Forced to Marry a Butcher

Yuan Ruyi married Lu the Butcher because her stepmother had set her up.

The Lu family was poor, and Lu Zhijiang was a man of few words. As the bridal sedan carried her into the little courtyard by the river, Yuan Ruyi gripped the scissors hidden in her sleeve.

She had made up her mind: if the butcher tried to force himself on her, she would...

The door opened.

A tall man stood there, dressed in clean cloth robes, holding a bowl of steaming eggs in sweet soup.

"The road was cold. Have some to warm up," he said softly, his voice gentle.

Yuan Ruyi was stunned.

The next day, Lu Zhijiang showed her what the family owned: a butcher shop on a busy street, three earthen rooms in the backyard, a small plot of riverside farmland, and two squealing piglets in the pen.

"I'll manage the shop, you can farm the land, and we'll raise the pigs together."

Yuan Ruyi had grown up on a farm, so planting crops and raising pigs were easy for her.

She planted vegetables while he hauled water; she fed the pigs while he cleaned their pen. She embroidered handkerchiefs to help make ends meet, and he quietly saved the best cuts of meat for her, so she could build up her strength.

Before long, the Lu family's butcher shop had changed completely.

The shop was expanded, with a new sign that read "Lu's Butcher Shop."

The meat on the counter was sorted by cut and clearly priced. The pigpen in the backyard had grown to hold ten pigs, and there was now a flock of chickens and ducks as well.

Yuan Ruyi learned to make marinated dishes, while Lu Zhijiang worked out a secret recipe for stuffed sausages.

The townspeople gradually noticed that the Lu family's meat was always fresh, their marinated dishes were delicious, and even the eggs they sold had yolks redder than anyone else's.

Later, the Lu family's little courtyard was festooned with lanterns and decorations, and Yuan Ruyi's father sat in the main room.

A reunion feast filled the table: braised pork knuckle, pork belly with preserved greens, a platter of marinated meats, bamboo shoots stewed in chicken soup...

Yuan Ruyi's father wept. "Ruyi, it's all my fault. I failed to protect you back then. Have they been treating you badly since you married into this family?"

But Yuan Ruyi, who had been pale and gaunt at home, had blossomed into a refined young lady, with fair, glowing skin and a face like a peach blossom. He looked at the silent man beside her, peeling shrimp for her, and choked on the rest of his words...

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Theme: Love yourself and love life, and happiness will follow.