Everyday Life on the Cao River

Lin Bitang grew up surrounded by love: her parents adored each other, her grandmother was kind, and her older brother doted on her. Then one day an old woman barged into their home, and Lin Bitang discovered that her grandmother wasn't her biological grandmother and her brother was her half-brother. It came as a huge shock. Her childhood friend Lu Qian, with his usual calm and gentle demeanor, told her that whether or not they shared blood, their love for her was real. When they were children, the boys in the alley would get into fights. Lin Bitang always charged in first, while Lu Qian followed behind, handing her a stick as he urged her on with feigned concern: "Pen'er, girls really shouldn't fight." Lin Bitang's childhood nickname was Pen'er. She couldn't stand rules and regulations, and she disliked her nickname even more. At his words, she snatched the stick from him and charged into the fray. The adults eventually caught them and demanded an explanation, but it was Fang Hu who got beaten. Fang Hu, who was their age, felt terribly wronged. As they grew older, Lu Qian sometimes regretted what he'd done back then. For instance, after they married, he longed to have Lin Bitang by his side, so he hinted that a wife ought to devote more attention to her husband. Lin Bitang didn't agree. "Why can a man travel the world while a woman has to be stuck at home?!" Lu Qian: "They say the one closest to the water gets the moon first. I schemed for us to be together day and night, but who knew going ten days or half a year without seeing my wife would become the norm!" The woman he loves is hopelessly devoted to supporting the family! [Reading Notes] 1. The heroine is a native of a purely ancient setting. She grows over the course of the story, but this isn't a story about a powerful, independent heroine. 2. A seemingly sweet and well-mannered, but secretly devious and greedy male lead × a sharp-tongued, highly capable heroine. 3. A slow-paced farming and business story, with a little domestic intrigue and a gentle, heartwarming everyday-life feel. The dynasty is fictional, and everything serves the plot. 4. I'll stick to two updates a day. The second chapter will be posted by midnight. If I can't update, I'll post a notice asking for leave. Coming next: The Virtuous Wife Has Had Enough! Please add it to your to-read list. In her previous life, Wen Ruoli spent half her life supporting her upright husband, only to be cornered by her mother-in-law and vicious concubine for giving birth to just one daughter. They lost her daughter, and her husband coldly warned her, "She's gone, so let her go. Don't defy Mother." Wen Ruoli spent ten years searching for her beloved daughter, only to see her one last time before she died. Her heart turned to ash, and, dazed and distraught, she fell to her death from a cliff. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to two days before her daughter was abducted. This time, she smiled coldly and made her plans: first, keep her daughter safe; then tear apart her hypocritical in-laws; and finally, declare firmly, "I want a divorce!" Her ex-husband flew into a rage. "Wen Ruoli, don't be so ungrateful!" She left resolutely and never looked back. After returning to her family home, she revived her family's traditional brewing skills and built a thriving life with her daughter. Suitors came one after another, all competing for her hand. Her ex-husband came to pester her, putting on airs. "Wen Ruoli, you're a discarded woman. Who else would want you besides me?" Wen Ruoli pulled over the young military officer who was drinking himself tipsy in her own wine shop and planted a hard kiss on his face. "Even if every man in the world had me, I still wouldn't go back to eat at your house!" The young military officer, who had just returned from the frontier: "..." Her ex-husband glared at her and called her wanton. Wen Ruoli couldn't let that accusation go unanswered, so that very night she dragged the young officer into her bed. She'd had enough of being a virtuous wife! Later, her ex-husband saw the young officer who had cuckolded him at court. It turned out he was Xiao Tingyue, the regent who had just returned to the capital to defend the emperor. The regent sat beside the young emperor. When his gaze swept over, the ex-husband trembled like a leaf and dropped to his knees. Xiao Tingyue loves war and fine wine. Later, he added two more loves to the list: his wife and daughter. Theme: Growth is an unpredictable flower. You never know which season it will bloom in.