Chapter 1: Wrong Blind Date, Right Man

“Ugh…”

Tang Xiaorou opened her eyes with a wince, instinctively reaching for the back of her throbbing head. The pain intensified quickly, and with it came a flood of unfamiliar memories.

As she struggled to absorb the memories in her mind, Tang Xiaorou felt like thunder was crashing down around her.

She had just pulled a few all-nighters researching a new prescription how the heck did she become a village girl named Tang Xiaorou in Qingshan Village in the 1970s? Sure, she was an orphan, but she definitely preferred modern life. Disbelieving, she pinched herself hard. The sharp pain told her it was all real.

While she was still reeling in shock and trying to make sense of everything, a chubby middle-aged woman nearby finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Er Ya, thank goodness you’re okay. It’s my fault I dragged you along too quickly.” She hadn’t expected this girl, so frail and delicate, to fall just from picking up the pace a little. Worse, she’d hit her head! The woman had been terrified something serious had happened. Fortunately, the girl seemed mostly fine now.

But of course, something had happened otherwise, Tang Xiaorou wouldn’t be here.

Once she figured out the situation, Tang Xiaorou quickly grabbed the woman’s arm and said, “Auntie Fat, maybe I shouldn’t go anymore.”

Turns out, the original Tang Xiaorou had been on her way to a blind date with this auntie when she fell.

But upon hearing this, the woman frowned. “Er Ya, your mother worked so hard to get this opportunity. Don’t be foolish and throw it away.”

Tang Xiaorou fell silent at that.

The Tang family heavily favored sons over daughters, and her mother, Qin Xueqiong, had only given birth to one daughter her. One could only imagine how hard life had been for the two of them.

This time, her father, Tang Jianshe, was actually planning to marry her off to a nearly 40-year-old bachelor named Yang Erzhu from the next village just because he could offer a bride price of 200 yuan.

But her timid, soft-spoken mother who usually endured everything in silence had suddenly done something bold. Right under the noses of the domineering matriarch and Tang Jianshe, she had secretly arranged this blind date for her daughter. If the man liked her, they could get married right away.

To make it happen, Qin Xueqiong had even stolen the household registration book and given it to her daughter. As for the introduction letter, this auntie had secretly asked the village chief to write it. Heaven knows how much effort it took to pull all this off.

Thinking of this, Tang Xiaorou couldn’t bring herself to refuse anymore.

The auntie saw her hesitation and comforted her, saying, “Er Ya, the man’s family has a dual income. You couldn’t find a better match even with a lantern in broad daylight. If you marry him, your life definitely won’t be hard. Except… except for one thing he might not be able to give you the kind of happiness women expect in that way. But other than that, he’s perfectly fine.”

With that, the woman tugged her along toward the town’s state-run restaurant.

“Er Ya, we’re already here. Just go in and have a look. The man’s tall, and his looks are top-notch. Compared to that Yang Erzhu, they’re like heaven and earth. Your mother would never harm you. More than anyone, she wants to see you live well.”

Under her constant chatter, they soon arrived at the restaurant.

“Er Ya, go on in the man’s waiting inside. Just look for the best-looking one in the room, and that’ll be your blind date partner.” With that, she turned and walked off. “I’m heading to the supply store to grab a few things. I’ll come find you later.”

Watching her leave, Tang Xiaorou took a breath and stepped into the restaurant.

Now she was Tang Xiaorou. And there was no way she was going to let the Tang family marry her off to Yang Erzhu. But for her mother who had shown such rare courage she owed it to her to at least come here and make things clear to the man.

With that in mind, she scanned the room, and her eyes quickly landed on a man she couldn’t look away from.

His features were sharp and cold, his nose high and straight. The angles of his face were clean and defined, giving off an intense, commanding air. When his gaze dropped, his lashes were thick and long, lending a touch of nonchalance. His short, dense hair gave him a wild, untamed aura.

Sure enough, a buzz cut really is the ultimate test of a man’s looks. Even with such short hair, this guy’s astonishingly good looks couldn’t be hidden. As the man noticed her, Tang Xiaorou walked straight over and sat down.

“Hello, my name is Tang Xiaorou. Nice to meet you.”

Shen Huaixu lifted his eyes to look at the petite, thin woman in front of him. Despite her delicate frame, her gaze was firm. He also introduced himself.

“Shen Huaixu, twenty-four years old. My parents work in government-related departments. I have an older brother, and like me, he’s always busy with work. So after we get married, we won’t see each other often.

Most importantly I’ve adopted two children. If you marry me, you’ll be responsible for taking care of them.”

That was exactly why he was in a hurry to get married. But even so, he needed to be upfront with the woman.

“That’s my situation. If you agree, we’ll go get the marriage certificate after this. I’ll give you 2,000 yuan upfront, and 80 yuan per month as living expenses. All you need to do is take care of the kids I won’t interfere with anything else in your life. But if you don’t agree, then after this meal we’ll just go our separate ways.”

Tang Xiaorou was shocked to hear this.

But thinking about how the man was… unable to do “that,” adopting kids seemed reasonable. She had originally planned to gently reject him, but his offer was a little too tempting. According to him, all she had to do was take care of the kids nothing else and she’d get a large sum of money, plus stable monthly income.

“So… you’re just looking for someone to take care of the kids, not a real wife?”

Shen Huaixu didn’t deny it. “That’s right.”

“Then apart from taking care of the kids, I don’t have to fulfill any other wifely duties?”

“No need. Just take care of the children,” he confirmed firmly.

Tang Xiaorou now fully understood his meaning. All they needed was a marriage certificate, and then she’d be legally obligated to care for the kids. At the same time, she could use that certificate as protection so the Tang family could no longer use her marriage as a bargaining chip. It was the simplest and easiest solution for now.

Thinking this through, Tang Xiaorou nodded seriously. “Alright. Let’s go get the marriage certificate.”

Shen Huaixu hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly, but he was glad. “Okay. Let’s go now. We’ll come back for lunch afterward.”

He had already pre-arranged the paperwork for marriage registration, so they could go straight to get it done.

Looking down at the marriage certificate in her hands, which looked almost like an award certificate, Tang Xiaorou felt dazed. She couldn’t believe she’d just gotten married just like that. She was now a married woman.

Shen Huaixu looked a bit emotional too. He hadn’t expected to register for marriage so urgently with a woman he’d just met on a blind date.

But he was about to be deployed on a mission and had to settle everything beforehand. He pulled out the 2,000 yuan and handed it to Tang Xiaorou. “Here’s the money we agreed on. As for the traditional ‘three rounds and one sound’ marriage gifts, I’ll make sure those are ready too.”

Tang Xiaorou accepted the money. She really needed it right now and taking care of kids was no small task. She felt she had earned it.

When the two of them returned to the state-run restaurant, Auntie Fat was pacing anxiously outside. As soon as she saw Tang Xiaorou, she rushed over.

“Er Ya! Why weren’t you waiting inside the restaurant? The man arrived a bit late, and when he didn’t see you, he thought you’d changed your mind about the blind date!”

“What… but I already finished the blind date and got married, too.”