Coveting My Widowed Sister-in-Law

Waaah! I'm finally back! Thank you, heaven and earth, thank you, Mom and Dad, and thank you to every darling who's still waiting for me. The new chapter is loading... Yay!!!

[Thank you for reading. A message for you: I've grown used to waiting day after day, slowly twisting the years into a flower's heart. When you come, I'll let you bloom. My dear, this is for you.]

[I've written so much already, so I'll keep going no matter what. I'll try to finish this year. Updates daily or every other day. I read the comments every day, and requests for updates might get yours bumped up~]

*Not traditional sister-in-law literature. The two relationships fit the characters' values and follow a proper emotional progression. They have loved, and life must go on. If you don't like it, please don't hurt anyone. I politely decline chastity monuments.*

[Yu Weixia's Perspective]

Before her husband's death, she was a cool, luminous moon.

After her husband's death, she became a radiant sun.

She thought she was fragile, but in truth, she set the precedent for women in this dynasty to register households in their own names, making countless women heads of their own households.

Every part of her life is worthy of her.

Here, there is only one shared name: the story of "Yu Weixia's growth and her life."

And also...

After leaving the Qi family, Madam Yu realized that it hadn't been raining outside at all!

Madam Yu smiled: You lot had better be careful when you try to take someone by force. Just wait and see how I deal with you.

[The Twins' Perspective]

Born to the same mother, the twins followed very different paths.

Qi Yinchuan, born feet first, was frail from birth and destined to die young. His family gave up on him. Refined and gentle, he rarely left his home and was known as the "Jade-Faced Bodhisattva."

His younger twin, Qi Hengchuan, was born carrying all the family's hopes and inherited the position of heir. Ambitious and vicious by nature, he was also known as the "Jade-Faced Wolf."

When they came of age, the brothers fell in love with the same person, one after the other.

The Qi family believed that only the legitimate princess was worthy of Qi Hengchuan. They also wanted Qi blood on the throne.

But how could the emperor allow the Qi family to grow too powerful?

So Qi Hengchuan's marriage was put on hold. He had an engagement, but it was never fulfilled.

As for Qi Yinchuan's marriage, the Qi family casually chose the eldest daughter of a reputable family. Unexpectedly, their thoughtless match worked out beautifully. After the wedding, Qi Yinchuan and his wife, Yu Weixia, lived together in perfect harmony.

When their daughter was four and Yu Weixia was pregnant again, Qi Yinchuan died of illness. Grief-stricken, Yu Weixia wanted only to return to her parents' home and raise her children there.

But heaven knows, she couldn't leave.

Before her mourning period for her husband was over, her younger brother-in-law, now head of the family, forcibly brought her back to the ancestral home. Even hiding in the ancestral hall couldn't help her escape Qi Hengchuan's grasp.

If only she'd known that one brief glance back then would lead to such an absurd situation. It would have been better if they had never met in the first place.

[Scene]

In the ancestral hall, she protected her swollen belly and kept backing away until he had her trapped with nowhere left to go.

With his hands behind his back and the light behind him, he walked slowly toward her, his expression indifferent and cruel, as if none of it concerned him. "Sister-in-law, don't get so worked up. It wouldn't be good if you upset the baby."

"Enough!"

His words were a sharp thorn, piercing Yu Weixia's nerves.

She clenched her fists and demanded furiously, "I said, enough! You know the child in my belly is your nephew or niece, and that Heng Niang is your niece. So why insist on marrying me?"

"That's naturally because..."

"...Sister-in-law, you were always meant to be my wife."

[You can request all kinds of scenes in the comments. I'll keep track of them and include them in the extras.]

1. The female lead is not a virgin, the male lead is. One pairing at a time. The endgame pairing is Qi Hengchuan. The ghostly ex-husband in Volume One is Qi Yinchuan.

2. Gentle on the outside but strong within, steadfast and resilient. As soft as water, yet surging with power. Somewhat of a universally adored heroine.

3. The tropes keep changing: love at first sight, long-laid plans, coercive possession, nowhere to run. The devoted admirers beneath her skirts put on a tough front but are actually timid, compete and fight for her, sing and dance, beg and soften, use the suffering card, and try to win her over with reason and emotion.

4. There is a career plotline, mostly later on. The romance, family, and friendship plotlines are all substantial. A riot of color, with every bird singing.

5. The story centers women, and the men pursue them. The female protagonist's perspective remains firm and never shifts.

Theme: Though a woman's body may be weak, her heart can be proud and unyielding. Yu Weixia's life may be extraordinary, but she refuses to give in. She will stand tall and hold her head high, and together with all the women of the world, write a song of women.