The Laid-Back Life of a Salted-Fish Stepmother After a Substitute Marriage

Synopsis: Shen Lingmiao, an art student, suddenly found herself transported into another world, where she became the eldest concubine-born daughter of the Earl of Wenchang’s household in Bianjing. Her mother, a stunningly beautiful concubine, had passed away, leaving behind two young children. With no other choice, Shen Lingmiao relied on her remarkable talents for “failing to read the room,” “not understanding what people were implying,” and having skin thicker than the city walls. Armed with these skills, she protected her two younger siblings and lived without a care in the world until the age of twenty. She fully intended to continue shamelessly freeloading off the Earl’s household, eating her fill and idling away her days until death. But who could have imagined that, completely out of the blue, the marriage arranged for her legitimate younger sister would suddenly fall into her lap??? The Pei clan of Hedong was one of Bianjing’s most distinguished aristocratic families, renowned for its illustrious lineage and generations of exceptional talent. Pei Heng, in particular, was a dragon among men, accomplished in both literary and martial pursuits. He had reclaimed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in a sweeping campaign, earning extraordinary military merit. With two marquises in a single family, the Pei household enjoyed unparalleled glory. Although Pei Heng was a widower, he remained a highly sought-after marriage prospect. With all of Bianjing watching, Shen Lingmiao declared: If you dare provoke me, well, congratulations! You’ve picked on a ball of cotton! I’ll simply melt away like cream~ When her mother-in-law tries to impose rules on her— She transforms into an octopus! She piles food into her mother-in-law’s bowl until it resembles a little mountain. Once you’re full, you won’t feel like making a fuss anymore~ When her husband is cold and taciturn— She transforms into a little loudspeaker! When Pei Heng practices swordsmanship, she claps and cheers. When Pei Heng reads, she plays the zither to entertain him. La-la-la, la-la-la~ When Pei Heng takes a bath, she sits nearby singing a little tune. Once upon a time, there was a gentleman. He was rather cold and distant, but underneath it all, he was a little secretly naughty… When her stepson is arrogant and domineering— She plays the innocent little white lotus! When her stepson misbehaves, she runs to complain. When her stepson gets beaten, she bursts into tears. When her stepson is punished, her heart aches for him!! If her stepson acts arrogantly, she acts even more arrogantly! When she hits someone, her stepson takes the blame. When she scolds someone, her stepson worries about whether all that talking has made her thirsty! Shen Linglan had a dream. In that dream, the reigning emperor had no sons, so the imperial throne was inherited by Zhao Zhan, an unoccupied, politically insignificant member of the imperial clan. And somehow, through an extraordinary twist of fate, her elder half-sister Shen Lingmiao had become the empress! Meanwhile, Shen Linglan herself had married into the Pei family. Life within the gates of a marquis’s residence was as deep and treacherous as the sea. Her mother-in-law disliked her, her husband was cold and distant, and her stepson was arrogant and unruly. Her days were unbearably miserable, stagnant as a pool of dead water. But Heaven had favored her after all, granting her this precious glimpse of the future. She was determined to claim the position of empress! Shen Linglan spared no effort to marry Zhao Zhan, leaving her elder half-sister to take her place as the bride of the Pei household. Day after day passed. Yet who could have imagined that her younger half-sister, Shen Lingling, would enter the imperial palace—and even give birth to an imperial prince?! And that younger half-brother she had never considered worth a second glance? He rose steadily through the ranks, his career soaring to astonishing heights. As for her elder half-sister, who had married into the marquis’s household in her place… Not only was she thriving, but she was actually growing plumper by the day??? The mother-in-law who had disliked Shen Linglan in her dream now took her elder half-sister along to all sorts of banquets. The cold and distant Pei Heng even went so far as to ask the emperor to bestow a serving of honey shaved ice upon her elder half-sister! And that arrogant, overbearing stepson? To make his stepmother smile, he was willing to climb a tree and pick flowers for her in front of everyone! Note: “Salted Fish” is Chinese internet slang for someone who prefers a relaxed, comfortable life rather than constantly working hard, competing, or chasing success. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: The Laid-Back Life of a Salted-Fish Stepmother After a Substitute Marriage — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠