Fated Deception: How I Accidentally Married a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 22: A New Beginning

The villagers’ envious gazes swept over Su Liyan, filling her with quiet pride. Though she never sought her partner’s wealth, desiring only respect and affection, she couldn’t deny the satisfaction of this moment.

Unlike the city dwellers she rarely encountered, these were people who had dismissed her dreams. The same people who had mocked her aspirations, claiming she would never find prosperity—or if she did, it would come with bitter compromise.

Now here she was, with Lu Yuan beside her.

Su Liyan nestled closer to him, her hands gently holding his arm as if anchoring this newfound happiness. Yet amid her contentment, practicality prevailed. She glanced toward the two older women watching them with undisguised joy.

“Mother, Stepmother,” she called, “please prepare something to eat. My brother and I only had fried dough sticks this morning.”

The mention of their son-in-law’s hunger sent both women hurrying to the kitchen.

“Just some noodles would be fine,” Lu Yuan added with a smile.

His casual request rippled through the onlookers. White flour noodles—a luxury these villagers only tasted during New Year celebrations—mentioned as if an everyday meal.

While the women prepared food, the curious crowd remained, encircling the couple with questions.

“Isn’t free love the fashion in the city now? Why arrange a marriage?” one villager asked, thinly veiling his skepticism.

Lu Yuan’s response was smooth, surprising even Su Liyan at his side. “Liyan and I are very much a love match.”

Confusion crossed every face. Everyone knew a matchmaker had arranged their meeting.

“True love means caring about each other, not backgrounds or conditions,” Lu Yuan continued. “We connected instantly. Everything else—dowries, arrangements—those came after our hearts had already decided. Isn’t that the essence of free love?”

The villagers exchanged knowing glances. This city man was clever with words.

In the kitchen, the mothers listened intently, their hearts warming at their son-in-law’s eloquence. What had begun as a veiled insult from the villager had transformed into something sweet in Lu Yuan’s hands.

Su Liyan felt as though honey flowed through her veins, her body gravitating closer to Lu Yuan’s warmth.

The conversation continued easily, with Lu Yuan answering questions and generously distributing cigarettes and candy among the visitors. As they talked, he noticed a small figure crouching silently nearby.

Su Lina observed from a distance, her curious eyes fixed on Lu Yuan. He knew her story from conversations with his wife—the child of his father-in-law’s fourth wife, Kim Mi-jeong from Korea. Born after her father’s downfall, Su Lina had never known prosperity, only struggle. Unlike his wife, who had experienced at least some childhood comfort, Su Lina had known only hardship from birth.

“Lina, isn’t it? Why sit alone? Come join your brother-in-law,” Lu Yuan called gently.

The girl approached obediently, and Lu Yuan lifted her onto his knee.

“How old are you now?” he asked conversationally.

“Nine years old,” she answered, her voice barely audible.

“Second grade already? Let me test your knowledge,” Lu Yuan suggested playfully.

Su Lina lowered her eyes. “I never went to school.”

The words struck Lu Yuan with unexpected force. Of course—education here required money the family clearly lacked. Even in his former world, compulsory education had come with costs many families struggled to meet.

“Would you like to go to school?” he asked softly.

Su Lina’s face brightened as she nodded. “I want to. Erniu and Xiuhua both go…”

Lu Yuan understood immediately. At nine, she couldn’t grasp education’s transformative power—she simply knew her friends experienced something she was denied.

The two mothers in the kitchen paused their work, hearing the conversation. As educated women from once-prosperous backgrounds, they valued learning deeply. Their inability to provide this opportunity had been a constant ache.

“Then you shall,” Lu Yuan declared. “Not just the town school—you’ll attend the finest government school in the city.”

“Really, brother-in-law?” Su Lina’s voice lifted with hope.

Lu Yuan smiled. “I never make promises I can’t keep. The enrollment period has passed for this year, but next spring, you’ll begin your education in the city.”

Su Lina’s joy was immediate and unrestrained. The watching villagers exchanged meaningful glances, murmuring about the good fortune of having influential connections.

Some whispered with thinly veiled envy: “The Su family has certainly found their way to better circumstances.”

But in that moment, watching the little girl’s happiness, Lu Yuan knew he had made the right decision. Some things transcended social calculations—this was about giving a child her rightful future.