A Record of Country Living and Meals in Xicun Village [Farming]

[Complete! My upcoming novel, Tea Creek Tales [Farming], is listed below. Please add it to your collection!] It was only shortly before his parents passed away that Jiang Yunling learned they had arranged a marriage for him: to the Huo family of Yangxi Village, whose daughter-in-law had been his mother's childhood friend. After his parents died, Jiang Yunling faced a pack of relatives eyeing his family’s belongings. He promptly packed a small bundle and set off to seek shelter with the Huo family, his future in-laws. Huo Qing, the butcher of Yangxi Village, was handsome, tall, and strong. The villagers considered him an ideal husband, but unfortunately, he had a sickly younger brother, Huo Wen. The brothers had depended on each other since childhood. Huo Wen was frail and needed medicine all year round, dragging an otherwise decent household into poverty and making it nearly impossible for Huo Qing to find a wife. When Jiang Yunling showed up at his door seeking refuge, Huo Qing was stunned. He looked at Jiang Yunling, alone and helpless, then at his own impoverished household, and gritted his teeth. He was already raising one younger brother. What difference would one more make? He'd take him in! At first, Huo Qing didn't take the matter seriously. He merely pitied Jiang Yunling, a young man with no one to rely on, and gave him a place to stay. He even declared that he would find him a good match someday. But gradually, Huo Qing noticed that things were changing. There was always a delicious meal warming on the stove. When he came home late, someone would leave a lamp burning for him by the door. The house felt more lively, too, and he found it harder and harder to look into those clear eyes without feeling something. In time, Jiang Yunling became his husband. The Huo family was already struggling, and now they had another young man to support. The villagers waited behind their backs for the couple to become a laughingstock, but instead, the two husbands built an ever better life together. Even Huo Wen, who had once been so frail, regained his health and passed the scholar's examination! Admiring peach blossoms in spring, listening to cicadas in summer, gathering fruits in autumn, and watching the snow in winter. Four seasons pass among the clouds, while a thousand years of peace lie hidden beneath the trees. Hand in hand, the two spent the rest of their lives together. #Bonus Scene: Jiang Yunling had secretly loved Huo Qing for a long time. He thought Huo Qing was honorable, good to his family, and good to him, too. There was just one thing wrong with him. He wouldn't marry Jiang Yunling and make him his husband. Jiang Yunling was feeling rather dejected when one day he ran into an old acquaintance in the village. As they were catching up, Huo Qing suddenly appeared, panting. His usually resolute face was, for once, filled with panic and urgency. Huo Qing grabbed his hand. “Didn't we agree you'd become my husband? Why are you discussing marriage with someone else?” Jiang Yunling: ? Reader's Guide: 1. A cozy, slow-paced farming story about rural life, full of sweet everyday moments. 2. A slow burn, focused on the rhythms of daily life. No rags-to-riches transformation, business ventures, or imperial examinations (the love interest's younger brother takes the exams, but they won't feature much). No golden finger. 2. Set in a fictional dynasty. Don't read too much into the historical details. 3. There will be childbirth later in the story, but only near the end. Upcoming novel: Tea Creek Tales Synopsis: Su Qiao is a tea farmer from Tea Creek Village. He grew up relying on his grandfather, and has lived alone ever since his grandfather passed away. The villagers always say he's slow-witted, but Su Qiao doesn't think so. One day, he comes across a man who has “fainted” on the way to pick tea. Thinking that saving a life is what matters, he carries the man home and nurses him for a while. When the man's injuries are nearly healed, Su Qiao asks when he plans to leave. The man pauses, then looks at him reproachfully. “You saw me naked when you saved me. Aren't you going to take responsibility?” Su Qiao: ... That sort of made sense, but something about it also felt wrong. Su Qiao: “All right, then.” And just like that, he had a husband. Gu Shangci made a name for himself at a young age, but all he wanted was to retire from public life. He was simply too tired to go on one day, so he found somewhere to take a nap, only to be mistaken for an injured man and carried home. The first time he opened his eyes and saw Su Qiao, Gu Shangci raised an eyebrow. The kid was pretty cute. Later: Kind, adorable, and a good cook, too. Later still: Tsk. I want to marry him. But before he could bring that cabbage home, he had to chase away the pigs crowding around it! So Gu Shangci put his smooth-talking skills to work and finally managed to marry himself a husband. Picking tea in the spring, catching fish in the summer, gathering fruit in the mountains in autumn, and sipping tea by the stove in winter. From then on, the imperial court lost a young general, and Tea Creek Village gained a hunter who lived in the mountains. A thousand acres of tea fields stretched green beneath the sky. Egrets rode the breeze, playing beneath the bright evening clouds. Through all four seasons, they shared a life together until the end. #Bonus Scene: Their wedding night. Thinking that her husband had been picked up for free and didn't know what he was doing, Su Qiao decided it was his duty to take the initiative. So, the night before the wedding, he asked someone to find him an erotic manual and blushingly read it from cover to cover. On their wedding night, Su Qiao patted his chest and declared to Gu Shangci, “Don't worry. I'll teach you in a minute.” Gu Shangci smiled faintly. “All right.” An hour later. “Waaah, I can't take any more...” Su Qiao bit the corner of the quilt, whimpering as he tried to push the man away. He had melted into a puddle, only to be gathered up again moments later. Gu Shangci kissed the corners of Su Qiao's eyes, red from crying. His eyes were full of laughter, though his voice remained pitiful. “Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? I'm so clumsy, Xiao Qiao. Teach me, please. Teach me some more.” Su Qiao: ... A guileless, single-minded, slow-to-catch-on recipient * a young general with a smooth-talking, tea-flavored act Theme: Hard work makes a beautiful life!