A Tavern in Lin'an

[Strong Wife, Timid Husband / Marriage First, Love Later / Everyday Life Among Ordinary Folk]

A tough, fiery little chef vs. a simple-minded scholar who marries into her family

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Everyone says the young master of the Sun family tavern is fierce and fiery. At twenty-three, she still hasn't found a family willing to marry her. Her father has no choice but to find his daughter a poor scholar to marry into their household.

She's fiery and capable, taking decisive action, while he's mild-mannered and simple, thinking only of earning scholarly honors. Their days are lively, and their opposite personalities lead to plenty of funny mishaps.

With her superb cooking and an ancestral recipe for brewing wine, Sun Xiu'e supports her father, husband, and child. She hopes her husband will make something of himself and pass the examinations one day, so she can become an official's wife and enjoy an easy life.

But things don't go as planned. Xiao Kelan fails the examinations time and again, making Sun Xiu'e, already quick-tempered, even more irritable.

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Xiao Kelan comes from a poor family and has always believed that earning scholarly honors is his only way forward. But just after passing the prefectural examination, both his parents die in quick succession. He falls into dire poverty and has to rely on the help of relatives and friends to get by.

With no other choice, he becomes a live-in son-in-law. The Sun family isn't fabulously wealthy, but they can keep him fed and clothed and let him study in peace.

His wife is a tigress who terrifies all the neighbors. On their wedding night, Xiao Kelan sleeps on the floor. The next morning, before he can even open his eyes, she punches him.

With a fierce wife at home, his monthly allowance is pitifully small. He finally manages to save a little pocket money, only for his wife and daughter to spend every last bit of it.

Once, while helping at the tavern, his eldest nephew shoves him into a cesspit, scaring away every customer. Another time, he gets into a scuffle with his nephew and smashes a wine jar. He gets beaten every time, so he never dares interfere with the tavern again.

His daughter has grown up and is nowhere near as sweet and adorable as she was in swaddling clothes. She wants candy wherever they go, and her father's already meager pocket money dwindles to nothing under her "extravagant spending."

Someone drags him off to a performance hall for wine and music, only for his wife to catch him red-handed. If he doesn't run, he'll have to take a beating while standing there, which would be so embarrassing. But if he runs, he has to hide somewhere his wife can find him, or she'll throw him out of the house...

After more than twenty years of studying, he fails the examinations again and again. He isn't exceptionally gifted, but steadily makes his way forward one step at a time.

[Reading Guide]

1. An alternate history, focused mainly on everyday life, with a small ensemble cast. There are some elements of food, the imperial examinations, and political infighting, but not much, and they're mostly mentioned in passing. The story centers on the daily lives of the male and female leads, alongside the joys and sorrows of several ordinary families.

2. The heroine is fiery and capable, a typical small-town businesswoman. She's neither gentle nor delicate, often stubborn, and no peerless beauty. The male lead grows over the course of the story. He's a bookworm who lives off his wife at first and is henpecked and timid. After the twists and turns of life and some major events, he passes the highest examination and becomes an official, gradually growing steadier and more mature. ☆☆☆

3. There are three other romance subplots:

//Straightforward bruiser vs. talkative midwife//

//Talented young gentleman vs. beauty from the entertainment quarter//

//Taciturn military man vs. refined embroiderer//

Reason for entering the Growth and Comeback event, "Carp Leaping Through the Dragon Gate: Rising from Behind": The male lead was born into a poor family. He lost both parents in his teens, and with nothing but the four walls of his home, he could only depend on relatives and friends for support. By twenty, he was destitute and had no choice but to become a live-in son-in-law. He has no special skills, but firmly believes that the imperial examinations are the only way to change his fate. After studying for more than twenty years and failing again and again, his perseverance finally pays off and he makes his way into officialdom. Born poor, he knows the hardships ordinary people face, and steadily works his way up from a low-ranking county deputy. Even when he suffers disaster and is thrown in prison, or is demoted and sent away, he continues to work for the people's benefit. In the end, he rises from an ordinary commoner to become a powerful statesman.

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--Coming soon: The Handsome Doctor's Second Marriage. The male lead is the youngest son of Xiao Yan from this novel. Please add it to your library!

[Down-on-her-luck Marquis's daughter x celebrated doctor among the common folk of Jiangnan / Healing each other]

Yuan Yarong is born into a family of hereditary military officials and marquises. Following her parents' wishes, she marries the youngest legitimate son of an earl.

Her husband is a notorious libertine in the capital, who dotes on his concubines and neglects his wife. The concubines in the household fight for his favor every day, while her mother-in-law blames her for not getting pregnant. When she finally conceives, a concubine causes her to miscarry.

She endures everything in this marriage alliance, only for it to end in divorce all the same.

When she returns to her parents' home, her grandmother scolds her for being useless, while her mother cries and rants every day, berating her for being a troublesome daughter. As her family considers finding her another husband, her relatives even urge the old madam to throw her out.

While everyone watches for a spectacle, Yuan Yarong angrily heads south, finds a quiet place, and starts a life among ordinary folk...

In the capital, her second uncle wins one great victory after another and becomes famous, while her elder sister enters the palace as a consort and wins the emperor's favor. The whole marquis's household benefits, but Yuan Yarong is left behind, living on simple food in Lin'an.

Unfortunately, the good times don't last. After only a few years of peace, her second uncle raises an army and rebels. The entire Yuan family is implicated, and she is thrown into prison.

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There's a famous doctor in Lin'an: young and handsome, highly skilled in medicine, and especially good at cosmetic treatments. Women adore him, and his clinic is always packed.

He was once engaged to a woman he loved, but she drowned not long after coming of age. Since then, his spirits have been low.

That autumn, his mother returns from visiting relatives in the capital with a young woman in tow. She has a delicate figure and looks sweet and obedient, but seems to be in poor health.

[Mini Scene 1]

Yuan Yarong: Third Brother, this medicine is so bitter. Can I skip it?

Xiao Qian: Do you want meat or medicine?

Yuan Yarong: ...

[Mini Scene 2]

Xiao Qian: Marry me.

Yuan Yarong stares at him in confusion.

Xiao Qian: If you don't think I'm taking advantage of you, then marry me. I'm just a commoner, and I can't give you the luxurious life you had in the marquis's household, but at least I can save you from prison.

[Reading Guide]

1. An alternate history. The heroine is not a virgin, but the hero is. Their love grows over time; they save each other, with a happy ending.

2. A lighthearted story focused on everyday life. There are some scenes involving aristocratic families at the beginning and end, but most of the story is set among the ordinary people of Jiangnan.

3. The ex-husband's appearances are limited, but there will be scenes of him getting what he deserves later on.

Theme: Hard work always pays off