Chapter 5: Couldn’t Help But Secretly Stir Up Trouble

In Shili Village, on the edge of the military camp, a few family members who didn’t meet the conditions for accompanying the military and didn’t want to be separated, rented houses in the village.

Wang Changjiang originally planned to delay processing the housing issue.

Hua Yuanyuan’s previous attitude made him change his mind.

Wang Changjiang had also come to his senses. He had a bright future and shouldn’t bother with this crazy woman.

Like a plague, getting rid of her as quickly as possible was the right way.

Don’t drag it out and create future problems.

Hua Yuanyuan spent a day in the cold guesthouse, huddled in her bed.

She had steamed buns, porridge, and pickled vegetables for breakfast. She wasn’t hungry at noon, but her stomach started rumbling in protest in the afternoon.

It was a bearable hunger; hunger was a normal state for dieters, and Hua Yuanyuan was no stranger to it.

She reviewed her short life. At twenty-five, she was in the prime of her youth.

She had never experienced romantic love, never had a proper relationship.

She hadn’t had children; she was still a big child herself.

Her mother died young, and her father raised her and her siblings without remarrying.

Until she got married, her life was good; she wasn’t hungry or cold. She quit school after junior high.

Life became difficult after marriage.

She thought about various things, focusing on clarifying the contents of the divorce agreement.

Without any experience to draw on, she focused on the key points: besides money, she had to take home the few new quilts, and that was about it.

——

It got dark early in winter. It was already dark at 4:30 pm.

When Hua Yuanyuan followed Wang Changjiang through the snow to look at houses in the village, she felt that the soldiers around them were looking at her strangely.

She had the illusion that mountain women were like tigers.

Her current image wasn’t good; she looked as shabby as someone fleeing famine.

She had a flashlight but didn’t turn it on, saying that the reflection of the snow was enough to see the road…

Wang Changjiang strode ahead, and Hua Yuanyuan initially tried to keep up.

When she realized she couldn’t keep up, she gave up and walked at her own pace.

Li Qiang followed behind Chief Wang, secretly glancing back several times.

He was curious about what kind of woman Chief Wang’s wife was.

Wang Changjiang, of course, knew that Hua Yuanyuan hadn’t kept up. Without hearing her footsteps, he deliberately didn’t slow down. When he looked back…

After waiting for a long time without seeing her, Wang Changjiang had to go back and find her.

Hua Yuanyuan stood still; when she couldn’t see them anymore, she stopped.

After resting for a minute, she turned around and walked back.

“Screw this,” she thought. “I’m not playing this game.”

“Hua Yuanyuan!”

She didn’t stop, walking steadily at her own pace.

Her throat was better, and she didn’t want to waste her breath.

She ignored him.

Wang Changjiang ran over and blocked her path, panting angrily. “Hua Yuanyuan, aren’t you going to look at the houses?”

“I am, but not today, not now. We’ll look at the houses tomorrow morning. Move aside, good dogs don’t block the way.”

She wanted to go back to the room and drink some water to soothe her throat.

“No, what do you mean? Do you think everyone has nothing to do like you? I need to ask for leave to come out.”

Wang Changjiang was ambitious and had never taken leave, even when sick.

“What does your leave have to do with me?”

“You—”

He pointed his finger almost to her nose. “What about you? You’re making yourself unhappy. I’m not your mother, I’m not going to indulge you.”

What a bad habit.

Li Qiang stood a few steps away, wishing he could find a hole to hide in.

He didn’t expect Chief Wang to argue with his wife.

It was such a great show! But he didn’t want to get into trouble.

Losing face in front of his soldiers cracked a small fissure in Wang Changjiang’s perfect image.

This had happened several times. Wang Changjiang had been secretly trying to vent his anger.

He couldn’t win a single round, and it was frustrating.

Hua Yuanyuan played by her own rules, deliberately opposing him.

This was her true nature; she had been pretending before.

Those letters about delicious food and taking care of herself were all nonsense.

Looking at Hua Yuanyuan’s back, Wang Changjiang didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Chief, why didn’t you try to persuade her again?”

Li Qiang thought the Chief was too easy-going. Perhaps a few more words of persuasion would have changed her mind.

“Persuade her? She said tomorrow, so it’ll be tomorrow.”

He seemed easy-going, but in his heart, he was cursing Hua Yuanyuan’s ancestors.

Persuade her for what? She wouldn’t change her mind even if he talked until the cows came home.

Don’t ask him how he knew. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and that’s true.

Wang Changjiang saw the defiant and disdainful look in Hua Yuanyuan’s eyes and knew that no matter what he did, she would only retaliate even more fiercely.

The wise adapt to circumstances; don’t make yourself unhappy.

They didn’t go back. Since they were already out, they might as well look at the houses first, so Li Qiang wouldn’t have to ask for leave tomorrow.

Li Qiang chatted a lot along the way. Why was such a grown man so talkative?

“Chief, your decision to divorce is so wise. Life with a formidable wife is never easy.”

“Chief, if my wife dares to raise her voice at me, just wait and see…”

“Chief, are you going to go on blind dates when you go home for the New Year?”

…

Back in the room, Hua Yuanyuan sneezed while drinking hot water. Damn, who’s cursing me?

Political Commissar Liu Shengli was soaking his feet and reading a newspaper while dealing with his wife.

“Lao Liu, how much did Wang Changjiang borrow? Is it enough?”

Zhang Xiaofang was knitting a sweater. She got up and took the newspaper. “I’m asking you a question!”

“I don’t know. Why did you take my newspaper? I haven’t finished reading it.”

“Finish it later. You tell me, Wang Changjiang borrowed money even from you. Was he doing it on purpose?”

Liu Shengli was intrigued by his wife’s words. “Comrade Lao Zhang, don’t look at people with colored glasses. Why would Comrade Wang Changjiang do it on purpose?”

“What he said in front of us that day… a woman with a small mind might do something bad. Anyway, she’s up to no good.”

“Besides, why didn’t Wang Changjiang divorce earlier? Why did he drag it out for five years? If he wanted to divorce, he would have done it long ago. Comrade Hua would have remarried, and her child could be playing in the streets by now.”

Liu Shengli… that made sense. He still defended Wang Changjiang.

“Divorce isn’t that easy. Life is full of bumps and setbacks no matter who you live with. I don’t know what Comrade Wang Changjiang is thinking. But I can guarantee that he definitely doesn’t have those dirty thoughts.”

Maybe he just made up his mind.

Based on Comrade Wang Changjiang’s usual behavior, Liu Shengli didn’t agree with his wife’s statement.

This was Wang Changjiang’s strength. He was now a publicly recognized key development object.

He was recognized from top to bottom.

When superior leaders talked about Wang Changjiang, they mentioned his hard work, efforts, outstanding professional skills, and the fact that he was a promising talent.

The soldiers took Chief Wang as a role model, wanting to be like him—a rural boy who was promoted and advanced.

Hua Yuanyuan’s arrival gave Wang Changjiang another label.

He married a unreasonable shrew, and the divorce cost him a fortune.

In the future, he should be more careful when choosing a wife, otherwise, his life would be ruined.

That night, Hua Yuanyuan sneezed repeatedly, Achoo—