The next day, before dawn had even broken, the Song family courtyard was already bustling with activity.
Zhao Guilan, aiming for convenience, had only prepared a red date and longan soup and reheated the leftover steamed buns from the day before as the bride's "departure meal."
In the courtyard, several familiar neighbor aunties had come to help, picking vegetables while chattering away.
"Ah, what's with the Song family? How could they just switch brides like that?"
"Fanghua is the Song family's own daughter, of course they'd save the good marriage for their own flesh and blood."
"Exactly. I heard that island life is really tough, with frequent sea winds and inconvenient access to food and drink. Lili really has a hard fate."
"The island may be tough, but the Zhang family isn't. The whole family has jobs, good benefits, and no worries about food or drink. Zhang Yong is one of the best young men in our area."
"Fanghua really has a fortunate fate. Even though she was switched at birth in her early years, her later life will be carefree."
Song Lili sat in her room, and upon hearing the discussions outside, the smile on her lips grew even more smug.
A hard fate?
Shortsighted women.
Just wait until I become a general's wife in the future—let's see if you still say I have a hard fate.
Meanwhile, Song Fanghua, the bride and today's protagonist, was calmly eating the century egg and lean pork congee and fried dough sticks she had bought from Kongjian.
It was as if she wasn't the one about to get married.
After finishing her meal, Song Fanghua patted her round belly contentedly.
When Zhao Guilan pushed the door open, this was the scene she encountered.
Song Fanghua was patting her belly, her face showing none of a bride's shyness or anxiety about the future.
Zhao Guilan frowned. "Hurry up and change into these red clothes. The wedding procession will be here soon."
She tossed a set of clearly worn red clothes onto the bed.
Song Fanghua glanced at them. "Oh, got it."
Zhao Guilan added, "When you marry into the Zhang family, be diligent, quick with your hands and feet, work more and talk less. Serve your in-laws and Zhang Yong well, and don't cause any trouble, understand?"
Song Fanghua didn't speak, only nodded.
But just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside the courtyard.
"Something's happened, something big!"
"Someone, come quick! There's a dead person!"
The lively crowd in the courtyard froze in place.
Aunt Zhang, a neighbor, rushed in as if she'd seen a ghost, stumbling and scrambling.
"It's terrible, Song family, it's terrible!"
"Aunt Zhang, what happened? On such an auspicious day, you shouldn't say such unlucky things." Zhao Guilan's eyelid twitched, and a bad feeling crept into her heart.
"Exactly, exactly. Is it that the groom has arrived, and you got so excited you misspoke?" The neighbors nearby tried to smooth things over.
"Arrived… arrived what!"
Aunt Zhang plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. "Fanghua's… groom, Zhang Yong, died of a sudden cerebral infarction on his way to fetch the bride."
In an instant, the Song family courtyard fell silent.
Everyone was utterly stunned.
The wedding procession hadn't even arrived, and the groom… was gone?
Song Lili, who had been about to step outside to see the commotion, froze in place upon hearing the news.
Dead?
That abusive scumbag Zhang Yong really died, just like in her previous life.
Hahaha, Song Lili couldn't help but laugh inwardly. With Zhang Yong dead, Song Fanghua would just have to bear the wrath of the Zhang family!
"Is it possible that Fanghua is a husband-killer? She hasn't even crossed the threshold yet, and she's already become a Wangmengua?"
Someone in the courtyard said those words, though no one knew who.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the speaker.
The person felt a pang of guilt under their stares but still mustered the courage to continue, "Have you all forgotten about Second Girl from the front street? The year before last, her husband also died suddenly on their wedding day. In the two years since she married into that family, I've heard that several members of her husband's household have…"
Hearing this, everyone remembered—there really had been such an incident.
Zhao Guilan's vision went dark, and she nearly fainted.
"Oh heavens, what kind of mess is this!"
"Old Song, what… what should we do?" Zhao Guilan looked toward Song Weiguo.
Song Weiguo's face was ashen, his lips trembling, unsure of what to say.
The carefully calculated advantageous marriage he had arranged—a secure job that would connect him to the director of the dye factory—was it just… gone?
Not only was it gone, but it had also saddled them with the terrible reputation of a husband-killer. The marriage hadn't even taken place, and now they might even make enemies?
Song Weiguo could already imagine how, from today onward, those who had always been at odds with him at the factory would laugh at him.
Standing at the doorway, Song Lili pretended to be grief-stricken as she walked out, but her eyes were filled with schadenfreude.
Just then, the door to the small storage room where Song Fanghua was staying opened.
Song Fanghua, dressed in a dull, worn-out gray outfit, walked out calmly.
Instantly, everyone in the courtyard turned their eyes toward her.
"Dad? Mom?" Song Fanghua kept her head down, putting on a submissive and timid appearance.
In reality, she was bursting with laughter inside.
She had already heard the commotion in the courtyard and knew that Zhang Yong had died from a sudden illness on his way to fetch the bride.
For a man who indulged in drinking, gambling, and womanizing, she felt not an ounce of sympathy.
Such scum dying early was practically a contribution to society.
"Sister, what should we do now? Brother-in-law… how could he have died so suddenly? Could it really be that you… brought him bad luck?" Seeing her come out, Song Lili immediately began to cry, playing the part of the perfect younger sister.
Song Fanghua kept her head down and said nothing. Seeing her expression, Song Lili continued to add fuel to the fire, "I heard that your foster parents in the countryside have been chronically ill ever since they took you in. You… Besides, Brother-in-law was such a good man. I heard he once bravely rescued someone from the moat. How could he have died just like that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gaze toward Song Fanghua shifted.
One mention of husband-killing might have been a stretch, but with the precedent of Second Girl from the front street and Song Lili's embellishments, the suspicion grew.
Song Fanghua suddenly smiled. "Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes, Sister. Brother-in-law was known as a fine young man in our neighborhood. Everyone knew that," Song Lili said earnestly.
The corners of Song Fanghua's lips curled slightly. A fine young man? A rescuer? She actually knew about this.
In the era's stories, Zhang Yong really had saved a drowning girl.
Unfortunately, that girl had jumped into the river to escape Zhang Yong's harassment.
And because she jumped, Zhang Yong, who was seen standing by the riverbank, had no choice but to go in and rescue her.
Who would have thought that Song Lili would twist the story and turn him into a hero?
Song Fanghua ignored her, turning to Zhao Guilan and Song Weiguo to say, "Well, is this wedding still happening?"
As soon as these words left her mouth, the onlookers in the courtyard wore expressions of disbelief.
What… what had they just heard?
The groom was dead, and the bride neither wept nor made a scene.
She actually asked if the wedding was still on?
Was she mad? Or had she lost her mind?
Zhao Guilan also snapped back to reality, pointing a trembling finger at Song Fanghua and saying, "You… you husband-killing jinx, how dare you say that. You've completely shamed our Song family."
"Husband-killing?" Song Fanghua looked puzzled.
"He died suddenly from a severe illness—what does that have to do with me?"