Chapter 6: Both Matters Settled

The next day, Wang Changjiang finally behaved himself and learned his lesson, not causing any more trouble.

Hua Yuanyuan wouldn’t waste extra energy on such a stranger.

Neither of them spoke to each other, not a single extra word.

There were a total of three properties.

The first was three west rooms belonging to a homeowner who wanted to rent them out to earn some money to supplement their household expenses.

The homeowners were two elderly people who had separated from their sons and lived alone.

The rent was two yuan a month. There was a kang (heated brick bed) and a large pot in the outer room for cooking.

The two elderly people were very enthusiastic and seemed quite nice, unlike those with sharp features who looked unpleasant at first glance.

Hua Yuanyuan didn’t rush to make a decision; she would see them all before deciding.

The second property only had one room for rent, the westernmost room in the north house.

A large family of three generations lived in the five-room house.

The rent wasn’t cheap, also two yuan.

She didn’t consider this one at all; too many people, too inconvenient.

The third property was located at the southernmost row of houses in the village, in the southwest corner.

The first two houses were in the village center; this one was relatively far.

A dirt road separated the house from the wheat field to the south.

At this time, the wheat field was covered with snow, a sheet of white, without a hint of green.

It was a newly built six-room tiled house.

To the left of the black wooden door, against the wall, was a row of firewood stacks. Inside the door was a screen wall, and a bare, large yard with nothing in it.

The old man who showed her the house, Uncle Wang, was the homeowner’s father.

His son had built the house and had only moved in recently, hadn’t had time to properly tidy it up, before moving to the city.

The house was empty, and they had asked his parents to live there.

But they refused; their old house was just fine.

There was a military base nearby, and there were other houses for rent in the village.

The son insisted on renting it to a single family, not splitting it up among multiple families.

This was problematic. The rent for the entire courtyard was ten yuan, while other houses were only two yuan.

Who would spend so much money? They weren’t wealthy people; they lived frugally.

The house had remained unrented for several months.

Hua Yuanyuan fell in love with it at first sight: a new house, bright and clean, thoroughly cleaned.

She wiped the table; there was no dust, indicating that someone had cleaned it regularly.

It had basic furniture.

It was really nice.

Hua Yuanyuan went through each room and then directly spoke to Uncle Wang.

She wanted a long-term lease, a three-year contract.

Uncle Wang was overjoyed; he was so happy. He thought it was fate; the house finally had a tenant.

He said he would ask his son, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

After viewing the house in the morning, Uncle Wang rode his bicycle to the city to find his son.

By nine o’clock the next morning, the contract was signed, and she paid one month’s rent.

Including the deposit, it was a total of twenty yuan.

The rental contract was very simple, stating the rent and rental period.

Uncle Wang’s son added a clause: if rents in the surrounding area increased during the three years, they would adjust the rent according to the market price.

Hua Yuanyuan agreed. Also, if she didn’t rent it for the full three years, the deposit would not be returned.

As for after three years, they would discuss it then.

Wang Changjiang didn’t know Hua Yuanyuan had rented this house. On the first morning of viewing houses, this was the last one, and he left after showing her.

That evening, the same people, the same office.

Under the dim light, Hua Yuanyuan and Wang Changjiang signed the divorce agreement witnessed by Political Commissar Liu Shengli, his wife Zhang Xiaofang, and Hao Li.

Hua Yuanyuan received two thousand and sixty-four yuan on the spot.

Hua Yuanyuan requested Hao Li’s presence. Why him?

Perhaps because he didn’t stop her when she was fighting that day.

Also, she had a feeling that his relationship with Wang Changjiang wasn’t that of close comrades.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Political Commissar Liu was called by Wang Changjiang, and his wife by Liu, just in case; she could help if there was another fight.

He was thinking too much; the two didn’t say a word.

It was very quick. Hua Yuanyuan asked them to check her payslip.

Hua Yuanyuan took the money and her copy of the agreement, asked for help buying a train ticket, preferably a sleeper, thanked everyone, and left.

Zhang Xiaofang returned home and sighed, complaining to Liu Shengli.

“Old Liu, the more readily Hua Comrade agreed, the more uncomfortable I feel.”

“Do you want to see her cry, make a fuss, or fight?”

Liu Shengli didn’t have a good impression of Hua Yuanyuan; she couldn’t communicate properly.

“What did she say? Why would Wang Changjiang agree to a divorce? Look, she didn’t even know how much Wang Changjiang earned, his position, how he got promoted… she knew nothing.”

Thinking about this, Zhang Xiaofang felt a tightness in her chest, angry at Hua Yuanyuan’s ignorance and at Wang Changjiang’s dishonesty.

Is this his wife? He didn’t tell her anything. If she didn’t understand, he should have told her.

Any woman with a little bit of scheming would have seen Wang Changjiang’s potential and known not to let him go.

By Liu Shengli’s age, Wang Changjiang could potentially become a regimental commander, brigade commander, or division commander.

Liu Shengli said nothing, silently reading his newspaper.

Zhang Xiaofang continued, “No, Old Liu, do you think Wang Changjiang’s career only took off after he got married? Isn’t he afraid that after the divorce, his good fortune will disappear?” The idea of a woman bringing good fortune to her husband is very mystical.

“Old Zhang, I must seriously criticize you. In this new society, we must believe in science, not superstition…”

Zhang Xiaofang scoffed at Liu Shengli’s criticism. Let’s wait and see how this Wang Changjiang kid does.

Hua Yuanyuan thought it would be difficult to buy a train ticket and would take several days.

She planned to move to her new home the next day to clean up.

Wang Changjiang acted quickly. Before dawn, he knocked on her door.

He said he had arranged a train ticket for her; she should go to the station office to find someone, and the train was leaving that night.

There was a car going to the city, and if she wanted to go with it, she should pack her things and leave immediately.

Still half-asleep, Hua Yuanyuan quickly packed and followed him, feeling like she was sleepwalking.

The car was cold, and she quickly woke up.

Wang Changjiang was afraid that she would change her mind, so he wanted to send her away quickly.

Even though she had agreed to the divorce and signed the agreement, the procedures weren’t complete yet.

She would return to her hometown and wait for Wang Changjiang to come home for the New Year to complete the procedures.

She could imagine what he would think when he saw her here next year.

He would probably think she was clinging to him.

Hua Yuanyuan’s decision to rent this house had nothing to do with Wang Changjiang.

At the beginning of the 1980s, during the great opportunity of reform and opening up, she chose to settle in the capital, Beijing, to follow the trends of the times.

Of course, Beijing is so large; her choice of location was also for safety reasons.

No hooligans would cause trouble near a military base!

The car wasn’t driving fast. Sitting in the back seat, Hua Yuanyuan hugged her bundle in one arm and held the back of the front seat with the other.

“Comrade, have some breakfast!”

Hua Yuanyuan looked at the person speaking from the passenger seat. What a coincidence.