The Little Man's "Wedding" Tale

Changxia arrived at the Pei family as a child bride, where he had enough to eat and wear, but the most important task was learning to care for his five-year-old "husband." Five-year-old Pei Yao no longer wore open-crotch pants. Tipping his chubby chin up, he scrutinized Changxia, who stood slightly taller than him, and puckered his lips in displeasure. Terms like "husband" and "child bride" meant nothing to him—all he wanted was to play. Changxia couldn't control Pei Yao. Despite being three years younger, the boy was as wild as a boar, running and jumping everywhere, impossible to restrain. Frustrated to tears, he could only run home to his father, who then beat Pei Yao. From then on, Pei Yao held a grudge against him. Clumsy with words and slow-witted, Changxia knew Pei Yao disliked him. But the Pei family had bought him, so this was now his home. Besides tending to Pei Yao as his child bride, he worked hard in the fields and gardens, praying for good weather and bountiful harvests every year. Pei Yao, small but shrewd, had always loved beautiful things and people. With a sweet tongue, he charmed brothers, sisters, and cousins. By his teens, he'd grown tall and lanky, turning into a strikingly handsome youth. Changxia, on the other hand, kept his head down and focused solely on labor. Over the years, his hands grew rough, his looks plain, and he remained unliked by Pei Yao. Seeing this, Pei Yao’s father knew forcing fate was futile. Now that the family had saved money, he figured it best to arrange separate marriages for them—lest they grow to hate each other. But before any matchmaking could take root, the father accidentally overheard Pei Yao coaxing Changxia into kissing him and nearly fainted on the spot.

Shi Nuo was sent to a private planet, the territory of an Alpha, who was to be his arranged marriage partner.When the tranquilizer wore off, all that remained outside the window was the boundless starry sky.The starship left him on a barren wasteland and hurriedly departed, not even landing properly, as if fleeing some ferocious beast.In the distance, a beast roared, and the ground trembled.He was alone in this wilderness; he was the only person on the entire planet.In the eyes of the wild beasts on this primitive planet, a beautiful and fragile Omega was merely food, no longer afforded courtesy or protection.As for his intended partner, he held no hope. The Alpha had already succumbed to his beastly nature, becoming like the other wild creatures, and was nowhere to be found.Injured while searching for food, Shi Nuo was picked up from a pit by a giant white wolf. He closed his eyes, waiting for death. However, the fangs that should have pierced his throat instead sank into the gland at the back of his neck. The Alpha’s pheromones were injected, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.The arrival of the only Omega allowed for the release of pent-up pheromones.Shi Nuo saw the white wolf eating but dared not approach too closely.Fresh, bloody meat was right before his eyes. He finally received long-awaited meat from the wolf’s mouth.While Shi Nuo enjoyed his meal, the white wolf lay sleeping on the living room floor.When night fell, it entered Shi Nuo’s room.The inherently cold white wolf had no intention of giving anything away. If one wanted food, one had to exchange it for something else.Later, Shi Nuo’s lower abdomen swelled slightly. He patted his belly, somewhat surprised. How could he have gained weight in such a place?In the snowy field, the majestic white wolf returned with its prey in its mouth, its icy blue eyes cold and handsome.Shi Nuo was overjoyed by its return, his eyes filled with delight at the sight of the plump prey. There was meat to eat again, and the price he had to pay for the meat was no longer a concern.At the dinner table, the tall, sturdy, white-haired man bent the knife and fork in his hand as he watched the Omega, whose eyes held only the image of meat.Theme: Only by surviving can one witness all that is beautiful. Food will come, and so will love.

Gu Lanshi’s family arranged a marriage for him with Lin Jinpeng, a tall and handsome man from their village. It seemed everything was about to be settled. However, Gu Lanshi began having dreams—night after night for more than ten days—in which Lin Jinpeng was unfaithful. Half-doubting yet half-convinced, he secretly followed Lin Jinpeng to the back hills, only to witness the affair in person. Crying loudly, Gu Lanshi rushed home with his family in tow. But panic soon struck—if the pair escaped, who would believe him? Furious and desperate, he feared the worst. Luckily, fate intervened. By the time they arrived, the adulterous couple, for some reason, couldn’t find their clothes and were scrambling through the woods in disgrace. The scandal sent Xiahe Village into chaos, drawing spectators from neighboring villages. In the end, the Lin family slunk away in shame, relocating to distant relatives. * Pei Yan was infamous in the village as a lone star of calamity—destitute, tough, and ferocious. After a few brutal fights, few dared to cross him, believing misfortune followed anyone who did. While washing clothes by the river, Gu Lanshi spotted Pei Yan scrubbing a pile of torn fabric nearby. The material looked oddly familiar… Then he noticed the bamboo embroidery in the corner—it was Lin Jinpeng’s! No wonder the adulterers had fled naked. Their clothes had ended up with Pei Yan. After repeated misfortunes in marriage, Gu Lanshi never imagined he’d eventually wed Pei Yan. One a lone star of doom, the other plagued by bad luck, yet their struggling days gradually improved—ample food, meat on the table, and chubby, healthy children. --- **Reading Guide:** 1. MPreg (Male Pregnancy). Avoid if this trope bothers you. 2. Slice-of-life farming novel, slow-paced. 3. Protagonists are flawed. Proceed with caution if this is an issue. 4. More notes may be added later. (Note: "天煞孤星" is rendered idiomatically as "lone star of calamity" for natural flow, and "霉运缠身" as "plagued by bad luck" for readability while preserving the original's vivid imagery.)

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.