Chen Ajiao in the 1970s

This story is too unpopular, and I have real-life things to deal with, so I have to stop updating! Thanks to all the sweethearts who added it to their collections~ I may continue when things aren't so busy.

Chen Ajiao died.

Chen Ajiao came back to life, cursing and grumbling: "Damn Liu Che! He calls himself a gentleman, but he can't even keep a promise!"

Chen Ajiao looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. What was that tall thing that looked like a giant box? Why was everyone wearing such bizarre skirts?

Then she realized, to her amazement, that this wasn't the Han dynasty! Here, women could live exciting lives too!

And so Chen Ajiao stopped being lovesick and focused on making money, making money, making money, buying a golden house, buying a golden house, buying a golden house!

Chen Ajiao had two secrets: one, she'd come back to life; two, she owned a covered carriage. After many years, her carriage had learned to talk and could upgrade and transform!

Chen Ajiao's eyes lit up: Great! I can ride (drive) my little carriage around, make loads of money, and buy hundreds of golden houses!

Chen Ajiao: Ha! Damn Liu Che! He can only lie there and watch me live better than I did when he was around! Ha! Damn Liu Che! He can only lie there and never even see my rows and rows of golden houses! Hahahaha! (Cackles at the sky)

Liu Che (serene): I, have no objections...

Excerpt 1: "I'm Going Home"

"Your mother controls all the money in the household and clutches every last penny. When you're away from home, they make me work like an ox. I cook here and boil porridge there. After I've served her porridge, your sister-in-law adds water to the porridge in my pot, scoops out the thick stuff for herself, and leaves me with the watered-down slop!"

Ajiao grew angrier as she spoke. She took a breath and continued: "If I hadn't been lucky, you'd be preparing my funeral right now!"

Li Qingshan broke into a cold sweat. He hurriedly poured Ajiao a cup of water and tried to soothe her. "How could that be? Don't say things like that. Don't bring bad luck on yourself."

Ajiao arrogantly accepted the water Li Qingshan had obsequiously offered, took a sip, gave a cold laugh, then spoke again. "This time, I'll go back, take my dowry, and leave!"

Li Qingshan grew even more flustered. "No... Ajiao, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

Ajiao pursed her lips, drained the enamel cup, and set it down heavily. "I'm going home!"

Excerpt 2: "A Person's Faith"

He'd never heard of anything so terrifying. And that car... Could Ajiao's fever have burned her brain, making her talk like this? Maybe she'd only bought the bicycle with money she'd earned these past couple of days, and had made up this story to explain it because she was afraid he wouldn't approve.

That had to be it!

Once he had it all figured out, Li Qingshan finally found his voice. He cleared his throat and said, "Ajiao, stop talking nonsense! I think we should go back to the clinic this afternoon and see if you still have a fever. As for the bicycle, you bought it, so you bought it. I won't scold you. Don't make up ghost stories to fool people over something like this!"

Then Li Qingshan remembered that these were turbulent times and thought he should warn Ajiao: "You can say those things to me, but don't go shouting them outside. Don't let people catch you, or I won't have enough influence to get you out!"

Watching Li Qingshan go through this whole routine, Ajiao's expression shifted from disbelief to indignation and a desire to argue, then to numb resignation. So be it. You couldn't shatter someone's faith in life, could you?

Even though she'd just made a bicycle appear out of thin air, which should have been enough to prove she was extraordinary, Li Qingshan had no idea what he'd been thinking. He'd convinced himself there was a perfectly reasonable explanation and even found her an excuse...

Ajiao stared at Li Qingshan with a numb, exasperated expression. Men really only believed what they wanted to believe.

Fine, then!

The spirited, willful "shrew" from the Han dynasty, Chen Ajiao × the handsome, scheming modern-day cook Li Qingshan

Theme: All roads lead to Rome.