A Liu and the Peddler [Farming Story]

Blurb:

A Liu has had a hard life. Her parents died young, and she lives with her older brother and sister-in-law. She works from dawn till dusk without getting a single bite of anything good, but they still find fault with her at every turn. Now they're thinking of selling her to the village idiot next door for ten taels of silver. The idiot drools at the sight of people and beats them when he goes into a frenzy. A Liu wants no part of it.

A Xian has had a hard life too. He was born into a wealthy family, but was kidnapped as a child. Old Li from the village had eight daughters and no son, so, wanting an heir to carry on the family line, he bought A Xian from a kidnapper. But Old Li and his wife died young, leaving A Xian to wipe away his tears and beg from door to door with his little sister and grandmother. At thirteen, A Xian ran away to work as a shop assistant. He had to support himself and his sister.

A few years later, his grandmother passed away too. A Xian returned home for her funeral, where he ran into A Liu, his childhood playmate.

A Liu stood in front of him, fidgeting with her fingers. After a long hesitation, she asked in a tiny voice, "Will you marry me?"

A Xian thought for a moment. "How much does it cost to marry you?"

Remembering what her brother and sister-in-law had said, A Liu lowered her voice even further. "T-ten taels."

A Xian silently did the math, then said to A Liu, "I understand. Wait for me."

[This is a story about two people with hard lives who strive to do good, support one another, work hard, and slowly make a better life together.]

Reading guide:

1. The characters are not based on real people, and the dynasty is fictional.

2. The male lead makes his living selling goods and is responsible; the female lead is kind and resilient.

3. Neither lead has a golden finger. This is a slice-of-life farming story about family matters and everyday life.

Theme: Face adversity and press forward bravely.