The Tofu Maker's Daughter Won't Give Up

[The Landlord Is Getting Worked Up Again? A sweet, scatterbrained girl x a tsundere peacock of a man. Add it to your wish list!]

A brave, steadfast tofu seller x a steady, spirited, loyal constable

Song Yingniang was never destined to be a gentle, refined woman.

To bury her father and support her family, she gritted her teeth and married. Only after the wedding did she learn that her husband was a gambler. As if things weren't bad enough, he was jailed after getting into a fight, and her younger brother then vanished without a trace.

When she was at the end of her rope, she set her sights on Constable Chen Jie. "Constable Chen, how do you plan to repay the favor you owe me?"

Chen Jie kept his promise. He helped her secure a difficult divorce and start over, then paid to help her reopen her tofu shop.

"Sister Yingniang, how about I be your landlord and you be my shopkeeper?"

Yingniang rose before dawn to grind soybeans, and the scent of fresh soy milk drifted halfway down the street. She set up her stall with tofu, bean paste, tofu skin, and all kinds of other goods. The neighbors all loved stopping by.

The one who came by more and more often was Constable Chen Jie, who kept finding excuses to get closer.

Until one day, he finally said it aloud. "Yingniang, how about I be your husband and you be my wife?"

Yingniang hesitated, unable to answer.

She wasn't even the one who had done him a favor!

How could a relationship that began with a lie possibly last?

Chen Jie handled cases with swift, decisive efficiency, but when it came to Yingniang, he was utterly outmatched. She cheated him out of his money, his heart, and even his body. In a fit of desperation, he snapped, "We'll never see each other again!"

Who could have guessed that when he returned, she would really leave without looking back? Only then did he panic, realizing that he was the only one who couldn't let go.

Oh, well. It was only his pride at stake. Surely if he went to her and begged, she'd change her mind.

And if that didn't work, he could always let her fool him again.

After all, he'd been promoted and was even more useful to her than before.

For both emotional and practical reasons, he refused to believe she wouldn't want him!

[Bonus Scene]

Sweet version:

"Want me to help? Then say something nice to me." Chen Jie deliberately put on a stern face.

Yingniang rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, then turned to him with a bright smile. "Can I show you instead of telling you, Landlord?"

[Reader's Guide]

1. The heroine has no prior sexual experience, while the hero does. The heroine is older than the hero.

2. Happy ending, fictional setting.

3. No golden finger.

[Next Book: The Landlord Is Getting Worked Up Again?]

[A blunt, scatterbrained sweetheart x a tsundere landlord who gets flustered easily]

A lighthearted, heartwarming coming-of-age sweet treat from beginning to end

Xiang Yuheng was badly wounded and, while fleeing his pursuers, stumbled into a dilapidated hut.

To his surprise, someone was already inside.

He lit his fire striker and barked, "Who's there? Come out!"

There was a rustling, and a round-faced girl crawled out from the corner.

She looked at him timidly. "I'm sorry. I had nowhere else to go, so I hid here. I won't stay for free. I can work to pay you back."

The wound on his leg was severe, and he needed someone to care for him. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Fine. You can stay for now. I can't get around for the next few days, so you'll look after me."

The little girl sweetly gave her name. "I'm Yan Chaolu. What about you?"

He'd just been in danger and didn't dare reveal his real name. After a moment's thought, he casually came up with what he considered a rather poetic alias: "Xiang Wanzhou."

Yan Chaolu mulled it over, then said with absolute certainty, "You're short on water in your Five Elements."

Xiang Yuheng paused. "And what makes you say that?"

"Your name sounds like a bowl of porridge, and porridge has lots of water in it!"

Before the two had spent much time together, the hut's real owner came looking for them and promptly kicked them both out.

With red-rimmed eyes, Yan Chaolu wiped away her tears and glared indignantly at the big liar in front of her.

Xiang Yuheng was at a loss and tried to comfort her. "Don't cry. I won't let you end up on the street."

The man, usually so decisive, hesitated for once. The tips of his ears turned slightly red. "My home... happens to need a steward. Would you be willing to..."

Yan Chaolu's eyes lit up at once, excitement mingling with nervousness. "I will! But I've never been a housekeeper before. Do you really trust me? I'll work hard and won't let you down!"

Xiang Yuheng stared at her for a long moment. "...You fool."

Yan Chaolu felt indignant. He was the one who wanted to hire her as his housekeeper, so why was he calling her a fool?

Hmph! He's the fool for hiring someone with no experience as his housekeeper!

Theme: It's better to rely on yourself than ask others