On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Yu family's daughter died.
There was no betrothal money and no dowry. She died destitute on her wedding night. The dilapidated wooden house became a blazing inferno, while her husband held an alluring woman in his arms and watched her struggle to survive before she finally perished in the flames.
Given another life, Yu Nianqing did not dare to marry.
But what choice did she really have? She did not want to be sold into a brothel.
So, on a snowy night beneath the moon, she steeled herself and walked a long way, until she pushed open a rough wooden door.
She knew there was a mute hunter living here.
She would marry him.
-
There was happy news in Huo Village!
The solitary mute Huo who lived at the end of the village was actually getting married!
The villagers, young and old, were stunned. They saw the usually stone-faced, towering man rushing around like a spinning top, getting fabric from one place and making tables and cabinets from another. He even gestured for them to come to the wedding feast.
On the wedding day, the villagers were truly amazed:
Beautiful, sturdy chests and cabinets, a big bed, and a pair of plump geese that even respectable city folk would have trouble getting.
And the bride was petite and lovely, welcoming them with a bashful smile.
As the years passed, spring turned to autumn, and cold gave way to heat.
The people of Huo Village watched the couple's life grow better and better with every passing day.
-
Yu Nianqing never expected the hunter to be willing to marry her, let alone give her father ten taels of silver.
Afraid the hunter would drive her away, Yu Nianqing kept working hard in the fields and at her embroidery after the wedding, saving every coin whenever she could. She did not even dare get too close to the man.
Yet she never noticed the tall figure of the man trembling in the darkness.
At last, Yu Nianqing slowly realized what was going on.
He was...!
She cautiously touched the arm of the man who was moving.
She deliberately acted as if everything were perfectly normal, but her awkward movements betrayed her nervousness.
"Let's... have a child."
That night, she finally heard his voice, deep as spring thunder.
On the night of Jingzhe, thunder and rain rumbled all night long.
Reading guide:
1. Hardworking, capable young wife x taciturn, solitary hunter
2. A cozy slice-of-life farming story
3. A short one, probably a little over a hundred thousand words
Theme: Love yourself
