Marrying a Fake Playboy

When Song Yinyin married Lin Zhaoye, some people envied her, while others mocked her. They envied the Lin family, a distinguished clan of scholars with generations of court officials, and Lin Zhaoye, one of the most handsome gentlemen in the Great Zhou dynasty. But they mocked her for marrying the wrong man. Lin Zhaoye spent all day chasing cats and dogs, and was a good-for-nothing. Song Yinyin wasn't worried. The entire Lin family had her back. As long as she kept pushing her husband to study, he would surely pass the imperial examinations and become a top scholar! But he was hopelessly slow. A poem others could memorize in fifteen minutes took him half an hour. Song Yinyin praised him against her better judgment: "My husband is so clever!" In private, she wore a grave expression: Did I marry a fool? But as he kept studying, his spoiled playboy nature surfaced again. With a roguish, showy grin, he said, "Yinyin, give me a kiss and I'll study for another hour." Later, Lin Zhaoye gave up literature for martial arts and went off to war. The Lin family, who had thought their prodigal son had turned over a new leaf, were dumbfounded. "Sister-in-law, weren't we supposed to have him sit the imperial examinations?" Song Yinyin smiled shyly. "But it's what my husband likes." * Lin Zhaoye had been clever from childhood, but he couldn't stand the stuffy affectations of scholars. He was determined to become a great general who could hold up the heavens and earth. With swords and spears everywhere on the battlefield and life and death left to fate, he never intended to pursue the woman he liked. But who would have thought she would obey her parents' wishes and the matchmaker's arrangements, then deliver herself right to his door? Not only did she keep showing up in front of him, she insisted on making him study. Lin Zhaoye, about to head out riding: "Don't be ridiculous! Even if you're the woman I love..." Song Yinyin tugged at his sleeve and pouted. "Husband..." Lin Zhaoye tossed aside his riding crop. "Then I'll study for another hour." Theme: Mutual respect and understanding.