weak, hoarse voice, Chu Jiao cries out loudly.

"Mother, Father, Brother A Ling is awake!"

Yue Ling looks at the pretty young woman holding him, a smile lingering on his pale lips. Though he was unconscious, Yue Ling could hear sounds from outside. He had lain there for a year when, one day, a lively voice broke through the silence and numbness around him.

At first, he thinks of Chu Jiao as a younger sister and plans to make things clear once he wakes. But later, when he learns that his mother intends to find Chu Jiao a match, Yue Ling can no longer suppress his feelings. He secretly uses every means at his disposal to tempt Chu Jiao, like a stray dog guarding the only bone it has.

*

The county magistrate of Nanling is delighted. Nanling County was a place of exile for disgraced officials, and outsiders used to look down on it and avoid it. But things have changed recently. Whether commoners and laborers or wealthy and powerful people, before entering the city gates, they all ask the same thing: "How do I get to the Sugar Soup Chili shop?"

1. Both leads are devoted only to each other. The female lead transmigrates into another body. The male lead is unconscious at first but can hear sounds from outside, so his presence in the story is limited. The whole family works together to make money, stays in their hometown, and helps develop the local economy. No children.

Coming next

The first time Song Zheng sees Wen Jingkui, his slender back is perfectly straight as he kneels. When he looks up at her, his lashes tremble, and his face is as stunning as peach blossoms in spring.

She hears that his family has fallen on hard times and brought everyone to seek refuge with the Song family, hoping to uphold his betrothal to her niece. The Song family is powerful and prominent, with generations of merchants behind them, and naturally looks down on the fallen Wen family. But Song Zheng lets them stay.

Song Zheng is ruthless and has kept herself free of desire for many years, yet she develops some feelings for her niece's betrothed. Only some, though, not enough to make her steal her niece's future husband. Besides, if she did have such intentions, Wen Jingkui would be nothing more than a bird for her to tease in a cage.

But later, in the drizzle, Wen Jingkui kneels folded into her arms. His slender hands clutch her sash as he tilts his pale, delicate neck up, his expression meek and pleading. "Please, Aunt, save my mother."

Song Zheng lowers her eyes and smiles faintly. "What will you give me in return?"

The person in her arms trembles as he undoes Song Zheng's sash, then slips off his own clothes. His lashes quiver like a startled butterfly. "Please, Aunt, show me some tenderness."

Song Zheng's gaze darkens. She reaches out and pulls him into her arms. The person in her embrace tilts his head up and cautiously offers his red lips. Song Zheng strokes Wen Jingkui's slender waist, drawing a soft whimper from him. Her expression grows darker, and she gentles her touch.

When Wen Jingkui first meets Song Zheng, he is actually somewhat afraid of her. In the solemn ancestral hall, the Song elders sit in high seats, openly expressing their disdain for him. Wen Jingkui looks at his betrothed, but she keeps her head down and dares not say a word. Even her mother cannot speak up for him.

Wen Jingkui kneels perfectly straight, but his heart is full of fear. If they are driven away, his family will have nowhere to go. Then a tall figure walks into the ancestral hall and says coolly, "Let them stay."

Wen Jingkui looks up. Song Zheng is beautiful, her expression cold. Strangely, though, his anxious heart settles. He is still afraid of Song Zheng, but he is sincerely grateful to her.

Later, when his mother is framed and Wen Jingkui has nowhere else to turn, he gathers his courage and asks Song Zheng for help, offering his body in exchange for a chance. He stays by Song Zheng's side. Every time they become entangled in bed, Wen Jingkui reminds himself that he is only a bird Song Zheng toys with in her spare time. But he still cannot stop himself from falling for her, and foolishly hopes he might become her companion and stay by her side.

Both leads are devoted only to each other. There is an eight-year age gap. Their anatomy is conventional, and women can bear children. The female lead transmigrates into another body, is emotionally detached, and is no saint. The male lead is beautiful but not weak.

Message: Make a good life for yourself through your own efforts.