Song Hongmei had never seen her daughter cry so miserably before. Her heart ached badly, and she quickly dropped her things and rushed over.
“What happened? Did that bastard soldier bully you? Don’t worry, Mom will stand up for you!”
She pulled Song Xuezhi into her arms, gently patting her daughter’s back in distress.
Song Xuezhi tried to speak, but her throat felt blocked by something, and all that came out were broken sobs.
She thought of the dream of the future—her mother being diagnosed with terminal cancer a few years later, while she herself, because she had married far away, couldn’t rush back in time… so much so that she didn’t even get to see her mother one last time.
“Mom, I miss you so much…”
“Mom misses you too. Sigh, look at this mess. I told you long ago not to marry far away, especially not into a military family. You didn’t listen—now you’re going to suffer later!” Song Hongmei’s tone carried a hint of complaint.
Elders of her generation were always like this—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.
“Then I don’t want to marry anymore.”
“Then don’t marry. Good girl, come back home with Mom. We’ll go back to Su City. There are plenty of good men there—you don’t lack this one useless soldier. Hmph. The son from that factory we saw last time was pretty good too, and he likes you…”
Song Hongmei thought it was fortunate that her daughter hadn’t yet registered the marriage with that officer. Once they returned home, far away from here, no one would know her past—she would still be an unmarried young woman.
Song Xuezhi sniffed, then suddenly thought of something and started crying again.
“But… but… it seems like it’s already too late. I really don’t know what to do now, Mom.”
She had only had a prophetic dream—she hadn’t been reborn.
At just twenty years old, Song Xuezhi had been pampered by her mother and brother since childhood. Her upbringing meant she was just an ordinary girl, not mentally strong enough to endure this kind of pressure.
Coming alone to a strange city thousands of miles away to marry into the military had already used up all her courage.
So now that she saw her family, all the helplessness and breakdown she had been suppressing for so long poured out uncontrollably.
Song Hongmei’s heart tightened when she saw her daughter’s expression. She immediately became alert, looked around, and lowered her voice nervously.
“Tell Mom the truth—have you… already slept with that man?”
That was what worried her most.
Her daughter had been living alone here for over a month.
It wouldn’t be surprising if she had been tricked and taken advantage of.
If she were already pregnant… then it would be completely over.
At that point, no matter how much of a scumbag Zhou Weidong was, she would have no choice but to marry him.
Fortunately, that worst fear did not happen.
“Mom, I haven’t had any physical relationship with him,” Song Xuezhi shook her head.
Only then did Song Hongmei breathe a sigh of relief.
“That’s good. There’s still time.”
“But he told me we’ve already registered the marriage! I clearly told his commander I wanted to withdraw the marriage application…” Song Xuezhi said, lost and hollow.
“What?! That’s fraud! How could he get married without your consent?” Song Hongmei rolled up her sleeves and grabbed her hand. “Stop crying. Come with Mom to the military base. We’ll ask his leaders to judge this fairly!”
Song Xuezhi felt the same way and wiped her tears. Seeing her mother carrying so many things, she first decided to take her home.
“Mom, let’s put the things down first, then go to the base.”
“Alright, alright. I even brought you a hen. We’ll stew it into soup for you…”
When they opened the sack tied up at the top, there was actually a live chicken inside.
But after days of train travel, the chicken looked weak and exhausted.
“Thank you, Mom,” Song Xuezhi said, her eyes red again as warmth surged in her heart.
Song Hongmei originally thought her daughter was already living in military housing, but when she followed her to a shabby rental in an urban village, she immediately exploded in anger.
“Is that guy crazy? You came all this way to find him, and he made you live in a place like this?!”
“Where is the marital home? Don’t tell me he lied about that too!” she frowned deeply.
“He said the house was approved, but it’s currently being used by his younger sister,” Song Xuezhi replied.
“I think he’s lost his mind,” Song Hongmei sneered. “Giving the marital home to his sister? He might as well marry his sister instead—kill two birds with one stone and save on bride price!”
“Mom, stop…” Song Xuezhi’s face twisted in pain.
Who would have thought… her mother would actually be right.
Song Hongmei had already heard from phone calls about how Zhou Weidong favored his sister.
Unable to tolerate her daughter being wronged, she immediately decided to storm the military base.
“If he dares treat you like this, his career as a battalion commander is over.”
They arrived at the base, intending to ask Commander Chen about the marriage registration.
However, it seemed a high-ranking official was visiting today, and the guards refused them entry.
“If you want to see Commander Chen, come back another day!” the armed soldier stood straight and unmoving.
Suddenly, Song Hongmei sat down on the ground and began causing a scene.
She beat her chest and cried loudly:
“Help! The military is bullying civilians! Soldiers are abusing people! A battalion commander named Zhou is forcing my daughter into marriage without her consent and even stole all her dowry!”
“In broad daylight, under the clear sky, is there no law anymore?”
Watching her, Song Xuezhi knew her mother used to be nothing like this.
Her biological father, Zhu Geshan, was a university professor specializing in physics—a rare intellectual of that era. Her mother had naturally been educated too.
But limited by the times, she only finished junior high. Still, she used to read books and could be considered well-mannered and reasonable.
From the letters her father once wrote, he described her as a very gentle and shy woman.
As for why she had become so “fierce” now—it was probably maternal strength born from necessity.
After her husband died, if she didn’t stand up for herself, she couldn’t protect her children.
Seeing this, Song Xuezhi felt as if she was looking at her future self—who might also become someone others call a “shrew” after marrying Zhou Weidong.
She clutched her chest, feeling suffocated with pain, and stepped forward to try to pull her mother up.
But at that moment, a military vehicle with a special license plate stopped at the gate.
The steel-gray door opened, and military boots stepped onto the sunlit ground.
“What’s going on?”
A low, heavy voice carried a suffocating pressure.
The arguing soldiers froze and immediately snapped to attention. “L-Long, Commander Li!”
When Song Xuezhi looked up, she met a pair of eyes like an icy deep pool.
A young officer stood by the door, one hand resting on it while the other casually adjusted his leather gloves. His sharply tailored dark green uniform accentuated his blade-like shoulders. His high brow cast a deep shadow over his eyes, but it could not conceal the sharpness within.
“Report, sir! These two civilians—” the guard began, but was interrupted as Song Hongmei suddenly rushed forward and knelt at his military boots.
“Sir, please help us! My daughter… she’s been tricked into marriage by your unit’s battalion commander Zhou Weidong!”
She trembled as she tried to bow her head and hit the ground.
Song Xuezhi was startled, but the officer reacted quickly and helped her up.
“This matter will be investigated. According to Article 7 of the Marriage Registration Regulations, any marriage obtained under coercion is invalid from the start. Please rest assured.”
Perhaps his voice was too calm and steady, as Song Hongmei unexpectedly felt reassured and nodded repeatedly.
“Thank you, sir! You are truly a good officer!”
In truth, she thought he looked far too young to be such a senior official.
But it didn’t matter—she just needed authority.
She had experience; officials responded well to this approach.
Out of the corner of his eye, the officer noticed the silent girl beside her—her floral blouse collar damp with tears, eyelashes still wet, yet her spine remained straight like a white magnolia battered by rain but refusing to fall.
What kind of grievance had she suffered?
His brows furrowed slightly.
“Commander Lu is currently hosting an inspection delegation,” the officer said slowly, looking at her. “If you don’t mind, Miss Song, you may come to my office to discuss the procedures for annulment.”