Shen Yu was born into a wealthy household.
He was a ge'er, raised by the matrons to burn incense and arrange flowers so he could serve the young master.
But when the family fell into ruin overnight, the young master sold him to a brothel, despite his having never done a day's hard work.
Shen Yu risked his life to escape. Fortunately, he ran into a farmhand who used to deliver vegetables to the household.
"Please, save me!"
His life had taken such a sudden turn that Shen Yu's body could take no more. He collapsed into the man's arms.
When he woke, he found himself in a dilapidated thatched hut.
*
Chen Zhengqing had gone out to look for work when he heard a commotion. He looked over and saw that the young ge'er who had escaped the trafficker's grasp was someone he had seen at the Wei residence.
The first time he saw Shen Yu, the young man had rested one hand on a moon gate, his figure in a pale blue silk shirt visible for only an instant. But those bright, glistening eyes stayed in his heart.
The next time they met, that small, snow-white face was bruised and battered.
Chen Zhengqing gritted his teeth and carried him back to the village.
The villagers thought Shen Yu would be hard to care for and urged Chen Zhengqing to send him back.
His parents had died young, and raising his younger siblings was already difficult. How could he afford to support such a delicate burden too?
But Chen Zhengqing wouldn't listen to a word of it.
The villagers laughed at how stubborn he was. But gradually, they noticed that when Chen Zhengqing worked in the fields, someone brought him steaming hot meals, though he had always been stuck eating dry flatbread.
His clothes were never torn anymore, and they smelled lovely. Even the hems were embroidered with white plum blossoms.
At harvest time, the wheat awns left the men's arms itchy and sore. No one else had anyone to help them, but Shen Yu carefully picked them out of Chen Zhengqing's skin, one by one...
*
Eventually, Shen Yu grew up.
The villagers all said he should be married off to a wealthy family. The bride price would give the Chen family enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Chen Zhengqing thought about it too, but not for the bride price. The more beautiful Shen Yu grew, the more Chen Zhengqing felt that he shouldn't be left to waste away in this poor, remote village.
But as he considered one match after another, he thought the scholar from the family to the east was too bookish and the rich merchant from the family to the west too old... Somehow, the more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
Then, one night, Chen Zhengqing couldn't sleep. He was fretting beneath the bright moonlight when Shen Yu suddenly hugged him from behind.
The young ge'er had grown up, but when he cried, he still sobbed just like he had as a child. His uncontrollable sobs soaked Chen Zhengqing's back with warmth.
Chen Zhengqing was startled, thinking something had happened to him, but then he heard him cry in despair:
"Brother Qing, why don't you want me?"
Chen Zhengqing's eyes flew open.
Reading Guide:
[Sweet, sensitive, well-behaved bottom; steady, devoted, simple-minded top]
1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first time, happy ending
2. Five-year age gap. The bottom is ten when they first meet, and the romance begins after he reaches adulthood.
3. Sweet, doting farm life, followed by building a business and growing wealthy
Theme: A life filled with love is a good life
