I Pick Up Trash in Ancient Times (Married First, Love Later)

If you're interested, feel free to bookmark it first!

The blurb is below.

[Clear-headed, calculating cultural relic restorer x seemingly obedient, scheming, ruthless Sixth Prince]

[Marriage before love / theatrical couple / fake relationship becomes real / incredibly sweet]

Shen Muchao, a cultural relic restorer, transmigrates into the body of an orphan girl in ancient times. From the start, all she has is a thatched hut and a wooden table covered in scratches. She has to scavenge for all her equipment!

The good news: She's bound to a System, and its specialty is her old line of work, cultural relic restoration. The various porcelain objects and silk manuscripts she restores can be sent straight to a modern museum, and the rewards are generous.

The bad news: She has to save up two hundred thousand taels before she can return to the modern world.

Dressed in patched-up homespun clothes, Shen Muchao thinks the trafficker System must be seriously broken. If it wants these things, shouldn't it have sent her to a rich family?

While trying to pick up a broken porcelain jar, Shen Muchao also happens to bring home a badly wounded beauty.

The beauty is as gentle as jade, thanking her over and over, but then turns around and snaps an assassin's neck without batting an eye.

The local authorities issue a new rule: anyone who remains unmarried upon reaching the eligible age must pay a hefty tax.

To avoid the tax, she eyes the handsome man lying injured on her bed and gets an idea.

The two quickly reach an agreement: one will restore broken porcelain jars to earn money, while the other will be responsible for looking beautiful.

But their good times don't last. The man is hunted by the great clans, and to keep Shen Muchao from being dragged into it, he leaves behind only a letter of divorce and disappears without a trace.

[Little Scene]

The cold winds of the twelfth lunar month howl as snow falls thickly. Shen Muchao doesn't call in the maids and servants who work for her. Just as she's getting ready for bed that night, someone knocks on her door.

Shen Muchao throws on a padded jacket and opens the door. A man in a dark black cloak is standing outside. She freezes for a moment, and then he steps into the room.

The room is as cold as an ice cellar. The man pulls her into his arms, his voice low and tender. "I'm late today."

Shen Muchao wriggles free of his embrace. "You're not late. Hurry and warm the bed."

Reader's Guide:

1. The male lead puts on an act early on and doesn't trust the heroine. He'll test her in all sorts of ways. He's very possessive and will compete and fight for her later.

2. Their marriage is contractual at first, and their relationship develops somewhat slowly.

3. This is my first book, so there will be some shortcomings. I'll keep working hard to learn and improve.

Theme: No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, stay true to yourself.