In Gratitude for Your Grace

Jiang Ying was just Jiang Ying. She had no distinguished family and no heaven-defying luck. One winter, she braved the snow to steal someone's purse, only to get caught.

That was when she first met Qin Yuchen.

He had sword-straight brows and bright eyes, and stood tall and straight. In the falling snow, he seemed like no ordinary mortal.

Jiang Ying lifted her chin to look at him, and heard him tell her:

"If I haven't personally promised it to you, you mustn't take it."

*

Then time flew by, and before she knew it, five years had passed.

Jiang Ying rode into battle alongside Qin Yuchen, fighting enemies and defending their country. With a blade in hand, she was so vivid and bright she nearly hurt the eyes.

But on the day Qin Yuchen married, she waved goodbye to this beautiful dream.

Spring came, and flowers bloomed. In an old lane one March, he chased after her. Gently holding a fallen pear blossom between his fingertips, he asked in a tender, affectionate voice, "Does that pear cake I promised you all those years ago still count?"

She smiled, tears sliding down her cheeks.

She leapt down from the pear tree and into his arms, then gave him his own words back:

"If I haven't personally promised it to you, you mustn't take it."

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1. The male lead is ten years older than the female lead. One-on-one romance, happy ending.

2. An older story, rewritten from scratch. Short story.

Theme: Even in adversity, keep a heart that knows how to be grateful.