A Slow Spring in the Mountains

Recommending my upcoming novels: What of It If She's My Elder Brother's Wife? and Plucking the Phoenix in the Spring Night

Synopsis:

Yun Xiang was the bride Old Madam Lu paid a fortune to bring home for her grandson, Lu Yanzhi.

Yun Xiang was honest and guileless, without a calculating bone in her body, and Old Madam Lu liked her very much.

Unfortunately, Lu Yanzhi was selfish, cold, sensitive, and suspicious. He looked down on everyone, and no matter how often Yun Xiang lowered herself to win his favor, he never gave her a second glance.

On a night when rain leaked through the roof, the last little flame of the candle flickered in the wind, as if it might go out at any moment.

By the lamplight, Yun Xiang mended Lu Yanzhi's clothes. Her sweet, innocent face was flushed, and her eyes shimmered with the glow of happiness and contentment. She said that once Lu Yanzhi went to the capital and earned a place in the examinations, their whole family would move there and start over together.

Lu Yanzhi kept his expression cold and let out a quiet “Mm.”

But in his heart, he thought that he had been clever since childhood and was sure to rise to the highest ranks. Why would he truly spend the rest of his life with someone who could barely read?

He could repay her with a few dozen taels then, as compensation for all she had done over the past months.

Even he knew perfectly well that ever since Yun Xiang married into his family, every bit of their household's money had come from her selling tofu at her own stall. She had even sold her belongings to scrape together the travel expenses for his trip to the capital to take the exams.

At last, in the bitter depths of winter,

the young man who once had chilblains on his hands and resentment in his eyes donned a warm, luxurious fox-fur coat and became a Collation Officer at the Palace Library, appointed by the emperor himself. But the person who had once cared for him and fussed over him was no longer by his side.

As he gazed at Chang'an, buried beneath a blanket of white snow, his heart suddenly ached.

Reader advisory:

1. The leads are married from the start. From the hero's perspective, he was also dragged into the marriage, and he clearly told the heroine that he did not want to be with her. The events described in the blurb reflect some of his thoughts and actions at the beginning of the story.

2. At the beginning, both leads are young and emotionally immature. They can be petty and self-centered, so this story is tagged as a coming-of-age novel. After going through certain experiences, each person will become a better version of themselves and learn to consider things from the other's perspective.

3. Growth comes with pain. The imperfect people we become today, whatever the cause, will be broken down and rebuilt piece by piece in the future. The story spans five years, from the leads' marriage to the end, so please give them room to grow.

Recommending my next upcoming novel

What of It If She's My Elder Brother's Wife?

[Charming, scheming, but actually a silly beauty vs. a vindictive, easily rattled minister who goes berserk]

Xue Fu was beautiful and ambitious, always hoping to use her looks to find herself a wealthy husband. She would even be willing to become a concubine, as long as it meant a better life than living in poverty.

Once, she rescued a man by the river. He was badly injured, and when he woke, he told her he would repay her kindness and marry her with all the proper rites.

Xue Fu thought to herself that he had said his family was not well off and could only afford the basics. That would never do.

As luck would have it, the eldest son of Cangzhou's richest family, the Shen family, fell gravely ill and remained unconscious for days. Old Madam Shen paid a fortune to consult an expert, who said they urgently needed someone to marry him and bring him good fortune.

While the man was away, Xue Fu stole his jade pendant, ran off, and sold it for money. She bribed the expert performing the ritual for the Shen family and got her wish: she married into their household.

But her good fortune did not last. Xue Fu realized there was a problem. It would be one thing if the sickly man stayed in bed forever, but what if he died? Would she not be left a helpless widow?

After thinking it over, Xue Fu remembered that she had several younger brothers-in-law who might be an option instead.

The third brother was a playboy, but easy to coax. All she had to do was beckon, and he would come running to shower her with attention.

The fourth brother was scholarly and still young. He took every word she said seriously and always blushed when he looked at her.

They were both quite nice.

Xue Fu had considered every possibility, except for the second brother, whom she had never met but had heard was cold and utterly lacking in compassion.

Then, one day, the second brother finally returned to the household. Xue Fu looked toward the voice and saw the man staring straight at her, his gaze as venomous as poison. Wasn't he the man she had abandoned in the countryside?

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Bonus scene 1

In a hidden attic, Xue Fu's fingers were limp, her neck flushed red. Shen Jin gripped her waist and leaned close to her ear, laughing softly with forced patience. “Sister-in-law, have you really thought this through?”

Xue Fu's face was flushed, and she could not get a word out. She had never imagined he could hold such a grudge.

Bonus scene 2

Shen Jin had always known that Xue Fu would do anything to live a comfortable life. She had saved his life, and he had been just as captivated by the days they spent close together in the countryside. He could give her a life of comfort, as long as she stayed obediently by his side alone.

He went out to buy the things she liked. When he returned, she was nowhere to be found. She had taken all his money and run.

When they met again, she had become his sister-in-law and was all smiles toward his third and fourth brothers.

Fine. Just fine.

Theme: Strive to be your own person.