Why Haven't You Asked for My Hand Yet?

[Notice: This novel will be locked on September 23. Chapters 25 through 49 will become paid chapters. If you have already read them, please do not buy them again. The anti-piracy delay is one hour, and the purchase rate is 40%. A 10,000-word update will drop when the chapters are locked. Thank you for your support.]

Rumor had it that General Wei Chenhuan was defeated and knocked off Xixiang Mountain by the enemy army, leaving no trace of her remains.

The ruler who had grown up with her sent people to search for her for years.

The truth was that Wei Chenhuan fell off a cliff. When she woke up, she found herself clutching the hair of a beautiful Miao girl. The girl smiled, as if a hundred flowers had burst into bloom in spring. "Do you know that in our Miao territory, if you touch a girl's hair, you have to work as a laborer in her household for three years?"

Wei Chenhuan had lost all her martial arts skills. Looking pitiful, she touched the girl's hair again. "Beautiful sister, do I get meals?"

The Miao girl changed her bandages. "You've touched my hair four times since you woke up. That means you have to work for me for twelve years. Of course I'll provide food and lodging, but there'll be no wages."

Wei Chenhuan handed her an ornament she had picked during her first-birthday grab-bag ceremony. "This is my repayment for your kindness in saving my life."

The Miao girl accepted it happily.

As it turned out, in Wei Chenhuan's first year in Xixiang Miao Village, she stewed a dog raised by one of the village elders, and the Miao girl had to apologize to every elder on her behalf.

In the second year, Wei Chenhuan accidentally kissed the Miao girl, and the girl's father saw them. "What are we to do? You, hurry home and prepare the betrothal gifts. My daughter's virtue can't be ruined!"

To avoid being cursed, Wei Chenhuan agreed through her tears.

In the third year, the Miao King of Xixiang died, and a civil war broke out. Wei Chenhuan carried the Miao girl, who had been cursed, and fought her way out of the encirclement.

At the start of the fourth year, the enemy country invaded. Wei Chenhuan thought she ought to return and fulfill her duty as a general for her childhood friend. She said goodbye to the Miao girl, who had succeeded to the position of Miao King. "When I come back, I'll marry you."

.

The Holy Maiden of Xixiang Miao territory, Ge Lai Amian, found an unconscious general. The general was a woman, with sun-kissed skin weathered by years of wind, sand, and battle, but her beauty was impossible to conceal.

The people of Xixiang Miao Village disliked outsiders, yet this woman had spent months lying in the Holy Maiden's bedroom!

Amian said nothing about it, simply admiring her visitor's face.

One day, just as she brought medicine into the room, the unconscious woman suddenly opened her eyes. "Where am I?"

Amian looked into her eyes and smiled. "Xixiang Miao Village."

Taking advantage of the village's customs, Amian kept the female general from the Central Plains by her side.

But only for three and a half years.

For an entire year after Wei Chenhuan left, Amian couldn't resist venturing out into the wider world. She learned that the general had returned in triumph, and brought her ornament to the general's residence, only to be thrown out.

A banquet was held at the palace to celebrate the general's triumphant return. A dancer with an exotic air leaned against the woman who couldn't hold her liquor and teasingly hooked a finger through the Miao-embroidered safety pouch at her waist. "A Chen, why haven't you asked for my hand yet?"

Wei Chenhuan was dead drunk. She sobbed in the dancer's arms. "Waaah... Amian, I miss your cooking so much!"

Amian: "..."

She missed nothing but her cooking?!

When Wei Chenhuan woke up, she had a worm inside her. She knew all too well that it was the most powerful of love spells: the Bonded Pair Gu.

Amian wore a pleated skirt embroidered with intricate patterns and a headpiece of jangling silver ornaments. Her gaze was as gentle as it had been when they first met, but now it held affection and possessiveness. "Do you like the gift I prepared for you? This way, you won't forget our engagement. You'll belong to me forever and become my wife."

Reader's Guide:

A gentle, possessive, scheming, extremely face-loving Miao Holy Maiden gong x a mischievous and kind general shou, whose hardships have worn away all her spoiled airs.

They'll occasionally switch roles for a bit (Wei Chenhuan: I object!)

One-on-one romance.

The setting draws inspiration from Miao culture. To emphasize: it's inspiration, so please don't read if you're looking for strict historical accuracy.

Political intrigue and palace power struggles are roughly at children's-drama level. The focus is on a domineering Holy Maiden falling for a stunning general. That's right, this is primarily a romantic comedy about two people who love beautiful faces.

Lastly: If it's not your thing, please don't read.

Pre-release story listing: July 11, 2024

Screenshot of the first blurb draft: March 31, 2025

Screenshot of the second blurb revision: August 8, 2025

Additional note: Character cards: I doodled these in my spare time. If you don't like them, feel free to ignore them.

Theme: Only after looking beyond appearances can we see the beauty of the soul, and understand why it is worth following forever.