Zhou Yu suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The young man standing in the courtyard was only twenty years old now, but his youthful features already carried the sharp edge Zhou Yu knew so well. Even the disgust in his voice was painfully familiar.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Zhao Ziming had definitely been reborn too!
Everyone else was stunned by what Zhao Ziming had just said.
Li Juying even forgot to stop Zhou Yu and rushed outside, asking in disbelief what he meant.
Zhao Ziming repeated himself, determination shining in his eyes.
This time, he was going to marry the woman he truly loved!
“You fool! Do you even know what you’re saying? Rulan is your sister-in-law! Your second brother only passed away recently!” Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei were furious.
Meanwhile, Zhou Dajun and his wife were both shocked and secretly delighted. They didn’t want their precious daughter to remain a widow forever. However, their in-laws’ words quickly brought them back to reality.
“Exactly. This isn’t something you can joke about. If word gets out, how will Rulan ever face people again?”
But Zhao Ziming had already prepared his explanation.
“When Second Brother was alive, he and I were closest. He would definitely agree to let me take care of Rulan in his place!”
“Besides, Big Brother probably isn’t waking up either. It’s only right for me to carry on both family lines. At worst, Rulan and I can have a few more children and let some take Big Brother’s and Second Brother’s surnames. They’ll still be part of the Zhao family, and the bloodline will continue!”
Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei were tempted.
Their biggest concern right now was that their second son’s family line would end.
Still, they hesitated.
“But everyone in the village already knows you’re engaged to Zhou Yu…”
“Even if Zhao Ziming wants to marry me, I won’t marry him!”
Having listened coldly from inside, Zhou Yu could no longer stay silent and immediately stepped outside.
She was afraid that if she waited any longer, they would insist on marrying her to Zhao Ziming just to avoid gossip.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei felt awkward. They hadn’t expected Zhou Yu to overhear their discussion about changing the marriage arrangement.
Zhao Ziming didn’t believe for a second that Zhou Yu didn’t want to marry him.
He sneered. “Playing hard to get won’t work. Rulan is better than you in every way. She’s the only one I love.”
“Ziming!”
His parents pretended to scold him.
But Zhou Dajun and Li Juying weren’t angry at all. Instead, they thought Zhou Yu was being unreasonable.
Zhou Yu snapped first.
“Zhao Ziming, if your brain isn’t working properly, go see the village medic. Why don’t you take a good look at yourself? What exactly is there about you that’s worth marrying?”
“What did you say?!” Zhao Ziming exploded.
His parents’ faces darkened as well.
“You ungrateful girl, what nonsense are you talking about?” Zhou Dajun and Li Juying immediately scolded their daughter and urged her to apologize, terrified of offending the Zhao family and ruining the marriage.
Zhou Yu replied coldly, “Am I wrong? You didn’t dare admit you liked your widowed sister-in-law before, but now that the wedding is approaching, you suddenly back out. You don’t care at all about my reputation. A man with no sense of responsibility like you—how can you possibly be Zhao Yunzheng’s brother?”
Zhao Ziming laughed in anger.
“So that’s what this is about. You still want to marry me, don’t you? Let me make this clear: the only person I’ll marry today is Rulan!”
He immediately turned to his parents.
Still angry at Zhou Yu’s words, Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei nodded without hesitation.
Zhao Ziming then looked at Zhou Dajun and Li Juying.
The couple was secretly delighted but pretended to be conflicted.
“This is a major matter. We should ask Rulan what she thinks first…”
Before they could finish speaking, a pretty young woman rushed out of the house, her face flushed with shyness.
“Dad, Mom, if everyone agrees, then I’ll do whatever you decide!”
Zhou Rulan had returned to her parents’ home the day before.
After becoming a widow, she had been miserable. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu—who was inferior to her in every way—was about to marry the handsome Zhao Ziming, who even taught at the village elementary school.
The thought had kept Zhou Rulan awake all night.
She had been catching up on sleep when she overheard Zhao Ziming saying he wanted to marry her instead.
She was so pleased she could barely suppress her smile.
Throwing a disdainful glance at Zhou Yu, she thought smugly that the best things always ended up belonging to her anyway.
“Sister, you’re not angry with me, are you?” she asked deliberately.
Zhou Yu sneered.
“Of course not. You two are absolutely made for each other.”
“Really? Then why do I feel like you’re blaming me?” Zhou Rulan immediately wiped away fake tears, making Zhou Dajun and Li Juying’s hearts ache. They glared at Zhou Yu.
Zhao Ziming’s expression darkened.
“Zhou Yu, apologize to Rulan! She was only showing concern for you. How can you be so ungrateful?”
Looking at them all, Zhou Yu suddenly found the entire situation laughable.
In her previous life, she had actually been fooled by these people for years, dedicating herself to them like a beast of burden.
Now that she’d been given a second chance, why should she continue swallowing her anger and obeying them?
“I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I apologize?”
A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
Without hesitation, she declared:
“Whether the two of you get together has nothing to do with me. The person I want to marry isn’t Zhao Ziming at all—it’s Zhao family’s eldest son, Zhao Yunzheng!”
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
Everyone stared at her, so shocked they wondered if they had heard correctly.
“Who did you say?” Zhao Ziming asked first.
Zhou Yu answered firmly:
“Your eldest brother—the one who was injured while serving in the military and is still lying unconscious at home.”
“Impossible! He’s never going to wake up. To put it bluntly, he’s just a useless cripple now. How could you possibly want to marry him?” Zhao Ziming scoffed.
A useless cripple?
Hearing those words, Zhou Yu couldn’t help recalling her previous life.
Zhao Yunzheng had indeed never woken up.
But that didn’t stop the Zhao family from benefiting enormously because of him.
After Zhao Yunzheng’s accident, the military had provided a huge compensation package—enough for the Zhao family to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Zhao Ziming was even recommended for university admission. Zhao Changdong, Wang Hongmei, and Zhou Rulan were all assigned jobs at a state-owned factory in the county town, gaining secure and prestigious positions.
Zhao Ziming knew all of this.
Yet he still had the nerve to call Zhao Yunzheng useless?
Zhou Yu looked at him coldly.
“Brother Zhao is a soldier of the people. Over the years, he’s contributed more to this family than you ever have. Zhao Ziming, aren’t you afraid that if the villagers heard what you just said, they’d drown your family in criticism?”
Zhao Ziming’s expression changed immediately.
Beside him, Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei quickly pulled him back.
“That’s not what he meant. It’s just that our eldest son really isn’t going to wake up. Zhou Yu, if you’re only saying you want to marry him as a joke, then don’t blame us for getting angry.”
The couple deliberately shifted the blame onto Zhou Yu with just a few words.
In truth, they were already exhausted from caring for their eldest son.
If they weren’t afraid of being judged by others, they would have abandoned him long ago.
But they couldn’t let outsiders know that.
Zhou Yu lowered her eyes slightly.
Of course she had already thought everything through.
In this life, she was going to change her fate.
And right now, the only opportunity she could grasp was Zhao Yunzheng.
The Zhao family had received all those benefits because Zhao Yunzheng had no wife or children. The military had prioritized his parents and siblings.
But if she married Zhao Yunzheng, then she would be the first person considered for any compensation or support.
Her future would immediately become secure.
And as repayment, even if Zhao Yunzheng remained unconscious for the rest of his life, she was willing to care for him.
A vegetative patient?
She could afford to support one.
So Zhou Yu raised her head and declared firmly:
“I admire Brother Zhao for being a soldier. I am willing to marry him and take care of him for the rest of my life!”