Daily life of working as a substitute bride for a wealthy family

The dining table at the Sheng family's old house follows completely Chinese etiquette.

It's indeed a bit dull.

Old Master Sheng really likes to reason.

The kindness and friendliness he had shown to the younger generations in the study just now was at least half gone at the dinner table.

It’s okay that Xiang Ran and Sheng Yang are sitting far away.

The elders sitting near the old man could only listen to him respectfully as he had the final say.

Sheng Yang whispered into Ran's ear - "My cousin's husband, Xu Xiling, is most afraid of occasions like this. He always finds excuses not to come."

"Will Brother-in-law Xu be criticized by Grandpa?"

"Well, he's often late, and he likes to look at his phone while eating." Sheng Yang smiled.

Xiang Ran originally thought that Xu Xiling was unreliable, which was expected.

In a blink of an eye, I saw Sheng Yinlan listening to her grandfather's speech very respectfully.

I thought that my cousin Sheng Yang was indeed not a simple person.

"Yiqing, you should eat more. You look... even thinner now than at the wedding." Sheng Yang's aunt suddenly spoke up. "When Sheng Yang was injured, you were there and weren't you frightened?"

Huh? Was Su Yiqing by Sheng Yang's side when he was injured?

No one has mentioned this to her.

Just when Xiang Ran didn't know how to respond, Sheng Yang's grandfather spoke first: "Let's not talk about those unhappy things today. Sheng Yang, please give Yiqing more of her favorite dishes."

The old man's ears were really sharp, he actually took the initiative to help her out.

-

Everyone present was perceptive and no one mentioned the matter again.

But Aunt Sheng Yang still looked at Xiang Ran from time to time.

Xiang Ran felt uneasy when seeing this.

Sheng Yang's uncle probably hadn't recovered yet and didn't come to the table.

Sheng Yang's aunt is a gentle woman, and it is obvious that she comes from a wealthy family and has a lot of temperament.

Xiang Ran remembered that the booklet Su Yue gave her said that this aunt worked in the financial system.

With such a comparison, it is no wonder that Sheng Yang's mother Jiang Yu is not favored by the two elders of the Sheng family.

Fortunately, Sheng Yang himself is quite capable.

Xiang Ran looked at her "husband" who was moving forward and backward with discretion, and then she realized that the cards he had been dealt since childhood were not easy to play either.

Although he did not start out in poverty like her, he lost his father at a young age and also needed to take the difficult journey halfway up the mountain to reach the top.

Although life in such a family is not a worry about food and clothing, it is still not easy.

It seems that everyone has their own life issues to face.

-

After dinner, Sheng Yang said to her mysteriously, "Do you want to see the room I lived in as a child?"

"Is there also your room here?" Xiang Ran asked with a smile. She was quite curious.

"Of course there is, although it's just a small room. Come with me!" Sheng Yang took her hand and walked upstairs.

His aunt saw it and asked downstairs with a smile: "Hey, are you taking Yiqing to your room to search for treasures?"

Sheng Yinlan reminded: "Yiqing, you have to be careful, there are so many things in there that you can't move your feet."

-

Sheng Yang used the key and opened the door with a slight turn.

When Xiang Ran pushed the door open, she realized that what they said was true - because this small room had almost become a storage room.

The first thing I saw was the paddle board and a few oars leaning against the door.

There is an astronomical telescope near the window, which is larger than the one in the study of Jinxiu Villa.

On the table were a globe, a rocket model, and models of various cars, which must have been his toys as a child.

There is a violin case on the cabinet, covered with a thin layer of dust. Judging from the shape of the case, it might be a violin?

In addition to books, the cabinet also contains several competition trophies and many sports medals.

Xiang Ran pointed at the medals and said, "Oh? You called me in just to show me your trophies, right?"

"Isn't it worth a look?" Sheng Yang laughed. "You should be glad that you didn't marry a fool. You know, many people's schools are applied for by their families with money."

Xiang Ran curled her lips: "Okay, but who knows if these competitions you participate in are just for fame and reputation."

"Okay, consider it my attempt to gain fame." Sheng Yang didn't get angry and responded with a smile.

It seems that he really doesn't care about these things.

Those who are truly seeking fame and reputation would be furious if they were to be scolded like this by her.

-

There were many paintings hanging on the wall. Xiang Ran looked at the signatures and found that they were all painted by Sheng Yang himself.

There are sketches and watercolors.

Xiang Ran stopped in front of a painting.

There is a field of pink magnolia flowers in this painting.

And the mountains in the painting unexpectedly look familiar?

This mountain range actually... looks a lot like the mountains in her hometown.

It can’t be such a coincidence, right?

Xiang Ran asked tentatively, "Sheng Yang, have you been to County C?"

"How do you know this place? Have you been there?" Sheng Yang pointed at the painting. "This place is Qingluan Mountain in County C."

It was indeed her hometown, but why would he go there to paint?

Although Qingluan Mountain is beautiful, it is not a tourist attraction. It is just an ordinary mountain among the mountains.

Xiang Ran began to tell a story: "I have a classmate whose hometown is near there, so I've been there before. I know a little about it! But you—how did you end up there?"

"Because I went back to China during my sophomore year, I went to the mountains to teach for half a month with a cousin who was living with my aunt."

"Isn't that the Hope Primary School over there?"

"To be precise, my cousin and her friends went to a Hope Primary School, teaching the children seriously, while I and a few other boys who had returned from abroad went to a middle school, where we were assigned to communicate in English with the local students. It's supposed to be the best in the county, but it's right on a hillside. I got a pollen allergy on my first day there, so I put on a mask, stayed there for a few days, and then left. The day before leaving County C, I had nothing to do, so I grabbed my sketchpad and ran to the hillside to draw this picture."

Xiang Ran didn't say anything for a long time.

She slowly raised her hand and covered Sheng Yang's chin, her heart skipping a beat - it turned out that the tall, cold boy who wore a black mask the whole time during the exchange activity that year was him?

-

People in border areas have some accent in Mandarin and English.

Especially for children like her who grew up in villages inhabited by ethnic minorities, the accent is even more pronounced.

Xiang Ran still remembers that it was an English oral communication activity.

Each participating student took turns introducing a big city they had visited in English. When it was Xiang Ran's turn, she couldn't say anything for a long time.

Undoubtedly, she was the poorest student participating in the exchange program.

The two students who spoke before her both looked like they were from county towns. They had already shared their experiences of visiting Hong Kong and Bangkok in fairly fluent English.

And she has never even been to the provincial capital.

Under everyone's gaze, Xiang Ran felt inferior.

At that time, she had not yet built her own fortress and was easily affected by external stimuli and her emotions fluctuated.

Nor have they been able to face up to their own poverty.

She stood there for a long time, but was unwilling to give up the opportunity to go down.

Finally, he stammered in English and said that he had never been to any big city.

The big boy wearing a black mask and sitting with his legs crossed, one of the overseas student judges for the exchange event, suddenly asked her impatiently, "Why aren't you talking? You can talk about Beijing and Shanghai, and if that doesn't work, your provincial capital, K City, can count too. You've been to K City, right?"

Xiang Ran shook her head: "I haven't been there!"

Several students on the side showed surprised expressions, while several people on the other side were whispering, and some even couldn't help laughing.

Obviously, those who were selected by the school to participate in this exchange activity were all local students with good family backgrounds and good English speaking skills.

But why was Xiangran able to participate?

The main reason is that she is used to fighting for it.

That was an opportunity she and her teacher fought for.

She fought for the event, which was originally only open to students one grade higher than her.

I just didn't expect that after working so hard, I would end up making a fool of myself.

Although this incident was not a big deal compared to the difficulties she encountered in the years that followed.

But for some reason, she remembered it so clearly.

-

What she didn't expect was that after so many years, she and he would meet again and not recognize each other.

This is not surprising, as he was wearing a mask at the time.

As for her, she had not yet developed at that time, and the sunlight in the plateau made her face dark and red. Naturally, her appearance was not the same as it is now. No wonder he couldn't recognize her.

How could he recognize it?

No matter how meticulous he was or how imaginative he was, he could not possibly connect a small, dark-skinned girl with the pink and lovely Su Yiqing in front of him.

But what he didn't know was that she was actually in the painting he drew.