“Outrageous! The Meng family is too much! Do they take our Zhou family for fools?!”
“Si Nian, you have to send her back! Our family’s face can’t take this!”
The shouting outside didn’t stop.
Meng Yu stared blankly at the gray, dusty ceiling. Sunlight streamed through the narrow window, and the air drifted lethargically among the dust particles.
She felt equally lifeless.
“Have… I transmigrated?”
Her murmured words mingled with the commotion outside, and Meng Yu closed her eyes as if she couldn’t accept it.
She had just finished a small solo violin performance at a mini arena, then got into a car accident, and when she opened her eyes again, she had become the foolish and malicious namesake ex-wife in a period novel she had read in her spare time!
The most tragic part was the timing of this transmigration—she couldn’t retreat or advance.
Meng Yu turned over; the bamboo mat was painfully hard.
“Ugh…”
If she had arrived earlier, she could have refused this deceitful marriage meant to replace her sister. If she had arrived later, two years later the male lead would clear his name and she could divorce neatly.
But she opened her eyes on the second day of the new marriage, and the Zhou family discovered that the bride wasn’t the originally promised Meng Jixiang.
So, how could there not be shouting?
Creak——
The door opened.
Meng Yu looked up. The man’s sun-kissed skin was striking in the sunlight, and the dark green striped vest accentuated his strong, toned arms.
His gaze swept down, taking in his lean waist and long legs.
“Eat.”
The cold, blunt three words cut off Meng Yu’s daydream.
She awkwardly sat up, the coarse rice scratching her throat.
“You…”
“I…”
Their words collided, and their eyes met.
Meng Yu tightened her grip on the chopsticks.
“You speak.”
Zhou Si Nian quickly and sharply assessed the obedient bride sitting at the edge of the kang.
Thin, pale.
Yesterday, during the wedding procession, his father-in-law had made a series of demands, even explicitly stating that the bride’s veil should not be lifted until the bridal chamber.
Zhou Si Nian had been forced into marriage himself, so he naturally didn’t care about the bridal chamber.
Yet, early this morning, he got such a huge surprise.
Thinking of this, Zhou Si Nian’s expression grew colder.
“You agreed to the replacement marriage?”
Meng Yu froze, looking up at her freshly minted husband.
She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
“What’s my name?”
This sudden question startled Zhou Si Nian, but he still answered.
“Meng Duoyu.”
Meng Yu held the bowl, a sarcastic curl on her lips.
“The Meng family has three daughters and one son. The one originally meant to marry you was Meng Jixiang, the second daughter is Meng Ruyi, the precious son is Meng Yaozu, and I,” she pointed at herself with her chopsticks, “am Meng Duoyu.”
Her extreme thinness made her large eyes even more striking, staring directly at Zhou Si Nian.
“So why would you think that such a despicable act as replacing the bride would go through my approval?”
Had he thought the original Meng Duoyu, this ‘redundant’ person, mattered that much?
Zhou Si Nian paused.
He suddenly recalled how the new bride had trembled with every step during yesterday’s procession, yet now, though frail, her back was straight, her speech calm and confident—a complete contrast in just one night.
“How about me?”
Meng Yu looked at Zhou Si Nian.
She didn’t care what this man thought; she only needed a guarantee.
A guarantee to survive in the materially scarce 1970s.
Zhou Si Nian concealed his doubts and nodded.
“You speak.”
Meng Yu looked at the man standing straight like a pine and slowly spoke.
“I can’t decide about the replacement marriage, but the one who married into the Zhou family is indeed me. If possible, I hope our marriage continues, and I hope you can convince the elders to accept me. Because if I’m sent back, what awaits me is nothing but a poisoned, beaten death—no miracles.”
Her birth father, Meng Laoer, had given all his favoritism to the other three children, never to her.
Returning would mean either death or lifelong servitude at worst.
Better to gamble.
She would stay in the Zhou household, wait for two years until Zhou Si Nian was exonerated, then divorce cleanly, not hindering his future or marriage, and leave to live her own life.
After hearing this, Zhou Si Nian’s gaze became sharper.
No wonder she wasn’t simple. A man who had been a soldier, his icy gaze nearly broke through her defenses, but she held on with strong willpower.
Zhou Si Nian couldn’t detect anything wrong.
Yet a soldier’s instinct told him that this new bride in front of him was not ordinary.
He raised an eyebrow, a hint of defiance flickering in his eyes.
“Why should I help you? It benefits me nothing.”
Meng Yu blinked.
He had no obligation to help her; after all, the Zhou family was the victim.
Pressing her lips together, Meng Yu looked at Zhou Si Nian earnestly.
“I won’t demand marital relations. I will respect your mother and be a competent daughter-in-law, saving you all trouble.”
That was her greatest sincerity.
Yet Zhou Si Nian still shook his head.
“Anyone can do that.”
Ugh, impervious!
Meng Yu felt angry.
She looked at him, gritted her teeth.
“Zhou Si Nian, your return isn’t simple, is it?”
At that, the man’s expression turned icy, his cold eyes even more forbidding.
Moreover, his large hands now gripped Meng Yu’s delicate neck.
If she said any more secrets, he could snap her neck in an instant!
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
Her breath caught slightly; Meng Yu furrowed her brows.
“You were suddenly sent back to the countryside, and everyone around is laughing at you, yet you’re not worried at all, even getting married to keep up appearances?”
She lifted her thin chin.
“If you don’t trust me, you can either keep me close to watch, or just strangle me.”
Anyway, she wasn’t going back to the Meng family.
Her blunt words left Zhou Si Nian unable to gauge their truth. For now, keeping her nearby seemed safest.
He released her neck and stepped back.
“You can stay in the Zhou household, but if—”
“I understand.”
Meng Yu cut him off, not wanting to hear threats.
Zhou Si Nian looked at her deeply, then turned and left the room.
Soon, the shouting outside stopped, leaving only the occasional chicken crow or pig rooting around. The world was quiet.
She tried hard and managed to eat a third of her meal.
The coarse rice scratched her throat, and the leftover dishes from yesterday’s wedding feast lacked taste, aroma, and color—but Meng Yu knew it was the best the Zhou family could offer.
Carrying the remaining half of her bowl, she stepped out of the room and ran into a woman in the yard.
Seeing the woman frown at her, Meng Yu raised an eyebrow.
The next moment, she smiled brightly and cheerfully greeted her.
“Good morning, Mother.”