“First bow to Heaven and Earth.”
“Second bow to the elders.”
“Husband and wife bow to each other.”
“Send them to the bridal chamber.”
“……”
Shen Qingge slowly opened her eyes, still dazed. The sounds of a traditional wedding ceremony rang in her ears, like something from a TV drama.
But listening more carefully… it didn’t seem to be coming from a television.
Before she could figure it out, a sudden wave of intense pain spread through her body, as if she had just been beaten.
“You wretched girl, what are you staring at? Hurry up and complete the ceremony! If you dare think about running, I’ll beat you to death!”
A sharp, harsh voice rang out.
Seeing that the person kneeling on the ground still didn’t move, the old woman directly pressed Shen Qingge’s head down, forcing her to bow.
The elderly couple of the Liu family, seated above, could not bear to watch any longer.
Father Liu spoke up, “Aunt Xu, if the child is unwilling, maybe we should… just forget it.”
Mother Liu was startled and immediately kicked him.
What nonsense was this old man talking about? Their son was gravely ill and was waiting for his new bride to bring him good fortune. They were already at the final step—how could they just cancel it now?
Besides, they had already paid the bride price—fifty jin of grain.
In two days, they would be fleeing famine. Fifty jin of grain was far more valuable than silver.
And knowing the Xu family’s nature, once food went into their mouths, there was no chance of getting it back.
If the marriage was canceled, that grain would be completely wasted.
Of course, Father Liu understood Mother Liu’s thoughts, but seeing the girl being treated so harshly, he couldn’t bear it.
As soon as the idea of canceling the engagement was mentioned, Old Madam Xu became even more ruthless.
If the marriage were canceled, what would happen to the bride price? That was fifty jin of grain—she would never give it back, even if she died.
If this wretched girl were returned, she wouldn’t be worth that much grain anymore.
Old Madam Xu shouted, “That won’t do! She’s already been sent to your house—how can there be any returning her?”
“Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, you can’t do this. The ceremony is already done. From now on, Fourth Girl belongs to your Liu family and has nothing to do with our Xu family.”
“Yes, yes…” the rest of the Xu family chimed in.
Another person in the household meant another mouth to feed. If she ate one more bite, they would have one bite less.
Seeing that the Liu couple remained silent, the Xu family began to panic.
Old Madam Xu kicked Shen Qingge. “You useless girl, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and kowtow to your parents-in-law!”
“Hiss—”
Still not fully aware of what was happening, Shen Qingge was suddenly kicked and her body lurched forward.
Fortunately, Mother Liu reacted quickly and caught her in time.
Mother Liu had a fiery temper and was very protective. In her heart, Shen Qingge was already her daughter-in-law—she wouldn’t allow this family to bully her.
She immediately helped Shen Qingge up and shielded her behind her. “You all know she belongs to the Liu family now. Bullying my daughter-in-law in my house—do you think we’re dead?”
“Eldest, second, third—drive them out.”
Hearing Mother Liu’s words, the Xu family didn’t show any displeasure. Instead, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the girl stayed, that was enough.
“Since the marriage is settled, from now on, whether she lives or dies, she has nothing to do with us,” Old Madam Xu said quickly, afraid the Liu family might change their minds again. She turned and led her family out.
Under the red bridal veil, Shen Qingge pieced together the situation from their conversation and the original owner’s memories.
She… had transmigrated.
And into a wedding scene, no less.
The original owner had been the daughter of a wealthy merchant family in the county. As the only daughter, she had been pampered since childhood.
But what she never expected was that everything she had was stolen from someone else.
The moment the real daughter returned, her nightmare began.
After being taken back to her “real” family, she received no kindness. Every day was filled with endless dirty work, yet she was given the worst food. In just a few months, she had become skin and bones.
And now, she had been sold off for a lucky marriage.
To prevent her from resisting, the Xu family had drugged her heavily with sleeping medicine the night before.
It had directly cost her life.
What a miserable fate.
Shen Qingge felt no emotional attachment to it. These people were not her family—she had never had a family to begin with.
What she did regret was her newly opened supermarket. She had thought that after retiring, she could finally live a normal life. Who would have expected such an unexpected turn?
She couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
What kind of situation was this?
Before the Xu family could even reach the door, Shen Qingge lifted the red veil from her head.
“Stop.”
Old Madam Xu turned back and glared at her viciously, her cloudy eyes filled with disgust.
The original owner had been soft and timid, always lowering her head under such a stare, too afraid to speak.
But the person in this body now was no longer the original owner—it was Shen Qingge.
Someone who had crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood countless times—how could she fear a malicious old woman?
Shen Qingge swept a cold gaze over the Xu family before stopping on a timid couple among them.
They were the original owner’s biological parents—Xu Lao’er and Zhang Shi.
Although they weren’t the masterminds behind selling her for the lucky marriage, they hadn’t stopped it. Instead, they had become accomplices.
Afraid of angering Old Madam Xu, they had personally forced the drug into their own daughter’s mouth.
They had killed their only child with their own hands.
Xu Lao’er stiffened under Shen Qingge’s gaze. For some reason, he felt that his daughter’s eyes today were terrifying.
As Shen Qingge walked toward them, his guilt grew stronger.
“What do you want? I’m telling you, you’re already a member of the Liu family now. You have nothing to do with our Xu family anymore. Even if you smash your head to death, don’t think about coming back!”
Old Madam Xu thought Shen Qingge wanted to beg to return and raised her hand to strike again.
But before her slap could land, Shen Qingge had already grabbed her wrist.
“Ow!” Old Madam Xu cried out in pain, her wrinkled face twisting together.
“You ungrateful girl… worthless thing… I’m your grandmother, and you dare to fight back—ah!”
The more she cursed, the tighter Shen Qingge’s grip became.
Old Madam Xu could only shout at her stunned son and daughter-in-law, “Are you all dead? Beat this worthless girl to death!”
Before the Xu family could react, the Liu family’s three sons had already stepped forward, forming a wall.
Tall and strong, they completely overshadowed the weak Xu family members.
Shen Qingge glanced at them from the corner of her eye. It seemed her luck wasn’t so bad after all.
Compared to the Xu family, the Liu family was clearly much better.
“What do you think you’re doing? I’m your grandmother! If you dare touch me, it’s unfilial—”
Now isolated and without support, Old Madam Xu lost her earlier arrogance, her voice trembling.
From the original owner’s memories, Shen Qingge had already learned about this world.
This was the Dongyuan Kingdom, a place not recorded in history. Like many ancient dynasties, it valued filial piety above all else.
Unfilial behavior was considered a serious crime.
As long as someone held the title of elder, no matter what they did, the younger generation could not defy them.
But fortunately… this kind of relationship was not impossible to sever.
Otherwise, given the Xu family’s nasty nature, she would never have a peaceful day in the future.