Chapter 16

In the afternoon, after getting up, Lu Jun’an got dressed, packed a pocket full of snacks, and ran off to the Jiang household.

He still remembered that he wanted to ask Jiang Hong and the others some questions, so the moment he saw them, he hurriedly asked, afraid he might forget.

But Jiang Hong and the others didn’t really understand what divorce meant, let alone this confusing stuff about an aunt becoming a mom. In their eyes, a mom was a mom and an aunt was an aunt—how could they possibly be the same?

Jiang Cheng started guessing wildly. “Last time Grandma went to a wedding feast and said it was because someone got married. So maybe divorce is the same thing? Like… there’s gonna be another feast?”

Jiang Hong was baffled. “What does a feast have to do with your aunt becoming Jun’an’s mom?”

Jiang Cheng went quiet again—he couldn’t figure it out either.

Lu Jun’an realized they didn’t know any more than he did, and suddenly felt disappointed.

The third child among the Jiang brothers, Jiang Yuan, who wasn’t much older than Lu Jun’an, suggested, “If we don’t get it, let’s just go ask an adult. Grown-ups definitely know.”

Everyone thought that was a good idea, so they all ran off to find Jiang Hong’s mom, their eldest sister-in-law Lin Qiufang.

“What? Who’s getting divorced? Where did you kids hear that?”

Faced with Lin Qiufang’s questions, Jiang Hong pointed straight at Lu Jun’an without thinking. “Jun’an said he heard it from his grandparents. Who is it that’s getting divorced?”

Since Lu Jun’an hadn’t said earlier who it was, Jiang Hong didn’t know either and turned to ask him again.

Lu Jun’an blinked and looked at Lin Qiufang. “Auntie Jiang, my grandma and grandpa said if my little uncle and aunt don’t get divorced, then I can treat my aunt as my mom. So what exactly is divorce? What can we do to stop them from getting divorced?”

Lu Jun’an really wanted his aunt to be his mom, and in trying to understand how that could happen, he completely missed how shocking his words were to the Jiang family.

Lin Qiufang was stunned. Once she came back to her senses, she rushed off to tell her mother-in-law this startling news.

She left in a hurry, and the kids were left confused. Why did she leave without even answering their question? Was divorce really that hard to explain?

Jiang Hong figured maybe she didn’t know either, and tried to comfort Lu Jun’an, “It’s fine. Didn’t your grandparents say they were trying to fix things between your aunt and uncle? Just wait. They’re adults—they’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, we don’t know anything, and getting all worked up won’t help. Come on, let’s play card flipping.”

Since even an adult like Auntie Jiang couldn’t give a clear answer, Lu Jun’an had no choice but to nod and join them, still feeling a bit downhearted.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiufang hurried off to find Miao Xianghua, her mother-in-law, to report what she’d just heard.

“What? Jun’an said that? Those two old folks want Lu Lin to come back and divorce Manyue?”

When Miao Xianghua heard what her daughter-in-law said, she immediately flew into a rage.

“Jun’an really said that. The kids even came to ask me what divorce means. How could it be fake? He’s just a little kid—he wouldn’t even know what divorce is unless someone told him,” Lin Qiufang confirmed.

“Those damn Lu family elders! Really trying to ruin her!” Miao Xianghua was so mad she dropped everything and rushed home, determined to hear it straight from Lu Jun’an.

Lu Jun’an was in the middle of flipping cards when Miao Xianghua came storming over and called him aside.

“Jun’an, Grandma Jiang wants to ask you—what exactly did your grandparents say about divorce? Tell me clearly.”

Since Miao Xianghua had been nice to him ever since Jiang Manyue brought him over to play with the other kids, Lu Jun’an didn’t think much of it and answered honestly.

“They said they were going to send a telegram to my little uncle to say don’t get divorced, and that he should come back and spend time with Auntie to build feelings. They said if they don’t divorce, I could treat Auntie as my mom.”

Lu Jun’an thought for a second and added, “Then Grandpa said my little uncle wouldn’t get the telegram, so they decided not to send it and to wait until he comes back.”

Now Miao Xianghua fully understood—those two old Lu geezers must’ve sent a telegram telling Lu Lin to come back and get divorced, and now that they see Manyue has changed for the better, they’ve regretted it.

After Lu Jun’an finished talking, he noticed Miao Xianghua didn’t say anything. He tugged her sleeve and asked, “Grandma Jiang, do you know what my grandparents meant?”

Miao Xianghua patted his head. “You little rascal, don’t worry about this grown-up stuff. You’ll understand when the time comes.”

Then she walked off, leaving Lu Jun’an confused and alone.

Miao Xianghua was headed to find Jiang Manyue—she had to let her daughter know what was going on.

Since the Lu elders had changed their minds and no longer wanted Jiang Manyue and Lu Lin to divorce, Miao Xianghua decided not to bother arguing with them. Instead, she wanted to talk things over with her daughter.

Her thinking was: Lu Lin would be back soon, and now that the elders didn’t want a divorce anymore, it’d be best if Manyue spent more time with him. If they actually fell in love and had a couple of kids, then being the wife of a military officer would be even more secure.

Jiang Manyue was resting in the courtyard. Li Guifen and Lu Qingyou weren’t around, so Miao Xianghua just walked right in.

“Mom? Why are you here? Something up?”

Miao Xianghua pulled her into the room and said mysteriously, “Guess what I just heard?”

Jiang Manyue looked puzzled. What was her mom doing being all sneaky like this? Was she here to gossip?

“What is it that you’re being all secretive about? Does it have to do with our family?”

Miao Xianghua clicked her tongue. “Of course it does—it’s about you! You tell me, does that count?”

Jiang Manyue pointed at herself. “Me? What did I do? Who told you something?”

Miao Xianghua recounted what she’d heard from Lu Jun’an, then added, “You were spot on—they really were planning a divorce. Good thing you’ve been doing well lately, now they’re regretting it.”

Jiang Manyue nodded thoughtfully. As she suspected, Lu Lin’s telegram was in response to their divorce telegram. Her guess had been right.

Seeing her daughter just nod and not say much else, Miao Xianghua got anxious. “Girl, you need to be more proactive! Lu Lin’s coming back soon—you’ve got to win him over!”

Jiang Manyue didn’t feel like saying much and just nodded to placate her.

“I’m telling you—have a couple of kids if you can! Once you have kids, you think he’d still divorce you? When Lu Lin gets back, work on getting pregnant. He’s gone most of the year—you’ve got to move fast.”

Jiang Manyue was getting a headache. She really wasn’t interested in any of this. Why did the conversation always turn into baby talk?

“Alright, alright, Mom—I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry about it.”

Miao Xianghua didn’t like hearing that. “If I don’t worry, who will? You’re still young, no experience. Listen to your mom—get pregnant early, and you can’t go wrong!”