[Opening at the end of October. The chapters have already been scheduled in advance, but I’m keeping the exact time hidden for now. Thank you so much, my lovely readers, for adding this to your collections. I really mean it, thank you all. The world is still a beautiful place. I’ll do my best to create a utopia for everyone. I’ll work hard, I promise! Thank you, lovely readers!]
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There is a house in Bianjing, and seven people live in it.
The courtyard is out of the way, life is barely manageable, and the people are noisy, but none of them leaves.
Zhao Qiushui, a young cook, and her older brother Zhao Jiuzhang bring a cartload of local specialties from the countryside to Bianjing to find their father, Zhao Zheng. To their surprise, Zhao Zheng has become a high-ranking official and started a new family in the capital. He casually sends them to the most remote house he owns. They hear there are strange noises there in the middle of the night, too.
Zhao Qiushui thinks the place feels too empty. It is the depths of winter, and she cannot make much money selling food from a stall, so she puts up a notice: Roommates wanted. Thirty coins a month. Dinner included tonight. Quiet and spacious.
*
The bitter wind sweeps across the ground, and the last snow of winter covers the streets. Every household is stocking up for the New Year.
Sun Ping'an, the son of a Jiangnan tea merchant, escorts a shipment of tea to the capital, but it is robbed along the way. After he gives Zhao Qiushui his last remaining chest of tea as collateral, he moves in.
Shen Yumian travels everywhere in search of inspiration. While revising a new manuscript at an inn, she is kept awake by the neighbors arguing every day. Seeing the word “quiet” on the notice, she moves in, only to discover that this place is even noisier than the inn.
Gu Wen, a former editor at the History Bureau, wrote in the Daily Records that the emperor had gone fishing and caught nothing. His colleagues impeached him, and he was stripped of his duties, ordered to retain his official rank, and sent to the Ministry of Personnel to await reassignment. He moves out of the official residence and has nowhere to go. Depressed all day, he collapses in front of the house, where Zhao Qiushui finds him and takes him in.
Song Yi, a young woman from some noble family or other, wants to become a medical attendant, but she lacks the talent. After running away, she has little money left, so she moves in, simply because dinner is included that night.
Lin Shan, an apprentice carpenter, heads for the capital after his workshop closes, but nobody will hire him. He has very little money, just twenty-eight coins. Zhao Qiushui tells him to repair the house in exchange for letting him off the rent, which is two coins. But the more he fixes, the shakier the house gets.
*
In the depths of winter, seven people with very different personalities gather in an inconspicuous house in this bustling capital.
The weather is cold, but the fire in the kitchen burns brightly. One year passes, then another.
[Reader's Guide and Content Warnings]
1. This is an ensemble story. There will be more friendship than romance, and no couples will be forced together except for the male and female leads. Things will develop naturally.
2. No one is perfect. Everyone has flaws.
3. This is an episodic story, with several chapters in each arc. The arcs are not forcibly connected to one another.
4. This is set in an alternate version of the Song dynasty and is not intended to be historically accurate. If you are looking for historical accuracy, please skip it.
5. This is a slice-of-life comedy. The language will not sound overly archaic. Please skip it if that bothers you.
6. There is no political scheming. The story focuses on everyday life, though the language can be rather exaggerated.
Synopsis saved on 2026.8.5
A story written just for fun~
The story is set in winter, so I chose to start posting it in winter~
Theme: How fortunate to meet, and to find true friendship
