The Pretty Widow and the Burly Butcher

It had a rather elegant title, Second Marriage in Spring, but it felt too refined to draw readers in, so for now I've tentatively called it The Pretty Widow and the Rough Butcher. Please add it to your reading list!

Chun Shi married Zhou Huizong, a scholar from Zhoujia Village. Women and girls for miles around envied her, certain she'd become the wife of a licentiate and then the lady of a successful candidate in the imperial exams.

But in less than six months, she went from a newlywed to a husband-killing curse, reviled by everyone. Her husband's family despised her, and her own family severed ties with her. Chun Shi had no choice but to move alone to a drafty thatched hut at the foot of the hill on the edge of the village. Even gathering firewood and carrying water became a struggle.

Zhou Dadao was a butcher renowned throughout the surrounding villages. He was tall and broad, with a thick waist, powerful arms, and a face covered in a thick beard. You could sense the menace radiating from him from far away. Chun Shi had always been afraid of him and would always give him a wide berth.

But he insisted on making trouble for her. Every night, he squatted outside her thatched hut, and by day he carried water and chopped wood for her. The villagers started calling her a wanton widow who couldn't bear the loneliness and was seducing a man...

Chun Shi was so angry she started to cry. Gripping the ax she'd been using to chop wood, she glared at him and said, "Y-you, go away! I don't need your help."

The petite, delicate woman barely reached his chest. Her eyes were red, and she could hardly get her words out through her sobs, yet she still stubbornly tried to put on a stern face. The veins in Zhou Dadao's neck throbbed. He pressed his tongue against his back teeth and tried again and again to restrain himself, but at last he couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out, gently grabbed her, and pulled her into his arms. The ax flew toward the woodpile and landed firmly in an unchopped log.

"Pointing an ax at me, huh? You really think I don't dare take you, hmm?"

His beard scraped her face, burning her skin, and her lips were left numb from his kisses. Chun Shi sobbed even harder. Even this man was bullying her. She didn't want to live anymore...

P.S. This is a purely historical farming romance, with a strong focus on the romance. The story won't be very long.

Theme: Live well and keep striving