The Young Widow Finds a Husband at a Graveside

[Next up: the farming slice-of-life novel "The Noble Lady Marries a Boorish Blacksmith" is now open for readers. Please add it to your library]

Blurb:

The year Jiang Yutang came of age, both her parents died. A year later, she married to bring good fortune to her sick husband, but before half a year had passed, he died as well.

The townspeople pitied her to her face for being widowed at such a young age, but behind her back they said she was born with a hard fate.

They might look down on her, but Jiang Yutang was sweet and pretty, and she made delicious soups.

A pretty young widow with no one to protect her was bound to attract unsavory men in town. Some flirted with her, some climbed over her wall at night to harass her, and plenty hoped to take advantage of her.

So Jiang Yutang went to her parents' graves and wept. "If you can hear me from heaven, please take pity on your poor daughter."

As soon as she finished speaking, something rustled in the grass behind the graves. Jiang Yutang jumped, thinking, G-g-ghosts?

Trying to reassure herself, she took her shovel and stepped closer. "Father, Mother, if it's really you, please don't scare your daughter."

Suddenly, a figure burst out of the grass and knocked her to the ground. The two of them tumbled down the slope.

Then a large hand covered her mouth, and the person made a gesture for her to be quiet.

But the noise on the slope stopped, and the man still did not let her go.

Only then did she realize that the man on top of her had passed out. She promptly made her escape.

Unexpectedly, she ran into him again while gathering firewood. With no other choice, she tied him up from head to toe and took him home.

She had thought that saving a life would earn her great merit, but she never imagined the person she rescued would be a "venomous snake."

He not only held a knife to her throat, but also refused to leave her home.

At first:

Yan Qiu: From now on, you do as I say. Whatever I want to eat or drink, you have to prepare it for me. Otherwise, I'll kill you.

He went out with Jiang Yutang without a thought for her circumstances. With no choice, she spun a whole string of lies, only hoping to protect her life and reputation. But Yan Qiu couldn't be bothered to play along. He was indifferent at best, and even showed his contempt for her behavior.

Later:

Yan Qiu: From now on, I'll do whatever you say. What do you want to eat? What would you like to drink? I'll prepare it all for you. If you want it, even my life is yours.

When the two went out together again, the women sitting at the crossroads started gossiping.

Woman A: Here they come! I told you there was something going on between them. And they claimed to be distant relatives!

Woman B: Tsk, tsk. He's so handsome. I hope she doesn't bring about his death too.

Jiang Yutang quickened her pace, hoping to ignore the gossip, but this time someone wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders.

Yan Qiu called back loudly in her ear: Don't worry, I've got a tough fate, and I bring bad luck to people too. I especially bring bad luck to people with loose tongues!

In a nutshell: The female lead gets a disastrous start from the start and only wants to make money. The male lead quietly protects her and only wants a proper place by her side. The leads sleep together before falling in love. The second female lead fights back against oppression, imprisoning her father and castrating her brother.

Reason for entering the contest: The female lead gets a disastrous start from the start and has every condition for a tragic life. Her parents die in an accident, her relatives seize her inheritance, she is forced to marry to bring good fortune to her husband, and before a year of marriage has passed, her husband dies too. She is young, beautiful, without connections, kindhearted, and easy to bully. Yet she has a strong and resolute heart. Relying on her distinctive skills and intelligence, she builds a business from nothing, gradually growing it through hard work and overcoming every obstacle. She turns a small market stall that barely earns enough to live on into the most famous restaurant in the city. She also unexpectedly uncovers the truth behind her parents' deaths and avenges them.

Blurb revised November 30, 2023

Reader's guide:

1. Sweet romance + opening a business + food + a little bit of grudges and grievances

2. The story is entirely fictional, with plenty of invented details. Please don't nitpick the history.

3. A growing female lead

The next historical romance, "The Noble Lady Marries a Boorish Blacksmith," is now open for readers. Please add it to your library.

Blurb:

Shen Yuezhu was the wealthiest young lady for miles around, with beauty, talent, and a distinguished family.

So even though she was spoiled and overbearing, and loved handsome men, drinking tea and wine with them every day, matchmakers still trampled her doorstep. The trouble was, Shen Yuezhu was born proud and thought no one was good enough for her.

If a man she disdained kept pestering her, she would openly humiliate him. The rejected men were furious and embarrassed, but did not dare say so outright.

Unexpectedly, the Shen family suddenly fell from power. Shen Yuezhu, once the center of everyone's attention, immediately became a "cheap, shameless woman" in their eyes.

With her family fallen on hard times, Shen Yuezhu was carried out in a shabby bridal sedan. Not even a single servant accompanied her.

Only when the sedan chair came to a stop did Shen Yuezhu learn that her stepmother had married her off to Fang the Blacksmith.

She had heard the servants say that Fang the Blacksmith was a boor who couldn't read a single character, had a strange temper, and was ferocious beyond measure.

Now that she had arrived at the Fang household, Shen Yuezhu steeled herself. Fine. If things don't go my way, we'll fight to the death.

The man who came to welcome her was strong and broad-shouldered. With one hand, he lifted her onto his shoulder.

Even through her wedding clothes, Shen Yuezhu could feel the firm muscles on his body. She felt even less sure of herself. Looks like I'll be the only one dying in this fight.

After the wedding banquet, Fang the Blacksmith carefully brought her some food. He lifted her veil, blushing, and said, "Wife, you must be hungry, right?"

Is this the boor everyone talks about? Did I somehow end up in one of those mistaken-bride stories from an opera or novel?

Shen Yuezhu: "You... you're Fang the Blacksmith, right?"

"Y-yes, that's me." Fang the Blacksmith held out the bowl in his hands. His face was red to the tips of his ears, and he didn't dare raise his head.

Looking at the shy man before her, Shen Yuezhu thought: A strange temper? Ferocious beyond measure?

When people heard that Shen Yuezhu had married Fang the Blacksmith, they were all delighted, eager to watch the drama unfold. She had looked down on all the men who once pursued her. Now she deserved to marry Fang the Blacksmith. A wanton woman like her was sure to be properly disciplined by that brute.

On the second day after the wedding, the villagers abandoned their work and waited at the entrance to the village to watch the show.

Passerby A: How long has it been? Why haven't they come out yet?

Passerby B: The blacksmith is as strong as an ox. Maybe he beat her so badly she's unable to leave the house?

For a whole month, no one saw Shen Yuezhu. The villagers began spreading rumors that the blacksmith had tortured her to death.

Whenever they passed the blacksmith's house, they would remember her and whisper about her behind her back.

Passerby C: I think... I heard shouting from the blacksmith's house last night...

Passerby D: Really? Was it someone being beaten? Or had he dismembered her?

As the two gossips laughed, a shovel suddenly flew down from above and stuck into the ground right in front of them, almost chopping off their toes.

Not long afterward, the once-spoiled young noblewoman rolled up her sleeves and learned to work the fields, while the boorish blacksmith started learning to read and write.

Everyone had thought that Shen Yuezhu, with all her flaws, would suffer endlessly after marrying a boorish blacksmith. They never expected the couple to live in harmony and grow more prosperous by the day. The villagers exclaimed, Their ancestors' graves must have started smoking at the exact same time!

Reader's guide:

1. No transmigration, no golden finger, no court politics. At heart, this is a farming story about family life and all the everyday odds and ends.

2. Both leads have a growth arc. The female lead farms, and the male lead works as a blacksmith.

Theme: Stand on your own feet and grow stronger