FIMA Ch99: Married [Arc 6]

Gu Siyuan felt like he had been asleep for a long time, long enough for many memories to slip away and many unfamiliar ones to be forcibly crammed in.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him was a vast field of golden rapeseed flowers, and around him were the sounds of people chatting and the distinctive “bang bang” of a tractor engine.

He was sitting on a tractor driving down a country road.

Most of the people around him were gaunt, wearing washed-out, even tattered, homespun clothes.

Only a few young people were well-dressed, clearly not locals, likely new urban youth sent down to the countryside.

It was the late 1970s in a parallel world’s timeline.

…

About forty minutes later, the tractor stopped at the entrance of the Front Production Team’s headquarters. Gu Siyuan, carrying a bulging woven bag, deftly jumped out of the compartment.

An enthusiastic auntie called out, “Siyuan, remember to visit my place later…”

The tractor driver, Uncle Li, also smiled, “Siyuan, if the team’s tractor breaks down next time, I’ll come to you for help again to save a trip to the commune for a mechanic.”

Gu Siyuan nodded indifferently, “Okay.”

Even after he walked away, the aunts behind him were still discussing: “Gu Lao San is really something. He went out to work and managed to learn car repair and driving skills.”

“He seems quiet and reserved, but he’s very capable. If he hadn’t noticed the problem with the tractor on the road just now, that minibus would have crashed into us, and we would’ve been…”

“Yeah, it’s frightening to think about.”

The young educated youths who had also gotten off the truck were squinting at Gu Siyuan’s departing figure.

Carrying the woven bag, Gu Siyuan walked along the village road toward the west side of the village.

Their village was called Yunxi Village, but in this era, the main organizational unit was the production team. Work points, grain, and even certifications were all arranged by the production team.

Yunxi Village was a large village with three production teams: Victory, Prosperity, and Forward. The Gu family belonged to the Forward production team, and the members of this team lived on the west side of Yunxi Village.

Gu Siyuan, tall and long-legged, walked quickly. Within a few minutes, he could see the wall of the Gu family’s courtyard.

At this moment, several loud voices were clearly heard.

“Nowhere to be seen when there’s work in the kitchen, but runs faster than anyone else when it’s time to eat? Starving ghost reincarnated, huh?”

Inside the Gu family courtyard, Mother Gu banged her bowl on the table, staring intently at Xie Yiyang, who was in the middle of picking up food.

Xie Yiyang calmly put the food from his chopsticks into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.

Then, with a smile, he slowly looked at Gu Lili, who was sitting opposite him, and said, “Lili, you should work harder in the future, so that Mom doesn’t have to scold you even during meals.”

Gu Lili had been secretly enjoying watching Xie Yiyang’s trouble while eating.

This third sister-in-law was the most selfish and annoying person. Everyone in the Gu family disliked him, and it was a common occurrence for him to be scolded by their mother.

Unexpectedly, he now dared to push the blame onto him. Ridiculous.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Mother Gu’s anger flared up even more.

She directly pointed her chopsticks at Xie Yiyang, scolding, “What nonsense are you spouting, daring to bully Lili while taking the opportunity?”

Xie Yiyang continued to smile and said, “Mom, if you talk about bullying, it’s you bullying. I’m just repeating your words.”

“You… you…” Mother Gu was so angry that her hands trembled.

Xie Yiyang continued, “Mom, honestly, have you been dissatisfied with Lili for never doing any work and always eating the best? Otherwise, why would you scold her even while eating?”

Mother Gu retorted, “You shameless thing, stop diverting the topic. I’m scolding you.”

Xie Yiyang stopped smiling and said calmly, “Oh, so in the Gu family, daughters-in-law must do much more work than their own sons, or they get scolded even while eating. But their own sons can laze around at home, doing nothing. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll make sure to spread the word in the village. With such a great family tradition, the marriages of the fourth brother and Lili will surely be very successful.”

“You dare threaten me?” Mother Gu was furious, slamming her chopsticks on the table.

The others also turned their gazes over.

Xie Yiyang quickly put the last bite of food in his bowl into his mouth, then said slowly, “How did I threaten you? Oh, I just repeated what you did. That’s a threat? So, you know your actions can’t be revealed to outsiders, and that you’ve been overly biased toward Lili?”

Mother Gu glared at him, “So what if I’m biased toward Lili? How dare you compare to my Lili? He’s a natural-born lucky star, destined to enjoy life and eat the best food…”

Hearing this, Xie Yiyang wasn’t angry. Instead, he said in a gloomy tone, “Mom, I advise you not to say that. A few years ago, during the campaign to destroy old customs, I heard that even the temples on the mountains were demolished. If you keep calling him a lucky star, are you promoting feudal superstitions?”

“What did you say?”

Hearing this, Mother Gu’s face completely changed.

Gu Lili, who had been watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but angrily shout, “Third sister-in-law, how dare you talk nonsense like this?”

Xie Yiyang glanced at him coolly, then sneered, “What’s wrong? Did I not tell the truth? You enjoy the benefits of being a lucky star daily without a word, but now you can’t take it?”

“You…” Gu Lili’s fair face turned red with anger.

“Hmph…” Xie Yiyang ignored him, stood up with his bowl and chopsticks, and said, “I’m done eating. Dad, Mom, big brother, sister-in-law, take your time.”

At this moment, Gu Dahai, the eldest grandson of the Gu family, who always defended Gu Lili, ran over angrily and rammed his head into Xie Yiyang, “How dare you bully my little uncle? I’ll knock you down!”

Xie Yiyang’s expression changed.

Although he was sharp-tongued, he was still a small guy, while Gu Dahai was a ten-year-old half-grown boy. With this sudden impact, he lost control and fell backward.

He cursed inwardly, thinking that the doorstep was made of blue stone. Falling down would be a heavy loss. If he had known, he would have held back and not argued.

Unlucky…

However, in the next moment, his back pressed against a warm and firm chest, and his waist was securely held.

Then he heard the astonished voices of Mother Gu, Gu Lili, and the others: “Third…”

“Third brother… you’re back?”

Xie Yiyang squinted slightly.

Oh, it turned out his husband, who had run off to work the day after their wedding and hadn’t been seen for half a year, was back?

“Stand still.”

At this moment, a slightly cold and hoarse male voice sounded in his ear.

Xie Yiyang was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the person behind him, murmuring, “Gu Siyuan…”

Gu Siyuan nodded, saying calmly, “I’m back.”

Xie Yiyang first felt a surge of joy, but then couldn’t help but pout.

So what if you’re back?

Hmph, a guy who ran off to work the day after their wedding, instigated by the Gu family, was he really expecting him to stand up for him?

Mother Gu looked at the tall figure standing at the door. She paused for a moment before smiling and saying, “Lao San, you’re back today. Why didn’t you tell us in advance? The food has already been divided up. It’s your wife who always takes the driest portions from the pot…”

Gu Siyuan glanced at Mother Gu and said coldly, “If there’s no food, so be it. I’ll go rest in my room for a bit.”

After speaking, he gave Xie Yiyang a sideways glance, then carried the burlap sack and walked to his room.

Both Mother Gu and Gu Lili frowned, feeling that Lao San had changed a lot after being away for half a year.

The Gu family’s house was newly built when Gu Siyuan’s elder brother got married. Although it was made of mud bricks, it was large with many rooms, totaling eight, including the front, back, left, and right.

Xie Yiyang followed Gu Siyuan into the room and immediately closed the door behind him.

Gu Siyuan ignored his action, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked around.

The adobe house was very clean, making the sparse furnishings seem even more bare. Aside from an old wardrobe, there was only the wooden bed he was sitting on and a worn-out small low table by his side.

Additionally, there was a long table with small wooden blocks propping it up under the window.

On the table was a broken pottery vase, but it held a few freshly picked wildflowers, adding a touch of freshness and elegance to the old room.

Xie Yiyang looked at him and asked irritably, “Why did you bring me in here? Did you bring me a gift or something?”

He couldn’t muster much affection for this husband who had disappeared without a word right after they got married.

“Yes,” Gu Siyuan responded lightly.

“…” Xie Yiyang was a bit surprised.

He actually has something?

Hesitant, he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Gu Siyuan placed the burlap sack down, untied the opening, and said indifferently, “I bought all of these. See if you need any of them.”

Xie Yiyang was initially indifferent, but when he caught a glimpse of the items inside the open sack, his eyes lit up. Without waiting for Gu Siyuan to say more, he dragged the sack to himself and began rummaging through it excitedly.

Watching his sudden change in attitude, Gu Siyuan thought back to the argument in the courtyard earlier and mused to himself: The personality of this mission target is indeed just as the system’s information described.

This was the late 1970s in a parallel world.

However, unlike Gu Siyuan’s original world, this one had the existence of “gers.”

The protagonist of this world, the “shou”, was a “ger” and a popular koi, who had just had a dispute with Xie Yiyang—Gu Lili.

Mother Gu had five children in total, with Gu Lili being the youngest, the fifth child.

There was an incident when Mother Gu was pregnant with him.

At the time, winter had just passed, and food was scarce in the brigade. Several women were assigned to go up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. This was usually considered an easy task compared to working in the fields, and they might even find some bird eggs or fruits to bring home as a treat.

Despite being pregnant, Mother Gu was part of this group.

However, just as they reached the foot of the mountain, her belly started to hurt intensely, and she had no choice but to return home.

It was initially a regrettable event.

But by evening, they learned that wild boars had come down early in search of food and the group of women had encountered three wild boars head-on.

Five women died, and the three survivors were severely injured. Their medical expenses drained their family savings, and one of them even lost an eye.

Mother Gu was extremely grateful and treasured the child in her belly, believing it was his blessing and fortune that saved her.

After the child was born, any good event at home was attributed to this “ger,” considered by Mother Gu to be fortunate and blessed.

Mother Gu brainwashed her husband, then her sons and daughters, and later her daughters-in-law. When her sons had children, she continued to brainwash the grandchildren.

In essence, the core belief in the Gu family was that everyone should pamper Gu Lili because he was the most fortunate person in the world.

People in rural areas were not well-educated, and after years of brainwashing, they believed it to be true.

However, among ordinary people, there are always a few rebels.

The original character, Gu Lao San’s wife, Xie Yiyang, was one of them.

He couldn’t care less about pampering some “lucky” ger. He himself was constantly hungry and poorly clothed, working to death in the fields.

And they still expected him to pamper someone who had new clothes, sweets to eat, and never had to work in the fields? They must be out of their minds.

Xie Yiyang had a fiery and selfish personality.

In such a storyline revolving around a popular koi character, he naturally became a cannon fodder antagonist.

Xie Yiyang was not from Yunxi Village.

He was originally from Qing Shui County, and his father, Xie Hui, was an accountant at the local soda factory, which was a very respectable job at the time.

However, Xie Yiyang was not Xie Hui’s biological son but an adopted one.

Xie Hui and his wife had been married for many years without having children. At the age of thirty-five, they paid a broker to buy a child, who was Xie Yiyang.

They originally wanted a boy, but boys were closely guarded by their families and hard to come by, leaving only girls and “gers” available.

When Xie Yiyang first came to the Xie family, the couple treated him well.

However, the year after he arrived, Mrs. Xie miraculously got pregnant and gave birth to a “ger,” Xie Jinyu.

This made Xie Yiyang’s position in the family awkward.

Especially as the two children grew older.

Firstly, when Xie Yiyang was newly adopted, the Xie family arranged a child betrothal with the Chen family in the county. The Chen family’s status was similar to theirs back then, but in recent years, the Chen family caught an opportunity and started working at the county revolutionary committee, gaining some status and influence.

Secondly, Xie Hui had performed well in his accounting job over the years, earning a temporary worker status at the factory.

Regardless of the engagement with the Chen family or the job position, the Xie couple naturally wanted to give it to their own biological “ger.”

Thus, Xie Yiyang was sent to the countryside to live with Mrs. Xie’s family, hoping to quickly marry him off, even without a bride price.

Coincidentally, the Gu family was looking for a spouse for their third son.

Xie Yiyang had known from a young age that he wasn’t the Xie family’s biological child, so he didn’t have much resentment about being abandoned. However, he was aware that some families would sell their daughters or “gers” to men with problems for money.

After spending some time in the countryside, he found Gu Lao San to be quite acceptable. The man worked diligently and seemed honest, so Xie Yiyang decided to marry him.

The Gu family also thought that a daughter-in-law who didn’t require a bride price was a good deal, so both parties quickly agreed.

However, after marrying into the Gu family, it was no surprise that Xie Yiyang frequently clashed with the Gu family members, especially with Gu Lili.

Xie Yiyang, being a “ger,” naturally didn’t have much strength and wasn’t familiar with farm work, having grown up in the county. Moreover, he wasn’t the type to endure hardship, so he could only earn about four or five work points a day, while the most industrious “gers” could earn seven or eight.

However, Xie Yiyang had calculated things privately.

Father Gu and Mother Gu could earn about sixteen or seventeen work points a day, but Lao Si (Old Four)  was studying in technical school and didn’t work, and Gu Lili didn’t work either while having the best food and clothing. They all relied on Father Gu and Mother Gu’s earnings, so those sixteen or seventeen points were divided among four people, which wasn’t much.

Meanwhile, the eldest son’s family, though capable, earning around eighteen work points a day, had three children to feed.

In their third household, even though Xie Yiyang could only earn four or five points a day, he was the only one to feed.

Moreover, although his husband Gu Siyuan had gone to dig canals, he brought back his monthly salary of twenty yuan, which he handed over to Mother Gu, becoming the family’s largest income source.

Given all this, why should he work himself to the bone?

Realistically speaking, the entire Gu family was taking advantage of their third household.

So, at home, Xie Yiyang tried to emulate the lifestyle of Gu Lili, who lived the easiest life in the family.

After all, he was only two years older than Gu Lili.

After returning home from the fields, he generally wouldn’t take the initiative to do chores, just kept his own room clean. However, when it was time to eat, he wouldn’t back down. Whenever there were good things, he would actively fight for them, never yielding to Gu Lili.

Xie Yiyang thought his reasoning was solid.

But this behavior was intolerable in the Gu family.

Especially for Gu Lili, who was doted on by everyone, this third sister-in-law was extremely annoying.

Not only did he compete with him for everything, causing unrest in the family, but he also looked seductive.

Gu Lili thought that when his third brother returned, he would have them divorce. After all, his third brother always listened to him.

However, just half a year after Xie Yiyang married into the Gu family, Gu Lao San finally finished digging the canal. But the tractor he was riding home was hit by a small bus and crashed into a ditch, killing him.

Xie Yiyang became a widower.

And since Gu Lao San had left right after the wedding, they hadn’t had the chance to consummate the marriage, leaving no child.

Already disliked by the Gu family, Xie Yiyang was now even more unwelcome, and they wanted to kick him out.

However, Xie Yiyang demanded that if they wanted him to leave, they had to give him the compensation from the transport company and Gu Lao San’s wages over the years.

The Gu family couldn’t agree to this, as it amounted to several hundred yuan.

So, Xie Yiyang refused to leave and threatened to hang himself at the Gu family’s door if they bullied him.

In this era, aside from those with nothing to lose, most people cared about their reputation, especially with the vigilant red armband patrols.

Thus, Xie Yiyang stayed in the Gu family, though he was even more unwelcome and his status was lower than before.

Around this time, the protagonist shou, Gu Lili, caught the eye of Feng Keng, a young intellectual who had come to the village.

Feng Keng’s family was well-off, with his father being a government official.

After graduating from high school, he was supposed to be assigned as a secretary in the city government, but his stepmother schemed to have him sent to the countryside.

Naturally, someone like Feng Keng wasn’t content with being a mere farmer.

With his quick mind and social skills, he quickly built a good relationship with the brigade leader, securing the easy job of driving a tractor. Using delivery trips as an opportunity, he frequently visited the county to gather the latest political news and engage in some side trading, living quite comfortably.

Normally, someone like him wouldn’t look twice at a rural “ger.”

But the Gu family was good-looking, especially Gu Lili, who didn’t have to work and was well taken care of, looking fair and delicate. Compared to other “gers” and girls in the village, he was like a fairy among mortals.

Additionally, Mother Gu valued education for Gu Lili, who was the only one in the family to continue his studies up to high school, allowing him to have meaningful conversations with Feng Keng.

Most importantly, Gu Lili was indeed lucky, always finding valuable items when he went up the mountain, contributing to Feng Keng’s trading business.

Perhaps because life in the countryside was tough, Feng Keng and Gu Lili got together and started doing business together.

With Feng Keng’s connections and brains, and Gu Lili’s luck, always stumbling upon good finds, their business flourished.

Xie Yiyang was astute and noticed that Gu Lili’s spending had increased significantly, sparking his curiosity about his source of income.

Life in the Gu family had been difficult for him since Gu Lao San’s death.

Not long after, during a trip to the county, he secretly followed Gu Lili and saw him and Feng Keng carrying large bags into a courtyard in an alley, tightly closing the door behind them.

When the two of them came out again, their hands were empty, but their faces were filled with joy.

What on earth were they up to?

As they were leaving the alley, Xie Yiyang immediately asked them about their secret.

Gu Lili and Feng Keng were startled; they never expected to be secretly followed. However, Feng Keng, being clever, quickly came up with an excuse to deal with the situation.

But Gu Lili remained uneasy, sensing trouble.

Xie Yiyang wasn’t a fool. Although he hadn’t figured it out yet, he might soon piece together their spending patterns and realize that they were engaging in black-market trading.

If any other Gu family member caught Gu Lili engaging in black-market trading, at most, they would scold him, warn him not to do it again, and then help him cover it up.

But Xie Yiyang, always at odds with him and known for his sharp tongue, would probably threaten to report him or blackmail him for a good profit.

What’s more, from then on, Gu Lili would be at Xie Yiyang’s mercy, subject to his whims.

How could Gu Lili tolerate Xie Yiyang reaping benefits from his hard work?

So, after discussing with Feng Keng, they came up with a plan to strike first.

Gu Lili, who often visited the county, knew something about Xie Yiyang’s family. He knew that Xie Yiyang once had a fiancé named Chen Zexin who worked at the county revolutionary committee, but later married Xie Yiyang’s brother, Xie Jinyu.

So, he secretly sent a letter to Chen Zexin, pretending to be Xie Yiyang, saying that his husband had died, he was very lonely, and wanted to meet.

Chen Zexin naturally remembered Xie Yiyang, having been attracted to his good looks since childhood, but gave up the idea when he heard that Xie Yiyang had voluntarily married a countryman.

But now, with Xie Yiyang a widower, the letter’s tone seemed to suggest he wanted to return to Chen Zexin’s embrace.

A married person, a widower—rumor had it that these situations had a unique charm.

So, Chen Zexin eagerly went to the rendezvous.

Seeing Xie Yiyang, Chen Zexin, filled with lust, immediately pounced on him.

At this moment, Xie Jinyu happened to arrive.

He had received a letter at home, saying that his husband was secretly meeting someone, and now he saw it was true.

Seeing everything before him, he immediately caused a scene.

Chen Zexin, frightened, immediately blamed Xie Yiyang, saying he had written the letter to seduce him.

Chen Zexin worked in the government, and reputation was very important.

At this moment, Feng Keng also brought the county revolutionary committee’s inspection team.

Chen Zexin’s father was a member of the revolutionary committee, so the team leader knew him. Regardless of Xie Yiyang’s explanations, he immediately concluded that it was all Xie Yiyang’s fault, and Chen Zexin was just meeting an old acquaintance.

Given Xie Yiyang’s appearance, he didn’t look like an honest person.

And there was the letter as evidence.

Thus, Xie Yiyang, after just one trip to the county, became a despised person, caught and criticized, and pelted with rotten eggs.

When he finally returned to the village after enduring the criticism, everyone knew about it.

The Gu family took this opportunity to drive Xie Yiyang out. Injured and cold and hungry, Xie Yiyang died that winter.

As for the protagonist couple, they participated in the college entrance examination a year later, got into a university in Beijing, and used the wealth accumulated from their black-market trading to start a business, eventually becoming renowned wealthy entrepreneurs nationwide.

…

“Mission: Change Xie Yiyang’s fate and ensure he finds happiness.

Success reward: One lottery chance.

Failure penalty: No reward.”

Xie Yiyang excitedly took out the enamel spittoon from the top of the snakeskin bag, placed it on the ground, and then took out a pack of orange candies and a pack of White Rabbit milk candies from it.

Hugging the spittoon and the candies, Xie Yiyang raised his delicate eyebrows, his eyes sparkling, and asked, “Are all these for me?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, “If you like them, just keep them in your room.”

Originally, with his honest personality, he would have handed these over to Mother Gu or given them to Gu Lili, but now, they were for his nominal wife and mission target.

Xie Yiyang immediately nodded happily, “Okay, you better not go back on your word.”

Then, he turned around and continued excitedly rummaging through the bag.

Soon, he pulled out a yellow and blue tin box with the words ‘Pechoin’ on it—snow cream, a favorite among gers and girls.

Xie Yiyang immediately turned around, excitedly hugging Gu Siyuan, “Gu Lao San, I misunderstood you before, you’re a good husband.”

“Mm?” Gu Siyuan.

But before he could react, the warm, soft body had already left him.

Xie Yiyang jumped to the windowsill with the snow cream, took out a strange little mirror from a drawer, and began to carefully apply the cream to his face.

“…” Gu Siyuan remained silent.

This mission target was indeed practical.