The River God's Bride

Xue Yanyan was reborn at the age of sixteen.

She knew that in a few months, the Changqing Marquis Household would discover she was their true second daughter and send someone to bring her home.

She also knew that in that household, where everything was measured by self-interest, someone had long since taken her place, becoming the cherished daughter of the Changqing Marquis Household, while all she would receive there were glares, disdain, and contempt.

This time, she didn't want to go back.

So when the county magistrate and the spirit medium came to her door with a rope, just as they had in her previous life,

what they saw was a beautiful young woman dressed in red, all done up for the occasion.

The girl, who seemed entirely unaware of the fate awaiting her, smiled and held out her hands,

her rosy lips parting as she asked with a bright smile, "Are you here on behalf of the River God to take me as his bride?"

**

This time, as the girl was thrown into the Luo River in full view of the entire county, she saw the River God, his face grotesque, the instant she hit the water.

But unlike in her previous life, she raised her lips into a genuine smile.

"At last, I see you again."

The River God had never wanted a bride.

Every so often, humans dumped a little garbage into his body.

He was only there to clean up the soggy trash that did nothing but scream, cry, and faint.

This time was no different. He had already prepared to plug his ears so he wouldn't be pierced by the screams.

But what the River God never expected was that,

when they first met, the girl would tenderly cradle his ugly face,

her slender, pale fingers gently brushing over his scarred features,

and meet his eyes with a smile and not the slightest trace of fear.

The words "I'll take you home" were already on the River God's lips, but they caught in his throat.

He hadn't expected that a moment of softness would lead to someone occupying his palace,

and taking over his bed.

His fearsome reputation, said to scare children into silence, became hers instead.

The River God: "???? So this is what it's like to take a bride?"

Two years later, the Changqing Marquis Household finally found the banks of the Luo River while searching for their second daughter.

But no one knew that whenever the seemingly delicate young lady took a sip of tea,

her cheeks would turn rosy.

In the water, she could see the face of her new husband.

**

#How do you raise a River God properly?#

Xue Yanyan: Thanks for asking. I suppose you save up to build waterworks, save up to hire people to dredge the river, drive all the garbage away from the banks, and while you're at it, clear out all the ghosts and monsters.

When the little god finally recovered, Xue Yanyan suddenly realized she had become the most honored woman in all of Great Qi.

Theme: Defying fate.