The Widower Is Expecting

Please check out my new novel's upcoming release, The Grief of the Tomb Keeper! The blurb is at the bottom!

Older, fatherly doctor gong * gentle, kind widowed ge'er shou

Floodwaters destroy fields and sweep away homes. The widowed ge'er Wu Qiu flees with the mother-in-law he depends on, hoping to seek refuge with distant relatives. But his mother-in-law falls gravely ill along the way, and the two end up in a dilapidated earth-god temple outside Dayou Village.

His mother-in-law needs medicine, and their silver disappears like running water;

Disaster victims pour into the area, and the villagers can barely look after themselves, let alone help. In nearby Yongning City, shopkeepers are all on edge. Wu Qiu wants to find work and earn some money, but no one will hire a slender ge'er like him;

Local hooligans take advantage of the chaos to rob him on the road. They steal Wu Qiu's silver and food, and beat him as well;

With nowhere else to turn, Wu Qiu knocks on the door of a brothel and kneels, begging the madam to buy him. All he asks is for enough silver to pay for his mother-in-law's medicine.

The madam is about to agree when someone reaches down and pulls Wu Qiu to his feet. He looks up and sees Lei Ting, a doctor at a clinic in Yongning City.

Lei Ting saves his mother-in-law's life and drives off the village bully who wants to force himself on Wu Qiu. He protects Wu Qiu in his arms and takes him home, treating both him and his mother-in-law for their injuries and illnesses. He even teaches Wu Qiu to read and write, makes him delicious honey drinks, and takes him into the mountains to gather herbs.

One day, several months later, everyone from the clinic is sitting together to cool off. Lei Ting's little brother insists on showing off his medical skills, taking everyone's pulse and diagnosing them on the spot. Wu Qiu obligingly holds out his hand. After feeling his pulse for a while, the little guy's eyes grow wider and wider. "Brother Qiu, are you pregnant?"

Reading guide:

1. An imaginary setting, ge'er fiction, pregnancy and childbirth

2. Both are each other's first, one-on-one romance, shou-focused, happy ending

3. No golden finger, no reborn or transmigrate, no imperial examinations or court politics

--- Blurb for my upcoming novel ---

Ping Yan has been unhappy lately. One troublesome thing after another has been weighing on him.

First, he's a stunning male dancer in the palace, but in the prime of his life, the new emperor sends him to guard the imperial tombs. He'll have to spend the rest of his life in this desolate, uninhabited place.

Second, that tomb guard surnamed Mei is as wooden as they come. Ping Yan sweetly calls him Brother Mei, but all the man does is dutifully reply, "My name is Mei Yi." Ping Yan deliberately lets his collar slip, showing off the red pregnancy mole on his shoulder that marks him as a ge'er, but the wooden fool only takes off his outer robe and drapes it over him.

Third, the wind in the wilderness is so strong that it leaves Ping Yan's shoulders aching. The woodshed doesn't even have a bed, and after one visit, his back is rubbed raw. The ancestral hall is so eerie that it's terrifying. Ping Yan has to cover his mouth to stifle his cries while reminding himself not to let his imagination run wild.

Fourth, Ping Yan isn't very good at needlework. He pricks his fingers several times trying to sew himself a wedding veil. On top of that, he has to avoid Eunuch Yang, the chief eunuch sent by the emperor, and spend every day in fear and anxiety.

Fifth, the new emperor is making an inspection tour and suddenly decides to pay his respects at the imperial tombs along the way. The singers and dancers must perform for him according to the rules that were in place when the late emperor was alive.

But Ping Yan's belly is too big. He can no longer fit into his old dance costume!

Ping Yan is so frantic he bursts into tears. If he's discovered, won't he, Mei Yi, and the child in his belly all be buried alive alongside that old emperor?

Reading guide:

1. An imaginary setting, ge'er fiction, pregnancy and childbirth

2. Both are each other's first, one-on-one romance, shou-focused, happy ending

3. No golden finger, reborn or transmigrate, imperial examinations or court politics

4. Characters from the author's other works make cameo appearances

Theme: The most precious thing in life is finding a kindred spirit