Chapter 2

Lu Qingyou sat with a stern face and said nothing. Seeing his attitude, Li Guifen’s eyes reddened.

“Jun’an is just a little child! How heartless must she be to lay hands on him?”

“Ever since she married into this family, we haven’t had a single peaceful day!”

“What sin have I committed? I only had two sons—one’s gone, and just when the younger one starts to show some promise, he marries a wife like that. I might as well be dead!”

As she spoke, grief overwhelmed her. Li Guifen dropped to the ground and wailed loudly.

Seeing his wife crying like this, Lu Qingyou couldn’t bear it. He helped her up and sighed, “We’ll do as you say. Whatever you say.”

Although he agreed, Li Guifen still couldn’t stop herself from crying once more when she thought about everything that had happened since Jiang Manyue joined the family over the past year.

After she was done crying, she wiped her tears and looked at Lu Qingyou. “Tomorrow morning, take the day off. Don’t go to work. Go to the county town and send a telegram to A’Lin—tell him to take leave and come home to get a divorce.”

Lu Qingyou nodded. Li Guifen took a cloth pouch from her pocket and handed him fifty cents.

“When you send the telegram, don’t waste words. Just say, ‘Come home on leave, get a divorce.’ Nothing else. Telegrams are expensive—three cents a character!”

Lu Qingyou took the money, put it in his chest pocket, memorized her words, and went to the well to fetch water and wash his feet.

Knowing that tomorrow they could tell their son to come home and get divorced, Li Guifen visibly relaxed. Even her movements while cooking dinner carried a light, cheerful air.

Meanwhile, at the Jiang family’s house—

Miao Xianghua made a cup of malted milk and brought it to Jiang Manyue.

“Come drink this, my poor girl. That wicked mother-in-law of yours—she’s too cruel! Next time, I’ll make sure to get even for this!”

Jiang Manyue had just picked up the cup but quickly set it down again when she heard that.

“Mom, stop trying to pick fights with my mother-in-law. If Lu Lin comes back and she complains to him, won’t he stand up for her?”

Miao Xianghua raised her eyebrows fiercely. “He wouldn’t dare! Just because he’s a soldier, that makes him something special? Your five brothers are no pushovers! And don’t forget your grandma’s side—four uncles and nine cousins! I’d like to see what Lu Lin can do!”

Jiang Manyue was speechless. With nearly twenty young men backing her, her mom really was an unstoppable force.

Since brute force wouldn’t work, Jiang Manyue changed tactics—time to brainwash her mom and sell her on a big dream.

“Mom, sure, you’re not afraid of them in the village. But what if Lu Lin really makes something of himself and becomes a high-ranking officer? We won’t be able to stand up to him then.”

Miao Xianghua’s momentum wavered a little, though she still sounded unconcerned. “If he does become an officer, sure, our farmer family won’t compare. But you’re his wife! What can he do to his in-laws?”

Jiang Manyue stomped her foot in frustration. “What if once he’s successful, he divorces me because he finds out how we treated his parents? Then not only do we get nothing, but we’ll have made an enemy of a military officer!”

Miao Xianghua was stunned. “He’s going to divorce you?”

Jiang Manyue shook her head. “Not yet. I’m just saying that if he finds out I was bad to his parents, it’s bound to happen. He’ll resent our whole family.”

Miao Xianghua opened her mouth to say something, but Jiang Manyue quickly cut in.

“Mom, I’ve thought it through. We have to start treating the Lu family better. Otherwise, when Lu Lin gets promoted, we won’t benefit at all.”

“What do you mean, treat them better? Am I supposed to worship them like gods?”

Miao Xianghua rolled her eyes, clearly displeased by the idea.

Jiang Manyue quickly tried to soothe her and kept persuading her, “Mom, wasn’t the whole reason you married me off to Lu Lin because he might have a bright future? You wanted me to become an officer’s wife, and the family could live well, right?”

That did make sense to Miao Xianghua, and her expression turned thoughtful again.

Jiang Manyue pressed her advantage. “Just think, Mom—if we treat them well and they can’t find fault with us, when Lu Lin gets promoted, I’ll be his legitimate military wife, and our whole family can ride that wave.”

After thinking it over for a long while, Miao Xianghua finally seemed convinced, albeit reluctantly.

“Fine, fine, I won’t pick fights with Li Guifen anymore, okay? I’ll just avoid her when I see her.”

Jiang Manyue was satisfied with her answer and nodded seriously. “Yes, Mom. Keep your distance from her, and I’ll behave myself in the Lu household. Once I become an officer’s wife, you’ll live in luxury—eat the best, wear the best, and drink malted milk like water!”

Miao Xianghua was amused by Jiang Manyue’s grand promises and scolded her playfully, “Drink your malted milk, you silly girl. You say things like that, people will laugh themselves to death!”

Jiang Manyue grinned happily and finished the cup of malted milk in one go.

Miao Xianghua took the cup away and told her daughter to rest while she went to the kitchen. On the way, she stopped by the chicken coop to gather eggs for an extra dish.

“Lan Ying! Make an extra egg dish for dinner! Your little aunt is eating with us tonight!”

Jiang Manyue could hear her mother’s booming voice from the yard as she headed to the kitchen.

Left alone in the room, Jiang Manyue chuckled. At the same time, she felt a twinge of envy for the original Jiang Manyue—for having a mother who loved her so dearly.

Though Miao Xianghua was unreasonable and domineering to outsiders, she fiercely protected her own, especially her only daughter, whom she doted on beyond reason.

Jiang Manyue touched her chest and quietly whispered to herself, “Jiang Manyue, I’ll treat your family well from now on. Your mother is my mother now. Don’t worry.”

As soon as she said that, she felt a lightness in her chest, like something had lifted.

That evening after dinner, Miao Xianghua wanted Jiang Manyue to stay the night. But Jiang Manyue politely declined.

It was getting dark, and she didn’t want to trouble her sisters-in-law to fetch bedding for her. The Lu family home wasn’t far anyway—she could just go sleep there.

Still a bit worried, Miao Xianghua asked her fifth son, Jiang Jiantao, to walk his sister back home.

When Jiang Manyue got back to the Lu home with her brother, she opened the door and saw Li Guifen just finishing up the dishes and heading to the kitchen.

Li Guifen looked at her with a cool expression—just one glance, without saying a word—and walked into the kitchen.

Jiang Jiantao was immediately annoyed. “This is how the Lu family treats you?”

Jiang Manyue rubbed her forehead and turned around to usher him out. “It’s fine, Fifth Brother. My mother-in-law just isn’t talkative. She didn’t scold me or anything. You should head back—it’s getting dark.”

Jiang Jiantao glanced once more toward the kitchen, still unhappy, but left reluctantly.

After closing the gate, Jiang Manyue was about to go into the house when she saw Lu Jun’an standing there with an enamel cup. He had clearly been heading to get water, but upon seeing her, he froze.

There was still a visible wound on his forehead. Jiang Manyue felt a pang of guilt—not that she’d caused it, but because the original Jiang Manyue was responsible.

“Jun’an, are you going to get water? Let me do it for you.”

Lu Jun’an shook his head frantically and started backing away. In his panic, he tripped on the door frame and fell hard to the ground.