Yao Er took Liu Hong out to buy New Year's goods, but an accident happened on the way. The two of them fell into the Red Lake by the roadside and died.
Yao Xiaoxiao became an orphan, and Yao Da adopted her.
Yao Da moved into Yao Er's house. At first, she lived with her cousin, but later her cousin said that everyone had grown up and wanted their own space, so she moved out.
Yao Xiaoxiao moved from the large room into a small cubicle.
Her room was occupied by her cousin Yao Dongsheng, while her older cousin Yao Xixi occupied the guest room. When it was her turn, she could only stay in the stairwell.
When Yao Da and his aunt Dai Qiuhua first adopted her, they were quite kind. But from some point onwards, Yao Xiaoxiao began to feel very wronged.
However, she had no powerful backing, and despite her young age, she already understood a great deal, so she could only keep it all to herself, hoping to grow up quickly and leave this home.
When Yao Er was still alive, he was exceptionally kind to the villagers. He never refused to help anyone who needed his assistance.
Therefore, after Yao Er's accident, the villagers were willing to take care of Yao Xiaoxiao.
When she was sixteen, her neighbor, Aunt Wang, introduced Yao Xiaoxiao to a potential boyfriend.
The man was Zhou Shuyang from the next village, and they were childhood sweethearts.
They were classmates when they were in elementary school, but Yao Xiaoxiao dropped out of school after her parents' accident.
We saw each other less often after that, maybe only a few times a year.
The Zhou family has three brothers and is not wealthy. They took a liking to Yao Xiaoxiao because she didn't ask for much in dowry and wouldn't need to support her family in the future.
Although Yao Xiaoxiao was an orphan, she was good-looking and hardworking. In addition, Aunt Wang kept praising her good character, so the Zhou family was quite satisfied.
Dai Qiuhua had long wanted to marry Yao Xiaoxiao off, but she never expected that Aunt Wang would act as matchmaker first.
This was during the early stages of reform and opening up, when bride price was still relatively low. Dai Qiuhua also looked down on the Zhou family's poverty, so she readily agreed.
With Aunt Wang's help, the two got engaged and set to get married two years later.
Yao Xiaoxiao was overjoyed. She got along very well with Zhou Shuyang, and most importantly, she had been looking forward to leaving this place and starting her new life.
She counted down the days, enduring those two difficult years.
As the wedding approached, Yao Xixi suddenly started to care more about dressing up. She pulled Dai Qiuhua aside and whispered to her for a while, the two of them acting all mysterious.
Yao Xiaoxiao ignored them. Anyway, she was about to leave, and she had never felt like she belonged in this family.
On the morning she left home, Dai Qiuhua went to Yao Xiaoxiao's room and brought her a bowl of egg drop soup.
This is the first time in all these years that Yao Xiaoxiao has received this treatment.
"Xiaoxiao, after you finish this bowl of eggs, you'll be leaving home. From now on, live a good life."
Yao Xiaoxiao came to the living room and bowed to her uncle and aunt.
"Thank you so much, Uncle and Aunt, for raising me all these years!"
The uncle didn't even look at Yao Xiaoxiao, only giving a soft "hmm".
He's always had this attitude: raising a child is like raising another cat—just an extra pair of chopsticks and an extra bowl.
The eldest aunt smiled broadly and said, "Xiaoxiao, come home to visit often in the future."
Yao Xiaoxiao nodded and went back to her room to pack her things.
She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about the new life that was about to begin, and couldn't help but smile foolishly.
Lost in thought, she fell asleep without realizing it.
When she woke up again, she found that it was already dark, and she was still in her cubicle.
“Xiaoxiao, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, you won’t wake up no matter how I call you. I’m afraid your in-laws will think there’s something wrong with you, so I can only let Xixi marry in your place.”
"Xiaoxiao, don't worry, we'll let you switch them back tomorrow, don't worry."
Yao Xiaoxiao was utterly devastated. She had already married him; could she possibly change her mind?
She wanted to go to the Zhou family to explain everything, but unfortunately, she was too weak to move and could only watch helplessly as dawn broke.
Three days later, Yao Xiaoxiao regained her mobility. She weakly propped herself up and saw Yao Xixi and Zhou Shuyang returning to their parents' home.
The two held hands affectionately, and in that not-so-open era, their intimacy was so obvious that it was clear at a glance that they had a very good relationship.
With a sense of guilt, Zhou Shuyang said, "Yao Xiaoxiao, it's impossible for us now. Since we've already made a mistake, let's leave it at that. You're a good girl, and you'll find your happiness in the future."
Zhou Shuyang felt really guilty. He hadn't looked closely that night and had just pulled Yao Xixi to bed.
It wasn't until the second day that he recognized Yao Xixi, who was crying and explaining, but they had already become a real couple, so naturally they couldn't change partners.
Although he was very satisfied with Yao Xiaoxiao, Yao Xixi was also a rare beauty.
Besides, she had become his wife in name and in fact, so the weight of those two things was naturally different.
Yao Xiaoxiao was in tears. She wasn't sad; she was just angry, and also disappointed and regretful.
In this day and age, someone like her who was abandoned in marriage is bound to be the subject of gossip and rumors.
She could even imagine the heartache and helplessness she would feel walking down the street and being pointed at and gossiped about in the future.
The introverted girl was speechless at this moment, and she could only glare at Zhou Shuyang and Yao Xixi with resentment.
"Xiaoxiao, we didn't want it to be like this either. It's just that you couldn't wake up that day, so I had to marry in your place first."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and her face flushed slightly.
"Ah Yang and I didn't do it on purpose. He had been drinking that night, and I went to take care of him. That's how it happened. We really didn't mean to steal your marriage."
She then sincerely apologized, "No matter what, it was our fault, Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry! I apologize to you."
Zhou Shuyang pulled Yao Xixi up, "If anyone should apologize, it should be me. It has nothing to do with Xixi."
That night I was definitely drunk, and I mistook her for you.
Yao Xiaoxiao didn't want to listen anymore. She kicked the person out of the room and burst into tears.
She locked herself in her room and didn't go out for half a month.
When I'm hungry, I go to the kitchen and get a steamed bun to eat; when I'm thirsty, I scoop up a ladle of cold water to drink.
"What's wrong with him? He's such a grown man, just lying at home doing nothing."
We raised you when you were little, we did our best to repay that kindness. Now that you're grown up, it's time to repay our kindness in raising you.
Yao Xiaoxiao felt a pang of sadness as she listened to her aunt's cursing. She remembered that Chen Xufeng from the same village had mentioned going to work in the south and had even asked her about it.
She declined, saying she was getting married soon.
Yao Xiaoxiao sprang out of bed with a quick movement, tidied herself up hastily, and went out.
Chen Xufeng's house is on the east side of the village, a bit far from Yao Xiaoxiao's house. It took her ten minutes to walk there.
Is anyone home?
Soon, a voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Who is it? Come in, the gate isn't locked."
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