The domineering CEO transmigrates into a farmer's husband

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Monk

In early spring in the north, the cold wind lashes against the ground, chilling you to the bone.

Madam Su sat on the large kang (heated brick bed) by the window in her usual living quarters, with her three beautiful daughters embroidering, sewing shoe soles, and mending clothes—a scene of perfect harmony. The room was filled with the delicate fragrance of newly opened daffodils, and sunlight streamed in through the window lattice, illuminating the wisps of dust rising in the air.

Madam Su looked at the eldest daughter, Zhenyuan, with her oval face, beautiful eyes that seemed to hold autumn water, and willow-leaf eyebrows curved like a crescent moon—an indescribably stunning beauty. Then she looked at the fourth daughter, Zhenyi, with her innocent and childlike face, her eyes filled with unspoken affection, and even her furrowed brows exuding an indescribable charm.

The third daughter, Zhenxiu, was embroidering the uppers of shoes, on which were two simple-looking gourds. Seeing Madam Su looking at this one and then that one, her smile spreading across her face, she pouted and said, "Mother, you're looking at them all day long. Could you possibly find a handsome husband for my eldest sister and fourth sister?"

Before Madam Su could speak, Fourth Miss Zhenyi pursed her lips and kicked her leg, which landed squarely on Zhenxiu's calf. She wasn't wearing socks, and her slightly long toenails grazed the soft flesh of Zhenxiu's calf. She pretended to slap Zhenxiu and said, "You're so annoying!"

Although Zhenyuan did not respond, her previous calm demeanor had vanished, and her brows were gradually furrowing. Seeing this, Madam Su glared at Zhenxiu and said, "Can't you speak properly? If you can't, go back to your room."

Zhenxiu shifted her position closer to the kang (heated brick bed), rubbed the needle in her hair, and pouted, saying, "Why? Being pretty means I get to sit on a warm kang, but I have to make things on that cold bed without a charcoal stove?"

Su glared at her and said, "Then don't speak. Nobody will think you're mute."

Zhenxiu snorted coldly and glared at Zhenyi, secretly remembering the humiliation she had suffered at Zhenyi's hands earlier, and said nothing more.

Seeing that Zhenyuan was still frowning, Madam Su comforted her, saying, "We will be able to go to the capital in May. With your looks and character, and being the granddaughter of the Gongzheng family, why would you worry about not finding a good husband?"

Zhenyi leaned close to Su's shoulder and nestled into her arms, humming as she twisted her body, "Why isn't May here yet? Once my elder sister finds a good husband in the capital, I'll first go to the gold shop to buy a nice outfit to keep, and then go to the silk shop to have some nice clothes made, so that I can have the demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family, just like Zhenyu."

Before Madam Su could speak, Zhenxiu sneered, "How dare you call her Zhenyu? She is a legitimate daughter of the principal wife. When we arrive in the capital, you will have to kowtow and pay your respects to her first."

Zhenyi glared at Zhenxiu and said, "I'm only saying this on our own kang (heated brick bed). Once we get to the capital, I'll naturally know more about etiquette than you do."

As the group was chatting, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside, and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old lifted the curtain and stepped in. She glanced at the kang (a heated brick bed), her wheat-colored face brightening as she glared at them. "It's springtime outside, and you're all still stuck inside? Haven't you been cooped up all winter?" she said.

Zhenyi, the youngest, still had two buns on her head. She climbed out of Su's arms, tidied her hair, and smiled, "Second sister came back really early today. It seems you didn't meet your lover today."

Second Miss Zhenshu looked at the several young ladies of the Song family, who were as white and round as steamed buns on the kang (heated brick bed). Zhenyi was the youngest, and also the most skilled at flattery and veiled speech. She sat down on the edge of the kang angrily and said, "Didn't you say that foot binding was too hard and that I should go and pick some alfalfa that hadn't sprouted yet to improve your appetite? Ah Xiang and I spent half a day picking alfalfa. And now you're so clever with your words."

Zhenyi covered her mouth and laughed, "If that's really the case, then thank you very much, Second Sister. But dare you say you didn't go to see Tong Qisheng?"

Zhenshu glared at her and said, "Don't try to act innocent after getting the benefit."

Zhenxiu interjected, "Second Sister is the kind of person who does great things quietly. She wouldn't let you know about trivial matters. Even if she does something, she wouldn't let anyone know. For example, last night in her sleep, she was still..."

Zhenshu picked up a ball of silk thread from the sewing basket and threw it at him, shouting, "Zhenxiu, shut up!"

Zhenshu and Zhenxiu shared a room. In the middle of the night, she might say something in her dream that Zhenxiu could hear.

Zhenxiu took the thread and said, "Hmph, I won't shut up. You called out Tong Qisheng's name countless times in your dreams last night..."

Snap!

A crisp slap rang out, and Zhenxiu, covering her face with tears streaming down her face, stammered, "Mother, why are you hitting your daughter like this?"

Seeing that the girls had all fallen silent in fear, Madam Su sat up straight and said, "You have no manners and no restraint. Zhenshu is your third sister. She is still unmarried and has not yet been betrothed. You are slandering her like this. Even though you are in your own house, walls have ears. If this gets out, how will she ever get married?"

The girls all lowered their heads and remained silent upon hearing this. Madam Su continued, “It turns out that because we’ve always stayed in Caijiasi Village, I haven’t taught you any manners, and you sisters have been able to address each other as you please. But things are different now. We’ll be going to the capital in May, and then the order of seniority among you sisters will naturally follow the Song family’s order. I’ve said it countless times: Zhenshu is third, Zhenyi is sixth, and Zhenxiu, you are fourth. Since that’s the order, from now on you must address each other according to the Song family’s order, but you always refuse to listen…”

Zhenxiu got up, picked up Xiupin, and got off the kang (heated brick bed). Then she turned around and said, "If we're talking about calling each other by the wrong names, then we're all at fault. Why are you only hitting me?"

Madam Su angrily pointed at Zhenxiu and said, "How dare you slander your third sister like this, and you still don't know you're wrong?"

Zhenxiu flicked her sleeve and said, "Who in Caijia Temple doesn't know that she and Tong Qisheng have been entangled since childhood? It's just that you wanted to keep her in this village to take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days, so you deliberately let her get entangled with Tong Qisheng. Am I wrong?"

Enraged, Su jumped up to hit her, but Zhenxiu covered her head and ran out of the house, heading towards her own room.

Instead of getting angry, Zhenshu laughed and stopped Su Shi, saying, "Mother, why do you care about her? She's making it hard for you to run fast. You might fall down while chasing her."

Furious, Madam Su sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed), craning her neck and calling out, "Aunt Cai! Aunt Cai!"

Zhen Shu said, "Mother Cai is in the kitchen preparing dinner for Zhen Yi by blanching alfalfa. If you need anything, just ask me."

Su clutched her chest and said, "This Cai Mama is getting lazier and lazier. She can't even boil some hot water. I'm so angry that I feel chest tightness and need a bowl of hot tea."

Zhenshu said, "Alright, I'll make it for you. Just don't complain again tomorrow that you drank tea and didn't sleep all night."

Zhenshu stepped out of the room and saw that the window lattice of the lower room on the west side was open, and the window was about to move. She knew that Zhenxiu must be peeking at the outside world from behind the curtain. She ignored it and went to the kitchen on the east side to boil water and make tea. After she made the tea and served it to Su, she made another cup and took it to the main room in the outer courtyard for her father, Song Anrong, who was reading in the study.

Song Anrong was the second son of Song Shihong, a craftsman who had gone to the capital. The male members of the Song family rarely lived long lives; Song Shihong died at the age of fifty. His wife, Zhong, then arranged for the division of the family property, sending the remaining two sons away from the capital. One was assigned to Huixian County—this was Song Anrong—and the other to Wenxian County—Song Anyuan, the third son. Because the eldest son had died young and there were no male heirs, the family had no one to perform ancestral rites. Therefore, the fourth son, Song Angu, was left in the capital to perform ancestral rites on behalf of his elder brother during the four seasonal festivals.

Zhenshu brought tea into the room and saw her father reading in the evening light by the west window. She tiptoed over, reached out and snatched the book from his hands, giggling, "Father has hidden another good book and is reading it all by himself."

She placed the tea tray on the table, noticed the book titled "Qingping Shantang Tales," and looked up with a smile, asking, "Why don't I see this book before? Did Uncle Zhao send it over again yesterday?"

The refined old man, Song Anrong, turned around and saw that it was his daughter. He smiled indulgently and said, "Logically speaking, these books should not be read by a child like you."

Zhenshu picked up a chair and sat down, spreading the book on her lap and glancing at it. Seeing her father standing beside her, looking like he wanted to snatch it back, she quickly protected the book, saying, "How can I still be called a child? Axiang's older sister is only sixteen this year, and she already had a chubby little boy when she went back to her parents' home yesterday."

Song Anrong said, "I wish you would never grow up, and could you always be my innocent and carefree little daughter?"

Zhenshu closed the book, stood up, and said, "You have four daughters, haven't you loved them enough?"

Song Anrong smiled without saying a word, and went to drink the tea.

Zhenshu left the house, humming a tune as she carried the book to her small west room where she shared with Zhenxiu. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Zhenxiu suddenly trying to hide something in her arms. She pretended not to see it, put the book in a large box at the corner of her bed, locked it, and then went to the kitchen to help Cai's mother cook.

Seeing that she had left, Zhenxiu took out a piece of embroidery from her bosom and said coldly to herself, "Look at how proper she looks on the surface, yet she brings home some lewd and obscene songs from outside."

After dinner, Su Shi, Zhenyuan, Zhenyi and the others embroidered flowers on the heated kang. Zhenxiu, having angered Su Shi with her rude remarks, did not dare to go into the main room. She asked Zhenshu for a hot water bottle and warmed the bed with it, then sat on the bed embroidering.

Zhenshu and Cai Mama heated the kang (a heated brick bed) for Su Shi, and then went to the outer courtyard to heat the kang for her father, Song Anrong. They also boiled hot water and served the whole family until they had washed up before rubbing their hands together and entering the small west room.

As Zhenxiu watched her undress and get into bed, she suddenly exclaimed, "Quickly get me a spittoon; I can't hold my pee right now."

Zhenshu glared at her and said, "You didn't call out when I was outside, but now that I've taken off my clothes, you're calling out again. Go by yourself if you want to."

"Second Sister!" Zhenxiu cried out, "I forgot just now, please! My dear second sister."

Zhenshu rummaged through the box, pulled out a book, and spread it out. Without turning her head, she said, "I'm not going. You have no idea how cold it is outside."

Zhenxiu rolled her eyes at Zhenshu and said, "You have big feet, so you should do these things for us. What if I run around too much and my feet get big too? I'll call my mother to punish you."

Zhenshu laughed twice and said, "Go ahead and shout!"

Zhenxiu recalled that she had been slapped by Su Shi that afternoon. She was afraid that Su Shi's anger had not subsided and that she would be the first to be scolded if she really shouted. She gritted her teeth and remained silent for a while. Then she sneered, "You are reading these lewd songs that Tong Qisheng sent you. If you don't go and get them, I will go to the banks of the Wei River tomorrow and spread the word for you so that everyone in Caijia Temple will know."

Zhenshu ignored her and sat on the bed flipping through a book.

Zhenxiu waited for a long time, but seeing that she still didn't say anything, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do her job tonight. She got up angrily, put on a coat, went out, took a spittoon in to relieve herself, took the spittoon out again, went back to her room, closed the door, blew out the lamp, went to bed, wrapped herself in the quilt, and went to sleep.

Zhenshu was reading an article called "The Monk with a Simple Letter," which told the story of a monk who coveted a beautiful woman and plotted to break them up. She was enjoying the article when she suddenly told Zhenxiu to turn off the light. Zhenxiu sighed in anger but had no choice but to close her eyes and go to sleep.

As she drifted off to sleep, she suddenly heard Zhenxiu whisper, "Second Sister..."

Seeing that Zhenshu remained silent for a long time, Zhenxiu assumed that she had truly fallen asleep. Only then did she get up and quietly take an oil lamp from her bedside and light it. She then took an embroidery piece from the cabinet at the foot of the bed and began to embroider by the lamplight.

Chapter 2: Imperial College Students

In March, as the grass grew and the birds flew, Madam Su and her young ladies finally changed their battlefield. It turned out that the weather was getting warmer, and they could no longer sit on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). Besides, living on the kang year-round would leave them with a smoky, burnt smell that lingered all day.

In the main room of the Su family, guests were received in the middle. On one side, there was a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) for the family to live in during the winter, and on the other side, there was a bed where the fourth daughter, Zhenyi, lived. Now that the weather was much warmer, in order to avoid the unpleasant smell of the kang when they went to the capital, the mother and daughters moved into Zhenyi's room together.

Because Zhenyuan, Zhenxiu, and Zhenyi all had bound feet and dared not walk much, all the tiring work, such as moving things, was done by Zhenshu, who had large feet, while Su Shi just directed from the side.

Seeing Su sitting in a chair combing Zhenyi's hair, Zhenshu pointed to the beautiful spring scenery outside and said, "It's warm and lively outside. You've been cooped up inside all winter. Wouldn't it be great to go outside and comb all the lice off your heads?"

Madam Su rolled her eyes at Zhenshu and said softly, "The climate here is not good. The wind blows with evil spirits. As soon as it touches your face, it turns your fair face into a red one. I'm taking these girls to the capital. I can't let them come back to the capital with red faces just because they want to look at some flowers and plants."

Zhenyi had Su Shi pull her hair, tilted her head back high, and laughed, "I want the new batch of tassels that Mother has added to make a shawl. When we get to the capital, I'll definitely outshine all the other girls."

Madam Su smiled indulgently and said, "That's right, all of that was prepared for you."

After Zhenshu finished moving her things, she noticed that Zhenyuan still hadn't come to do her embroidery, so she went to look for her in her room. Zhenyuan lived in one of the two westernmost rooms in the backyard, next to Zhenshu's. She lifted the curtain and entered the room, seeing Zhenyuan sitting by the window looking outside. She asked, "Why isn't Sister going to the main room to do her embroidery?"

Zhenyuan didn't answer, but smiled and pulled Zhenshu to sit down, saying, "I'm sorry to have wronged you. You don't look like a girl from this family, but more like a rough maid."

Zhenshu straightened her braid and said, "What's the big deal? I don't want to bind my feet, so I can only do rough work. Besides, I'm willing to go in and out and do some rough work. It would be better to kill me than to make me sit on the bed holding a needle."

Zhenyuan lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time. She sighed and twisted a newly embroidered sachet in her hand.

Zhenshu asked, "Is your marriage troubled, sister?"

Zhenyuan was already nine years old. Because Madam Su was unwilling to find suitable marriage partners for her and her sister in Huixian County and was determined to marry them in the capital, she rejected all marriage proposals from Huixian County.

“Sister, you should be more understanding. Song Zhenyu is sixteen this year, and she will be getting married soon. Although you are not born of a male heir, you are the eldest daughter in the Song family. She cannot marry before you.” Zhenshu comforted her, “Hasn’t Mother been corresponding with the capital these days? Grandmother in the capital must have already made plans for you. After you marry and live in the capital, I can also visit the capital during my family visit. Isn’t that great?”

Zhenyuan was simple-minded and guileless; a few kind words were enough to dispel her worries. She stuffed the purse into Zhenshu's arms and said, "You and Tong Qisheng are seeing each other every day, so you should send him a token to show your feelings. Since the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, I made you a small sachet. Just pretend you made it yourself and give it to him on the Dragon Boat Festival."

Zhenshu exclaimed "Oh dear!" and tossed the sachet back to Zhenyuan, smiling as she said, "He knows me. How could I possibly embroider something so beautiful?"

Zhenyuan stuffed the sachet back into Zhenshu's hand and said, word by word, "Although you seem so impulsive, you're actually quite naive. Tong Qisheng may be poor, but he's now a student of the Imperial Academy, and even the county magistrate has to bow to him. Who knows, there might be other women in the surrounding villages who want to marry their daughters to him. What if you don't work on winning him over and someone else gets there first?"

Zhenshu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright! I'll listen to you, sister. Do you want to eat locust flowers? There are clusters of locust flowers growing outside right now. If you want to eat them, I'll take a basket and go pick some for you."

Seeing Zhenyuan smile and nod, she found a basket in the kitchen, tossed her braid behind her, and hopped out the door in a few steps.

The girls who used to play with her have all gotten married, and now, the only one she can still play with at Caijia Temple is Axiang, who is only thirteen years old this year. Zhenshu stood outside Axiang's house and called out, "Axiang! Come out quickly, let's go pick locust flowers."

After calling for a while without seeing Ah Xiang, Ah Xiang's mother, Aunt Cheng, came out. When she saw Zhen Shu, she smiled and said, "Second Miss Song, my Ah Xiang can't play with you anymore. If you want to pick locust flowers, go pick them yourself."

Zhen Shu asked, "Why?"

Aunt Cheng said, "After the New Year, she should be looking for a husband. Nowadays, women need to have bound feet before marriage. If the feet are bound well, some men won't even ask for a dowry and will compete to marry her. So, from now on, she will have to bind her feet at home."

Upon hearing this, Zhenshu was stunned for a long time, as if struck by lightning, before nodding and saying, "Oh, I understand."

Aunt Cheng said, "Nowadays, men value a woman's feet more than her looks when choosing a wife. You should settle down and stay home to bind your feet. Don't wander around all day anymore."

Zhenshu frowned and said sullenly, "Binding feet not only hurts the feet, but also makes it difficult to walk properly in the future. You'll need someone to help you when you go out. What's so good about that?"

Aunt Cheng shook her head and said, "Although you've grown up on the surface, you're still a fool at heart. Apart from us poor farmers, the ladies and young ladies in the city spend all day embroidering by the window. They don't need to walk at all. Besides, they have maids to serve them. They have everything done for them. They can enjoy a life of leisure and happiness. What is there to worry about?"

While foot binding has existed since ancient times, it was merely a way to make the feet more aesthetically pleasing and slender. In recent years, however, a new trend has emerged where women bind their feet by bending all the toes under the instep, creating two small, narrow, pointed feet the size of a palm – only then are they considered fashionable. Foot binding involves breaking the toes, and the pain is unimaginable to others. Zhenyuan herself fainted many times from the pain of foot binding, while Zhenshu volunteered to take on household chores precisely to avoid it.

Ah Xiang's older sister, Ah Fang, had her feet bound. Ah Xiang was extremely stubborn, and Aunt Cheng had tried several times to subdue her. This time, no one knew what methods she used, but she managed to keep Ah Xiang obediently at home with her feet bound.

Zhenshu carried a basket out of the village to pick locust flowers in a locust grove along the Wei River. The locust flowers had not yet bloomed; they were just flower spikes that had formed buds. These flower spikes were about the size of silkworm figurines, with deep green buds. After picking them and taking them home, she blanched them in boiling water, then mixed them with sesame oil and minced garlic. For a northerner who had not seen green vegetables all winter, it was a rare delicacy.

Zhenshu was sullenly climbing a tree to pick locust tassels when she suddenly heard footsteps under the tree. Looking down, she saw Tong Qisheng standing under the tree with his hands behind his back, looking at her.

Unable to hide the smile on her lips, she turned her head and asked in a sweet voice, "Why isn't Tong Jiansheng at home studying? What are you doing in the locust grove?"

Tong Qisheng is about twenty-four or twenty-five years old this year. He is a handsome and well-mannered man. Both his parents have passed away, and only his grandfather is still alive. His grandfather, Tong Xiucai, failed the imperial examinations many times and now teaches children in Caijiasi Village to earn some tuition fees. He swore to his grandfather that he would not marry until he passed the imperial examination, so he is now a bachelor.

He didn't say anything, just stood under the tree waiting. Finally, Zhenshu couldn't resist any longer, slipped down from the tree, pouted and said, "Master Tong, you must have many girls chasing after you to marry you now, what are you doing in this grove?"

She had just heard that Ah Xiang had also bound her feet, and she felt unhappy about it. Then she saw that Tong Qisheng was wearing a blue shirt without patches today, and his appearance was quite decent. She thought to herself, "Could there really be someone as blind as me who has taken a fancy to this student who failed the imperial examination?"