Something has been the talk of Shizi Village lately: Zhou Ting, a man from the Zhou family, has returned from fighting with the army, only to be stopped at the village entrance as soon as he arrives.
The Qiao family has a son named Qiao Yu. Ever since his father died five years ago, he has been raised by his uncle and aunt. He has never been short of work, but he's often gone hungry, and is now scrawny and filthy.
Word got around that the Zhou family man had become a minor official and made good money. So the Qiaos used the two men's childhood betrothal as an excuse to send Qiao Yu to the Zhou family. They stopped Zhou Ting at the village entrance and sold him for twenty taels of silver.
At their first meeting, Qiao Yu was trembling with anxiety, afraid his husband wouldn't like him. Later, after Qiao Yu had been pampered into a sweet and delicate little darling, the Qiao family showed up to demand money.
He blinked his beautiful eyes. A moment later, his mouth turned down, his eyelids drooped, and he raised his arm, tearfully complaining to the man hurrying toward them from afar: "Ting-ge, they're being mean to me!"
*Childbearing!
*Expect an old-fashioned flavor!
Theme: Every misfortune leads to a greater blessing
