Seeing Mu Jinyue finally smile, Lin Guihua gently patted her head again. “That’s right, you should smile more. Today’s your wedding day, and there’s an old saying—if you leave home with a smile on this day, your future will only get better and luckier.  

“Xiao Yue, marry happily and live peacefully in the city from now on. Your parents aren’t old yet, we can take care of ourselves. You don’t need to worry about us. As for your grandparents, we’ll handle things here—no need for you to concern yourself or miss home.”  

This seemed to be Lin Guihua’s life philosophy. In the original host’s memories, there were very few recollections of her maternal grandparents or uncles, and their family had rarely visited them over the years. Perhaps this was the way many daughters-in-law lived nowadays, but Mu Jinyue had no intention of following suit. Since she had taken over the original host’s body, regardless of the reason for her transmigration, she would take good care of her parents on the original host’s behalf.  

So in the end, she only smiled at Lin Guihua without responding.  

Lin Guihua didn’t press the matter either. Instead, she went to pack Mu Jinyue’s belongings. A bride always needed to bring some dowry with her. The family’s valuables were all in the hands of Grandma Mu, and since she hadn’t given any instructions, Lin Guihua couldn’t touch them. She could only gather what she could from their own meager possessions, managing to fill a small bundle—about the same size as her cousin Mu Jinhua’s dowry bundle. But as for how much the contents actually differed, no one could say.  

Although Grandma Mu didn’t like this granddaughter and hadn’t prepared anything for her, the groom was, after all, a city dweller. Mu Jinyue was the first girl in the entire production brigade to marry into the city, which was a huge honor. So early in the morning, Grandma Mu had ordered the main gate to be opened wide, waiting for the groom’s party to arrive. She even brought out some candies to treat the neighbors.  

As the Mu family’s gate opened, the onlookers who had been waiting for the spectacle gradually made their way over. Thanks to Mu Jinhua’s bragging about marrying into the city, almost everyone in the brigade knew about the Mu family’s urban in-laws!  

Because of this, the Mu family’s wife-swapping scheme couldn’t be hidden. Mu Jinhua’s family didn’t care at all—in Mu Jinhua’s eyes, she was now the wife of a future entrepreneur, and this whole affair would soon become nothing more than an amusing anecdote, hardly worth a second thought.  

Mu Yong and his wife, having heard Mu Jinhua’s talk of wealth, now looked down on ordinary families like the Du family. As for Grandpa and Grandma Mu, one was always frowning with a perpetually grim expression, while the other scowled all day, quick to scold anyone in sight—neither showed any sign of concern.  

The most furious person in the family was probably Mu Chen, the eldest cousin from the uncle’s family. From Mu Jinyue’s observations, in the days after hearing about Mu Jinhua’s switch of grooms, Mu Chen had worn a dark expression for days without a trace of a smile. Later, for some reason, he had returned to his usual self.  

As for what the brigade members thought about all this, Mu Jinyue got a clear picture today.  

Since they were here for the spectacle, they naturally crowded around Mu Jinyue’s room. Leading the charge was the brigade leader’s wife, Wu Yan, followed by a gaggle of young brides and middle-aged women. But the second branch’s room was small, and after just a few people entered, it was already packed. The last one in, a plump auntie, ended up blocking the door entirely, preventing anyone else from squeezing inside.  

After wriggling her way through the crowd, the plump auntie planted herself behind Wu Yan, her eyes sweeping around the room. Before Wu Yan could speak, she cut in first, “Tsk tsk, now that you’ve landed such a good match, the next step is to have your son-in-law help you get a better house, huh?”  

The room fell dead silent at her words, and even Lin Guihua stiffened in embarrassment.  

The atmosphere was tense, but the plump auntie didn’t seem to notice. She just assumed everyone was hanging on her every word and continued, “This really proves the old saying—the second branch of the Mu family looks meek and quiet, but behind the scenes, they snatched their own niece’s marriage right out from under her…”  

Her words grew uglier by the second, and even the mild-tempered Lin Guihua couldn’t hold back her anger. But she wasn’t one to curse, so she could only shake her head and try to explain, her face flushing red with frustration, her body trembling uncontrollably.  

Mu Jinyue grasped Lin Guihua’s shaking hand and looked up at the plump auntie, whose face was alight with schadenfreude. From her memories, this was Old Liu’s wife, a woman with a sharp tongue. Whether it was men or women, no matter whose family, she always had to poke and prod with sarcastic remarks, as if she took pleasure in it.  

Mu Jinyue stared at her and asked slowly, enunciating each word, “Did you see it happen?”  

Caught off guard by the question, Auntie Liu blinked, then immediately puffed up with smugness. “Hah! Do I need to see it? Isn’t it obvious?”  

“Obvious? I don’t understand what ‘obvious’ means. Did Auntie Liu see it herself? Or did someone tell you? Or maybe… you were eavesdropping outside our wall?”  

Mu Jinyue’s voice was calm, her expression blank, as if she were merely asking an ordinary question.  

But Auntie Liu found her words insulting and immediately planted her hands on her hips. “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?”  

Before Mu Jinyue could respond, Wu Yan smoothly cut in, “Enough of that. Today is Yueyue’s happy day. Ah, I still remember when she was just a tiny thing, following her parents to the fields to help. And now she’s getting married.”  

Seeing Wu Yan change the subject, the more tactful women in the room quickly chimed in.  

“Yes, Yueyue has always been sensible. She’s been known as one of the best-behaved kids in the brigade.”  

Even Lin Guihua, who had been silently seething, could recognize a lifeline when she saw one. She nodded along. “Y-Yes, Yueyue has always been a good child.”

With the brigade leader’s wife smoothing things over, Auntie Liu didn’t get another chance to speak, and the atmosphere in the room gradually relaxed, turning lively with chatter and laughter.  

But this had little to do with Mu Jinyue. Though she was the bride of the day, in the eyes of the elders, a new bride was naturally expected to be shy. And after her earlier display, no one dared to engage her too much.  

Mu Jinyue was perfectly content with the peace and quiet, sitting calmly on the kang as she waited for the so-called groom.  

Unexpectedly, as the time for the groom’s arrival approached, there was still no movement outside. The chatter in the room gradually died down, and many people craned their necks to look out.  

Even Mu Yong, who had been busy entertaining guests in the courtyard, sensed something was wrong. He called over his two sons and sent them to the village entrance to check. The boys ran off but soon returned—the village entrance was eerily quiet, with no sign of anyone coming.  

At this point, even the most oblivious could tell something was amiss. Grandma Mu immediately summoned Mu Yong inside.  

Just then, Mu Jinhua returned. Zhou Feng, who had been entertaining the brigade members in the yard, abandoned her guests the moment she saw her daughter and pulled Mu Jinhua into the house. After all, a niece’s wedding was far less important than her own daughter.  

“Why did you come back alone? Where’s Zhou Shi?”  

Mu Jinhua plopped down on the edge of the kang, leaning back against the quilt before answering lazily, “He had something to do, so I didn’t ask him to come with me.”  

Besides, today was hardly a joyous occasion—she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Zhou Shi.  

Hearing that her son-in-law was busy, Zhou Feng didn’t press further. After all, he was going to be a big boss in the future, and unconsciously, they had begun to feel a bit intimidated by him.  

Dropping the subject, Zhou Feng lowered her voice and whispered to Mu Jinhua, “What’s going on with the Du family? Why haven’t they shown up yet? Did you dream about this?”  

At her mother’s words, Mu Jinhua stiffened for a moment before quickly relaxing again. “How should I know? Dreams aren’t omniscient. Who knows what’s up with the Du family? Anyway, I’ve already given her this good match—whether she can actually marry into the city depends on her own luck.”  

Zhou Feng nodded in agreement. A match this good would have been beyond the second branch’s reach in the past—they should be grateful.  

“Alright, I won’t keep you. There are still people outside—I’ll go entertain them. You rest here.” With that, Zhou Feng left.  

Only when her mother was out of sight did Mu Jinhua let out a quiet sigh. Her life had already diverged from her past one—from now on, she would be the wife of an entrepreneur!  

The past was the past. The Du family belonged to her previous life, and she would never allow a second person to know about that humiliation.  

Lost in thought, she stood and walked to the window, peering through the half-open frame at the whispering crowd outside. Just like in her past life, the Du family hadn’t sent anyone to fetch the bride. Back then, she had endured their pointing fingers and entered the city with a heart full of unease, only to…  

She closed her eyes, unwilling to revisit those memories. Everything was different now, and she would never suffer such disgrace again. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder—how would Mu Jinyue handle this situation?  

….

As time slipped away and it became clear they couldn’t wait any longer, the Mu family decided to take action. Grandpa Mu declared that since the Du family hadn’t come, they would go to them—to demand an explanation for this insult!  

The brigade members, who had initially come for the spectacle, now rallied together. Brigade Leader Xu called out, “Old Mu, we’ve got a horse cart at our place. Take it to the commune—it’ll be faster.”  

Even the most gossipy among them, including the sharp-tongued Auntie Liu, stepped forward. “We’ll go with you! What’s the meaning of this? Do they think us country folk are easy to bully? We’ve got to stand together—can’t let your family be wronged!”  

“That’s right!” Others chimed in enthusiastically.  

The brigade’s sense of solidarity was complicated. In daily life, they helped each other out, but if someone prospered, they’d gossip with envy. Yet if a family fell into poverty or was wronged by outsiders, they’d band together without hesitation to defend their own.  

Amid the clamor, Grandpa Mu’s weathered face finally cracked into a smile. The enthusiastic support was proof of his standing in the village—how could he not be pleased? But while he appreciated the sentiment, he couldn’t possibly let everyone tag along. Who knew what kind of scene awaited them?  

He shot a meaningful glance at Grandma Mu, who immediately stepped forward with polite refusals. In the end, only the Mu family boarded Brigade Leader Xu’s horse cart to the commune—with Xu and his son personally escorting them.