Chapter 1 Du Family Stepmother
February marks the beginning of spring, and a light drizzle fell continuously. It rained for a whole month in Xiangtan Village, turning the earthen courtyard in front of the Du family's house into a pool of muddy water.
Du Wanchun walked into the house, her skirt covered in mud, put down the vegetable basket in her hand, and patted the mud off her skirt.
A heavily pregnant woman suddenly strode over, pointed at her, and began to berate her, "You brat, why are you only coming back now? Hurry up and pack your things to get married!"
Her name was Liu, and she was her father's second wife, whom he had married five years ago.
The widow from the neighboring Guihua Village brought a daughter the same age as her when she married into the village. Although she was a second wife, she had been playing with her father in the fields long before her mother died.
Everyone in the village knew about it, and eventually, her mother passed away.
Du Wanchun just turned 18 this year. She was born mentally challenged and has been disliked by her father for many years. Fortunately, her mother has always taken good care of her and raised her.
After Liu entered the family, she treated this foolish stepdaughter like a servant, not giving her clothes in winter and food in summer. Despite being a little girl in her teens, she was tortured to the point of being emaciated.
Her father, Du Dajiang, was just an old farmer with no real skills. He was completely controlled by this Liu woman and didn't dare to utter a word when he saw his silly daughter being bullied.
A few days ago, Magistrate Li of Cheng'an County sent someone to propose marriage on behalf of his son, saying that he wanted to marry this foolish girl.
This shocked Liu so much that she couldn't sleep all night. Although the Li family held a low-ranking official position, they were practically local tyrants in the entire Cheng'an County. Marrying into their family would be like becoming a phoenix on a branch of a tree.
Liu was extremely jealous, and after discussing it with Du Dajiang, she decided to have her own daughter, Liu Lanzhi, marry in place of her foolish older sister.
As the saying goes, having a stepmother means having a stepfather, and it's true. Du Dajiang agreed without even thinking.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Liu arranged another marriage for Du Wanchun.
The eldest son of the Zhou family in the neighboring Changliu Village.
The Zhou family was a notoriously poor household in Changliu Village. A widow raised three sons: the eldest was disabled, the second was blind, and the third was deaf. None of the family members were healthy. It was thanks to Aunt Zhou that the whole family was supported by one person. However, because there was no man to rely on, the family was often bullied by the neighbors. Their land was often taken away or occupied. Right now, they were probably running out of rice to cook.
By marrying Du Wanchun off to Liu, Liu is clearly trying to push her into a pit of fire.
Du Dajiang sat to the side, took a puff of his pipe, and said, "Wanchun, don't blame your father. You're a fool. Marrying into the county magistrate's family would be a waste. It would be better for you and your sister to marry into the Zhou family."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but look at Liu's belly. The Du family only had two daughters, Du Wanchun and Liu Lanzhi. Du Dajiang dreamed of having a son. This Liu was indeed pregnant, and she was already seven or eight months along. Several doctors had examined her and all said it was a boy.
He knew in his heart that the Zhou family was a pit of fire, but for the sake of the boys in the Liu family, he was willing to sacrifice the happiness of his own daughter.
Even if it costs his daughter's life, he'd do it.
Du Wanchun stood up and looked coldly at Du Dajiang and Liu Shi. After a long while, she smiled and said, "Okay, Father, I'll marry him."
Liu suppressed her anger, put her hands on her hips, and snorted coldly, "That's more like it. Go, quickly change your clothes and go to the Zhou family with the matchmaker!"
"Yes, Mother," Du Wanchun replied obediently, then turned and went into the house.
It was a dark little woodshed. There weren't many rooms in the house. After Liu brought her daughter through the door, she was forced to come here.
It rained for a month straight, and the bed was covered in mold. As soon as you entered the room, there was a musty smell.
Du Wanchun looked around and then took out a package of red wedding dresses from a cabinet. Her mother had made them before she died, saying they were for her to wear when she got married.
Today she finally got to use it.
She took out her wedding dresses from inside and changed into them one by one.
Du Dajiang and Liu Shi outside thought she was stupid. In fact, they didn't know that she had accidentally fallen on the field embankment just now, and her mind suddenly became clear after she woke up.
She's not stupid anymore.
She had met the eldest son of the Zhou family, Zhou Ruiyuan, and was willing to marry him.
Years ago, when Aunt Zhou took her three sons to Changliu Village, they passed by the entrance of their village.
She remembered that Aunt Zhou was extremely beautiful, and her bright yellow dress was just like that of a noble lady in the capital.
The villagers often say that Aunt Zhou was a child bride who was sold to the capital by the Chen family when she was young. She gave birth to three sons for a stable boy. Later, the stable boy died, and she returned to Changliu Village with her three sons.
But Du Wanchun knew that Aunt Zhou was definitely not an ordinary peasant woman.
Aunt Zhou is literate and reasonable, so her son will definitely be good. Rather than marrying the fat son of Magistrate Li, it would be better to marry Zhou Ruiyuan.
After putting on her wedding dress, she picked up all her belongings, walked out of the door that had confined her for more than ten years, and left the house without looking back.
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