Liu Guoqiang’s tone was resolute.
“Political Commissar, twisted melons aren’t sweet. Since Mu Xiaocao wants a divorce, how can I not oblige?”
He wanted to see exactly how Mu Xiaocao would survive without him!
Mu Xiaocao hadn’t gone far. She had circled back and hidden under the window of the Political Commissar’s office, overhearing every word of the conversation inside.
Hearing that Liu Guoqiang agreed to the divorce, she immediately beamed with joy.
Good, good. It was for the best that this dog of a man agreed to the divorce.
As long as both parties agreed, once the Divorce Application was submitted, it would take a month at most for her to receive the divorce certificate.
With that certificate in hand, she could complete the formalities and thoroughly sever all ties with Liu Guoqiang.
The thought of not having to repeat the mistakes of her past life filled Mu Xiaocao with an immense sense of relief.
She felt an especially indescribable joy seeing Hu Lili and Liu Guoqiang being pointed at and gossiped about by others.
Indeed, building one’s happiness on the troubles of others was the most satisfying thing of all.
Having heard enough of the Military Wives’ gossip, Mu Xiaocao finally sauntered back to the family compound.
Upon returning home, she saw Liu Guoqiang with a dark, brooding face, cooking millet porridge for Hu Lili.
Mu Xiaocao gave a clicking sound of disapproval, changed into her slippers, and prepared to go inside.
Liu Guoqiang shot her a look, threw his chopsticks onto the stove, and blocked Mu Xiaocao’s path.
“Mu Xiaocao, when did you become so unreasonable? Lili is a martyr’s widow. Can you stop being so vulgar and shameless!”
Mu Xiaocao took two steps back, looking at the highly irritable Liu Guoqiang with a strange expression.
“Yes, I’m vulgar and shameless, while you and Hu Lili are noble and pure—a perfect match of talent and beauty. Isn’t it wonderful that we’re divorcing so you two lovers can be together? Why are you taking your anger out on me?”
Liu Guoqiang’s fingers tightened.
Mu Xiaocao had always been a hardworking, virtuous wife and mother. How had she suddenly turned into this?
Sharp-tongued and spouting nonsense regardless of the occasion—he detested women like this!
Mu Xiaocao looked at Liu Guoqiang coldly.
“I’m serious about the divorce. If you don’t want this matter to escalate, then go through the formalities with me as soon as possible.”
Liu Guoqiang was startled by the coldness in her eyes.
The realization that she had already submitted the Divorce Application left a dull ache in his chest.
Why did it seem like she had become a completely different person after three years apart?
“Stop bothering me. Looking at you makes me sick. If you’re a man, go talk to Commissar Wang tomorrow, explain everything, and get the divorce papers processed as quickly as possible. Then, maybe I’ll have a shred of respect for you.”
Mu Xiaocao locked her door as usual and barred it with a doorstop.
She had brought some dry rations with her and ate a few bites with some boiled water.
Afterward, she packed her belongings into a leather suitcase.
The suitcase was part of her dowry. Hidden in a compartment at the bottom was a pearl necklace.
In the center of the necklace hung a translucent, water-like jade peace buckle.
As Mu Xiaocao stroked the necklace, a blurry face surfaced in her mind.
They had been separated for eight years. She wondered how he was doing now. Was he even still alive?
Mu Xiaocao gave a self-deprecating smile and put the necklace around her neck.
She hadn’t even settled her own affairs yet; she didn’t have time to think about others.
In this life, no one was going to take what belonged to her.
As she fell into a deep sleep that night, Mu Xiaocao didn’t notice a crystal-clear droplet seeping out from the jade peace buckle, slowly merging into her skin…
The next morning, Mu Xiaocao felt refreshed. After finishing her breakfast, she strolled around the courtyard to aid her digestion.
Liu Guoqiang wasn’t around; it seemed he had gone out on a mission, which left Mu Xiaocao in peace.
As soon as the divorce papers were finalized, she would leave this place.
Voices drifted over from the neighboring courtyard.
“Lili, what is that country woman’s problem? Why is she suddenly making such a fuss about divorcing Company Commander Liu? She’s embarrassed both you and him.”
Hu Lili touched her forehead, her eyes reflecting a mix of complex emotions.
She did have feelings for Liu Guoqiang, but he was a man from the countryside.
His parents were in poor health, and his younger siblings were lazy, good-for-nothing, and sickly.
His grandmother was also bedridden and paralyzed. If she didn’t die soon, she would be a bottomless pit of expenses, requiring constant medicine and dedicated care.
Liu Guoqiang treated her very well, but she looked down on his family situation.
Otherwise, she would have found a way to make Liu Guoqiang divorce Mu Xiaocao and marry her long ago.
She coveted the way Liu Guoqiang treated her and his generosity, but she hadn’t made up her mind about marrying him.
Moreover, she was infertile, and she doubted the Liu family would accept her.
The current arrangement was perfect.
Someone else was looking after Liu Guoqiang’s family, she got half of his money, and she didn’t have to lift a finger or worry about a thing.
But the trouble was that Mu Xiaocao was being difficult.
As a woman from the countryside, she should know how to be magnanimous instead of constantly using divorce as a threat to scare people.
If she really did divorce Liu Guoqiang, the gossip from the villagers back home would be enough to drown her.
Hu Lili hated Mu Xiaocao now.
She had always maintained the image of a noble and resilient martyr’s widow, but ever since Mu Xiaocao arrived, that image had been ruined.
In front of others, however, Hu Lili still acted magnanimously.
“Auntie, I’ve always been casual and not one for formalities. Company Commander Liu and I are old classmates, so we might be a bit more relaxed when we talk or do things. That’s probably why she misunderstood our relationship. I’ll explain it clearly to her later. Company Commander Liu and I are perfectly innocent; it’s not what she thinks. We are just good comrades and old classmates. We’ve never done anything out of line.”
Hu Lili didn’t believe for a second that Mu Xiaocao truly wanted to divorce Liu Guoqiang.
In this era, life was incredibly difficult for a divorced woman.
She was likely doing this just to get Liu Guoqiang’s attention.
In the future, couldn’t she just tell Liu Guoqiang to spend more time with his wife?
Why did she have to make such a scene about a divorce?
If Mu Xiaocao actually left, she certainly wasn’t going to look after that house full of elderly, weak, and sick people in the Liu family.
Mu Xiaocao listened to the conversation next door with great interest.
When it reached a particularly interesting point, she grabbed a small stool, stepped on it, and poked her head over the wall to look into the neighboring yard.
She wanted to see what else these two could cook up about her.
When Hu Ping saw a head pop up over the wall, a flash of embarrassment crossed her face.
But she quickly snapped, “You hillbilly! Eavesdropping on others will get you struck by lightning!”
Mu Xiaocao sneered.
“If the ones gossiping aren’t afraid of lightning, why should I be? Carry on. I want to hear what other shocking things you two can come up with.”
“Mu Xiaocao, you’ve been slandering Lili’s reputation everywhere. Shouldn’t you apologize to her?”
Mu Xiaocao held her enamel mug and took two sips of water.
“She’s a shameless homewrecker. She doesn’t deserve an apology from me.”
Hu Lili stood up abruptly, fuming with rage.
“Company Commander Liu and I are just old classmates! Don’t assume everyone is as filthy as your own mind!”
Good heavens, Mu Xiaocao thought. That mouth of hers smells like dog dung. It nearly knocked me over.