Chapter 3: It's Just Getting Married!

Therefore, Third Aunt Pei hurriedly shook her head.

"No, Mother, that’s not the case at all. How could it be? I love Lingxi-er the most."

The old lady snorted. Looking at her precious darling, who was still lying there with her eyes closed in a faint, she asked about what the doctor had said earlier.

Lingxi heard that God’s own favorite daughter had left and that the danger to her life had passed. She sorted through the memories in her mind, reviewing how Pei Lingxi had interacted with the old lady, before finally opening her eyes and calling out a soft, sweet "Nai" (Grandma).

When the old lady heard that Lingxi had truly fainted under the cucumber trellis, her face darkened. Upon hearing from Third Aunt Pei that she hadn't even called a doctor for her Lingxi-er yet, the old lady was about to explode.

She was just preparing to launch into a three-hundred-round verbal assault to help her recall the fear of being dominated by her all these years, when she heard that soft, sweet, honeyed voice.

The fierce expression on the old lady’s face vanished, instantly replaced by a smile she believed to be incredibly gentle and loving. She turned back to the side of the *kang* and spoke in a kind voice.

"Lingxi-er is awake? That’s good, as long as you’re awake.

Are you hungry? Come, let’s make do with this meat porridge first to line your stomach. Don’t let yourself go hungry; Grandma’s heart aches.

Tonight, Grandma will make Lingxi-er white rice with braised pork. It’s delicious."

Third Aunt Pei swallowed hard, but she was truly relieved. She quickly and tactfully brought over the meat porridge that had been kept warm on the small stove.

The old lady gave her a look that said, "You know what's good for you," took the bowl, and stirred it with a spoon. The fragrance of the rice, the meat, and the sesame oil blended together—it was mouth-watering!

Lingxi felt a bit embarrassed as she looked at the porridge the old lady was feeding her.

The dozen or so members of the Pei family usually ate coarse grain porridge and wild vegetable mush; even such food was considered good in this village.

Yet, Lingxi was the exception.

She was the apple of the old lady’s eye, her heart’s treasure, the bloodline left behind by the old lady’s favorite and proudest eldest son. Being born prematurely and frail, she had to be pampered and cared for delicately.

In her memories, she received the best treatment in the house, often enjoying special meals of white rice porridge, dough drop soup, and fine noodles topped with poached eggs.

And among the old Pei family, apart from the daughters-in-law who had married into the house, no one thought there was anything wrong with this.

In the old lady’s words, the things were hers. Even if her sons and daughters were filial to her, the things still belonged to her, and she would give them to whoever she pleased.

If you asked her why she was biased and cooked special meals for her Lingxi-er, she would tell you

"Even God is biased! Giving Fu Zhu gold rings and silver bracelets—why can’t I, an old woman, be biased? I’m learning from God! If you’re so capable, go tell God not to be biased toward Fu Zhu!"

She would even use Pei Fu Zhu as an example to tell everyone not to be jealous.

She said that since Pei Fu Zhu was God’s own daughter, didn't she still eat the same wild vegetable mush and coarse grain porridge as the rest of the family? Why should they, mere mortals, expect to eat well?

If anyone wanted to eat well, that was fine too.

Just like Pei Fu Zhu, who would occasionally dig up a gold or silver ring, claiming God felt sorry for her and wanted her to buy good food to supplement her diet.

The old lady didn't care about that. If anyone had the ability to find someone willing to provide for them, she had no objections, and she certainly wouldn't be jealous.

This statement was treated as a golden rule by the whole family. From the old lady’s actual eldest son, Second Uncle Pei, down to the four-year-old toddler Minghui who could talk fluently, everyone could recite it.

Every time someone felt oppressed for too long and wanted to rebel, this passage would be brought up by the family several times over.

The wives of the second and third Pei sons, and even the eldest grandson’s wife who had only been in the family for two years, understood this deeply.

Whenever that happened, they would hear the old lady nagging while eating, the sisters-in-law nagging while working in the fields, their husbands nagging while sleeping, and even their own sons and daughters nagging while mending clothes. In a few years, it was enough to make anyone doubt their life.

They even felt that the old lady *should* be biased toward Pei Lingxi, and that it was perfectly fine for Pei Lingxi to eat alone. Even Pei Lingxi herself thought so.

Thinking of all this, Lingxi felt awkward.

Because of her health, she had never left the palace where she lived and hadn't seen much of the world, but she clearly knew that this situation was not quite right.

No, not "not quite right"...

It was *very* not right.

The old lady saw that Lingxi wasn't moving, and when she turned to see the third daughter-in-law still standing in the room, she exploded.

"What are you doing? Is there no work to be done in this house? Go cook! It’s almost noon, and there’s still work to be done in the fields. Who are you planning to starve?"

Third Aunt Pei snapped back to reality, stammered a few times, and turned to run out, her footsteps so fast only a blur remained.

Lingxi watched, dumbfounded. By the time she regained her senses, a bowl of porridge was already gone.

She rubbed her full little belly, feeling somewhat dazed...

Seeing Lingxi eat a whole bowl, the old lady was happy. She placed the bowl and chopsticks on the *kang* table, sat on the edge of the *kang*, and looked at her with immense affection.

Her precious granddaughter was not only beautiful but also looked like the Goddess of Mercy from a picture book, carrying an ethereal air; she was delicate and lovely in every way.

The more she looked, the more pleasing she was; the more she looked, the more she loved her.

How could God be so blind to choose that demonic, flighty girl as his "own daughter"? Her Lingxi-er was such a good, obedient girl—why didn't He choose her?

The old lady looked at her precious granddaughter, whose eyes were wet, and her heart ached.

"Grandma’s Lingxi-er has suffered. Grandma knows Lingxi-er must have been bullied by Fu Zhu again. Don’t be afraid, Lingxi-er, Grandma is here!"

"Nai, no, Big Sister didn't bully me."

This matter did indeed have some connection to Pei Fu Zhu, but it wasn't exactly Pei Fu Zhu bullying her.

Today, young Pei Lingxi was picking cucumbers in the vegetable garden in the backyard when she heard God’s favorite daughter, Pei Fu Zhu, telling her mother, Third Aunt Pei, that God had told her in a dream that Pei Lingxi must get married this year. Otherwise, the whole family would be implicated by her, and Pei Lingxi would suffer a terrible fate.

Pei Lingxi couldn't accept it.

What marriage?

How would she implicate the whole family?

She wanted to go to high school, wanted to go to college, wanted to leave the small mountain village, and wanted to find the father who had depended on her since she was little. She didn't want to just get married off like this.

But, because of the immense prestige of Pei Fu Zhu, God’s favorite daughter, she believed Fu Zhu’s words implicitly.

Feeling that she would truly drag the whole family down if she didn't marry, the self-doubting and self-loathing girl hit a dead end, feeling that life was hopeless and had no meaning...

And so, she breathed her last under the cucumber trellis, and when she woke up, the soul inside had changed.

The awakened Lingxi couldn't understand this.

It’s just marriage!

What a big deal.

Pei Fu Zhu, this "God-given father," was actually quite kind!

He even pointed out a clear path for their family!

If it were the people in the Spirit Realm from before, they would have just killed anyone who got in their way!

Now, being able to marry to save one's life—how great is that!

As for leaving the small mountain village or finding her father, why couldn't she leave or find someone after she got married?