Liu Ying and her lame father depend on each other for survival.
The little money their poor household has is coveted by her unscrupulous uncle.
So Liu Ying decides to find a husband who will marry into her family, devote himself to her, and let her have her way with him.
Her roving gaze settles on the mountain hunter who often comes to the market to sell his wares.
*
Recently, a young woman has been a frequent customer at Zhuo Si's stall.
Meats and wild mountain produce that others rarely buy or know how to cook always become delicious dishes in her hands.
Sweet osmanthus cakes, five-spice lard, fresh mushroom meat sauce, honey-glazed jerky...
She has also set up a little stall of her own to sell these snacks, sourcing her ingredients directly from Zhuo Si.
Everyone likes her. They say she is clever with her hands and even more clever at heart.
They also say Zhuo Si is still as silent and intimidating as ever, cold even toward such a lovely, charming girl.
What they don't know is that, in a corner where no one can see, Zhuo Si's gaze has long been wrapped tightly around her.
*
One day, the young woman specifically asks for the best pork leg, saying she wants to "make red-braised pork knuckle for the man I love."
Zhuo Si doesn't sleep all night.
The next day, he grabs her wrist and confesses, begging her to look at him... when she hands him a paper-wrapped portion of red-braised pork knuckle.
She smiles, lovely and shy. "It was for you all along."
They marry soon after.
A beautiful wife, piping-hot meals, soft, clean bedding, and the wild things that happen on it night after night...
Every day after their wedding feels like a heavenly dream to Zhuo Si.
Even knowing that Liu Ying approached him in the first place because she wanted to lure him into becoming her live-in husband, what does it matter?
She chose him!
She didn't choose anyone else!
Zhuo Si will always be grateful for that.
He smiles quietly, pulls his exhausted, sleeping wife close, kisses her a couple of times, then gets out of bed to wash the bedding...
Reader notes:
(1) An ancient-world farming and food story, all domestic life in a small town, vegetable gardens, and mountains. No golden finger, and no dukes, marquises, or princes.
(2) Single-couple romance: a sweet, soft, flirtatious white rabbit heroine x a tall, strong, devoted hero who feels inferior to her.
(3) For the hero, this is a story of unrequited love coming true; for the heroine, it's a story of falling in love after marriage. So the heroine always has the upper hand emotionally. Please don't read this if you feel sorry for the hero without reason.
(4) The heroine is good at acting vulnerable, being coquettish, and getting her way with the hero. When she doesn't feel like moving, she can tell him to carry her around all day without letting her feet touch the ground.
The hero does it willingly. He adores her.
So please don't criticize how this married couple gets along.
(5) Blurb finalized on September 29, 2024.
Theme: Food has the power to heal.
