Following Liu Guoqiang’s wishes, she had watched Liu Guoxiang go to college under her own name. After graduation, Guoxiang married a fine man and lived a happy life in Beijing.
And what about her?
She had spent over twenty years toiling in the fields, facing the yellow earth with her back to the sky. She thought her hardships would finally end after seeing off her parents-in-law, only to be hit by a car and sent to the hospital with critical injuries while on her way north to find Liu Guoqiang.
When the nurse called the number she provided, Liu Guoqiang answered.
He said, “There’s something at work. I’m busy and can’t get away.”
Yes, he was busy—busy celebrating Hu Lili’s birthday. He had no time to visit his homely original wife, who had traveled all the way to Nancheng and was struggling for her life in a hospital bed.
She truly had been a fool.
Mu Xiaocao shielded her eyes from the piercing sunlight, her heart heavy.
She wondered if Liu Guoqiang would agree to the divorce after Commissar Wang spoke to him. If he refused, would she be stuck in the village for the rest of her life, worn down just like in her previous one?
No, even if she had to turn the whole world upside down, she would divorce Liu Guoqiang!
“I’m talking to you, country bumpkin! How can you be so malicious and jealous? Lili is so pitiful after losing her husband. What’s wrong with Company Commander Liu taking care of her a bit more? You venomous woman, not only did you scratch Lili’s hand, but you also caused her to be hospitalized. If not for Company Commander Liu’s sake, we military family members would have sent you to prison long ago!”
A harsh voice rang out behind Mu Xiaocao.
She turned slowly.
A woman with a single braid, wearing light blue cotton clothes, was pointing at her and shouting insults.
Xiaocao recognized her. This was Hu Ping, Hu Lili’s distant aunt—relatives so far removed they were beyond the five degrees of mourning. But this woman’s son was a Deputy Battalion Commander. To curry favor with Hu Lili and Liu Guoqiang, she had bullied Xiaocao many times in her past life.
Mu Xiaocao looked at Hu Ping coldly.
“If you point that filthy finger at me again, I won’t hesitate to chop it off!”
Before Hu Ping could react, Xiaocao snapped a willow branch from a nearby tree and whipped it across Hu Ping’s hand.
“You think you’re so generous and not jealous? Why didn’t you let your own son take care of Hu Lili then? Why didn’t you let your son give half his salary to her?”
Hu Ping clutched her hand, speechless for a long moment.
She looked at Mu Xiaocao in surprise. Wasn’t this just a country girl? Where did she get the nerve to speak to her like that?
Mu Xiaocao scanned her surroundings. Several military wives and family members were washing clothes or sewing soles in their yards, but their ears were pricked high.
Mu Xiaocao toyed with the willow branch, a playful curve on her lips.
“Are you blind? I’m rarely in the Military District, yet Hu Lili keeps throwing herself at my man, disregarding all social boundaries. Whenever my man is free, she runs to his room. As Liu Guoqiang’s wife, shouldn’t I be angry? Shouldn’t I be jealous? And you call me malicious? Put yourself in my shoes.
“I traveled over thirty hours by train to see my husband, only to push open the door and find Hu Lili snuggled in his arms reading a picture book. Tell me, should I be angry? In my rage, I scratched her hand, but my husband pushed me to the ground to defend her, causing me to hit my head and pass out. Then, Hu Lili shows up first thing this morning demanding an apology. Doesn’t she deserve a beating? If your son protected Hu Lili like that, what would your daughter-in-law do?”
Hu Ping’s eyes flickered. If her son dared to talk to Hu Lili, that shrew of a daughter-in-law would have torn him apart. He wouldn’t have dared carry Hu Lili to the hospital; the house would have been in an uproar long ago.
But Hu Lili was her niece, and she had to side with her family. She couldn’t very well help an outsider, could she?
“What are you blathering about, you country girl? Do you even know what ‘revolutionary friendship’ is? Lili is the Star Performer of the Song and Dance Troupe! She has the looks and the status. She would never throw herself at Company Commander Liu. I think your own mind is dirty, so you see everything as dirty. Lili is just too kind and warm-hearted. She saw that Company Commander Liu was having a hard time alone in the army and showed some concern. Don’t make their mutual support out to be something so foul.”
Mu Xiaocao glanced behind Hu Ping, her eyes full of mockery.
“Facts speak louder than words. Old lady, if you don’t believe me, look behind you.”
Not far away, Hu Lili was leaning half her body against Liu Guoqiang, her soft arms wrapped around his. A sweet, happy smile was on her face. To an outsider, they looked like a couple in love.
Mu Xiaocao admitted Hu Lili was beautiful. Her skin was fair and delicate, shining under the sun. Her figure was shapely, dressed in a gray wool coat and small round-toed leather shoes. Her dark, shiny hair was braided and reached her waist. Walking beside the tall and handsome Liu Guoqiang, they looked like a match made in heaven.
Then there was her: drab shoulder-length hair, thick bangs covering half her face, deep blue coarse cloth clothes, and black cloth shoes. The baggy clothes hid her waist, and her sallow skin made her look old and rustic.
Looking at them, Mu Xiaocao gave a self-deprecating smile. If conditions allowed, who wouldn’t want to be beautiful? Who wouldn’t want to be young? But who had ever given her the chance to show herself? No one.
In this life, she would give it to herself.
Hu Ping turned and saw the scene, her mouth clamped shut.
Mu Xiaocao looked at the military wives craning their necks and said mockingly, “See? They’re the ones who look like a family.”
Hearing Mu Xiaocao’s words, Liu Guoqiang awkwardly pulled his arm away and looked at her with an unfriendly gaze.
“Lili is unwell. I was afraid she’d fall, so I helped her back. Don’t talk nonsense and spread rumors here!”
Mu Xiaocao sneered. “Who is she to you? Does she need you to keep her company all night?”
“Lili’s parents are gone, and her brother and sister-in-law are out of town. What’s wrong with me taking care of her?” Anger surged in Liu Guoqiang’s dark eyes.
Mu Xiaocao gave a cold snort. “I didn’t say you shouldn’t take care of her. To take even better care of her, just divorce me. Once we’re divorced, no one will say a word about how you care for her.”
At the mention of “divorce,” everyone nearby gasped.
“Whoa, the sun must be rising from the west. To think the woman who loved Company Commander Liu to death would actually dare to mention divorce?”
Two men in military uniforms stood nearby. One was in his thirties, the other about twenty-five. The older soldier was the one who spoke. He looked at Mu Xiaocao with disbelief.
Everyone knew Mu Xiaocao was hopelessly in love with Liu Guoqiang; she would probably think even his farts smelled sweet. No one expected her to take the initiative to ask for a divorce. This was simply too absurd!