The Little Chubby Husband (Matriarchal Society)

Li Xiaobai has someone he secretly loves, but he cannot speak of it, and he has no right to, either.

He is the laughingstock of the capital. Though he is the legitimate son of the Minister of Rites, he is nowhere near as well-liked as his younger half-brother, nor does he have his brother's cunning or skill. The only thing he does more than his brother is eat, and he has become such a fat man that he gets winded after walking a few steps.

For that alone, no one likes him, and no one seeks his hand in marriage.

But many people like his younger brother: the emperor's younger sister, a general who commands troops, and a newly appointed top scholar. Even the distinguished and gentle eldest legitimate daughter of the Cui family, who has never shown interest in men, treats his brother warmly.

The unmarried young men of the capital often gossip and speculate about what kind of man Cui Yanhe likes. Every time, Li Xiaobai lowers his head and thinks that it certainly won't be someone like him.

Because his elder sister is an old school friend of Cui Yanhe's, he gets a few chances to speak with her. She remembers that the Li family has a chubby young master who always has food in his hands wherever he goes and likes to walk with his head down.

Li Xiaobai thinks, contentedly, that it would be enough just to speak with her like this.

Until one day, the unsavory feelings in his heart are spread around. His family thinks he has brought shame upon them, and even his mother is ashamed of him. Afraid that Cui Yanhe will look at him with disgust, he chooses to leave.

In the second year after Li Xiaobai leaves the capital, Cui Yanhe meets a pretty young man at a banquet. With a slender figure and a face like peach blossoms, he throws himself into her arms and says he wants to be her husband. She instinctively pushes him away, but stops when she catches a familiar hint of peach fragrance.

Raising an eyebrow, she asks the handsome young man with his arms around her waist, "Are you serious, young sir?"

Li Xiaobai is so nervous he stammers. "I-I certainly am!"

As everyone looks on in disbelief, Cui Yanhe nods solemnly. "Very well. I shall come to ask for your hand in marriage soon."

Before long, a major event takes place in the capital. Word spreads that the emperor's younger sister, General Pingning, and the top scholar have all asked for the hand of a young master of the Li family. Everyone assumes they mean the second young master, but it turns out they want the eldest.

The first time Cui Yanhe met Li Xiaobai, she saw him share the food he'd just bought with a beggar by the roadside. When he noticed someone watching him, he ran off in embarrassment. The second time, she was visiting the Li family and saw him so delighted at picking a peach from a tree that he forgot himself. His face was as lovely as a peach blossom.

When they meet again later, no matter what he looks like, he remains in her heart the kindhearted young man with the radiant smile.

Theme: The time will come to ride the wind and break the waves, setting sail across the vast sea. Strive hard and live life to the fullest.