Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s

Part 2 Going to the countryside for a substitute marriage

Si Nian reminisced about the reasons why the older man was getting married as she rode in the car.

The older man was named Zhou Yue Shen, thirty years old, running a pig farm in a relatively remote area in the countryside. The three children weren't his own; they were his sister's orphans, aged ten, seven, and just under two years old. Due to the busy schedule running the farm, Zhou Yue Shen couldn't take care of the three children on his own, so he thought of finding another wife. Being a pig farmer, he was willing to spend money, so it didn't take much effort to convince Lin Si Si.

Who knew Lin Si Si had another layer of identity!

Fortunately, Si Nian didn't share the same mindset as the people of this era. Having a painless childbirth was the best thing ever.

As the car swayed, they arrived at the village entrance. The driver, who was from the Si family, didn't show any courtesy, dropping her off at the entrance.

"Miss Si Nian, the road in this village is rough. You can make your own way from here," the driver said with a sarcastic tone before turning and leaving.

Si Nian's mouth twitched. No matter the era, people were always so pragmatic. Once vulnerable, they were easily taken advantage of.

She carried her heavy suitcase and entered the dilapidated village. The road was lined with earthen brick houses, and the path was rugged with muddy trails. But not far away, there was a brand-new two-story building, catching Si Nian's attention.

There were still many people working in the fields. Suddenly, a lively and beautiful girl appeared, attracting many people's attention.

"Hello, excuse me, do you know how to get to Zhou Yue Shen's house?" Si Nian withdrew her gaze, seeing someone approaching, she quickly asked for directions. She couldn't wander around aimlessly like a headless fly.

"Zhou Yue Shen? What do you want with Brother Shen?" The young man carrying a hoe was surprised to see her.

Originally, he felt embarrassed to look at this obvious city girl, but he didn't expect her to be here to find Brother Shen.

"You know him? That's good," Si Nian said, feeling familiar with the tone, so she didn't hide anything and said directly, "I'm his second wife, here to get married."

Perhaps no one had a more miserable experience of getting married than her. Not only did no one come to pick her up, but she also couldn't find her way.

It was truly embarrassing.

But it was clear that the Si family had no intention of sending her off as a relative, as marrying a rural man would be extremely shameful for them.

"Huh? It's you?" The young man stared at her in disbelief, his dark face showing astonishment.

"Yes, could you please show me the way?" Carrying such a heavy suitcase in the scorching June weather, and with the original host's delicate body, Si Nian felt like her hands were about to break.

The young man realized and blushed, hastily pointing to a nearby two-story building. "It's, it's right there."

Si Nian was dumbfounded. She had just thought that it was the wealthy neighbor's luxurious mansion in the village. She hadn't expected it to belong to the Zhou family?

Was the wealthy man actually me?

Was this house even better than the Si family's?

In this era, being able to build a two-story building in the countryside was a sign of substantial wealth. It seemed that things weren't as bad as she had imagined.

She thanked him and hurried over.

The young man wanted to say something, but seeing her walking away with a smile on her face, he was left speechless for a moment.

Didn't he hear from the neighboring village that the girl from that family wasn't willing to marry and caused quite a scene? He thought they had already called off the wedding, so why did she suddenly show up?

And she's so beautiful too...

"Is anyone there?" Si Nian stood at the doorway and knocked on the door.

A large Tibetan Mastiff was tied at the entrance, which scared her to the point of almost collapsing.

Si Nian was terrified of dogs because she had been bitten by one before.

Fortunately, the dog just stood up and gave her a vigilant look, as if sensing that she posed no threat, then lazily lay back down.

Si Nian: "?" What's the meaning of this? Can you explain clearly?

"Coming, coming! Who is it?" A middle-aged woman hurried over to open the door, her expression astonished when she saw the lively young girl. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The Zhou family didn't have many relatives, and visitors were rare. Especially young girls. The one who came last time was supposed to be a relative, but she was unwilling and caused a lot of trouble.

"Me?" Si Nian blinked and said, "I'm Zhou Yue Shen's new wife. And you are?"

Wait, didn't it say in the book that Zhou Yue Shen was an orphan without parents? Then who is this person?

"I am the aunt who came to take care of the children for Little Zhou. Are you Lin Si Si?"

The other woman looked at her, her gaze carrying a mixture of scrutiny and inexplicable hostility. Si Nian felt puzzled but still said, "I'm not Lin Si Si. You must have heard that Lin Si Si isn't the biological daughter of the Lin family; I am. So, I'm the one who's supposed to get married here."

"Nonsense! It was agreed that it would be Lin Si Si. How come it's changed? Are you playing games, Lin family? Get out, get out, get out!" the woman scolded angrily.

Si Nian frowned. "You're the one hired by the Zhou family to take care of the children, meaning you're a nanny. Can you make decisions for the Zhou family?"

The aunt was momentarily stunned, then realized that Si Nian was scolding her as a servant. Her face darkened. "I've known Little Zhou for over ten years, and our families have always been close. I've been helping him raise the children since they were young. Of course, I can make decisions," she said, adopting a stance that clearly indicated she wouldn't let Si Nian in.

Si Nian was getting annoyed. "Where's Zhou Yue Shen? I need to talk to him."

"I told you, Little Shen isn't home. I'm in charge here now. Get out, get out, get out. If Lin Si Si isn't coming, then return the three thousand yuan to the Zhou family!" the aunt insisted, urging Si Nian to leave.

"What's going on, Aunt Liu?" Suddenly, a puzzled male voice came from behind Si Nian.

Si Nian turned around and saw it was the young man from earlier.

Upon seeing him, Aunt Liu's eyes flickered for a moment, and she said, "Who knows where this wild girl came from, inexplicably showing up at our door and refusing to leave!"

Since the Zhou family became prosperous, many women had tried to approach them, but Zhou Shen never took an interest in any of them. So, when Aunt Liu said this, the villagers didn't find it strange. However, the young man had just spoken with Si Nian and thought she looked quite neat and clean. How could she be described in such a way?

As he had just left and remembered that Zhou Shen wasn't home, he hurried back to inform her but didn't expect to see them arguing.

So, he said, "Isn't she the bride that Brother Shen got?"