Couples and lovers around China will be holding hands, going on dates, and enjoying romantic strolls today in celebration of Qixi Festival (七夕节), sometimes known as China’s Valentine’s Day. Originating from the legendary tragic love story of goddess Zhinü and farm boy Niulang, who are only permitted to see each other once a year at Qixi Festival (which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month), today is also a good time to remember some of China’s best love stories.

While new couples will be hoping to create their own love stories today, some of the best tales of romance, whether joyful or tragic, are found in ancient Chinese texts. You may be familiar with some of the most famous traditional Chinese love stories—Legend of the White Snake, Butterfly Lovers, and Marriage of the Fairy Princess, for example—but there are many more beautiful and tragic tales to enjoy. Here are three romantic stories perfect for today’s festival:

The famous courtesan who married an oil seller

This tale, found in Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) writer Feng Menglong’s (冯梦龙) short story collection Stories to Awaken the World (《醒世恒言》), describes the love that blossomed between the beautiful and highly sought-after Shen Yaoqin and a humble oil seller named Qin Zhong during the Northern Song dynasty (960 – 1127).

Born into a rich family in Bianliang (present-day Kaifeng, Henan province), the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, Shen was a beautiful girl talented in music, poetry, and embroidery. But when Jurchen invaders occupied Bianliang in 1127, Shen and her parents fled to Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou) and, in the chaos, Shen was separated from her family and eventually sold to a brothel. Shen soon became the most famous sex worker in the city, with her good looks and many talents setting her apart from others. Customers paid 10 taels of silver for just one night with her.

Of course, Shen longed to leave her servitude in the brothel, and dreamed of meeting a man who would truly love her and could buy her freedom.

The humble oil vendor Qin Zhong proved he could fulfill the first criterion, but it would be a long struggle to come up with the money necessary to secure Shen’s freedom. Qin first came across Shen while selling his oil on the street. Stunned by her beauty, he resolved to save enough money to pay Shen’s sky-high rate and spend just one night with her. At that point, all the property Qin owned probably amounted to only two or three taels of silver, so he had to save every penny he could.

Over two years later, Qin finally had the cash for a night with Shen. But after he paid the 10 taels of silver to meet Shen, he found her blind drunk having just returned from a banquet. She didn’t spare Qin a glance, and promptly collapsed on the bed, fast asleep. Qin wasn’t upset or frustrated though; instead, he tucked Shen into bed, brought her hot tea when she woke up in the middle of the night, cleaned up her vomit, and looked after her until morning.

The next day, Shen sobered up and felt extremely grateful for Qin’s help. She asked him: “I was drunk last night, you paid the money for nothing. Do you regret what you did?” Qin answered: “It’s already enough just to have the opportunity to look after you for one night.” Shen replied: “Will you come again?” Qin said: “My life’s wish has already come true, I don’t dare to ask for more.”

Qin’s kindness and devotion stuck with Shen. When she met with other men, she often thought of how Qin was the only one who had taken care, rather than advantage, of her.

Qin didn’t visit the brothel again—he was a mere oil vendor after all, and couldn’t afford to return. But Qin and Shen did meet again later: Shen was on a boat with an unruly client who wanted her to have dinner with him, which she refused. The enraged client removed Shen’s shoes and socks, and left her barefoot on the shore. Shen’s feet had been bound from a young age, so she couldn’t walk without shoes, while having exposed feet was considered extremely shameful for women at the time. Stuck on the banks of the river, Shen was considering jumping in and killing herself. Then Qin appeared, comforted Shen, and hired a palanquin to take her back to the brothel.

Ecstatic to be reunited with Qin, Shen quickly offered to marry him, saying that if Qin didn’t mind that she had been a courtesan, she would like to spend the rest of her life with him. Qin joyfully accepted, but he hadn’t the money to pay the brothel to release her from service. Shen therefore used her own savings to buy herself out, and married Qin. They lived a happy, though frugal, life together in the city—despite many people’s confusion at why a famous courtesan would choose a poor vendor as a husband.