Marriage Substitute
Today was the day when Gu Zi was to marry the older man.
The older man's name was Su Shen. He was thirty years old this year and owned a pig farm. To make it easier to manage the farm, he had moved his home close to the pig farm and lived in the countryside.
He had three children, none of whom were his biological children; they were orphans from his sister's family.
It was precisely because he had three children to take care of at home that he had planned to get married last year. However, not long after getting married, the woman had insisted on a divorce.
Su Shen not only had to handle the farm's affairs but also care for the three children. So, he was eager to find another wife.
Money makes the world go round.
And Lin Miao was more than willing to go the extra mile for that.
Everyone thought it was the Lin family wanting to marry Lin Miao off to Su Shen for money, but in reality, Lin Miao had volunteered herself.
However, as soon as Lin Miao found out her true identity as the real heiress, she immediately returned home and passed the responsibility for this marriage onto Gu Zi.
The Su family was in the countryside. Gu Zi had to take a bus to the countryside. Gu Shan and Zhang Mei were worried she might get lost, so they gave her a map with directions to Su's home.
Gu Zi's thoughts were quite different from Lin Miao's. In her previous life, she didn't want to have children at all, which had driven away many potential suitors.
There was nothing more beautiful than finding a man with three children and becoming a mother without the pain of childbirth.
When Gu Zi arrived at the village entrance, she got off the bus and started walking towards Su's home.
Gu Zi could have a reasonable conversation with Gu Shan and Zhang Mei because she was acting more submissive, not wanting Lin Miao to make fun of her.
As for clothing and jewelry, she doubted that the Gu family would let her take anything with her. She figured it was better to leave without taking anything with her.
The path beneath her feet was rough and muddy, and Gu Zi almost twisted her ankle several times.
While looking at the hand-drawn map, Gu Zi walked toward Su's home. When she arrived, she saw a two-story Western-style bungalow.
Gu Zi glanced at the other houses in the village, which were all made of stacked stones, and they couldn't compare to this house.
Could this really be Su Shen's home?
No way!
Su Shen was just an ordinary person. Logically speaking, such a grand house was much better than a house in the city. It cost a lot of money, and the Su family couldn't possibly have that much money.
Seeing someone passing by, Gu Zi quickly approached and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where Su Shen's house is?"
"Brother Shen?" The youth carrying the pole looked at Gu Zi with confusion in his eyes. "Who are you?"
He had been lost in thought just a moment ago, and now this young lady, who looked like she came from the city, was talking to him. She seemed pretty.
"I see you know Su Shen. Well, I am his wife," Gu Zi explained simply.
Hearing Gu Zi's words, the young man was puzzled. If he remembered correctly, wasn't Brother Shen's wife unwilling to come here?
It was rumored that the woman had initially agreed to marry Brother Shen, but then changed her mind. He hadn't expected that this girl in front of him was that wife.
The young man impatiently pointed at the small bungalow with a hint of disdain in his eyes. "It's this one."
"Thank you!" Gu Zi expressed her gratitude and quickly walked toward the house.
Honestly, she didn't have time to pay attention to the young man's expression. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the two-story Western-style bungalow!
She really didn't expect that the wealthiest person in the village would be Su Shen.
Well, this turned out to be quite profitable!
The Gu family had a respectable position in the military, but their house was not as good as Su Shen's. In any case, it was far inferior to the Su family residence.
It seemed Su Shen had excellent conditions.
Gu Zi walked to the door of the house and was about to knock when he saw a middle-aged woman coming out with fruits in her hands.
Gu Zi smiled. "Hello, I'm Su Shen's wife. I..."
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged woman frowned and interrupted her mercilessly. Her tone was cold as she said sharply, "What are you here for?"
"I am Su Shen's wife. Who are you..." Gu Zi looked at the middle-aged woman in confusion.
The middle-aged woman not only didn't answer Gu Zi's question, but she also criticized her harshly, "So, you are Lin Miao, huh? How shameless can you be? You refused to return the 3,000 yuan dowry that Su gave you, and last month, you made such a big fuss. How dare you come here now and claim to be Su Shen's wife?"
"I think there's a misunderstanding. My name is Gu Zi," Gu Zi patiently explained, her gaze shifting on the middle-aged woman's face. "And you are..."
The middle-aged woman's face flashed with embarrassment as she muttered softly, "Gu Zi? I remember Su Shen's wife's name is Lin Miao."
She snapped back to reality and looked at Gu Zi coldly. "Well, here's the thing. I am the nanny Su Shen hired to take care of the children. Just call me Aunt Chu. What's your relationship with Su Shen?"
She looked at Gu Zi with hostility.
Gu Zi's eyes briefly showed confusion, but she quickly regained her composure and patiently explained, "Let me clarify. Originally, the one getting married to Su Shen was the daughter of the Lin family. But as you may have heard, Lin Miao found her biological parents, and I am the real daughter of the Lin family. Now, I am fulfilling the marriage contract according to the agreement between the two families."
Aunt Chu's pupils dilated, and she looked at the well-dressed city girl in front of her with disbelief.
However, she quickly calmed down and said coldly, "Leave! Get out of here! Do you think we're playing house? What's with the exchange? We're all honest people here. We won't listen to your deceit. Let me tell you, you better leave now, or don't blame me for not being polite!"