The two were stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality, their expressions shifting to shock.
"What did you say? That car was here to pick up Si Nian?"
Lin's mother didn’t understand why they looked so surprised. In their rural area, it was rare for anyone to use a car for wedding pickups—most used motorcycles or bicycles, and some even walked.
So when Xiao Zhou arrived in a car, they had been surprised too.
But it made sense for rural folks to be amazed by such things.
The Si family, however, could afford cars themselves and were city people. Why would they find a car so astonishing?
Yet now, they all wore expressions of disbelief.
Zhang Cuimei quickly recovered and blurted out, "It must be rented."
Lin's mother wasn’t sure either, but Zhou Yueshen definitely didn’t own such a car. Hesitantly, she replied, "Probably."
Surely he wouldn’t buy a brand-new car just for the wedding?
According to her daughter, Zhou Yueshen had just bought her a bicycle—a high-end one at that.
The groom had already spent a fortune on the wedding—between the betrothal gifts and various presents, it must have cost at least ten thousand yuan.
Even if he had earned a decent amount, he still needed to save up, especially with three children to raise.
There was no way he would splurge on a car.
Sure enough, Zhang Cuimei curled her lips in disdain.
She had thought so—how could anyone in such a remote village afford a car like that? It had to be rented.
Last time she visited their home, he had been wearing a fake watch.
Now, he was renting a car just to show off.
What a vain man.
Raising a few pigs and suddenly acting like some big boss—how laughable.
Zhang Cuimei found the whole thing embarrassing.
Si's Father frowned as well, though he wasn’t as openly dismissive as his wife.
Lin's mother didn’t know what to say.
She knew the Si family looked down on the Lins, but she was too kind-hearted to say anything harsh. Instead, she changed the subject and invited them inside for a meal.
Unexpectedly, they refused outright.
Having come all this way for nothing—not even putting on a polite front—Zhang Cuimei was in a sour mood.
She felt like Si Nian was some kind of curse on her.
Why else would nothing ever go her way when it came to this daughter?
But when she noticed the villagers staring at her with a mix of awe and envy—as if they’d never seen anyone like her—her mood lifted slightly.
So Zhang Cuimei lifted her chin and said in a condescending tone, "Fine. Since she’s already gone, we, as her adoptive parents, should at least see her off. Otherwise, people might say the Si family is heartless."
Without waiting for a reaction, she turned and got back into the car.
This was the first time the villagers had seen the Si couple, and they couldn’t help but exchange glances.
Zhang Cuimei’s words left a bad taste in their mouths.
Rural folks were sensitive—they could tell she was looking down on them.
And when Lin's mother invited them to eat, they hadn’t even spared her a glance. The villagers, protective of their own, felt indignant.
"Second Aunt, what’s wrong with the Si family? They don’t respect anyone at all! You raised their daughter for over a decade!"
"Exactly! Lin Sisi is such an ungrateful wretch. Now that she’s back, she doesn’t even greet you—after all you did for her!"
"I told you back then—you should’ve spent that money on your son’s education instead of scraping by to send her to school. Look how she repays you now—heartless!"
Lin's mother felt a pang of sadness, but she quickly shook it off. "Well, they did raise Si Nian for over ten years in return."
"As for Sisi, I don’t hold any grudges. She made her choice."
The villagers thought about it and agreed. While Lin Sisi was infuriating, Si Nian was a sweetheart.
In just a few days, she had already won everyone over.
In the end, they hadn’t lost out.
Inside the car—
Lin Sisi had no idea the villagers were scoffing at her behavior.
Her mind was entirely occupied by the fact that Zhou Yueshen had arrived in a car for the wedding procession.
Back in her past life, when she married Zhou Yueshen, she had ridden to his home on a tractor.
The ceremony had been small—she, a cultured and educated high school graduate, had felt humiliated marrying a thirty-year-old man.
She had scowled the entire day and barely acknowledged the guests after arriving at the Zhou household.
The Zhou family had simply invited a few neighbors for a meal—nothing like the grand spectacle today.
The scene from earlier had been a painful sight.
The Zhou family had few relatives, and while they got along with the neighbors, Zhou Yueshen’s reserved nature and the children’s odd temperaments meant they never held big celebrations.
Lin Sisi tried to console herself.
Surely it couldn’t have been much better than her own wedding.
The family followed the trail of firecracker remnants—no need to ask for directions.
Soon, they arrived at Xingfu Village.
At the village entrance, red balloons were tied to wooden posts along the road.
The extravagance left the initially dismissive Si couple stunned.
It was just a wedding—and a second marriage at that!
Who ever heard of someone making such a fuss over a second wedding?
Zhang Cuimei didn’t find it festive at all. Instead, she sneered, "The Zhou family is so tacky! Flaunting a second marriage like this—how shameless!"
"Si Nian was raised so well by us—of course he thinks he’s hit the jackpot. Probably wants to announce it to the whole world! So petty!"
Though Zhang Cuimei didn’t particularly like Si Nian, she had to admit the girl was beautiful.
If not for her arranged marriage with Fu Yang, the Si family’s doorstep would’ve been worn out by suitors from their compound!
Zhou Yueshen, a rural nobody—thirty years old, divorced, and saddled with three kids—must be over the moon to land such a young, pretty wife.
The more she thought about it, the more she despised the man.
Lin Sisi’s expression darkened at her words.
No one knew better than her that the man was nothing like Zhang Cuimei described.
In her past life, she had never received such treatment.
A wedding like this was unprecedented in the village—a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Anyone who knew Zhou Yueshen would be green with envy.
Zhang Cuimei didn’t understand him, so she assumed the worst.
But Lin Sisi knew—for that man to go to such lengths was nothing short of unbelievable.
Just as her face twisted in discomfort, Si's Father suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? Whose house is that? This village actually has a place that big?"
As soon as they entered the village, he spotted a sprawling two-story house in the distance.
Zhang Cuimei looked over, equally surprised.
Who in such a backwater could afford a home like that?
Was it the village’s "ten-thousand-yuan household"?
But as the car drew closer, she noticed something odd.
The windows were adorned with double-happiness stickers.
