On the seventh day after transmigrating to Shen Family Village, Shen Yao saw He Shi for the first time. He sneered coldly, "Are you so desperate to get to the city that you've lost your mind? Let me set you straight: the household registration policy is right there in black and white. Marrying an educated youth won't get you to the city either. Scheming so much could leave you with nothing, after you've ruined your own life."
Later, when he heard a matchmaker had gone to the Shen home, He Shi hurried to block Shen Yao by a haystack. "Let's be a couple."
Shen Yao shook her head. "I won't marry an educated youth."
-
Not long after He Shi arrived in Shen Family Village to work in the countryside, the daughter of the production team's captain crept into his room in the middle of the night. He carried her right back out and gave her a thorough scolding.
Not knowing that her mind was impaired, he assumed the girl would stop at nothing to get to the city, and looked down on her ever since.
Later, when he learned she had the mind of a five- or six-year-old, he felt guilty. Afraid she might not understand what she was doing and behave the same way with the other educated youths, he kept a close eye on her. By the time he realized it, he had already fallen head over heels and could no longer escape the web of love.
The story of a marquis's daughter who transmigrates into a farmer's home and works her way up to become part of a wealthy family. A coming-of-age, rural farming story set in a bygone era.
My next book, Tempting You, is already in the works. Please add it to your collection!
Liu Yu was born with stunning looks and a naturally alluring charm, but into a family that was anything but kind.
At fifteen, her cruel parents sold her to Qinhuai House. At sixteen, her first night was auctioned off for an exorbitant price. After more than a year of barely surviving, she smashed her head against the wall and died in the most extravagant pleasure house in Xin'an Commandery.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back at fifteen, one month before her parents sold her to a broker.
Reborn, Liu Yu had only two things in mind.
Find herself a good husband before she was sold.
Make her cruel parents live with regret, envy, and jealousy for the rest of their lives.
She had a month to arrange her marriage, and she still needed her parents to agree to let her go. The young men in Liu Family Village were clearly out of the question, so she turned her attention to the unmarried sons of the shopkeepers in Changfeng Town. She secretly asked matchmakers about them and picked out targets one, two, three, four, five...
Just as she left a matchmaker's home, she ran into a young man. The matchmaker whispered, "Lu Chengxiao, the third son of the owner of Lu Feng Cloth Shop."
Liu Yu understood. Target number three.
Lu Chengxiao had run into a beautiful young woman several times lately. Then, one day, they met by chance in the mountains. She had twisted her ankle and couldn't move, so he carried her all the way back. The hot-blooded young man's ears turned red and his heart pounded like a drum. It was only after they parted that he realized he had never asked her name.
When he went back, he saw the beauty who had supposedly twisted her ankle walking with a light step, as if nothing had happened. The heat behind his ears faded, and his eyes turned cold. He turned around and went straight back to Changfeng Town.
A few days later, they met again. The bashful beauty offered him a purse to thank him for rescuing her.
Lu Chengxiao sneered. "Thank me for rescuing you? I went back that day and saw you walking just fine. Why would you need my help?"
"I can't accept this purse. If people find out we've been exchanging gifts in secret, it'll be hard to explain. A young lady should take care to preserve her reputation."
Liu Yu held the purse in her hand. So he had seen through her...
Fine, this one wouldn't work out. She couldn't afford to waste time, so she'd just move on to the next target.
At the temple fair in Changfeng Town, Lu Chengxiao had come out with his mother and younger sister. He watched the young woman ahead drop an embroidered handkerchief right in front of the young master of the rouge shop. The young man picked up the fragrant handkerchief, the beauty shyly thanked him. What a lovely encounter.
The same trick, just a different target.
Lu Chengxiao was seething. Even in his dreams, he tossed and turned, grinding his teeth. He had never met anyone so frivolous!
Later, when he saw Liu Yu about to stage a fall into the water, he remembered the sight of her leaning against his back that day. Gritting his teeth, he jumped into the river before the young master of the rouge shop could, and pulled her out. Holding her slender waist in his hand, he hissed through clenched teeth by her ear, "Isn't finding yourself a good husband what you want? Am I not better than him?"
Liu Yu: ...
What was so good about a man who thought she was frivolous?
Much later, the Lu family became wealthy beyond measure and moved to the prosperous Xin'an Commandery. Liu Yu's parents stayed behind in Liu Family Village, still working their tiny plot of land. Liu Yu smiled faintly. The best revenge was to make them watch her live in wealth and splendor, waited on by servants, while they could only look on, unable to get a single benefit from her.
Casting a net to find a husband, tempting him to join her hand in hand for a lifetime. Everyday family life among ordinary people in an ancient town.
Theme: Love and growth
