Madam Jiu's Guide to Getting Rich

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Please note, it's GB!

Entry for the rags-to-riches competition, “Starting from Scratch and Making It on My Own.” Reason for entry: With no resources or foundation to rely on, the female lead uses her family's secret recipes to earn money selling food at a stall. She overcomes every obstacle by herself, eventually making her fortune from scratch, becoming the first female merchant, and opening the way for women to do business.

Cheng Jiuniang was born a farmer's daughter. Beautiful and refined, she was unlucky in her first marriage. Gentle by nature but unwilling to accept mistreatment, she decisively sought a divorce. The law and the local authorities colluded, leaving her with nothing but debt. Determined to escape her predicament and depend on no one, she decided to make a living for herself by selling food at a stall.

But her old-fashioned, conservative father was greedy for her bride price and forced her to marry Gao Liao, a scholar from their village rumored to be cold and unfilial.

Gao Liao was cool and aloof, with an elegant, refined appearance. He was a dignified gentleman and the only scholar in the village, with lofty ambitions and a single-minded devotion to the classics. Unfortunately, he was known as a man whose wives died young. One former fiancee had died suddenly on their wedding day, and for years afterward, no one was willing to marry their daughter to him. In the end, under pressure from his parents, he had no choice but to marry Cheng Jiuniang, who had just divorced.

After the wedding, Jiuniang pushed past every obstacle and successfully embarked on her road to riches.

She opened a sweet soup shop with her family's secret recipes:

Lotus seed and red bean soup, almond milk pudding,

steamed snow pear with fritillaria, purple sweet potato and taro soup,

red date milk and sago...

The people of Hejiang City were so captivated that they could hardly think straight. These treats soon became a daily necessity.

She successfully toppled the former richest man and became the richest person in the whole city!

As for the scholar she married, when did he become her “ideal supportive husband”?! Their married life just kept getting better and better. Were they even going to pull off a seven-times-in-one-night marathon?!

But she never expected people to keep coming after her. First there was her old-fashioned father, then her sharp-tongued mother-in-law, along with unreasonable relatives making threats. Just when she'd finally dealt with them all, an even bigger problem landed in her lap...

Cheng Jiuniang was exhausted. “At this rate, when will I ever get rich and lift myself out of poverty?”

Note: The dynasty is fictional, though many prices and items are modeled on those of the Song Dynasty.

The ordinary couple gradually work their way up, with a slow and steady pace.

Content warning: The male lead is technically married once, though it doesn't even count as a real marriage. He is absolutely chaste!

The female lead really is married for a second time, and is not chaste!

If that bothers you, go back to the previous page!

Character card art provided as a friendly gift by a friend, xhs @lemon Xiao Shuang.

Theme: Work hard to get rich and improve your standard of living.