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“So… what do we do now?”
His colleague, Yi Yunshuo, nudged Fu Huayi beside him and whispered, “How much money do you have? Should we help Jiangting settle this?”
Hearing this, Lu Jiangting’s entire family turned their hopeful gazes toward Yi Yunshuo and Fu Huayi.
Fu Huayi glanced at the girl whose eyes were swollen from crying and said, “I don’t have any money, just enough for travel expenses and the wedding gift I planned to give them.”
After saying this, he took out twenty yuan and said, “Jiangting, why don’t I just give you the wedding gift now?”
Everyone was silent: “…”
Twenty yuan? That’s not nearly enough!
But still, giving twenty yuan was quite generous.
Lu Jiangting awkwardly said, “No need.”
He looked at Lin Yuyao, who had buried her face in Ye Lian’s embrace, thinking to himself that the wedding banquet was certainly not going to happen. However, the marriage report had already been filed, so she was now his wife.
He just needed to get through this moment. He could make it up to her later. Life was long, and there would be plenty of chances to win back her favor.
Can’t settle the breakup now? No problem. He’d deal with it once the marriage report was finalized.
Lin Yuyao would just send her parents home afterward.
Lu Jiangting’s actions had already earned him the disdain of people from both villages, and that was a burden his family would carry for a while.
Back at home, Ye Lian and Lin Dawei were still furious, cursing and grumbling nonstop.
“Yuyao, tell me, do you really not want to be with him anymore, or are you just angry for the moment?”
Their daughter had been chasing after that Lu boy for so long, completely infatuated by his sweet words.
Now that she had suddenly come to her senses, they found it hard to believe.
So after venting their anger, they calmed down and had to seriously ask again. What if, after cooling down in a few days, she ran back to him, insisting she wouldn’t marry anyone else?
“Yuyao, do you really not want to be with him anymore?”
“This isn’t just a passing anger?”
“No, definitely not.”
Ye Lian took a deep breath and said, “Alright, then the marriage will end. It must end. As long as you say you don’t want to live with him anymore, no matter how hard it is, your father and I will help you leave.”
Lin Yuyao was deeply moved. “Mother…”
“Alright, alright, stop crying. It’s just a divorce. What’s the big deal? As long as you say the word, your mother will back you to the end,” Ye Lian comforted.
Divorces weren’t common in those days, so for them to have this mindset was really quite remarkable.
Lin Dawei also chimed in, “Your mother’s right. Since there hasn’t been a wedding and no children, you’re still a young maiden even after the divorce. We’ll go through with it, don’t be afraid. If you waited until after the banquet and had a child, that’s when it would truly be difficult.”
To people at that time, the marriage certificate wasn’t as significant. In their eyes, it wasn’t real unless the banquet was held and relatives and friends were informed.
So in their view, Lin Yuyao and Lu Jiangting’s relationship wasn’t even considered a real marriage.
Lin Yuyao sniffed and said, “Father, Mother, it may not be that serious. There’s no need for a divorce.”
The two: “…”
“What? No divorce? Daughter, are you going soft again?”
Lin Yuyao: “…” They misunderstood.
“No, what I mean is, there’s no need for a divorce because I never married Lu Jiangting in the first place. I called the army today and had the marriage report stopped.”
“Really?” Both of them were overjoyed.
Lin Yuyao nodded, “It’s true. I left my address, and they agreed to send the marriage report to me. It should arrive in about ten days.”
“Good, good, that’s great! That rascal Lu Jiangting dared to use a marriage certificate to tie down my daughter. Hmph, let’s see what he says now,” Lin Dawei said triumphantly.
“Father, Mother, only the three of us know about this. Please don’t tell anyone,” Lin Yuyao cautioned.
“Hmm? Why not? Why can’t we tell?” Ye Lian asked, puzzled.
Lin Yuyao explained, “I think Lu Jiangting’s family wants to use the marriage certificate to manipulate me. If they find out about this, what if Lu Jiangting pulls some strings and has the mail intercepted and sent back?”
The two were speechless for a moment.
“Can he really intercept it once it’s mailed?” Ye Lian asked skeptically.
“I don’t know. But what if he has connections?” Lin Yuyao replied.
Both of them thought it over and agreed that it was a possibility.
“Alright, we won’t say anything for now. If anyone asks, I’ll just tell them we’re figuring out a way to divorce,” Lin Dawei said.
Later that evening, Lin Yuyao’s older brother, who worked at the coal yard, returned home. His entire body was covered in black soot, with only his eyes visible through the grime. Despite his dirty appearance, he was more concerned about Lin Yuyao.
“Father, Mother, I heard you all went over to my brother-in-law’s house today. What happened?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.
“Yes, we did. That scoundrel deserved it,” Lin Dawei responded.
“What happened?” Lin’s brother pressed further.
Lin Dawei gave him a brief rundown of the events that had transpired.
Big Brother Lin Gang sighed and said, “It’s a good thing the engagement is off. If it weren’t for our little sister liking him, I would never have wanted her to marry into that family.”
“Don’t be fooled by Lu Jiangting’s personal achievements. His family is a heavy burden,” he continued. “He’s the late-born son of his parents. He’s only in his twenties, but his parents are already sixty or nearly sixty, and both are in poor health, needing constant care.”
“Even though he has two older sisters, according to the customs here, daughters who marry out are no longer obligated to take care of their own parents. Their duty is to their in-laws, so who’s left to take care of their own parents? That responsibility would fall entirely on our little sister.”
Lin Dawei took a drag from his cigarette and nodded. “Exactly. And with Lu Jiangting being in the army, he’s only home for a few days each year. You can’t count on him. If your sister really married him, she wouldn’t have any good days until she’d worked herself to death taking care of his parents.”
“Hmph,” Ye Lian snorted, “Don’t be fooled by how frail his parents look. I bet they’d live at least another ten years. How many ten years does a person get in life? My daughter’s best years would be spent as their servant. No way! Ending this engagement is the right decision.”
Lin Yuyao lowered her head, her mind clear now, realizing that her family was right about everything. Given Lu Jiangting’s circumstances, how had she been so infatuated with him before?
Thankfully, that nightmare had served as a warning, waking her up in time. If not, her entire life might have been ruined.
“I was naive before, confused, but not anymore. Father, Mother, Big Brother, don’t worry—I definitely won’t be with him.”
“Good, that’s the right way to think.” Lin Gang had intended to pat her on the shoulder, but noticing his coal-streaked hands, he pulled them back with an awkward smile. “I’ll go wash my hands. Almost got your clothes dirty, little sister.”
As she watched her brother head toward the backyard, Lin Yuyao felt a mix of emotions.
The things she had seen in that dream—were they all true? Should she trust it completely?
If it were true, then her big brother would die next year, buried in a coal shaft.
But he was supposed to get married this New Year, and when he dies, the child would still be in his wife’s womb.
No, whether the dream was true or not, she had to persuade her brother to change jobs before anything happened.
…
That night, the Lu family was destined for sleeplessness.
Lu Cong, seeing that the Lin family wasn’t joking, kept urging Lu Jiangting to go and ask for the money back, suggesting they deal with the wedding first.
Lu Jiangting’s mother, Wang Cuilan, shared the same sentiment and kept trying to persuade him, but he refused to listen.
“You all need to stop. How could I ask for money back the moment I’ve lent it? It doesn’t matter if I lent it to Fang Qing or anyone else. There’s no way I could demand the money back right after lending it. If I did, what would people think of me?”