Chapter 19: Difficulties in Divorce

She generously scooped out three spoonfuls, watching Zhang Xinrou’s lips twitch uncontrollably. What she found even more unacceptable was that her mother really handed that little brat, Jiang An’an, a drink.

And Jiang An’an actually had the audacity to down it in one go.

Just as the other party was about to put down the cup, she suddenly looked over, her eyes filled with blatant provocation.

Zhang Xinrou was so angry she jumped up, veins popping on her forehead: “Mom, Jiang An’an is just a little brat. Ah! Why are you pinching me?”

Wu Ping said sharply, “Shut up! Calling her a little brat over and over, where’s your quality and upbringing?”

“You’re not my mom…” Unable to bear her mother’s favoritism, Zhang Xinrou covered her face and rushed into the room, slamming the door shut.

Wu Ping sighed, turning around with a friendly face again: “An’an, the milk powder is delicious, right? Do you want another cup?” Not a word was mentioned about Zhang Xinrou.

This mother-in-law was truly clever!

It seemed like she was scolding her daughter, but she was actually protecting her. Otherwise, if Jiang An’an kept talking, rumors about “Zhang Xinrou having an intellectual disability” would probably spread throughout the entire residential area by tomorrow.

Jiang An’an smiled shyly: “One cup is enough.”

“Mom, An’an brought some mountain goods. Recently, Dad has been talking about wanting to eat chicken stewed with mushrooms, right? Just so happens I have some fresh dried hazelnuts.” Jiang Meizi casually opened the bag for her mother-in-law to see; her little sister had already avenged her, so she could only pretend nothing had happened.

Wu Ping leaned over to take a look, her face also smiling: “We’re all family; next time, you can come empty-handed.”

While her mother-in-law was busy putting away the mountain goods, Jiang Meizi exchanged the state-run restaurant’s food container for one from home, and then found a military-green shoulder bag to pack it up, slinging it over Jiang An’an’s shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, her little sister had grown to be about the same height as her, already able to take care of family matters. Jiang Meizi felt a mix of emotions, trying hard to hold back her tears.

“By the way, An’an, weren’t you looking for Director Gao? She was just at the door.”

At that moment, Jiang Meizi didn’t want to stay at her in-laws’ any longer; she called out to the bedroom, “Mom, I’m taking my sister out for a walk,” and left without looking back.

They ran down the stairs, both sisters panting heavily. Then, they suddenly exchanged a knowing glance, and someone let out a “pfft” sound, bursting into laughter.

It felt like they were back in their childhood.

Growing up really brings a lot of troubles…

“Director Gao—”

Gao Xiuhua had just reached the entrance of the community when she heard someone calling her from behind. Turning around, she saw the two Jiang sisters running towards her, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

When she heard Jiang An’an’s request, Gao Xiuhua was so shocked that she was left speechless: “A divorce lawsuit? That would be the first divorce case in Yunzhou County.”

In that instant, a thought rushed into her mind: if this divorce case helped Jiang Shulan obtain her legal rights, the Women’s Federation would gain fame throughout Yunzhou County. They would be able to hold their heads high during the year-end reports to all departments, turning the tables beautifully!

This was an unprecedented opportunity.

When Gao Xiuhua looked at Jiang An’an again, her fondness was evident.

This little girl was simply the Women’s Federation’s lucky star!

“This case will be handled by the Women’s Federation. Your name is An’an, right? Come on, let’s go back and look for information.” Gao Xiuhua warmly pulled Jiang An’an over to the parked bicycles, confidently patting the back seat of her Phoenix-brand bike: “Let’s go, I’ll give you a ride back.”

Jiang An’an looked serious: “No way! No way! How can I let a leader ride a bike with me?”

“What leader? Outside the office, I’m just your sister Gao!” Gao Xiuhua playfully glared at her and then firmly pushed the modest girl onto the back seat, riding off energetically on the bicycle.

The only one left behind was Jiang Meizi: “…”

As Jiang An’an felt the warm autumn breeze in the afternoon, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something.

In 1972, for a woman to pursue a divorce lawsuit, the situation seemed worse than Jiang An’an had imagined!

They spent the entire afternoon sifting through existing documents, only finding one regulation regarding the division of property in divorce: “Upon divorce, except for the woman’s premarital property which belongs to her, the handling of other family property shall be determined by mutual agreement;

If no agreement can be reached, the People’s Court shall make a ruling based on the specific circumstances of the family property, taking into account the interests of the woman and children and the principles of promoting production.”

A more comprehensive divorce law wouldn’t be enacted for at least another seven years.

Things suddenly became tricky.

Gao Xiuhua pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned back in her chair, looking worried: “We have a tough battle ahead. Looking back over the past twenty years, the Women’s Federation has handled three hundred divorce cases, almost all of which involved the woman leaving home. Aside from the dowry, the house, food stamps, and children all belong to the man.”

But there were still some options: “Tomorrow I’ll go to the court to find out about relevant cases, and I’ll check the newspapers to see if there are similar cases in other regions.”

Jiang An’an crossed her arms and asked, “Director Gao, what kind of person is the current judge? Is it a man or a woman?”

Currently, the prevailing attitude was to mediate rather than encourage divorce. Whether it was Zhou Kang using “returning to work in the city” as an excuse for divorce or citing “emotional breakdown” as a reason, it was not accepted by societal norms and was often dismissed by the courts.

Yunzhou City was far from the capital’s turmoil; if this were a big city, the parties involved might even be arrested and publicly criticized by certain factions.

Fortunately, this kind of negative influence had not yet reached Yunzhou City.

Therefore, once a formal divorce lawsuit is filed, the judgment of the judge is crucial in the absence of clear legal provisions.

Gao Xiuhua understood what she meant, but said, “Judge Liu is a steadfast conservative; in today’s situation, being conservative can save lives.”

“Director Gao, if we really help Jiang Shulan with the divorce lawsuit, will it implicate the Women’s Federation?” In the corner, the usually silent Officer Xiao Fang expressed her concerns.

Isn’t it better to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention?

When she first joined the Women’s Federation, she was full of passion, but how could thousands of years of feudal thinking be changed easily overnight? Some of the women rescued by the Federation even bit back, blaming them for meddling.

Officer Xiao Fang walked out: “If you really decide to get involved in this matter, I’m afraid I won’t be able to continue working here.”

Bang!

The sound of the door closing was soft, yet deafening.

Gao Xiuhua, who had been overwhelmed by her achievements, finally calmed down, feeling hesitant. Her parents were getting older and about to retire, and her siblings all had jobs. What if it implicated her family…

In her past life, Jiang An’an was an orphan and learned to read people’s expressions at a young age.

She packed her things and stood up, a sweet smile spreading across her lips: “Director Gao, we haven’t decided on the lawsuit yet; let’s discuss it when I get home. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back to avoid worrying my parents.”

Gao Xiuhua opened her mouth but didn’t speak until Jiang An’an left the office. Suddenly, her gaze fell on the certificate of entry into the city on the floor.

“Nanxi Brigade?”

Gao Xiuhua’s mind buzzed as she recalled the story her husband, who was a doctor, shared with her that day. Could it be such a coincidence?!

Her resolve wavered again; even if she couldn’t appear in court, there were still things she could do, like gathering information or helping to establish connections with the civil affairs bureau to provide convenience…