A gentle, refined lady from a noble family vs. a straightforward, rough-and-tumble brute
Chen Lingwan was the noble daughter of an influential family. Raised from childhood to become the mistress of a great household, she was poised and virtuous, with a sharp and clever mind.
When her family was convicted of a crime, the men were exiled and the women sold into servitude.
To protect Chen Lingwan, the Chen family hastily married her off.
Her husband was a commoner who had made his living selling melons. He owned two shabby houses, had next to nothing, and still had a whole houseful of brothers to support.
At least he was handsome.
Wei Qihuai was a notorious bully known throughout the surrounding villages. Bad-tempered and feared by all, he came from a poor family that often had no food left for the next meal. No woman was willing to marry into the Wei family, and Wei Qihuai was nearing thirty without finding a wife.
One day, he went to the Chen residence to deliver fresh fruit to the nobles. Just then, the Chen family was raided: the men were imprisoned, and the women and children placed under house arrest.
To save her daughter, the Chen matriarch had him deliver three letters. By then, the second daughter of the Chen family had already been promised to someone. All three young men had once wanted to marry her, but after the Chen family fell into trouble, they all kept their distance and refused to go through with the match.
The beautiful second daughter comforted her mother in a voice as gentle as water. She said she had accepted her fate.
Looking at her, Wei Qihuai stepped forward as if possessed. "If none of them will marry her, I will!"
When Wei Qihuai was young, he had made an enemy of a noble girl. He remembered her face and secretly vowed that one day he would make her pay.
At last, the chance came. The girl fell into his hands, but when he saw her secretly wiping away tears at night because she hadn't eaten enough, he felt as if someone had slapped him hard across the face.
"Stop crying. I'll go earn money tomorrow."
Everyone said that since Wei Qihuai had married the daughter of a convicted minister, the Wei family would soon be dragged into trouble too. But six months passed, and not only had the Wei family avoided prison, their lives had also steadily improved.
The Chen family was cleared of its charges, and Wei Qihuai rose step by step from a low-ranking gate guard to a marquis and chancellor, second to none.
The future husband Chen Lingwan had imagined was a refined gentleman, elegant as an orchid and graceful as a tree.
After marrying that brute Wei Qihuai, she was miserable for a while. The man was vulgar and ill-mannered, with all sorts of bad habits.
As time went by, she realized he wasn't entirely without redeeming qualities. At the very least, he couldn't bear to see her suffer.
They faced many hardships hand in hand. Years later, she looked back and thought her husband was wonderful in every way, except...
She really couldn't handle all that brute strength.
Theme: Supporting each other
