Tian Tian answered quickly, "Sister Yuanyuan’s knee still hurts. Oh, right, we need Tuantuan’s too. Sister Yu Yuan said we should get Tuantuan’s birth certificate done while we’re at it."
After the production brigade captain finished writing the letter, he handed it to Zhang Jiahua and told him to keep it safe.
Tian Tian snatched the introduction letter from Zhang Jiahua’s hand, though her movements were gentle as she carefully folded it and slipped it into her breast pocket. Without waiting for the two men to exchange pleasantries, she hurriedly urged Zhang Jiahua to head back.
Zhang Jiahua didn’t say a word. He just kept his head down and walked toward the Knowledge Youth Institute.
"Hey! Comrade Zhang Jiahua!" Tian Tian stood her ground with her arms crossed, both exasperated and angry. "Why are you so oblivious? Sister Yu Yuan’s knee hurts, and she’s bringing Tuantuan along. We need to go to the village chief to borrow an ox cart. Or do you really expect her to walk all that way?"
Zhang Jiahua finally snapped out of his daze. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of that!
The village chief’s ox cart was easy to borrow; they got it as soon as they asked. His good buddy, Zhang Ci Hao, even busied himself laying a cushion on the cart and placing a small blanket there to keep out the cold.
By the time they returned to the Knowledge Youth Institute, Deng Yuyuan was already prepared. Her delicate, small face was wrapped in a brown scarf, and she wore a red fuzzy hat, making her skin look even paler.
Tuantuan stayed obediently in Zhao Erdong’s arms. Seeing them arrive, the baby babbled, letting out happy AHH AHH AHH sounds and revealing sweet little dimples.
Zhang Jiahua took a long stride forward and told the woman in a soft, timid voice, "The introduction letter is done, and the ox cart is outside. We can head out now."
Tian Tian stepped up to take Tuantuan. By now, she looked quite natural holding a baby. Aside from a few WHIMPERS when being handed over, Tuantuan continued to giggle foolishly, completely lacking any empathy for her father’s current feelings of sorrow and despair.
Zhao Erdong helped Deng Yuyuan onto the ox cart, giving Zhang Jiahua absolutely no chance to intervene.
Driven by the man, the ox cart swayed and jolted its way toward the town. Deng Yuyuan reached out to catch the spilling morning sunlight, revealing a shallow dimple that looked incredibly similar to Tuantuan’s.
She was about to achieve legal freedom.
After tying up the ox cart at the market, Deng Yuyuan naturally opened her arms toward Zhang Jiahua. "Carry me on your back to the Civil Affairs Bureau."
Zhang Jiahua’s pupils slowly dilated, and finally, his lips curved into a pleasantly surprised smile. He had already grasped the true essence of not being annoying. Turning his back to Deng Yuyuan, he bent his knees and bowed.
"Okay."
The woman’s soft skin pressed against his back, her warm breath brushing his ear. Those smooth, fair arms circled his neck once again, just like they used to. Zhang Jiahua’s heart pounded abnormally like an inexperienced teenager, yet his footsteps remained remarkably steady.
Along the way, young couples holding hands constantly passed them by, pointing at Deng Yuyuan and Zhang Jiahua with kind, well-wishing smiles on their faces. None of the passersby would have ever imagined that this seemingly perfect couple was here to get a divorce.
Even the registration clerk thought the same, assuming they were here to retroactively apply for a marriage certificate after having a child.
"You two are getting a divorce?! Is this your child?" The clerk stopped her pen just as she was about to write on a marriage certificate.
Deng Yuyuan took out the two introduction letters and handed them to the clerk.
The clerk read very slowly, softly sounding out every single word. Then, she called out loudly for a colleague to take over her spot.
"Before processing a divorce, we need to have a conversation to understand the situation. Only the husband and wife can come with me." Her gaze swept over Tian Tian and Zhao Erdong, who was holding the baby. "The others can wait in the lobby."
Zhang Jiahua offered his hand to Deng Yuyuan. Without any hesitation, she grabbed his arm for support and followed the clerk.
The clerk quietly observed their interaction. Recalling how the introduction letter stated that mediation had failed, she felt that the village officials simply lacked ideological awareness and professional competence. This couple had a child and a solid emotional foundation. They weren’t screaming or fighting, either. Clearly, today’s mediation would go very smoothly.
After they sat down in the mediation room, another man and woman soon walked in as well. Zhang Jiahua was already starting to feel awkward and restrained; this was his first time facing such a formal setup.
The clerk brewed a cup of tea for everyone and opened the conversation. "Let me ask first: has there been any infidelity or domestic violence?"
The two of them shook their heads in unison.
"I see. I saw the introduction letter mentioned ’incompatibility’. Did... something else happen?" The clerk looked at Deng Yuyuan first. "Ladies first. Why don’t you start, Ms. Deng?"
"He can’t support me and my daughter. I don’t have any other choice," Deng Yuyuan sighed.
The clerk glanced at Zhang Jiahua. He was tall and sturdy. Although he was a bit handsome, his visible muscles showed he was an excellent farmer. It didn’t seem likely that he couldn’t afford to feed his wife and child.
She asked cautiously, "How many children do you two have?"
"One."
Then it wasn’t a case of having too many kids to feed.
The clerk asked again, "Does he have a gambling problem?"
Deng Yuyuan shook her head. "He would rather starve the two of us to death than not hand over all his money to his mother, who already eats and drinks her fill. I don’t think dying just to accommodate his filial piety is right. On the day I was about to starve, I ran back to the Knowledge Youth Institute to beg for food, and that’s how I survived. I swore right then that if I didn’t die that day, I would get a divorce."
The clerk understood. It was a classic mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict.
"Sir, do you agree with your wife’s statement?"
Zhang Jiahua nodded. "It’s my fault. I neglected my wife and child."
"Well, here is the thing, Ms. Deng. I was thinking, wouldn’t you want to give your husband another chance? The main problem is that your husband only cares about his elders and neglects his own small family, right? So if he can change his ways—"
The clerk advised earnestly, "You are both still young, with countless opportunities to correct your mistakes. Besides, look at how perfectly matched you are! A talented man and a beautiful woman. You even have common ground! The fact that both of you think divorce is a good idea shows that you are the same kind of people deep down—understanding, free-spirited, and decisive. I believe that once you get over this hurdle, you will definitely live in perfect harmony from now on."
Deng Yuyuan raised her eyebrows, wondering how both of them wanting a divorce meant they shared common ground. She could tell the clerk was resorting to any means necessary to urge them to reconcile.
"It’s precisely because we’re still young that the sunk costs are relatively low, so it’s best to pull out in time. Getting divorced amicably together is also a beautiful story to tell, a great way to promote peaceful breakups," Deng Yuyuan said.
Zhang Jiahua was still silent, so Deng Yuyuan stepped on his foot. He jolted and blurted out, "Divorce is for the best, comrade."
The clerk could already tell that the one truly pushing for the divorce was Deng Yuyuan. "Even if you don’t think about yourself, you need to think about the child, don’t you? Without a father, how will she live in the future? How will others view her?
"In cases like yours, where there are no major faults between the couple, we can’t issue a divorce certificate."