"Stop crying, I agree to the substitute marriage."
Yao Qing was sitting on the bed, looking with furrowed brows at her foster mother, Wang Sufen, who was wiping tears at the side of the bed.
The room quietened for a few seconds. After a hint of embarrassment flashed across Wang Sufen's face, she said guiltily, "Qing Qing, we really don't want to leave you either, but how can mom let Xuan Xuan trip into the same pitfall again?"
"After all, Xuan Xuan has already suffered so much in the countryside... We really can't bear it!"
"I know." Yao Qing answered calmly, "Don't worry, I've thought it through, and I won't cling anymore."
After all, she was just a falsely embraced daughter, who was mistakenly taken into their home.
Due to the mix-up years ago, she was able to enjoy a life of luxury in this moderately wealthy family for over a decade.
However, the real daughter of the family, Meng Xuan Xuan, lived a hard life in a small village.
But a month ago, Meng Xuan Xuan showed up, claiming to be the real daughter of the family, and after a DNA test, it turned out she really was!
The "pitfall" Wang Sufen referred to was the prearranged marriage Meng Xuan Xuan had agreed to in the countryside. The man was a divorcee with three children. Who wouldn't detest him?
How could the prestigious daughter of the Yao family marry a divorced man with three kids?
Wouldn't it make them a laughing stock?
However, after Meng Xuan Xuan's biological family, the Meng family, accepted an extraordinarily grand betrothal gift from the man, they fled with the money. This was indeed a dilemma - they had to go through with the marriage whether they liked it or not.
The Yao family didn't want to repay the betrothal gift for the Meng family, nor did they want to sacrifice their biological daughter that they had just finally managed to find. So, they thought... might as well let Yao Qing, the fake daughter, marry him!
After all, she was the real daughter of the Meng family.
The Yao family nurtured someone else's daughter for over a decade, similar to a sucker bearing an undeserved burden. Was it too much to ask for Yao Qing to make a contribution?
Yao Qing had been the pampered young missy for many years, how could she possibly agree?
So, she steeled her heart and tried to hang herself.
After some difficulty, she was resuscitated, but the moment she opened her eyes, her soul had already changed.
The present "Yao Qing" was a soul from the 21st century who had crossed over. Coincidentally, her name was also Yao Qing.
She knew that this world was actually a book, and the original host, Yao Qing was just a throwaway character.
The original character had been causing uproar, causing gossips about the cruelty of the Yao parents, leaving their reputation tarnished and their feelings towards the original character to turn into disgust.
The original character did not look nor act like the Yao parents from the beginning, her brash and unreasonable behaviour was simply incomparable to other noble ladies from reputable families.
After resurrecting from her suicide attempt, she was perceived as a burden by her family members and was promptly sent to the countryside due to her extreme character.
She blamed her series of unfortunate events on the old man, not only mistreating his three children but also deliberately fabricating a scandal, leading people to believe that the old man had been cuckolded.
In the end, the old man could bear it no longer and proposed a divorce.
The fake wealthy girl who lost her home turned into a beggar, starved to death on the streets, and ended her melodramatic life.
Yao Qing sneered. She wasn't the original character and wouldn't tread the same path!
She looked towards Wang SuFen by the bed, "Yes, Meng XuanXuan can't enter the 'fire pit', so it has to be me."
Yao Qing's statement was so lucid, it gave the two elders a feeling of shame as if their lies had been exposed.
As if afraid she might reconsider, Wang Sufen immediately took out a hundred yuan from her purse and handed it to her, "Keep this money, it should be enough for you for a while. If you ever face any difficulties, just give me a call."
That's right, just a call, not asking her to return.
The old couple of the Yao family hoped she understood that they no longer wanted her to interfere with their lives.
This hundred yuan, in the context of the 1980s, was equivalent to a thousand yuan.
The money given was intended to sever the unwanted ties as soon as possible.
With her departure, things here would have nothing to do with her again.
Yao Qing took the money and prepared to go upstairs to pack her things. The old couple instructed from downstairs that they would arrange a driver to take her a bit of the way.
They were afraid she might change her mind at the last minute.
Tomorrow was the day set for the second marriage. If no one turned up to fulfill the arranged marriage, who knows what fuss might be raised.
That would then embarrass the Yao family so it's crucial to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
Even though it was a marriage, second marriages during that era were frowned upon. It was rumoured that the groom side had no plans to hold a wedding ceremony.
When Yao Qing returned to her bedroom, the room was modestly-sized, with a beautiful iron bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a vanity mirror.
In those days, average people couldn't afford such nice rooms.
The Yao family hadn't been harsh to her; at least they had never mistreated her in food and clothing.
There were quite a number of dresses and suits in the wardrobe and even some accessories like pearl necklaces and earrings, all neatly arranged.
On the table, there was a skincare product characteristic of that era, Snowflake Cream.
Yao Qing pulled out her suitcase. As she was packing her things, she felt an overwhelming sadness and couldn't help shed tears - this must be the residual emotion left in the original owner's body.
She calmly wiped off the tear that escaped the corner of her eye. She didn't have particularly deep emotions for the Yao family.
But the original owner had grown up here: she had even gotten engaged to the son of a military district chief. She was about to marry into a wealthy family when suddenly, the real daughter of the family appeared, robbing her of her entire future.
It was only reasonable to feel reluctant to leave.
But now that the real daughter had returned, she, the fake one, would only annoy others if she stayed.
Truthfully, Yao Qing was pretty frustrated. After being resuscitated and coming back to life, she had spent two whole days on the brink of death, bedridden. She thought many times how nice it would be if it were all just a dream. She had barely accumulated the 200,000 Yuan needed for a house down payment and had just made the deposit. Now that she couldn't go back, that money had gone down the drain.
All the money she had worked late nights and overtime to earn, gone in an instant—it really made her heart ache.
Thankfully, the original owner was beautiful, on par with the top female stars in the entertainment industry. This fact at least offered some consolation.
But her fate as cannon fodder was truly bleak. She was determined to change it.
Once she finished packing, she picked up her suitcase, changed her shoes swiftly, and left.
The senior Yao's had thought they would have to try to persuade her to leave, never expecting that they would end up sending her off so easily...
After all, she was the girl they had raised for over a decade. It's a lie to say they didn't feel anything for her.
"Qing Qing has always been unable to endure hardship. I wonder if the people in the countryside would treat her well?" murmured Wang Sufeng.
"Sigh, the person has left, why bother mentioning all this?" Mr. Yao patted his wife's hand, urging her not to think too much.
"I heard Qing Qing is marrying a man who's been married before, and he already has three children. She's a young girl. How can she take care of kids?" Wang Sufeng's worries only deepened.
Upon hearing this, a strong sense of guilt welled up in Mr. Yao's eyes.
