SFL Chapter 36

This dream left Shen Baiyi drenched in cold sweat, even after waking up, the heaviness in her chest lingered for a while before she shook off the dream’s emotions. Although she assured Xu Lin that it was just a dream, its vividness made her question if it represented an alternate life.

In the end, the dream version of Shen Baiyi regretted turning herself into a dependent existence. This realization served as a wake-up call, yet contemplating the dream felt absurd, considering the mismatch between her and Nan Jinchen in reality.

The current Nan Jinchen is nothing like the dream version. Shen Baiyi, unlike her dream self, isn’t blindly navigating life for love; she knows her preferences and future plans.

Relieved, Shen Baiyi’s body relaxed, a fleeting sense of relief coursing through her.

On the other side, Nan Jinchen guides his daughter through life, emphasizing the importance of a strong inner self over material wealth. While Gu Zhenzhen empathizes, she reflects on her own less controlled childhood.

Nan Jinchen acknowledges the uncertainties his daughter may face in relationships, contrasting the visible good and bad in people. He values accompanying her in the first half of life, recognizing that her growth requires effort in the latter.

These thoughts prompt the young princess of the Nan family to wear a puzzled expression, feeling more like her mother’s little princess despite her father’s protective presence. As she faces a world without the same paternal care, she embraces her role as her own queen.

Unaware of her daughter’s inner thoughts, Gu Zhenzhen spends her wedding anniversary with Nan Jinchen, his words resonating in the backdrop of their family’s complex dynamics.

On this day, not even the presence of their beloved daughter would interrupt the solitude that belonged solely to Gu Zhenzhen. Devoid of the roles of a mother and daughter, she was just the simple Gu Zhenzhen.

Nan Jinchen, in adherence to his long-standing habit, took the day off, canceling all work commitments. Together, he and Gu Zhenzhen had traversed half a lifetime, and only in their later years did they celebrate their wedding anniversary at home, with Gu Zhenzhen now frail and unable to move.

With graying hair, Gu Zhenzhen sat in a recliner, watching her aging spouse engrossed in a book. She spoke, “My dear, do you know what I’m most satisfied with in this lifetime?”

“Definitely everything,” Nan Jinchen replied, gazing at Gu Zhenzhen with 100% sincerity.

“It’s your physique. I never expected that after so many decades, your body remains unchanged,” Ge Zhenzhen said with a smile. Such words might have been embarrassing in her youth, but after years of marriage, she had shed any inhibitions.

“So, in the end, you’re still lusting after my body,” Nan Jinchen retorted with a hint of exasperation.

“What about you? What do you like about me?” Gu Zhenzhen asked.

“I like what I like. Why complicate it? If I have to explain, it’s because you fit my aesthetic preferences,” Nan Jinchen replied.

Before coming to this era, Nan Jinchen was a modern successful man, comparable to his achievements in almost every aspect except lacking a wife. Naturally, he preferred modern-type women, and Gu Zhenzhen stood out among them. Seeing her, he made his choice at first sight.

“Cough, cough. After so many years together, what impresses me the most is your perpetually youthful heart, causing me to forget my age at times. Sometimes I think, our time together is too short. It’s too short for me to have you for just a few decades. So, I really can’t bear to part with you, can’t bear to leave you…” Gu Zhenzhen rambled on, gradually trailing off until she fell silent, her face peacefully serene.

Nan Jinchen closed the book in his hands, wiped his eyes, and after a while, began to contact their daughter.

Unfortunately, when their little princess arrived, both she and Nan Jinchen departed. The only thing Nan Jinchen truly couldn’t bear to leave behind in this world was his daughter. Seeing her heartbroken at the loss of her parents, the soul of Nan Jinchen, who had already departed, sighed gently and reached out to touch her head.

Following his will, Nan Jinchen’s only daughter inherited one-tenth, while the remaining nine-tenths were donated to the country.

The accumulation of wealth by the world’s richest person over decades is exceptionally substantial. Taking over such wealth would be challenging for anyone other than a country. Even with Nan Jinchen’s status as the sole daughter, it might not have been guaranteed. Accepting Nan Jinchen’s bequest naturally required following his wishes, especially regarding his only daughter.

After numerous donations of his wealth, Nan Jinchen gathered the merit gained from helping others with his money. Dividing it into three parts, one went to Gu Zhenzhen, one to the heavenly path, and the final part remained for his beloved daughter.

The benefits of the merit were many, prompting these individuals to go through the trouble of obtaining it.

With merit, the nation, and the heavenly path securing him, Nan Jinchen could finally guide his wife’s soul back peacefully.

…

[The Third Male Lead – Merchant-born Wife]

[Ding! Target Strategy: Liu Jinniang.

The current favorability of the target towards the host is: 20%.]

[The start has been smooth. Host, keep up the good work!]

The male lead, Mei Mingxuan, had two wives in his lifetime.

The first wife was Liu Jinniang, born into a merchant family. Although her family was wealthy, during this era of distinct social classes, the merchant class held the lowest status.

In contrast, Mei Mingxuan, having obtained the status of a scholar, belonged to the ‘scholar’ class in the social hierarchy.

Such individuals with different backgrounds would typically be considered mismatched, but such unions were common in ancient times.

As the saying goes, “We were not destined, it all relies on your wealth.” Although merchants had a lower status, having wealth in hand made them sought after. Once they had money, they sought to gain influence to protect their property.

Ordinary merchants couldn’t connect with the upper echelons of power, as those who had already achieved success were beyond their reach. Thus, those talented scholars who hadn’t yet entered official service became targets for many merchants.

Merchants invested in these scholars, and once the scholars achieved success, they repaid the merchants who had invested in them. It was a mutually beneficial relationship where both parties obtained what they desired.

One common means for merchants was to marry off their daughters to scholars, making the marriage between a scholar and a merchant’s daughter a basic configuration in the lower ranks of the literati.

After all, it was considered a high-status relationship when a merchant’s daughter married into a scholar’s family, not the other way around. Therefore, it wasn’t a rare occurrence.

Mei Mingxuan and his first wife, Liu Jinniang, had such a relationship. Liu’s father, a merchant, saw Mei Mingxuan’s literary talent and decided to marry off his daughter, providing dowry support for Mei Mingxuan to continue his studies. If Mei Mingxuan succeeded in the future, the Liu family, as in-laws, would naturally benefit. Even if Mei didn’t succeed, having a scholar as a son-in-law would still be a prestigious matter for Liu’s father.

Unfortunately, Liu’s father didn’t know that the son-in-law he chose wasn’t a talented and virtuous individual but rather a cunning schemer.

As a scholar, the original host felt deeply humiliated to have married a merchant-born wife. The only reason he accepted the marriage proposal from the Liu family was purely for the sake of money.

The original host, from a humble background, had depleted all his family savings just to support his education until he achieved the status of a scholar. Faced with the possibility of discontinuing his education and closing off his path to an official career, the original host, unwillingly and begrudgingly, accepted the olive branch extended by the Liu family in hopes of continuing his studies with their financial support.

After marriage, Liu Jinniang exhausted her dowry and put in all her efforts to support her husband’s aspirations. However, when the day arrived for her husband Mei Mingxuan to achieve success, she, unfortunately, didn’t enjoy the glory she deserved. Instead, she was forced to step down to make way for a more distinguished woman, an official’s daughter and the rightful wife of the male lead, Teng Meiming.

The original host’s second wife was that official’s daughter, the one he had fallen for in the novel. He perceived her as embodying all the positive qualities, in stark contrast to his first wife from a lower background. She was the ideal wife he had dreamt of in his youth.

By the time the male and female leads encountered each other, the male lead’s first wife had already been drained of her dowry. As Mei Mingxuan gained success and support from both the Yue family and the Liu family became less significant in the eyes of the original host, he easily discarded his first wife and cast away the ties to the Liu family.

Later, Mei Mingxuan, using the foundation laid by his first wife, married his second wife and climbed the social ladder by marrying into the prominent Yue family. He perfected the art of living off others.

Of course, the original novel portrayed the male lead in a more favorable light, justifying his actions. In the original storyline, the reason for discarding Liu Jinniang was her crude and vulgar behavior—illiterate, unable to contribute to the male lead’s refinement, and always talking about money, tarnishing the male lead’s dignified image.

However, with the memories of the original host, Mei Mingxuan knew that this negative portrayal of Liu Jinniang was intentionally fabricated by him, the person sharing his bed. From the moment he decided to form a union with the Liu family, the original host had planned to sever ties with the Liu family, considering it a stain on his life, solely because Liu Jinniang came from a merchant background.