My Father Remarries a Widower [Farming]

The parents' generation: honest, hardworking top x gentle, virtuous, and devoted bottom

The protagonists' generation: taciturn, stern top x quirky, emotionally oblivious bottom

*

Mu Langqing was once the young master of a merchant family in the prefectural city. When he was eight, his family fell into ruin, and he followed his little father to seek refuge with his maternal relatives. They looked down on them, though, and his little father remarried a butcher.

The butcher's family was poor. He supported the whole household with his meat stall, selling meat in town most days and returning to the village to farm during the busy season. It was hardly a good family to marry into.

On the day his little father married into the family, no one paid Mu Langqing any attention. Only one almond-eyed boy brought him a bowl of hot noodle soup, topped with an egg.

The next day.

His little father, Gu Yu, took Mu Langqing by the hand, pointed at the boy, and told him to call him older brother. Mu Langqing refused, no matter what. The boy, Ye Shuang, wasn't even as tall as he was. Why should he call him older brother?

Ye Shuang immediately went to his father and said he didn't want this little brother. His father, Ye Shanlin, was an honest man, but for the first time he glared at him and said he was being unreasonable.

Ye Shuang started crying. Mu Langqing panicked.

*

As a child, Mu Langqing really didn't like Ye Shuang.

The boy was loud and spoiled. Mu Langqing had to talk to him, or else. He couldn't speak too loudly, or else. He had to play with him, or else. And he couldn't interrupt him when he was playing with other people, either.

What a handful.

As an adult, Mu Langqing only liked Ye Shuang.

Ye Shuang had to talk to him, and couldn't spend too much time talking to other people. He couldn't smile at anyone else, and especially couldn't fail to smile at Mu Langqing. Unfortunately, the boy didn't understand any of it.

How agonizing.

*

When Ye Shuang turned sixteen, matchmakers from all the surrounding villages came calling until they nearly wore the doorstep away. The boy was handsome, to say nothing of his prosperous maternal family. Everyone wanted him as a spouse.

Ye Shanlin was just a down-on-his-luck butcher. He'd married a widower with a son, and somehow their life kept getting better and better. Not only did they own a house in town, but the stepson the widower had brought along had even passed the scholar examination!

*

Fifteen-year-old Mu Langqing came home after school and caught his dear older brother holding up a purse, trying to send a love token to a neighbor. His face darkened, and he went over and dragged Ye Shuang home.

Inside, Gu Yu and Ye Shanlin were worrying about Ye Shuang's marriage when they suddenly heard a commotion outside. They opened the window to take a look, and nearly fainted.

Mu Langqing, wearing a dark expression, had blocked Ye Shuang from leaving. The boy, a head shorter than him, covered his mouth and stared wide-eyed, his face bright red as he cursed Mu Langqing as a filthy pervert.

*

A story of two generations: the fathers focus on building their careers, while the sons focus on romance. The top only sets up his own household later on, then brings the bottom home as his spouse, so it meets Jinjiang's requirements!

Theme: Communication is the bridge that connects people.