“Peiye, you brat!” Zhang Weihe, the commander of the Second Regiment and Long Peiye’s superior, slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. “When did you get married?! How come there wasn’t a single word about it?!”
The regimental commander hurriedly asked, “Yes, Peiye, what’s going on? Who is the other person? Where is she from? How could she… just get married like that?”
The leaders chattered amongst themselves, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment.
Long Peiye remained unfazed and stood ramrod straight.
“Reporting to the commander,” he said calmly, “the other party… may not be of good character.”
These words made the atmosphere in the office even more tense.
Political Commissar Zhao’s brows immediately furrowed into a knot.
“But,” Long Peiye changed the subject, “she was the one who saved my life when I was a child. We met for the first time as adults, and I… fell in love with her at first sight. Later, after getting to know her, I found out that she was the little girl who saved my life with a bamboo pole when I was a child. So… we decided to get married.”
Political Commissar Zhao’s tightly furrowed brows did not relax at all. He asked in a deep voice, “Bad class background? Tell me specifically, what class background?”
Long Peiye lowered his eyes and said in a slightly lower voice, “Her maternal grandfather was a capitalist in Shanghai before the liberation.”
“However,” he immediately added, “as far as I know, during the war, her maternal grandfather also donated his family property and supplies to support the front lines on many occasions. In principle, he could be considered a patriotic businessman and a national capitalist.”
“But during this movement, for reasons unknown, her maternal grandfather’s family was targeted as a typical example and was sent down to a farm.”
“Her mother passed away a few years ago, and her father has remarried.”
“So, as soon as her maternal grandfather’s side had an accident, her… father immediately published a notice in the newspaper that night, severing all ties with her maternal grandfather’s side.”
The office fell silent for a moment, with only heavy breathing remaining.
The leaders looked at each other, their expressions varied.
“This father…” The regimental commander shook his head, a hint of disdain on his face.
Political Commissar Zhao sighed: “Well, at a time like this, it’s no wonder he made this choice to protect himself. After all, everyone is afraid of being implicated.”
Zhang Weihe, the commander of the Second Regiment, frowned even more deeply as he looked at Long Peiye with worry in his eyes.
“Peiye, that’s true, and she herself has severed ties with her maternal grandfather’s family. But no matter what, the blood ties cannot be severed; they are clearly there.”
Zhang Weihe’s voice became more serious: “This issue of class background, on a minor level, is a matter of your personal lifestyle, which the organization can criticize and educate you about. But on a major level, if someone wants to use this as leverage to make trouble behind your back, you might find yourself completely blocked by this matter if you want to advance your career!”
The more he spoke, the more worried he became, and his tone grew increasingly pained: “You…you’ve essentially blocked half of your own path to promotion! Foolish! Utterly foolish!”
Upon hearing this, Long Peiye simply smiled nonchalantly.
“Commander Zhang,” he said calmly, his gaze meeting the crowd with composure, “I think being a battalion commander is just fine.”
In the office, the leaders looked at each other, all somewhat bewildered.
Long Peiye continued, “No matter what position you hold, you are serving the country and the people.”
“Isn’t this what we soldiers are after?”
“You don’t necessarily have to climb to a very high position to realize your life’s value, don’t you think?”
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As soon as he said this, the leaders in the office who had just been lamenting and grieving for him were all stunned.
They looked at each other, their faces displaying a variety of expressions.
Political Commissar Zhao Zhenbang opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
Zhang Weihe, the commander of the Second Regiment, was so angry that he pointed at Long Peiye, unable to speak for a long time.
The regimental commander reacted quickly. He chuckled and pointed at Long Peiye, laughing and scolding, “You little rascal, Long Peiye!”
“You’re subtly giving us old folks some pointers!”
“You’re saying we’re narrow-minded, only focused on official positions, and that our ideological awareness isn’t even as high as yours, the battalion commander!”
Upon hearing this, Long Peiye quickly waved his hand, a perfectly appropriate hint of embarrassment on his face.
“No, no! Commander, please don’t misunderstand!” he quickly explained, “How could I possibly have meant that!”
“I was just… just speaking from the bottom of my heart, I was just saying it casually, please don’t try to label me!”
He secretly groaned inwardly; these old foxes were all incredibly cunning.
Zhang Weihe, the commander of the Second Regiment, genuinely valued Long Peiye, a soldier he had personally promoted.
He couldn’t bear to watch Long Peiye ruin his future, so he frowned deeply and made a final effort.
“Peiye,” he said in a deep voice, his tone tinged with resentment, “you two…you just got your marriage certificate, you just got married, the deed is done…it’s not necessarily that there’s no way to salvage the situation.”
“Peiye,” he said in a deep voice, his tone tinged with resentment, “you two…you just got your marriage certificate, you just got married, the deed is done…it’s not necessarily that there’s no way to salvage the situation.”
He tentatively asked, “Do you think it’s possible… to get a divorce right now, immediately?”
“While the news hasn’t spread widely and not many people know about it, how can we minimize the impact?”
Upon hearing this, Long Peiye shook his head vigorously almost without hesitation.
“Impossible,” he answered decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. “I’ve already brought the person from Shanghai to the island.”
“What?!” Zhang Weihe’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re moving way too fast!”
He was almost amused by this clueless soldier.
Long Peiye’s expression turned serious at this moment, and his eyes became deep.
“Commander Zhang, Political Commissar, and other leaders,” he said in a deep voice, “even if the person hasn’t been brought over, this marriage cannot be dissolved.”
He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
“Xu Xiangsi’s family situation… is probably more complicated than I imagined.”
“Her father remarried shortly after her mother passed away, and he also brought a stepdaughter with him.”
“Previously, because her maternal grandfather’s family still had some influence and connections in Shanghai, her father and stepmother treated her fairly well on the surface. At least they didn’t dare to go too far and were somewhat ‘afraid’ of her.”
“But ever since her maternal grandfather’s family was labeled as a typical example and sent to a farm, her father and stepmother’s attitude towards her has changed drastically, to the point that they are completely different people.”
“One can only imagine what kind of life she led in that house.”
“If I had just married her at this point, and then divorced her, and sent her back to Shanghai all alone…”
Long Peiye’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear and determination that he himself was unaware of.
“I simply cannot imagine how a young girl with no one to rely on could face such a den of wolves and tigers, or what kind of unbearable treatment she would encounter in the days to come.”
The office fell silent once again.
You could hear a pin drop.