By bringing up divorce in front of the military families, Tang Rubao caused Tu Xiuxiu to be pointed at and gossiped about. Deep down, Tu Xiuxiu hated her to the core.
On the surface, however, she spoke up for Tang Rubao, saying, “It’s my fault for not doing well enough and causing Rubao to misunderstand. I’ll explain things to her later.”
She didn’t believe Tang Rubao truly wanted a divorce. Life was hard for divorced women, this was probably just a way to get Zhou Jingran’s attention.
From now on, she would simply have Zhou Jingran spend more time talking to her.
Tang Rubao walked in, went to the square table, picked up the kettle, and poured herself some water.
When Zhang Yunmei saw that she didn’t even greet Tu Xiuxiu, she immediately felt indignant on Tu Xiuxiu’s behalf. “Tang Rubao, you made Xiuxiu lose face in front of everyone. Shouldn’t you apologize?”
Holding the enamel mug, Tang Rubao took two gulps of water. “Her skin is thicker than a city wall, how could she lose face?”
Tu Xiuxiu straightened up angrily, looking at Tang Rubao with a hint of disdain. “Battalion Commander Zhou and I are just friends. Your mind is dirty, so everything you see is dirty.”
A strong, overly fragrant scent of tea drifted over, almost making Tang Rubao choke.
She let out a cold laugh, her gaze dropping mockingly. “Did you grow hooks down there? And you still call that being ‘just friends’?”
Tu Xiuxiu flushed red, instinctively pressing her legs together, glaring at Tang Rubao in shame and anger. “You’re vulgar and shameless!”
“Well, I’m vulgar and shameless, and you’re noble and pure. You and Zhou Jingran are a perfect match, so I agree to the divorce and grant your wish.”
Bang!
Zhou Jingran slammed the pot onto the stove, the noise echoing loudly.
He walked out of the kitchen, his face dark, and stared at Tang Rubao. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”
She had always been a diligent, gentle, virtuous wife, how had she suddenly become like this?
He disliked sharp-tongued, aggressive women the most.
Tang Rubao lifted her gaze slightly, looking at him coldly. “Why do men always think that when a woman talks about divorce, she’s just making a fuss? Can’t I be serious?”
For a moment, Zhou Jingran was stunned by her expression. The thought that she truly wanted a divorce made his chest tighten.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to explain?” Tang Rubao turned to Tu Xiuxiu. “Go on, what are you explaining? That you can accept everything my husband gives you without guilt? Or that you deliberately hurt yourself to make him hate me?”
Tu Xiuxiu frowned. Could Tang Rubao really be serious?
No, she absolutely couldn’t let this marriage end.
With a magnanimous tone, as if offering charity, Tu Xiuxiu said, “Rubao, I know you burned me. You’re only making a fuss about divorce because you’re afraid Jingran will blame you.”
After that, she smiled sweetly at Zhou Jingran. “Jingran, quickly tell Rubao you won’t blame her.”
Zhou Jingran pressed his lips together, about to speak, but Tang Rubao cut in first, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Your skin is so thick, it’d be a waste not to use it for bulletproof vests.”
She slammed her enamel mug down, lifted her chin, and said, “I’m done playing games with you.”
With that, she turned and strode back into her room.
Seeing her completely changed attitude, Zhou Jingran’s expression darkened, his whole presence turning cold and oppressive.
Tu Xiuxiu didn’t look any better. Had Tang Rubao gone mad?
“Hmph, Xiuxiu, don’t bother with her. She’s just making a fuss because she’s jealous that Battalion Commander Zhou treats you well and neglects her,” Zhang Yunmei said, holding Tu Xiuxiu’s arm as she complained.
“My sister-in-law used to be like that too. When she saw my brother supporting my schooling and giving me money, she’d throw tantrums and threaten divorce.”
“At first, my brother refused, and she caused such a scene the whole village knew, so annoying.”
“But once my brother agreed to divorce, she panicked and ran back to her parents’ house, afraid he’d take her to the commune to finalize it.”
“Later, when I stopped studying and stopped spending his money, she became obedient again.”
Hearing this, Tu Xiuxiu frowned again.
Could Tang Rubao really be doing this because of money?
She looked at Zhou Jingran with a troubled expression. “Ah Ran… don’t give me money anymore.”
As she said it, her heart ached, she had long wanted to buy a television.
She had even burned herself with hot chicken soup to force Zhou Jingran to make Tang Rubao compensate her, so she could get the money.
Who would have thought Tang Rubao would go so far as to file for divorce?
Tu Xiuxiu clenched her teeth inwardly, this marriage couldn’t end.
But she was determined to get that money.
Meanwhile, after returning to her room, Tang Rubao began packing her belongings.
She had to move out of the family compound and get away from Zhou Jingran.
She didn’t have much, just two sets of summer clothes and two sets of winter clothes.
Looking at her meager belongings, Tang Rubao almost wanted to slap herself.
Although Zhou Jingran only gave her five yuan a month, she also received her father’s pension, twenty-five yuan monthly.
That money could have given her a comfortable life.
But she had been unwilling to spend it on herself, not on good food, not on warm clothes.
She had spent it all on Zhou Jingran.
When Zhou Jingran came home for meals, she would buy him meat and noodles.
When he didn’t come home, she would eat coarse grain steamed buns by herself.
In the summer, she bought him light, cool clothes; in the winter, she bought him thick cotton-padded coats. Meanwhile, the clothes she wore were patched over and over again.
Being blinded by love was truly incurable.
After packing her belongings, Tang Rubao sat on the bed and began to think about her future.
People in later generations often said that this era was full of opportunities, money could be made everywhere. But in her previous life, she had been trapped in it because of love.
She had never done business before and didn’t understand it.
But back then, as long as you dared to take risks, you could make a fortune even selling socks.
However, the Xifu Military Camp was located in a remote area.
It was surrounded by mountains, with only a few nearby villages, and the closest market street was more than a two-hour walk away.
She thought of her hometown by the coast.
With the wave of reform and opening-up, the Pearl River Delta developed rapidly, and coastal areas in particular flourished.
She wanted to go back to her hometown.
But she had to wait until the divorce was approved and she obtained the official divorce certificate from Zhou Jingran before she could leave.
Knock, knock—
Someone knocked on the door.
Tang Rubao tossed her packed bag onto the bed and went to open it.
Zhou Jingran stood at the doorway, dressed in a camouflage military uniform, his posture straight and rigid, his expression cold.
When he looked at her, his eyes were icy.
Tang Rubao raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
She glanced behind him. “They’ve left?”
“Let’s talk.” Zhou Jingran turned and walked to the living room, sitting down on the sofa.
For the sake of securing the divorce certificate smoothly in a month, Tang Rubao agreed.
She sat across from him, a square wooden table between them. A clean checkered cloth covered the table, and a yellow envelope lay on top.
Zhou Jingran picked up the envelope and handed it to her. “There’s two hundred yuan inside. Take it. And don’t casually bring up divorce again.”
Tang Rubao looked at him curiously. “Where did you get so much money?”
He only earned fifty-two yuan a month. He gave her five yuan, sent fifteen yuan back to his hometown, gave twenty yuan to Tu Xiuxiu, and still had to pay party dues. How much could he possibly have left?
She tilted her head, thinking it over.
He had only started supporting Tu Xiuxiu and her daughter after being transferred to the Xifu Military Camp.
Back in the Nanning Military Camp, he didn’t have that expense.
He was also a frugal person.
After years of saving, accumulating two hundred yuan didn’t seem impossible.
Zhou Jingran didn’t answer her question. Instead, he directly stuffed the envelope into her hand.
The house wasn’t soundproof at all, Tang Rubao had heard everything Zhang Yunmei said earlier.
Looking down at the envelope, she asked, “Zhou Jingran, do you think I’m divorcing you just because you’re giving money to Tu Xiuxiu?”