Grumpy girl x airheaded boy: The temptation of going back to the village
Sheng Mingzhu had spent fifteen years as the haughty, spoiled daughter of a duke's household. When she was thrown out, she was in a pitiful state.
The only thing of value she had left was the silk brocade dress she was wearing.
On a bright spring day, she should have been wearing that beautiful dress to her coming-of-age ceremony, then demurely accepting a gift from her betrothed.
But she never expected him to bring the real duke's daughter that day, sending Sheng Mingzhu straight to hell.
Her betrothed looked at her calmly. "Zhuzhu, this is what you owe her."
Overnight, her whole world turned upside down.
The identity she had been proud of belonged to someone else. The parents she had adored belonged to someone else. Even the engagement she'd fought tooth and nail to get was someone else's.
Whatever. It's pointless. Let it be, she thought.
Sheng Mingzhu sold the brocade dress she'd spent three whole months sewing to pay for her journey, then climbed aboard a jolting ox cart to find her birth parents in the countryside.
So what if she had to farm? It couldn't be that bad. The world was so big, surely she wouldn't starve to death?
Until her newly claimed older brother cheerfully invited her, "Come on, Sis, let's water the vegetables together."
Staring at a bucket of black, foul-smelling manure, Sheng Mingzhu, who had been a clean freak since childhood: (eyes widen in shock)
Jiang Shuo spent ages asking around before learning that the person who had saved his life was the daughter of the duke's family.
A prince's son and a duke's daughter: a perfect match, born for each other! He thought gleefully.
The duke and his wife were delighted too. They warmly presented him with a girl he'd never seen before, saying she was the precious jewel they'd raised since childhood.
Jiang Shuo's face turned cold on the spot. "I don't want your precious jewel. I only want my Mingzhu."
After asking around at length, he finally found his Mingzhu, dressed in a simple skirt and looking delicate and graceful, while loudly berating the thief who'd stolen her eggs.
Her voice was loud enough to pierce the roof.
Jiang Shuo: (blushing little by little) So fierce. I love it.
Just as Sheng Mingzhu was trying to forget the past and settle into a simple, happy life of farming, people from her old life began showing up one after another.
Her fake best friend looked at her with glee. "My household is looking for a servant girl to wash feet."
The duke and his wife looked down at her. "Our daughter needs a maid to accompany her when she marries."
Her former betrothed gazed at her tenderly. "I've always kept a place for you as my concubine."
Before Sheng Mingzhu could even refuse, the young man who had recently moved in next door stepped in front of her, brandishing a broom and angrily chasing them away.
The boy sneered. "You dare bully someone I'm still trying to win over? Get lost!"
1. One-on-one happy ending, sweet romance
2. Blurb written on May 3, 2025
Theme: Love yourself first, then love others
