[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry":3,"chapter-the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-chapter-124":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Beautiful Stepmother from the Eighties: Marrying a Factory Director to Raise Kids",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1663544,2130,"Chapter 124","the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-chapter-124",124,"\u003Cp>The two were stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality, their expressions shifting to shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you say? That car was here to pick up Si Nian?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Xiao Zhou arrived in a car, they had been surprised too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it made sense for rural folks to be amazed by such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Si family, however, could afford cars themselves and were city people. Why would they find a car so astonishing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, they all wore expressions of disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cuimei quickly recovered and blurted out, \"It must be rented.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin's mother wasn’t sure either, but Zhou Yueshen definitely didn’t own such a car. Hesitantly, she replied, \"Probably.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely he wouldn’t buy a brand-new car just for the wedding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to her daughter, Zhou Yueshen had just bought her a bicycle—a high-end one at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he had earned a decent amount, he still needed to save up, especially with three children to raise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way he would splurge on a car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Zhang Cuimei curled her lips in disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had thought so—how could anyone in such a remote village afford a car like that? It had to be rented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time she visited their home, he had been wearing a fake watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he was renting a car just to show off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a vain man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raising a few pigs and suddenly acting like some big boss—how laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cuimei found the whole thing embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Si's Father frowned as well, though he wasn’t as openly dismissive as his wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin's mother didn’t know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, they refused outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having come all this way for nothing—not even putting on a polite front—Zhang Cuimei was in a sour mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt like Si Nian was some kind of curse on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why else would nothing ever go her way when it came to this daughter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for a reaction, she turned and got back into the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time the villagers had seen the Si couple, and they couldn’t help but exchange glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cuimei’s words left a bad taste in their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rural folks were sensitive—they could tell she was looking down on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Aunt, what’s wrong with the Si family? They don’t respect anyone at all! You raised their daughter for over a decade!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for Sisi, I don’t hold any grudges. She made her choice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers thought about it and agreed. While Lin Sisi was infuriating, Si Nian was a sweetheart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just a few days, she had already won everyone over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, they hadn’t lost out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the car—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sisi had no idea the villagers were scoffing at her behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind was entirely occupied by the fact that Zhou Yueshen had arrived in a car for the wedding procession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in her past life, when she married Zhou Yueshen, she had ridden to his home on a tractor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ceremony had been small—she, a cultured and educated high school graduate, had felt humiliated marrying a thirty-year-old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had scowled the entire day and barely acknowledged the guests after arriving at the Zhou household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou family had simply invited a few neighbors for a meal—nothing like the grand spectacle today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene from earlier had been a painful sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sisi tried to console herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely it couldn’t have been much better than her own wedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The family followed the trail of firecracker remnants—no need to ask for directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, they arrived at Xingfu Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the village entrance, red balloons were tied to wooden posts along the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The extravagance left the initially dismissive Si couple stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a wedding—and a second marriage at that!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who ever heard of someone making such a fuss over a second wedding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Zhang Cuimei didn’t particularly like Si Nian, she had to admit the girl was beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for her arranged marriage with Fu Yang, the Si family’s doorstep would’ve been worn out by suitors from their compound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she thought about it, the more she despised the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sisi’s expression darkened at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew better than her that the man was nothing like Zhang Cuimei described.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her past life, she had never received such treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wedding like this was unprecedented in the village—a once-in-a-lifetime event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who knew Zhou Yueshen would be green with envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cuimei didn’t understand him, so she assumed the worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lin Sisi knew—for that man to go to such lengths was nothing short of unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they entered the village, he spotted a sprawling two-story house in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cuimei looked over, equally surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in such a backwater could afford a home like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it the village’s \"ten-thousand-yuan household\"?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the car drew closer, she noticed something odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The windows were adorned with double-happiness stickers.\u003C\u002Fp>",1199,"2026-06-06T12:38:58.697Z",1,"novelbin.me","a481bff1cd758f01ba5a490d5c2aa828ca9f2130b15bfec7d100852bb7f1906f","the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-chapter-125","the-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-chapter-123",482,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-beautiful-stepmother-from-the-eighties-marry-cover.jpg"]