After losing a battle, a young general hides his identity and scrapes by among common folk. At last, when he can no longer hold on, a beautiful widow appears before him and says she wants to share a life with him.
The once dashing young man looks despondent, twists his mouth into a crooked smile, and says, "Sure!"
But the woman's idea of sharing a life really is just that: sharing. From neighborhood banquets for full moons and birthdays to firewood for keeping warm in winter, every expense goes into a little ledger, and at month's end she settles the accounts with him.
The penniless man wants to dodge the bill. He'd agreed to sell himself because he thought he could live off her as a kept man. This Lady Hu Tang had left her husband's family with a fortune, but somehow she ended up losing both her money and her husband.
Shen Huatang fought tooth and nail against her husband's family and finally managed to take all her dowry out of the Zhou household. She thought, "If I can bring it with me, I can protect it. No demons or monsters are getting so much as a penny from me."
But she ran into trouble trying to register as a woman-headed household. With no other choice, she picked a husband who was easy on the eyes, and they turned their pretense into reality. Still, blood may be thicker than water, but accounts between siblings must be settled clearly. She wouldn't take advantage of her husband, and it wouldn't be easy for him to take advantage of her either.
One day, the mood was just right. Lady Shen looked at her handsome pretend husband and thought, "Might as well make use of him, and it'll be free anyway." Plucking up her courage, she pounced on him. The next morning, her handsome pretend husband looked at her with wounded reproach.
Feeling a little guilty, Huatang awkwardly gritted her teeth and said, "I heard the jewelry shop on East Street just got a batch of fine jade. How about I take you to pick out a piece?"
Shen Huatang thought, "Oh no. I can't keep enjoying this for free."
Her pretend husband thought, "Perfect. I've found a way to make money."
1v1, both chaste
(Blurb saved)
Theme: If tricks can't win a heart, trade sincerity for true affection
