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In their minds, a wedding was only considered complete after the wedding banquet, the bowing to Heaven and Earth, and the consummation of the marriage; the marriage certificate, in their view, wasn’t as reliable as a traditional marriage contract.
That evening, when her husband and son returned, Ye Lian told them about the day’s events.
Lin Dawei, enraged, grabbed a carrying pole. “Gang Zi, come on, let’s go together and beat that scumbag; I don’t recognize that worthless certificate; what can he do about it?”
Lin Gang, whose thinking was more progressive than his parents’, understood that the certificate was far more important than a wedding banquet.
He stopped Lin Dawei and said, “If there’s a marriage certificate, causing a scene would be pointless.”
“What do you mean? Is this strong-arming us? Then let’s get a divorce.”
“Father, military marriages are different. If Lu Jiangting doesn’t agree, our sister can’t get a divorce.” Lin Gang tried his best to explain.
Lin Dawei asked, “What rules say that?”
Lin Gang replied, “It’s stipulated by national law.”
He then explained the reasons behind the law, giving them a crash course. Only then did Lin Dawei and Ye Lian understand. Surprisingly, they found the government’s regulations reasonable. Such arrangements were beneficial for the stability of military families.
But… but Lu Jiangting didn’t deserve it.
Ye Lian cried and wailed, “Oh dear! What are we going to do? Gang Zi, quickly call your younger brother; he’s well-educated, maybe he’ll have a solution.”
Lin Yuyao spoke up, “No, we can’t tell Lin Ping. Lin Ping is about to take the college entrance examination; we can’t risk it.”
Lin Ping was her younger brother, two years her junior. Because of their small age gap, they had a close relationship.
In her previous life, after Lin Ping learned of the injustices she suffered, he angrily went to confront Lu Jiangting. However, he ran into Lu Jiangting and Fang Qing out for a family outing with their son. The child was feeding Lu Jiangting something, calling him “Father.”
Food was smeared on Lu Jiangting’s face, and Fang Qing wiped it off with a handkerchief.
This scene enraged the impetuous young man. Without thinking, Lin Ping attacked.
He punched Lu Jiangting in the face. When Fang Qing tried to intervene, he pushed her away forcefully, causing her to fall and hit her head, resulting in a bleeding wound. This landed them both in the police station.
Seeing that Fang Qing was the widow of a martyr, the authorities dealt with the matter severely. Although Fang Qing signed a statement of understanding at Lu Jiangting’s urging, Lin Ping still had a criminal record.
His application to the military academy was rejected.
This time, she wouldn’t let Lin Ping suffer the same fate.
“He was too impulsive. Father, Mother, promise me, we can’t tell him.”
“Okay, okay, we won’t. But what do you plan to do?”
Lin Yuyao said, “Mother, do you remember Lu Jiangting’s two friends?”
Ye Lian snorted, “Why mention them?”
“They said they would help me divorce him.”
Ye Lian disagrees with her idea. “Birds of a feather flock together. I don’t believe they’ll help you.”
“No, most soldiers are good people. Lu Jiangting is an exception. After they learned about what happened between Lu Jiangting and me, they stopped associating with him. I think they’ll help me.”
“How… how will they help?”
“I don’t know yet. I plan to go to the military base. Lu Jiangting will be returning in a few days, and I’ll go with him.”
“Ah? You’re going to follow him to the military base?”
“No, I’m going to get a divorce from him.”
“You’re going alone? What if he bullies you?”
Lin Yuyao shook her head, “He won’t. In a place like that, as long as I don’t want to, he won’t dare.”
That was true; there would be many people around.
…
That day, Ye Lian was washing clothes by the courtyard pond when several neighbors asked her, “Ye Lian, is your Yuyao going to break off the engagement with Lu Jiangting?”
“Break it off, she absolutely must.”
“I heard they already got the marriage certificate. How can they break it off now?”
“Then they’ll get a divorce. Just because they got the certificate doesn’t mean it’s sold to his family. They can’t refuse a divorce, can they?”
“Tsk tsk, I think it’s difficult. I heard that military divorces are hard to get. As long as the husband doesn’t agree, your Yuyao can’t get a divorce.”
That’s right.
Ye Lian was so angry that she beat the clothes with the stick, making a loud banging sound.
“I say, Lu Jiangting’s conditions are still pretty good. In our ten-mile radius, there are quite a few soldiers, but he’s the only one who went to University and then joined the army.”
“That’s right. Regardless of him being a soldier, just the fact that he’s a university graduate, how many of those do we have in our ten-mile radius? It’s not an exaggeration to say he’s one in a thousand.”
“I heard that university graduates who join the army become officers right away, unlike those who didn’t study much. Is that right?”
“That’s probably true. I heard that too. I heard he became an officer right away. Wang’s second son didn’t go to school, he joined the army, and his monthly allowance is only a few yuan or maybe a dozen. But Lu Jiangting, I heard he gets one or two hundred yuan, is that right?”
Ye Lian snorted, “What’s the use? His salary is good, but my daughter can’t spend it. Look, before they even got married, he didn’t spend a penny on her, and he gave the three hundred yuan dowry my family saved for our daughter to that woman outside. How can this marriage still happen?”
“This…” is really frustrating.
An older woman said, “This time, you should give him a taste of his own medicine, don’t let him off easily. Once he knows he’s afraid, he won’t dare do it again.”
Another older woman said, “I think it’s difficult. Didn’t they say that the widow’s husband saved his life? That’s a life-saving grace. If the widow asks him for help again, can he refuse?”
“This…” is really uncertain
The older woman then looked at Ye Lian and said, “Why don’t you test him? If you come on too strong, he might get scared and decide not to help.”
Ye Lian snorted and replied, “Let him help or not; I can’t be bothered to test him. Anyway, my daughter can’t suffer this humiliation.”
Just then, the older woman noticed Lu Jiangting approaching their village.
She nudged Ye Lian, saying, “You don’t need to test him; I’ll ask him for you.”
Ye Lian glanced at Lu Jiangting in the distance but didn’t respond. Whatever, let her try if she wants. The older woman wiped her hands on her clothes and went to block Lu Jiangting’s path.
“Jiangting, where are you going?”
“Aunt, I’m looking for Yuyao.”
“You’re looking for Yuyao? What you did has nearly driven her family to the brink; Yuyao’s eyes are swollen from crying.”
Ye Lian: “…”
“I… I’m just going to see her.” Lu Jiangting hurried to leave upon hearing this.
The older woman stopped him and said, “Don’t be in such a rush. Isn’t she upset because you have your eyes on Fang Qing, that widow? You gave her dowry to Fang Qing; how can she not be angry?”
Lu Jiangting said shamefully, “Yes, that’s my fault. I let her down.”
“Let’s not dwell on the past. The money is borrowed, and mistakes have been made. Tell me, if Fang Qing were to ask you for money again, would you lend it to her?”
“I won’t. She won’t come to me for money, and besides, I don’t have any now.”
“What if? I’m talking about ‘what if.’ It’s not just about lending money; what if she asks for help in other ways, like having her son call you ‘Dad’? Would you refuse?”