Spring Unknown

[Fragile Wen vs. Strong Yuanyuan] Cheng Yueyuan, a beautiful but poor hunter’s daughter, was in desperate need of money. Someone hired her to pose as a bride and marry into the Wen family to bring good luck to their sickly son. “All the jewelry and hair ornaments in the dowry, as well as the deeds to the fields, will be yours to do with as you please.” At the Pingyang Marquis’s residence, Cheng Yueyuan met her sickly husband. He had gentle features and smelled of medicine. A breeze through his sleeves made him seem ready to float away. With a bang, the Wen family servant slammed the window shut as if facing a great enemy. “Master, you mustn’t catch a draft!” A breeze might make him dizzy, and rain might give him a chill. Even when he went out for a short stroll, a porter followed right behind him, carrying an empty sedan chair. How could a man like that live long? Cheng Yueyuan devoted herself to looking after this delicate treasure. She had been playing the virtuous wife for less than a year when an imperial decree ordering the Wen family’s arrest came crashing through their red gates. By the time she came to her senses, she had already spirited Wen Shiming away to hide in the countryside. “Husband… This is the home of a distant relative of mine. Stay here and make yourself comfortable.” “While you’re at it, chop that pile of firewood by the west wall.” “And fetch a couple of vats of water.” Wen Shiming, who had never held a hatchet in his life: “?” * After the charges were overturned, the Wen family was once again showered with imperial favor. Someone handed Wen Shiming a contract. Every act of care, from asking after his health to bringing him medicine, had been itemized and priced. He could not help but sneer. “My wife is quite the shrewd businesswoman.” “These are… discounted prices.” Cheng Yueyuan packed her belongings and prepared to leave. Her once-frail husband blocked the threshold, his stance so solid that two oxen could not have dragged him away. “So you can feign affection just for money?” “How much for growing old together and having children around us?” “I’ll pay you more.” * Wen Shiming had been born into wealth. Everything in the world was his for the taking. Except a healthy body, and a heart that could experience life’s many pleasures. After Cheng Yueyuan, full of flaws, married him, he gradually gained both. One-on-one romance, substitute bride, love after marriage, pretending becomes real. - Screenshots taken on November 9, 2024. Please add my upcoming novel, A Second Spring Breeze, to your reading list~ A masked customer always comes by on rainy days, when the restaurant is nearly empty. He sits down with his robe swept back, his figure as still and imposing as a mountain. “I’ll have a bowl of Golden Crumble Rice.” Yu Yan sneaks a look at the scars peeking out from the edge of his mask and at his strong, muscular shoulders and arms. She adds plenty of braised meat to his Golden Crumble Rice. “Could you come tomorrow afternoon? I’ll give you an extra-large portion of Golden Crumble Rice with meat, free of charge.” Behind the mask, a pair of eyes sharp as a falcon’s show no curiosity. “What if I scare off your other customers?” “There won’t be any customers tomorrow, but there will be lots of… thugs demanding protection money.” She has only recently divorced, and runs the restaurant alone. Every so often she has to deal with local ruffians, not to mention her ex-husband’s harassment. She has been wanting to hire a bodyguard for ages. The customer looks like he can handle himself. After listening to her, he says in a deep voice that he will. After that, neither the bullies nor her ex-husband dares come back. Who would have guessed that the bodyguard she hired for one meal was a battle-hardened general who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses? * Later, on another day of torrential rain, the general removes his mask. The terrifying scars are gone without a trace, revealing a handsome face with deep-set brows and bright eyes, so dashing it makes her heart flutter. Yu Yan pauses. “Another bowl of Golden Crumble Rice?” Xu Xing’s voice is slightly hoarse. “I’m afraid that won’t be enough.” When Xu Xing was at his lowest, a girl from next door slipped a steaming bowl of Golden Crumble Rice to him through a dog door. For ten years on the frontier, living by the sword, he thought of that taste countless times. The girl was wonderful, and she already had a promising fiance. Xu Xing was not worthy of her. He tucked her away in the cleanest corner of his heart and never dared think of anything more. Later, covered in military honors and scars, he was reassigned to the capital. There he saw her walking alone through the streets, crying. Only then did Xu Xing realize that someone else was unworthy of her. Theme: Treasure life.