The Blacksmith's Young Wife

Zhou Lihua's husband died on their wedding day. Her parents-in-law sold her to a blacksmith for a high price. When she first saw her new husband, he was tall and burly, and looked like a bad man. Zhou Lihua shuddered and silently wept inside. Zhao Gui had a bad reputation and couldn't find a wife. Later, he paid twenty taels for a young widow. He thought he was just getting a wife, having a child, and muddling through life. That was until Zhao Gui met his little wife... Reader notice: Please don't mention or discuss other works or authors in the comments of this story, and don't bring up this story in other people's comment sections. Thank you! My next book, Lazy Husband, is now open for pre-orders! Landowner Liu Fu is handsome, but unbelievably lazy. Liu Fu finds a matchmaker and lays out his requirements: I need a wife, preferably a beautiful woman who can earn money to support the family outside and manage the household inside, works hard without complaint, is humble and obedient, and is considerate and gentle. The matchmaker's mouth twitches. At a loss for words, she says, "I'm afraid there isn't anyone like that." Liu Fu reluctantly compromises. "Then a fierce one might be all right, as long as she isn't fierce with me, and especially as long as she doesn't hit me. She doesn't have to be pretty, and it doesn't matter if she's a little older." So the matchmaker finds Song Lian, who just the day before had chased her older brother down the street, beating him with a stick. Song Lian isn't ugly, but she's notorious for being fierce, so at twenty, no one dares marry her. At first, Song Lian puts up with everything after the wedding. After all, it had taken a lot for her to get married. But the more she holds back, the more aggrieved she feels. When she can't take it any longer, Song Lian raises her rolling pin. No one has ever dared treat her this unfairly. What? He wants to divorce her? Then she'll beat him until he behaves. He dares call her a shrew? Another beating! Later, Song Lian realizes her husband isn't lazy. He just needs a good beating. All she has to do is roll up her sleeves, and her husband becomes more diligent than the donkey grinding grain at the neighbor's house. Song Lian thinks they might as well muddle through life like this. Liu Fu must surely regret marrying such a fierce wife. A devoted marriage or a respectful partnership? She might as well forget about that. But she doesn't know that Liu Fu complains to his friends behind her back: "My wife is too wonderful. I'm always afraid someone will steal her from me." His friend: "??" Sure, he's handsome, but he's useless around the house and knows nothing about farming. His wife must be sick of him. Liu Fu, who should know better than to court trouble, vs. Song Lian, who gets angrier the more she holds back Theme: Face the low points of life without fear, and keep moving forward