Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

"When I arrived, I discovered that my parents and son were being well taken care of, my mother's research findings had been carried on, and their living quarters were no longer that drafty, dilapidated cowshed..."

He always felt superfluous.

This was completely different from what he had imagined. Wasn't life in the cowshed supposed to be unbearably miserable and precarious? Wasn't it said that those sent down to the countryside wouldn't live more than a few years?

But now? His father, mother, and that brat eat better and sleep more comfortably than him every day—there's a newly built toilet right next door, so he no longer has to run hundreds of meters to the fields to relieve himself like he did. The kang (heated brick bed) is newly made, the walls are whitewashed, the stove is newly built, and even the windows are covered with thick paper, so not a breath of wind can get in.

Then look at himself—when he hid in this dilapidated house half a year ago, there was only a bare wooden bed and drafty walls. In winter, he would shiver from the cold and had to run half a mile in the dark every time he went to the toilet.

No, who exactly is living in the cowshed? Who was sent down to the countryside? This is all backwards!

If it weren't for Guixiang coming over every few days to improve his meals, bringing cloth and blankets, he wouldn't have been able to clean up his dilapidated house so well. Guixiang even paid someone to build a kang (heated brick bed) and paint the walls. Otherwise, he would still be living like a wild man.

Upon hearing Gu Yuan's words, everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

Liu Shuqing was so shocked he didn't know what to say, his eyes wide open: "You...you are actually Old Master Gu's biological son? Do they know you're still alive, and right here? And...and..." He was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

Gu Yuan shook his head, his expression complex: "Of course I don't know. You all know my father; he's incredibly old-fashioned and values ​​rules above all else. If he knew I was hiding here, he'd drag me back tomorrow, putting family aside for the greater good. So I usually have to hide and try not to show my face..."

Su Wanqing's gossip fire was burning fiercely, and she couldn't help but ask, "Since you've been hiding, how come you're with...?" She glanced at Zhou's mother.

This question drew everyone's attention.

Hearing this question, both of them blushed simultaneously. Gu Yuan thought for a moment and then said, "That's because one day three months ago, I happened to go to the field to relieve myself..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou's mother suddenly covered his mouth with her hand, sobbing, "Don't worry about how we met! Things are like this now, you're all here, and Yan Shen is back, so let's think about how to resolve this. Gu Yuan's identity is also a problem now, it's best not to expose it... Anyway, no matter what, I'm going to be with him, or I won't live anymore!"

Zhou's mother—Ding Guixiang—seemed like a completely different person at this moment.

In her youth, she was forced to marry Zhou Yanshen's father, had children, and lived a life of luxury for decades, yet was never happy. She thought her life would end like this, a living death, until she grew old and died. Unexpectedly, in this remote and impoverished place, she would meet a man as brilliant and talented as Gu Yuan.

He was not only the apple of her eye—with his striking eyebrows and bright eyes, refined and gentle demeanor, even the fine lines around his eyes were beautiful when he smiled—but also well-read, eloquent, and exuding scholarly air. He was from a completely different world from her father, Zhou Yanshen, a rogue soldier who only knew how to follow orders and act recklessly.

What made it even harder for her to talk about was that... Zhou's father acted like he was on a mission. Every night, he would ask if she wanted to do it. If she did, he would just go for it without saying a word, recklessly charging in, which always made her very uncomfortable.

She thought that's how things are between husband and wife, and that she could just endure it. It wasn't until she was with Gu Yuan that she realized... that it could actually be like that... that women could be so happy.

The key is that Gu Yuan is young and full of vitality. Being with him makes her feel young again.

Thinking of this, Zhou's mother felt as if she had opened a new door to the world, realizing that she had lived a life that had been wasted!

The two had originally agreed that neither would mind the other's age or poverty, and that once Gu Yuan's parents returned to the city, he would marry her formally. He vowed that by next year at the latest, his connections would allow his parents to be exonerated, and once he regained his status, he would give her a grand wedding and welcome her into his home in a sedan chair carried by eight men.

Zhou's mother was already completely infatuated with him, her mind completely swayed.

Everyone was stunned, their jaws nearly dropping.

Even in this situation, Zhou's mother is determined to stay with Gu Yuan, disregarding the gossip and criticism from the entire village.

Zhou Yanshen's face was ashen, and he remained silent.

Uncle Ding was furious, pointing his finger at Gu Yuan and yelling, "It's fine if you two want to get married! Our family isn't materialistic and insists on marrying up! But you should at least give Grandpa Gu and Aunt Wen an explanation! You should have informed us beforehand! What kind of business is this, this secret dealing? Now that it's been exposed, invite the two elders over and we'll talk things out face to face!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, spitting all over Gu Yuan's face: "What's your situation now? Your parents are in a cowshed, you're an unregistered resident, your class background is a mess, and you have a half-grown son! Is my sister going to marry you to be your maid? To serve the old and then the young? You don't even have a place to live, what are you going to offer her for? To eat her food and live in her house? How dare you!"

Zhou's mother said softly, "He's young and healthy. My older brother doesn't mind that I'm more than ten years older than him, so why would I mind that he's poor?"

Gu Yuan was so overwhelmed by the criticism that he couldn't open his eyes, but he couldn't refute it. For the past few months, Gui Xiang had indeed been supporting him. She had paid for everything—food, supplies, even the kang (heated brick bed) in the house.

He was a grown man, but he was too weak to lift a chicken, and he couldn't carry anything. Apart from learning from his father all his life, he really didn't know anything.

He remained silent for a while, then tentatively asked, "How about... I become a live-in son-in-law?"

"Get lost!" Uncle Ding almost slapped him across the face with the sole of his shoe. If it weren't for his sister protecting Gu Yuan's face today, he would have slapped the kid until his face turned red.

Liu Shuqing was extremely distressed and filled with remorse—he had promised Su Wanqing to take good care of the two elderly comrades, but this had turned out to be such a mess.

He rubbed his temples, feeling his blood pressure rising: "This can't be kept secret. No matter what, Gu Yuan has to write a medical report, and we also need to invite Grandpa Gu and Aunt Wen over..."

It doesn't make sense that the whole village knows, but they keep it from Grandpa Gu. Even if he lives in a cowshed, he can't be talked about every day.

Before he could finish speaking, the door was kicked open with a bang.

Just as Old Man Lu was about to start cursing, he saw Old Master Gu rush in carrying a broom, followed by Aunt Wen and Gu Zhixing.

Grandpa Gu's face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He had obviously overheard the villagers' gossip. At first, he was amused and joined in the fun, since such excitement was indeed rare.