Chapter 11

“No, I disagree. How can you just change a marriage that has been decided?”

The crowd was abuzz, and Li Jian loudly objected. He wasn’t blind; Zhan Xinyue was far more beautiful than Zhan Hongyan. One was a bright moon in the sky, while the other was like a weed on the ground, covered in dust. Even if she was just a decorative piece in the house, he wanted someone beautiful.

“Xiao Jian, are you disagreeing because you think Zhan Xinyue is prettier?” Liu Ru Yan frowned and asked softly, her voice tinged with jealousy and dissatisfaction.

Li Jian put down their two children and explained in a low voice, “Zhan Hongyan isn’t as diligent as Zhan Xinyue. You’re not well, and if Zhan Xinyue comes in, she can do more, and you’ll have less to worry about.”

This was the truth. After giving birth to their eldest son, Liu Ru Yan had conceived their youngest son while still recovering from childbirth. After the youngest was born, she was still recovering when they had to leave their hometown. They traveled thousands of miles, dragging their family and belongings from the north to the Chang Hong Brigade to seek refuge with a distant relative. Liu Ru Yan’s postpartum recovery was spent in constant travel, and her health had deteriorated.

When they arrived at the Chang Hong Brigade, it coincided with the abolition of the custom of child brides. They were afraid to speak the truth, so they claimed to be siblings.

For the past two years, Liu Ru Yan had been in poor health and couldn’t do heavy work. Li Jian couldn’t support a family of four alone, so he wanted to find a diligent and capable woman to marry and help him support the family.

“Xiao Jian, I know you’re worried about me, but now that Zhan Xinyue has broken off her engagement with the Zhan family, she won’t have her family to rely on. It’s better to marry Zhan Hongyan. Besides, diligent wives are all trained. Once she’s married, I can naturally make her work hard.” Liu Ru Yan gently persuaded him.

She was Li Jian’s child bride, a few years older than him, and lacked confidence. Although she maintained a good figure and had delicate features, she was still a step behind Zhan Xinyue.

If Zhan Xinyue were to marry in, there was a chance they might develop feelings for each other over time. But if it was Zhan Hongyan, Liu Ru Yan glanced at her dark, sallow face, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. Such a woman was not worthy of her Xiao Jian.

“Alright, I’ll listen to my elder sister.” Li Jian nodded. For all these years, Liu Ru Yan had been the one making decisions, both big and small, and he was used to listening to her.

Zhan Xinyue had good hearing, and she could clearly hear their conversation. She knew it was Zhan Hongyan who would marry in, and she didn’t bother to argue. She sat in her chair, watching the drama unfold with a calm and composed demeanor.

Zhan Xinyue watched the drama with a calm and composed demeanor, while Zhan Hongyan was in a panic. If she couldn’t marry Li Jian and become a wealthy woman, what was the point of being reborn?

“Comrade Li Jian, the person originally betrothed was the daughter of the Zhan family. Now that Zhan Xinyue is no longer part of our family, I am the only daughter of the Zhan family, so I should be the one marrying you.”

Zhan Hongyan was so anxious that she didn’t even care about her face. In front of everyone, she began to sell herself, as if she was afraid that Li Jian wouldn’t want her.

“But your betrothed is Commander Sheng, he’s a high-ranking official. What if he comes after me if you marry me?” Li Jian asked.

Everyone in the Chang Hong Brigade knew about Zhan Hongyan’s betrothal to Sheng Tunan.

Some time ago, Sheng Tunan had earned a First-Class Merit and was promoted three ranks by the army, making him a团长 (tuan chang, battalion commander) at the young age of 25.

When the county learned about this glorious achievement, they sent people to the Chang Hong Brigade to celebrate and spread the news.

After learning that Sheng Tunan had become a battalion commander, Chen Ju Xiang, with the utmost speed, arranged a marriage between Li Jian and Zhan Xinyue, choosing a date for the wedding in the near future.

After Zhan Xinyue married Li Jian, Chen Ju Xiang took out a yellowed letter and said that Zhan Ye Ye and Sheng Ye Ye had already arranged a betrothal for their families.

Now that Sheng Tunan was of marriageable age, the Zhan family only had Zhan Hongyan left, so they arranged their marriage.

Having a high-ranking official as a future son-in-law was a matter of great prestige, and Chen Ju Xiang boasted about it to everyone. It was something that everyone in the Chang Hong Brigade knew about.

“It wasn’t me who was betrothed to Commander Sheng, it was Zhan Xinyue.” Zhan Hongyan ran out of the house, holding two tumbler dolls in her hand.

“Look, these two dolls, one male and one female, the male doll has ‘Tunan’ engraved on it, and the female doll is ‘Zhan Xinyue,'” Zhan Hongyan held the dolls up high for everyone to see.

“The betrothal that Sheng Ye Ye arranged with my grandfather was between Sheng Tunan and Zhan Xinyue, it has nothing to do with me.”

Sheng Ye Ye was a carpenter during his lifetime, and his skills were exceptional. These two dolls were made with great craftsmanship, especially the eyes of the female doll, which were bright and lively, lifelike.

Zhan Xinyue was drawn to them and took the female doll directly from Zhan Hongyan’s hand. The small tumbler doll was made so lifelike, with a natural wood color overall, only the eyes and hair were black, simple and unadorned, but the texture was surprisingly good.

“Sister, look, the doll has two little braids, just like you when you were a child. The male doll also looks like Commander Sheng when he was a child. The betrothal was originally between you two.” Zhan Hongyan approached her.

“Don’t call me sister, we’ve already broken off our relationship.” Zhan Xinyue took two steps back, creating distance. Zhan Hongyan still carried the unmistakable scent of a man, and she found it repulsive.

“Then why did your mother say that you were the one betrothed?” Zhan Xinyue already guessed the reason, but she wanted Zhan Hongyan to admit it in front of everyone.

At this moment, Zhan Hongyan only cared about marrying Li Jian quickly, completely disregarding her mother. She directly betrayed her, saying, “It was my mother. When she found out that Commander Sheng was a high-ranking official, she wanted me to marry him and live a good life. It was her who stole your betrothal. I really didn’t know that you were betrothed. I only found out yesterday when I accidentally opened my mother’s locked cabinet and saw these two dolls.”

After saying this, Zhan Hongyan went to Li Jian again, trying to gain his favor, “Brother Li Jian, for you, I’m even giving up a high-ranking official. You must cherish me in the future.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a cold and clear male voice came from outside the crowd.

“The person I’m going to marry is not you. How dare you say you won’t marry me? When I was a child, my grandfather betrothed me to Comrade Zhan Xinyue.”

From outside the crowd, a tall and handsome military officer in uniform walked in. He was a figure of grace and elegance. The man walked slightly closer to Zhan Xinyue, but not too close, his voice softened,

“Now, the person I’ve chosen is also Zhan Xinyue.”