After the Scholar Broke Off Our Engagement, I Married a Brawny Hunter with a House Full of Meat.

Jiang A Yao is a young woman in a rural village where unmarried women over eighteen face severe social stigma and potential government-mandated marriages. Engaged to Zhang Chun, a scholar who recently passed his exams, she is cruelly jilted when he seeks a more advantageous match. Her mother, Lin Qinghua, and father, Jiang Dagen, prioritize the family's reputation and the marriage prospects of Jiang A Yao's younger sisters over her well-being. When the matchmaker arrives to formally break the engagement, Jiang A Yao demands the agreed-upon compensation and refuses to accept the humiliation silently. Her family's reaction is one of anger and threats rather than support, with her mother accusing her of ruining her sisters' futures and physically assaulting her.

Facing the prospect of being forced into a marriage with a widowed gambler or worse, Jiang A Yao makes a desperate decision. She approaches Lu Da, a tall, capable hunter known for his quiet demeanor and devotion to his gravely ill younger sister, Lu Mingzhu. Despite his poverty and the village's reluctance to marry into his family, Jiang A Yao proposes marriage to him as a means of survival. Lu Da, initially hesitant due to his financial situation, agrees when he realizes her sincerity. The couple proceeds to the Jiang residence to announce the marriage, where they are met with hostility from the extended family. Lin Qinghua attempts to extort a higher betrothal gift, demanding five thousand coins, but Jiang A Yao firmly negotiates the price down to the original one thousand, asserting her independence and severing ties with her abusive family.

After leaving the Jiang household with minimal possessions, Jiang A Yao moves into Lu Da's dilapidated home. She quickly takes charge of the household, managing the finances and caring for Lu Mingzhu, whose condition she assesses using her knowledge of traditional medicine. She identifies that the current treatment is ineffective and begins to prepare nutritious meals to improve Mingzhu's appetite and health. Her competence and kindness begin to win over Lu Da, who is deeply moved by her dedication. However, their new life is interrupted when a group of armed men, led by a scarred figure named Scarface, storms the village. They are escorting a critically injured man, and they demand a physician to treat an arrow wound in his chest.

Jiang A Yao is forced to accompany them to perform emergency surgery. Despite her fear and lack of experience with such severe trauma, she successfully removes the arrow and stops the bleeding using wound-healing powder and alcohol. The injured man, who appears to be a person of significant importance, recovers under her care. During this time, Jiang A Yao also discovers that Lu Da has a hidden past, suggested by his refined bow and the careful way he handles weapons. The armed men, who seem to be part of a larger organization, begin to suspect Jiang A Yao's true capabilities, especially after she reads and writes prescriptions with ease. As the injured man regains consciousness, he takes a keen interest in Jiang A Yao, recognizing her skill and intelligence. The story ends with Jiang A Yao caught between her new domestic life with Lu Da and the dangerous world of the armed men, whose presence threatens to upend her carefully constructed stability.