Chapter 9

Li Guifen moved so quickly that even the postman was momentarily stunned. But the telegram had been delivered, his task was complete, and he pedaled off on his bicycle again.

Jiang Manyue looked at Li Guifen with some confusion. It’s just a telegram—why is she so worked up?

Clutching the envelope tightly, Li Guifen looked guilty and didn’t dare meet Jiang Manyue’s eyes.

She knew perfectly well that this was the reply to the telegram Lao Lu had sent to A-Rin that morning. It probably said when he could come back to get the divorce.

Li Guifen didn’t dare let Jiang Manyue see the telegram. She was afraid Lu Lin might have mentioned the word “divorce” in it. If Jiang Manyue saw that, it would be a big problem.

If the Jiang family found out they’d secretly sent a telegram to Lu Lin asking him to come back and get divorced, they’d likely go into full battle mode. They might even tear the Lu family’s house down.

But the more Li Guifen behaved like this, the more suspicious Jiang Manyue became.

Why is she acting so guilty? What on earth did she say to Lu Lin behind my back?

Or maybe it wasn’t her alone—maybe both of Lu Lin’s parents said something outrageous to him behind the original Jiang Manyue’s back.

Could it be… Lu Lin has someone else outside? And this telegram is him telling his parents he wants to dump the original wife and make room for the new one?

Although she’d never met Lu Lin, and she knew there was no emotional bond between him and the original Jiang Manyue, Jiang Manyue still thought that if things really were as she suspected, then Lu Lin was truly heartless.

If he didn’t want to be with his wife anymore and wanted to start a new family, fine—he could divorce first before pursuing someone else. How dare a married man develop feelings for someone else before divorcing?

Jiang Manyue felt it was necessary to get to the bottom of this and find out whether Lu Lin was really seeing someone else behind their backs.

“Mom, A-Rin sent a telegram back—why can’t I read it?”

Jiang Manyue stared at Li Guifen as she spoke, making it difficult for her to come up with an appropriate response.

Technically speaking, Jiang Manyue did have the right to see the telegram from Lu Lin. After all, she was his wife.

But the problem was, Li Guifen didn’t know whether Lu Lin had mentioned the word “divorce” in his reply. If he had, and she let Jiang Manyue see it, the Jiang family would cause a huge uproar.

At that moment, Li Guifen began to regret even bringing this up. She should’ve just told Lu Lin to come home on leave and explained things in person.

Now she was stuck in a dilemma. If she didn’t let Jiang Manyue read it, it made her look even more guilty, like the telegram contained something shameful. But if she did let her read it and it did mention divorce, then the Jiang family would certainly make trouble.

“Mom, do you already know what A-Rin wrote in the telegram?”

Jiang Manyue clearly wasn’t about to let the matter go and continued pressing, making Li Guifen feel even guiltier.

“No, no! How would I know? I haven’t even read it yet.”

Li Guifen sounded more and more unconvincing, and her grip on the envelope was so tight she nearly tore it.

Jiang Manyue’s expression turned cold. She stretched out her hand, her tone firm and non-negotiable.

“Mom, I want to see what A-Rin said. I’m his wife—I have the right to read a telegram my husband sent.”

Li Guifen had no choice. She gritted her teeth and opened the envelope.

“Let me read it first—then I’ll give it to you.”

She unfolded the telegram slip.

She had taken literacy classes before, so she could recognize most simple characters. As she read, she realized that the telegram didn’t contain the word “divorce.”

Li Guifen breathed a sigh of relief and handed the telegram to Jiang Manyue.

Jiang Manyue took it and read: “Going on a mission. Will come home when it’s over.”

It looked like a straightforward reply. Most likely, Lu Lin’s parents had told him to come home, and this was his response, saying he had to go on a mission and would return afterward.

But Jiang Manyue still felt that something was off. If it was really just about asking Lu Lin to come home, why had her mother-in-law been so nervous and reluctant to let her see it?

Now that she had relaxed, Li Guifen took the telegram back from Jiang Manyue, smiling as she said, “Your dad and I just miss A-Rin. We told him to take some time off and come home to visit.”

Jiang Manyue didn’t respond. Li Guifen didn’t mind, and taking little Lu Jun’an by the hand, she turned to head back inside.

“The military’s busy—we understand, we totally understand,” she said as she walked away with the child, leaving Jiang Manyue standing alone in the courtyard, watching her retreating back with suspicion in her eyes.

Her mother-in-law’s behavior had been far too odd. Jiang Manyue suspected that the Lu family had called Lu Lin back to deal with something—and that something probably had to do with her.

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, concluding that it likely had to do with the marriage between the original Jiang Manyue and Lu Lin.

Maybe the incident yesterday with Lu Jun’an was the last straw, and the in-laws had finally had enough. They might have sent that telegram to ask Lu Lin to come back and divorce her?

It was just a guess, based solely on how strangely her mother-in-law had acted. But what she didn’t know was—her guess was completely correct. That was exactly what the telegram was about.

Back in her room, Jiang Manyue relaxed and lay down on the bed.

Truth be told, if her guess was right, she wouldn’t object to it.

She wasn’t the original Jiang Manyue, and unlike her natal family, she hadn’t married Lu Lin with the hope of relying on him for a better life.

She had memories from the future and knew what opportunities would come with each era. Plus, she had a “golden finger”—a cheat skill. With those advantages, she could make the entire Jiang family prosper on her own.

She had promised to take care of the original owner’s family, and she wouldn’t go back on that promise. She would rely on her own efforts to give her family a good life—not depend on a man she’d never even met.

Since there had never been any feelings between Lu Lin and the original Jiang Manyue, and the original had only married him to latch onto someone powerful, then if Lu Lin wanted a divorce, she had no reason to oppose it.

Originally, she’d thought that since Lu Lin was away in the military most of the time and only came home once after their wedding—where he and the original wife barely spoke—she could just continue living quietly in the Lu family.

After all, she wasn’t the original Jiang Manyue. It would be easier living with the Lu family than with the original’s family, where she’d have to be constantly on guard to avoid exposing herself.

The Lu family elders weren’t particularly hard to get along with. Staying with them would make her life more comfortable.

But if the Lu family had decided they wanted a divorce, then she couldn’t keep freeloading there. She’d just go back to her own family and live carefully.

Jiang Manyue had thought it all through and no longer dwelled on the matter.

If the soldier comes, I’ll counter with a general. If the water floods, I’ll build a dam. Lu Lin had already said he was going on a mission and couldn’t come back for now, which meant she still had some time.

Right now, all she needed to do was live her life well and focus on making money. Once Lu Lin returned on leave, they could go finalize the divorce.