A Widow Builds a Home and a Career

[Chun Niang's Version]

Xie Chunniang felt she was getting on in years and ought to find herself a second husband.

After looking around, she found that the Liangxiang military settlement had been disbanded, leaving plenty of strapping young men still unmarried.

She set her sights on Liu Shiquan. Aside from everything else, he was well into his twenties and had never even held a woman's hand. Most importantly, he was a poor soul with no home to go to.

Xie Chunniang was a good woman, and more than willing to give him a home.

After they married, she decided to start a career. Her first step: the village head should be replaced by a woman!

[Liu Shiquan's Version]

After suddenly losing his job, Liu Shiquan had nowhere to go. Fortunately, a kind-hearted woman took him in.

His brothers were all jealous of his good fortune and asked him, "Sister-in-law is the best woman in the world! Big Brother, now that you've got a good life, could you ask her to give us a home too?"

Liu Shiquan wasn't happy about it, but his brothers were having a hard time fending for themselves, and besides, he couldn't make decisions about household matters on his own. So he had no choice but to ask his wife.

That night, his wife told him not to worry. She would take care of finding homes for his brothers!

Liu Shiquan tried his best, but felt aggrieved. His wife was so good that it seemed like that wasn't necessarily a good thing!

Note

The title was inspired by an online catchphrase, "Look upon my old days and join me in gazing at spring." It was named from the male lead's perspective. The female lead, Xie Chunniang, doesn't fit the values of the ideal wife by the standards of ancient society, but she unexpectedly suits the male lead. They both choose each other.

Content warnings:

The male lead is sexually inexperienced. The female lead has been married twice and is not sexually inexperienced. Please don't read if this bothers you.

This is neither a submissive-wife story nor a story about abusing women. Everything is told from a female-centered perspective. The female lead is not perfect. Please don't read if this bothers you.

Theme: Be independent and self-reliant, and uphold traditional virtues