Lu Gu was forced into a marriage, taking his brother’s place to wed the fierce hunter of Qingxi Village. Despite his reluctance and despair, after threats and beatings, he was shoved onto the wedding sedan. Such an absurd substitution—how could the Shen family let it slide? After a storm of arguments and a complete fallout, Lu Gu was taken back to the Shen household. Bracing himself for a life of trembling hardship, he was surprised to find married life far less brutal than he’d imagined. He even had enough to eat now, and no one struck him. Shen Xuanqing even bought him chicks and ducklings, fencing off part of the backyard so he could raise them. Crouching in the yard, stroking the tiny birds, Lu Gu’s initial fear melted into pure joy. Shen Xuanqing told him they were all his. —— The first time Lu Gu timidly tugged at his sleeve, Shen Xuanqing paused on his way out. His shy little male wife flashed a fleeting, bashful smile and handed him a small cloth pouch of fine flour cakes—provisions for the mountains. Chewing the cakes expressionlessly in the hills, Shen Xuanqing mused: his male wife was obedient, hardworking, and rather pretty when he smiled. Just too thin. He’d need to earn more to fatten him up—otherwise, childbirth would be too hard on him.