Chapter 6

When Lu Mingyuan came downstairs, he happened to hear his daughter say:

"I have to consider you and Dad. I can't let outsiders see the family's jokes."

His heart was filled with mixed feelings and guilt.

The stepdaughter he raised by his side had knelt before him, begging him to help her hide the truth and fulfill her wish to substitute for the marriage.

The biological daughter who didn't grow up by his side was able to consider him and look at the big picture...

Elder Lu glanced at his son, who looked regretful, and quickly withdrew his gaze. His face changed quickly as he gently comforted his granddaughter:

"Manman, Grandfather will arrange for Xiao Li to take you. The Capital is huge, and you aren't familiar with it. With Xiao Li accompanying you, Grandfather will be more at ease."

His granddaughter was too eye-catching, at such a beautiful age; if he didn't arrange for someone to protect her, he wouldn't be at ease.

"Okay, I will listen to Grandfather."

Shen Man agreed obediently. Xiao Li was the son of Grandfather's former guard, and now he played the role of driver and bodyguard by Grandfather's side.

Zhang Xuemei felt relieved; it was best for Shen Man to leave the house and avoid the limelight.

Otherwise, if her son-in-law saw Shen Man's face, which was clearly prettier than her daughter's, who knew what trouble might arise.

As for Lu Mingyuan, he felt he owed his daughter, and even though he had given her the bankbooks, he still felt guilty.

Just like that, Shen Man got into the black Red Flag sedan and left the compound under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"Who is that little girl? Why do I feel Old Lu is being extra doting? When Manman was at home before, he wouldn't even let her ride in his car."

"You don't know? That little girl is his own granddaughter! She's the daughter of Chief Lu's son's first wife, the legitimate granddaughter!"

"Ah? I came to the compound a few years late. I heard Lu Mingyuan's first wife was a capitalist's daughter, so they divorced and each took a child..."

"Wrong, you got it wrong. She wasn't a capitalist's daughter. Although her ancestors were capitalists, during the revolution, she sold off the family property and donated it to the troops for expenses. She was a Red Capitalist, a good person!"

"Ah? Then why did Lu Mingyuan divorce her?"

"Ahem, that has to start with the late husband of Lu Mingyuan's current wife..."

"Don't keep us in suspense. Come on, tell us, what's going on~"

"It's that Lu Manman's biological father was Lu Mingyuan's comrade-in-arms. In a mission, he blocked a bullet for Lu Mingyuan, and before he died, he begged Lu Mingyuan to help look after his wife and daughter, and then..."

There was plenty of gossip in the Military Region compound.

The gossip station of the neighborhood aunties was one more "wow" than the next.

The events of that year each had their own difficulties.

A comrade entrusting his family, a marriage breaking down and divorcing, reorganizing a family, separating wife and children for fifteen years—who was right and who was wrong?

Beyond the sighs, no one could tell who was right or wrong.

Someone realized and asked weakly:

"Then the betrothal with the Gu family, was it set for the daughter of the first wife, or the daughter of the second one?"

For a moment, gossip lights flickered in everyone's eyes.

Yes, which one was it set for?

Good heavens, this melon was truly "wow"!

One of the parties involved, Shen Man, was already a distance away from the compound in the sedan.

"Brother Li, I want to go to the department store first to buy some things. You can drop me off then; you don't have to follow me all the time."

"Received."

Li Mingguang kept his hands on the steering wheel and glanced at Shen Man through the rearview mirror without a trace.

This young lady's status in the old man's heart was no less than Xiu Bai's.

He wouldn't ask what he shouldn't ask.

He would obey this young lady's instructions.

Shen Man curled her lips in satisfaction; she liked people who were perceptive.

Her tense nerves relaxed a bit, and she leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes to rest.

Her consciousness entered the space, and she only collected half of the spiritual liquid; the rest she let drip into the pool to continue nourishing and feeding back into the space.

Tangyuan licked the spiritual energy-filled water source in the pool, still wanting more, and asked:

"Master, can you buy some fish fry?

The pool can support living things. If there are more living things in the space, it can purify the spiritual energy in the space, which is good for me."

It hadn't found treasures for its master yet, so would it be too much to trouble its master and ask for things?

Shen Man responded to Tangyuan with her consciousness, agreeing readily:

"Sure, I'll keep an eye out."

Thinking about Tangyuan saying that more living things in the space could purify the spiritual energy, she drew inferences and asked:

"Tangyuan, if I buy some chickens, ducks, geese, or rabbits and put them in, can you help me look after them? Take care of them?"

"Of course I can. As long as the poultry you bring in, I can look after them. I'll divide a piece of land for them in the space so they don't run around and dirty the space."

Tangyuan guaranteed, patting its chest and meowing non-stop.

Shen Man understood and felt much more at ease.

As a human who couldn't live without meat, she didn't think rabbits were cute; she only thought about whether to eat spicy rabbit head or spicy diced rabbit.

Since she had made up her mind to go to the Sea Island to join her brother, she would spend as many of her coupons as she could before leaving!

Poultry, meat, eggs, daily necessities—she would hoard as much as she could.

Around 9:30 in the morning, Lu Manman sat on the back of a bicycle, her face full of happiness.

She wrapped one hand around her husband's waist and held a can of malted milk in the other.

A pig's head meat and other items hung from the handlebars; it would be even more perfect if the man riding the bike didn't have such a cold expression.

Today was the day for the young couple to return home, and the Gu family had specifically prepared generous gifts for their son to take his wife back to her parents' home.

"Manman."

"Mom."

Lu Manman got off the bike shyly, her legs weak, barely standing steady.

"Tingchen."

"Father-in-law."

Gu Tingchen nodded, his expression unchanged, leaned the bike in a corner, took the gifts, and followed his father-in-law into the house.

"Manman, is your husband good to you?"

"Tingchen is naturally good to me. By the way, Mom, has anything happened at home recently?

Why do I feel like the neighbors were looking at me strangely when Tingchen and I walked in?"

"Sigh, it's a sin. That little bitch came back the day before yesterday afternoon!

Your grandfather and your father are now feeling guilty as hell toward that little bitch, almost granting her every request, giving her all the good things, and also—"

Lu Manman's eyes were about to split, and she hurriedly grabbed her mother's arm, "Mom, what are you saying? Lu Man is back?"

"Hiss~"

"Yes, but the little bitch uses her mother's surname, Shen, not Lu."

Although her arm was hurt by her daughter's grip, Zhang Xuemei couldn't bear to blame her daughter and explained in detail.

Lu Manman felt the sky was falling. Was the nightmare she had last night really going to come true?

She had hidden it from her in-laws, impersonated the betrothed, and used tricks to successfully marry Gu Tingchen.

If Gu Tingchen knew she wasn't the person he was betrothed to, he would definitely divorce her!