Begonias Gleaming After the Rain

The full novel is expected to be around 250,000 words. Buying the entire story costs only 6 yuan. The complete text has been thoroughly edited, so it differs from pirated copies by about 50%. Please support this little author! [Gentle, brilliant young general x sincere, straightforward bandit girl] [Two strong leads] [Healing] [Sweet romance] [Sapiosexual romance] Lu Tang was born a little bandit, and not just any bandit: she was the young chief of her stronghold. She wielded her long saber with impressive skill and lived a carefree, satisfying life. The only thing that stuck in her throat was her father's insistence that she marry. In the tenth year of Yongxi, she heard that her fiancé had come to find her, carrying their token of betrothal. Indignant, she grabbed her saber and kicked down his door. The door opened, and one look left her stunned. The man in the wheelchair had skin as pale as snow and exquisitely handsome features. He was as beautiful as a piece of delicate porcelain no one dared touch. Dazzled by his face, she only became sharper-tongued. “You can move, can't you? Why pretend to be a sickly invalid?!” Before she had finished speaking, he cut her off in a cold voice: “Get out.” And just like that, they became enemies. Gu Changyuan, the young general of the Northern Garrison Army, made his name at a young age and was brilliant beyond compare. But he was gravely injured during the rear-guard battle at Luyang. He survived, but could no longer wield a sword. Driven from the center of power, he was sent to the countryside to lie low. A soldier and a bandit, one a wildfire sweeping across the plains, the other snow hardened into bone... They hardly seemed like a pair who could live together in peace. Yet somehow, they went from misunderstanding to unspoken understanding, from trading barbs to standing side by side. He taught her military strategy and formations; she made him do morning exercises and rehabilitation. She cut people down; he took the blows for her. As they went back and forth, they gradually became each other's most reliable support. Gu Changyuan: This is fine, too. But at some point, without either of them noticing, things quietly went too far. He began to find it unbearable for Lu Tang to see him at his lowest. And on a lone boat in the middle of the river, the ally he trusted most, the lord he had devoted himself to supporting, crossed every line of defense and kissed him when he was at his most wretched. Her lips touched his, trembling faintly at first, then coming faster and surer with every kiss. Gu Changyuan was shocked, resistant, trembling... but in the end, his defenses crumbled, and he returned her kiss with a choked sob. Lu Tang: I knew it. I knew he liked me too. [A Little Bonus Scene] Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. Times had changed, and the ten-mile stretch of mountains had become a legitimate fief instead of a bandit stronghold. She still wielded the same saber, and the same person was still by her side. One day, with a rare break from military and government affairs, she felt like dragging Gu Changyuan along to do his morning exercises with her. When she turned around after putting away her saber, he had already fallen asleep leaning against his wheelchair. Ever since he had injured himself and traveled a thousand miles to return to her, his stamina had declined considerably. The sunlight was lovely, the spring breeze gentle, and the grass and trees fragrant. Lu Tang sat in the sun and watched him for a while before gently waking him. To her surprise, Gu Changyuan opened his eyes with a smile. “I just had a lovely dream.” “Hmm? Why are you smiling so mischievously? Don't tell me you dreamed about that embarrassing incident again. It's been years. Let me live!” “Haha, of course not. I dreamed that we fought three hundred rounds when we first met, and you were the loser.” “Oh, look at you, Gu Changyuan, all grown up. And after you won, did you dream that you taught yourself mechanical engineering to seduce me?” “No need for that. Back then, I was panicking. Now I understand: all you need for that sort of thing is a pretty face.” They bickered all the way from the small parade ground, slowly making their way back. It was wonderful. [Reader's Guide] 1. A sweet romance wearing the clothes of a serious historical drama. Romance-focused, one-on-one, guaranteed sweetness. 2. Lu Tang content warnings: She is not a silly, innocent heroine, nor is this a pampered-wife story. She is a leader with real power. The male lead has no real authority, marries into her family, and they have no children. 3. Gu Changyuan content warnings: The male lead sustained an injury to the left side of his brain, leaving him paralyzed on the right. At his best, he can manage a couple of steps with a brace and a cane. Some chapters put him through hardship and describe his disability. There is no medical miracle, and he will not recover. 4. Lu Tang's only golden finger: She has a fondness for mechanical engineering and loves tinkering with little gifts for people. Coming soon in my author collection: A Thousand Miles Beneath the Same Wind (Republican Era) [Shen Zhiwei, a shy and hardworking aspiring physicist x Xie Huaiyan, a cryptography and mathematics prodigy forced to retire due to injury] Shen Zhiwei's life held many things: family, friends, hobbies, and most importantly, physics. She had too little time and energy left for what people called “love.” So she thought she probably would never fall for anyone. Later, she fell in love with Xie Huaiyan because of physics, and, as it turned out, left him because of physics, too. Fortunately, patience was what Xie Huaiyan had in abundance, and waiting was what he did best. The whole story was inspired by this line: “Each of us strives along our own path, yet a thousand miles away, we share the same wind.” I want to write a story about one of the first generation of women scientists in the Republican era. Theme: Born in a time of chaos, take up your blade and press on. Stay true to your original purpose, and be true to the one you love.