The Coal Merchant's Son Who Went Abroad to Study

Let me recommend my next story, The Fox Spirit of Showbiz.

A story about an eight-tailed fox spirit who comes down from the mountain to find his older brother, only to accidentally stumble into the entertainment industry.

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Blurb:

Original title: The Bandit Merchant's Young Master Returned from Overseas

A few people were chatting in a teahouse in Jinning City.

"That Wang fellow who owns the bookstore south of the city sure is unlucky."

"How so?"

"His daughter just turned eighteen, and the Yama Xue family has set its sights on her."

"Did Boss Wang agree?"

"Of course not. The Xue family proposed, and the Wang family immediately arranged a match with a distant relative from another province, then sent their daughter out of Jinning overnight."

"Boss Wang's got a real knack for this!"

"Hah! He's just afraid that bandit streak of Yama Xue's will kick in and he'll come snatch the bride."

"Who knows what poor kid will be unlucky enough to marry this coal-mine tycoon, a former bandit?"

----The unfortunate eldest young master of the He family: Thanks for asking. I returned from overseas and was forced into marriage as soon as I stepped off the ship.

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The eldest son of Jinning City's wealthiest family, the He family, learned traditional Chinese medicine from his grandfather from a young age, then went overseas to study Western medicine as a teenager.

When he finally returned home, the Xue family, led by Yama Xue, proposed a match.

Yama Xue came from a bandit background, had a huge beard, and looked so fierce he could stop a child from crying.

How could the two of them possibly be a good match?

But at the insistence of the Xue family matriarch, the He family didn't dare offend them outright, so they reluctantly agreed to let the two spend some time together first.

And so, with the He family giving in and the Xue family playing matchmaker, the two met.

With just one glance, Yama Xue knew that the delicate young master before him was the one.

Character setup: A bandit merchant who's rough with outsiders but considerate at home x a young master returned from overseas who's proper in public but pampered in private

The top will shave off his huge beard later. He's a handsome hunk, too!

There will be childbirth later, so please be aware!

The top does not do anything illegal!!!

*Extensive alternate-universe elements

An imaginary Republican-era setting, without any deep blood feuds (probably). It's just here to let the protagonists fall in love.

ABO setting (A: Qianli; B: Zhongyong; O: Kunze): strong-liquor-scented Qianli x licorice-scented Kunze

**The author's writing, logic, and plot are all average (?), but please don't give me writing advice.

***If you don't like this story, let's just leave each other in peace.

****3,000 words a day unless something comes up. If it does, I'll ask for a leave of absence.

A friend's story:

My Boyfriend Has a Bad Temper by Mr. Cheshire Cat

I'm silly, I'm dumb, I'm pretending. A goofy, sweet story.

Theme: There may be many confusing moments along life's journey. Have the courage to pursue your ideals and your love! Do what you want to do. If you don't take the first step, how can you succeed?