Walking the Spring Waters with You

The first time Shen Zhining boarded Wen Tingyu's boat, she brought six crates of vegetable seedlings, a ledger, and a head full of plans to get rich.

The cabin needed ventilation, the seedlings needed sunlight, and every deal along the way needed to be carefully accounted for.

As for Wen Tingyu, the boat owner she'd known since childhood, years apart had only made him more handsome. He still wasn't much of a talker, though.

Then one night, someone climbed aboard. The person who usually helped her carry seedling crates grabbed a short baton and blocked the intruder outside the cabin.

Only then did Shen Zhining realize that Wen Tingyu's skills went far beyond knowing the waterways.

She'd planned to sell seedlings along the river and save up to buy a home. Instead, a batch of counterfeit, diseased seedlings led to a shady operation at the warehouses. The river was closed to traffic on a rainy night, the cargo manifest was switched, and someone even set their sights on her own boat.

She had a business to run, justice to pursue, and the person she loved to bring home safe and sound.

Meanwhile, Qin Jianyao had dreamed of becoming a chivalrous heroine since childhood.

She'd barely set out to right wrongs when she met Magistrate Cen, who insisted on getting to the bottom of everything.

Only later did she discover that the person this female official cared about most was whether Qin Jianyao was hurt and when she'd be coming back.

Qin Jianyao: "Your Excellency, are you this concerned about everyone?"

Cen Yantang turned a page in her paperwork and didn't answer for a long while.

A clever seedling-growing shopkeeper and a steady, protective boat owner.

A warmhearted young heroine and an upright female official with a dry sense of humor.

In this fictional world, women can sit for the imperial examinations, enter government service, and form unions. Daily business, adventures on the waterways, two couples, and a happy ending.

A companion story to Spring Waters Sown with You, but it can be read on its own.

Theme: Build a life through diligence, defend justice with courage, and grow together through mutual respect and support.