The Rough-Hewn Man's Sweet Husband

Because Tao An was believed to bring bad luck to his husbands, no one would arrange a marriage for him. Just as Tao An thought he would waste away under the scorn of the world and the beatings of his brother and sister-in-law, his father found him a tall, stern-looking man.

Lu Xiucheng was conscripted at sixteen and spent seven years in the army. After surviving countless brushes with death, the war finally ended, and he was able to return home. On the way, he was bitten by a poisonous insect and passed out in the mountains, where an old man rescued him. He wanted to repay him with silver, but the old man refused the money and asked only that Lu marry his son. Out of gratitude, Lu Xiucheng took Tao An home with him.

Lu Xiucheng had always been cold by nature, and after seven years of fighting in a blood-soaked battlefield where he killed countless men, his heart had been tempered like iron, cold and hard. Tao An knew Lu hadn't married him willingly. After returning home with him, Tao An didn't even dare speak, and trembled as he worked himself to the bone.

Lu Xiucheng frowned at his timid, meek husband, who wouldn't even look at him. But at least his husband wasn't chatty, worked hard, and never caused trouble. He didn't even mind that Lu was so poor he had only a few dozen copper coins left. So they might as well make a life together. But the more time Lu spent with his husband, the more restless he became. If he went too long without seeing him, he felt as if his heart were being clawed at. Whenever he saw his obedient husband, he wanted to pin him in his arms and ravish him...

When they first married, they had nothing but a few dozen copper coins. With no house, they built a bamboo hut that cost them no silver. With no money, they hunted in the mountains, fished in the river, and grew medicinal herbs...

Later, they had a house and money, but his husband asked for a divorce...

PS:

1. A pure farming story, with no great wealth, no golden finger, a focus on everyday life, both leads are each other's first and only, and a happy ending.

2. The dynasty is fictional, with some original worldbuilding. Readers who are strict about historical accuracy, please read with caution.

3. There will be a later childbirth plotline.

Here's a preview of my upcoming novel, Three Years After the Wedding. Blurb:

Duan Yanchuan had spent three years fighting on the frontier. Now, summoned back to court by imperial decree, he returned home. On the night of his return, an assassin broke into the residence and fled in panic to its most secluded courtyard, where he took hostage a young man making pills under the moonlight. Duan Yanchuan glanced at the young man. Even with a dagger at his throat, he wasn't the least bit afraid. Duan decided he was an accomplice and ordered, “Seize him.”

The guards in the residence were aghast. “General, you can't! This is your wife!”

Duan Yanchuan took a closer look, but he couldn't make Zhuang Ning's face match the blurry one he had seen on their wedding night three years earlier. He waved his hand, and his personal guards seized the assassin as the residence guards watched in horror.

The group had arrived without warning and left just as suddenly, leaving behind only a vegetable patch trampled into a mess. Zhuang Ning wiped the blood from the cut on his neck and looked at the vegetable patch he'd tended himself, gnashing his teeth in heartache.

When Duan Yanchuan was young, a man who cared for him had tried to molest him. Since then, he had never let that man near him. The emperor's most favored male consort resented Duan and, three years ago, seduced the emperor into arranging Zhuang Ning's marriage to him. On their wedding night, Duan Yanchuan lifted Zhuang Ning's veil and then left for the frontier. Now that he was back, besides attending to official business, he also planned to ask the emperor to let him divorce Zhuang Ning.

Everyone in the residence knew that Duan Yanchuan couldn't stand Zhuang Ning. Duan's mother had even ordered him to move to the most remote courtyard, where she wouldn't have to see him. The servants followed suit and paid him no mind. Zhuang Ning lived on a meager monthly allowance with only an old nanny and a maid. Fortunately, he knew his way around medicine and could earn money by making pills.

Duan Yanchuan took the divorce papers and went to the secluded courtyard to find Zhuang Ning. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard the nanny say, “Ning, now that the general has finally returned, you should seize the chance to get closer to him. You're good at cooking medicinal dishes, so why not make some for him?”

Zhuang Ning said, “For him? I'd be better off giving them to Dahuang.”

The nanny said, “Oh, my dear, you can't say that! How can you compare the general to a dog?”

Having trained in martial arts since childhood and possessing excellent hearing, Duan Yanchuan heard every word of their conversation.

Zhuang Ning said, “Nanny, I don't want to suck up to him.”

The nanny anxiously asked, “Do you plan to spend the rest of your life alone in this remote courtyard?”

Zhuang Ning said, “Nanny, if I hadn't married, they would have used my brother to force me to marry another man. My life in another household would surely have been a hundred times worse than it is now. I don't have to force myself to serve a disgusting man with multiple wives and concubines. I don't have to follow the rules imposed by a mean mother-in-law or scheme against a bunch of sisters-in-law. I can study medicine in peace in this courtyard. Isn't that better?”

The nanny said, “My foolish boy, the general has earned great merit on the frontier these past few years. He can use that to ask for a divorce. Once you leave the Duan residence, the Zhuang family won't take you in, and you'll have nowhere to go. What will you do?”

Zhuang Ning said, “The Duan family cares about its reputation. They won't treat me unfairly if we divorce. I'll be free again, and I'll have money to support myself. That's good enough!”

The nanny said, “The general is handsome and talented. He's the husband so many people dream of. With him right here, aren't you tempted?”

Zhuang Ning said, “He abandoned me on our wedding night and made me a laughingstock. He hasn't said a single word to me in three years. What's there to like about someone so cold and heartless?”

Duan Yanchuan: “...”

When Duan Yanchuan was about to leave the capital and return to the frontier again, he specifically asked Zhuang Ning to go with him.

Zhuang Ning: “...”

PS: A fictional dynasty, marriage before love, happy ending.

Upcoming novel: A Marriage Misunderstood. Blurb:

In the first twenty years of Ye Zhen's life, no one had ever confessed to him, remembered his birthday, or favored him. He was completely unnoticed... until he met Liang Younian. For the first time, someone cherished him, loved him, and treasured him. It felt wonderful.

Ye Zhen became absorbed in the marriage, believing Liang Younian was the light in his barren, dark life. He gave himself to him, body and soul, as if making a sacrifice. The truth was cruel: he was nothing more than a pawn Liang Younian used to reclaim power.

After Liang Younian reclaimed his power and returned to the top floor of the Liang Group's headquarters, Ye Zhen left a divorce agreement and quietly disappeared.

As the Liang family's legitimate grandson, Liang Younian was a man of noble bearing, arrogance, and ruthless methods. At eighteen, he and his classmates successfully started a business. At twenty-two, he was named the next head of the Liang Group, and at twenty-four, he took control of it. But at twenty-six, during a family power struggle, he was betrayed by his closest relatives. His legs were left disabled, and he lost not only his inheritance but also the right to choose his own spouse.

The family elders shoved a marriage partner at him to disgust him. Not only was the person a man, he was also the illegitimate son of a wealthy family's mistress. To fool his rivals, Liang, now disabled, pretended to be despondent and spent his days with Ye Zhen, who had nothing but a pretty face, acting as if he had lost all his ambition.

Ye Zhen, starved of affection, was easy to fool. He threw himself wholeheartedly into Liang's script and played his part. Under Ye Zhen's careful care, Liang's legs gradually recovered, and power returned to his hands.

On the day the “production wrapped,” Liang quickly stepped out of character, and Ye Zhen, understanding the hint, disappeared from his life.

Back at the top, Liang thought he would feel a sense of accomplishment. But as he looked at the house, stripped of every trace of Ye Zhen's life, he slowly began to feel that his entire world was empty...

PS:

1. Original setting: same-sex marriage is legal, and the minimum marriage age is twenty.

2. The top will have to chase the bottom to win him back. No switching tops, and both leads are each other's first and only. Happy ending.

If you're interested, please add it to your favorites.

Theme: Hard work brings prosperity