Chapter 2 — Internet Users Love Me

"Van Lang, your mother said that you are willing to marry Khai Nien. She asks you an honest question, is this your own idea, or are you being forced?"
The smile on the model's face froze. Han Thi glanced at her, then turned and gently said to me:
"You can feel free to tell the truth to your aunt. If your mother forces you, she will go to the palace and beg the Queen Mother to take control. As long as your mouth is open, no one will dare to play tricks on your marriage."
I know Han Thi doesn't just talk. She truly loves me. Initially, this love was for Manh Khai Nien, but over the years, it was no longer simply about loving someone and loving all the way. In my previous life, I did not marry Manh Khai Nien but married Luc Van Cu. She did not blame me at all, and even found a pure gold necklace inlaid with jade in the warehouse that she had kept for many years as a dowry for me. I bow my head:
"Uncle, mother doesn't force me. It's my own free will."
As soon as Han Thi heard it, her eyes immediately turned red. Perhaps she never dared to think that I would agree. The story of Manh Khai Nien being both deaf and mute is clearly before our eyes. In the capital, if a girl has some dignity, who would want to marry someone who can't hear or speak?
“Good kid, good kid.” She squeezed my arms tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. "Don't worry, I will treat you as my own daughter. If Khai Nien dares to make you suffer even a little bit of resentment, my aunt will be the first to not forgive her."
"Uncle's father is also very happy. He said he will buy you two a three-class mansion in the south of the city. That place is close to Ba's palace, convenient to get in and out of, and you don't have to crowd under the same roof with your husband's parents. You two can peacefully live your own lives."
Having said that, she told her mother to present the list of bride gifts and give it to her step-mother.
"Even though Khai Nien is a bit inconvenient, you don't need to worry about him not having a future. We, Phu Ba, don't dare to brag about other things, but the inheritance for our children has been accumulated for a long time. Please take a look at this list, it's enough for the children to be able to eat and drink for several generations and still have plenty to spare."
The stepmother received the list, just glanced at it, her face stiffened. The bride price is so generous that I'm afraid she wouldn't have thought of it in her wildest dreams. In my previous life, I had never been respected like that. Luc Van Cu said there should be no ostentation, the wedding was organized coldly and poorly, and was not as good as an ordinary rich family receiving concubines. Up and down the Luc family looked at their master's face and treated others. Seeing that the second young master did not like this new lady, they also looked down on me. Rumors also quickly appeared. People say that that day, Luc Van Cu just happened to pass by the lantern festival, vaguely received a flower scarf, and then was forced by the An family step by step to get married. My father was denounced twice, lost all face, and immediately vented all his anger on me, ordering me not to return to my mother's house if nothing happened. We are like a ball being kicked back and forth by both sides. Nowhere needs me, I can't go anywhere. The more I think about it now, the more I feel that Manh Khai Nien is very good. Six years in my previous life had ground everything in my heart to powder. Whether it's love or hate, it requires strength. But I already have no strength left. In my new life, I just want to find someone who is genuinely kind to me alone, peacefully living out the rest of my days. In the following days, I felt secure at home waiting for the marriage. Manh Gia works very quickly. Not many days after settling in, they sent someone to measure the size, bring four-season fabrics and head jewelry. Thi Han also came personally two more times, each time bringing a lot of things. She noticed that the window cloth in my room was old, so she immediately sent someone to bring a thin roll of pale yellow gauze, saying that in winter it both blocked the wind and penetrated the light. She saw that the inkstone on my desk was cracked, and the next day she brought a Trung Ne stonestone. Each dish is not too precious, but all are prepared with all your heart. The mother-in-law saw it and didn't say anything, but her face didn't look good. Although she hoped this marriage would be successful, she did not expect the Manh family to value me so much. Occasionally she said a few bitter words.
"Van Lang, now you have climbed to a high branch. But after you get married there, don't rely on people to treat you well to show off. You have to think more about the Ba palace."
If it were my previous life, I would probably bow my head and not speak. Now, I just smile, not coldly or indifferently and answer:
“Mother is right.”
The stepmother embarrassed herself and didn't say anything more after that. Perhaps she felt that I was different from before, but she couldn't say exactly what was different. The news that the An family and the Manh family were getting married could not be hidden for long. The tongues of people in the capital are faster than knives. Some people say that the Manh family tramples on the daughters of good families, some say that the An family's stepmother is cruel, and some say that the An family's daughter has a strong eight-character character, cannot kill her elder brother, and can't marry her, so she has to marry a mute person. Passing it back and forth, finally someone said that the An family's lady had pockmarks and deservedly could not find her husband's family.