On the day of her departure, Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei came to Mingxi’s doorstep early in the morning to curse at her.
However, they were driven away by others before long.
Mingxi organized her belongings. Aside from the cloth bundle, she had nothing of value.
First, she took an ox-cart to town, then a bus. The bumpy journey almost made Mingxi sick.
The Brigade leader helped her buy a train ticket—a hard seat for a three-day, two-night journey.
There was no other choice. Sleeper tickets were impossible to get; without connections, you simply couldn’t buy one.
Mingxi smelled the various strange odors in the air and silently pressed on her acupoints to suppress the nausea.
“Oh, dear girl, I think I’ve sprained my ankle. Can you help me up?” an old woman suddenly asked Mingxi for help.
Mingxi looked at her but said nothing.
The old woman was instantly displeased. “Young people these days really have no manners.”
The people around them also began to whisper. Mingxi acted as if she hadn’t heard.
She inconspicuously stepped on the woman’s foot. The old crone yelped in pain and jumped up, her leg and foot suddenly fine.
“Ouch! Which blind fool stepped on my foot? Didn’t you see a big person like me standing here?”
The old woman began to curse at the people around her.
Seeing how nimble she was, the crowd realized they had been deceived.
A young man quietly slipped away and returned a moment later with the train police.
When the old woman saw the police, she tried to bolt. Mingxi swiftly kicked an acupoint on her leg. The old woman’s leg went weak, and she fell flat on her face.
The surrounding passengers also blocked the way, helping the police catch her.
The officer subdued the old woman, thanked the crowd, and then led her away.
Human traffickers were rampant these days, and train stations were where they appeared most often.
Their targets were women and children, especially good-looking women.
The young man was surrounded and praised by the crowd. Everyone complimented him for being clever and sharp-eyed.
Mingxi silently hid her contribution and fame within the crowd.
It was better to keep a low profile when away from home. She would let someone else take the spotlight.
However, an old man had appeared beside her at some point.
“Little girl, I saw what you did. Are you studying medicine?”
Mingxi was speechless.
“My grandfather and my father are both doctors. I learned a little from them.”
The old man said, “Oh, a medical dynasty!”
Mingxi was speechless again.
She never would have thought she’d be described as a medical dynasty, but who doesn’t like being praised?
“Yes, a dynasty, haha,” Mingxi said, trying hard to suppress the upward curve of her lips.
The old man seemed very interested in her, and he was also exceptionally talkative. Even if Mingxi didn’t want to talk to him, he could carry on a lively conversation all by himself.
However, Mingxi did chat with him about a few things, including her plan to find Lin Jianguo and divorce him.
But after talking for a while, Mingxi’s head started to buzz. This old man was just too talkative!
Moreover, in this era, when people heard someone wanted a divorce, they would definitely distance themselves from that person. Yet, this old man didn’t seem to mind at all.
And the little old man seemed to have a genuinely eccentric temper. Hearing that Mingxi wanted a divorce, he seemed to admire her even more.
“If you’ve been wronged, you should definitely get a divorce. I support your choice. Your husband’s character is truly poor. And he’s a doctor, no less. If he didn’t like you, he shouldn’t have married you. To think he’d abandon you in the countryside for two years—that man has no sense of responsibility.”
Mingxi couldn’t help but laugh. “Why don’t you ask whose fault it is? What if it’s my fault?”
The old man waved his hand. “It’s absolutely impossible that it’s your fault. Although we haven’t known each other for long, from our conversation just now, I can tell you’re a good comrade.”
“The place you’re going to is the same as where I’m going. I’ll help you with this divorce. This old man is definitely on your side.”
Mingxi’s lips curved slightly. She could tell this old man’s status was anything but ordinary.
A young man had come over several times, seemingly wanting to call the old man back, but the old man refused to go.
Initially, she hadn’t wanted to engage with him to avoid trouble. Getting involved with important figures meant endless complications.
This was especially true in an era like this.
But this old man gave off a good feeling. He was very open-minded and didn’t put on airs when talking to others. He was a very approachable person.
“Little comrade, my name is Qi Zhengguo. Everyone calls me Old Qi. What’s your name?”
Mingxi replied, “My name is Mingxi.”
“Mingxi? Don’t tell me you were born by a stream (xi),” the old man asked casually.
Mingxi said, “I was born by a river (he).”
The old man asked curiously, “Then why aren’t you named Minghe?”
Mingxi was speechless. You tell me, does Minghe sound good?
The old man also realized that name didn’t seem quite suitable for a girl. He gave an embarrassed laugh and changed the subject.
With Old Qi’s help along the way, Mingxi indeed found things much more convenient, so the three-day, two-night journey wasn’t too difficult to bear.
When they reached their destination, Mingxi even hitched a ride in Old Qi’s car.
Old Qi also directly helped her find Lin Jianguo’s superior, told her where he was currently living, and said that if she needed any help, she could go directly to him.
“If you want to find a new man in the future, I have some good young lads here. They’re handsome, good-tempered, and can cook. I’ll introduce them to you then, ha,” the old man said very enthusiastically.
Mingxi’s mouth twitched, and she tactfully declined.
Meanwhile, Lin Jianguo was at work when his superior suddenly called him over, saying his wife had arrived.
His wife was here? Mingxi?
Lin Jianguo’s brows furrowed into a deep crease, his whole body tensing up.
“I’d almost forgotten you had a wife. But it’s normal for your wife to come looking for you after you haven’t been back for two years. Go and see her.”
The superior patted Lin Jianguo’s shoulder. His words were normal, but his tone was deeply meaningful.
He had long had his eye on Lin Jianguo. The young man was skilled, capable, and good-looking. It would be great if he were his son-in-law.
He had genuinely forgotten that Lin Jianguo had a wife back in his hometown. However, he vaguely seemed to recall that Lin Jianguo disliked this wife and had run off the day after they got married.
Lin Jianguo went to see Mingxi with a dark expression.
The first time he saw Mingxi, he was stunned by her beauty for a second but quickly returned to normal.
What was the use of being beautiful? She was uneducated, and he didn’t like her. If his mother hadn’t forced him, he would never have married her.
Besides, he already had someone he liked.
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at home taking care of Mother? What are you doing running all over the place?”
Lin Jianguo’s tone was full of accusation. Mingxi rolled her eyes and got straight to the point. “Lin Jianguo, I’m here to divorce you.”
Divorce? Hearing those two words, Lin Jianguo was a little slow to react.
Mingxi continued, “You know our marriage is in name only. You left right after we got married and have been gone for two years. I’m sure you know what kind of people your mother and sister are. They haven’t treated me like a human being for the past two years.”
“Your family’s reputation in the village is already in tatters. They’ve been bullying me for two years, and the villagers have seen it all. That’s why they also support me divorcing you.”
Hearing these words made Lin Jianguo’s head spin. What did she mean their family’s reputation in the village was in tatters, and that the villagers supported her divorcing him?
Lin Jianguo’s face turned cold as he began to blame Mingxi. “Did you deliberately slander our family? I was unwilling to marry you in the first place. If my mother hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have stayed away from home for two years.”
Mingxi retorted, “Then go blame your mother. She’s the one who caused all this. She’s the main culprit.”
“Anyway, I want a divorce. I hope you’ll agree as soon as possible. If you don’t, I don’t mind making a scene here and letting everyone know what kind of people your family members are.”
With this, Mingxi had completely torn off all pretenses with Lin Jianguo.
She had no idea how this “phoenix man” had become the male lead. She had complained about it when she was reading the novel.
Lin Jianguo was both furious and indignant. Although he didn’t like Mingxi, being the one asked for a divorce by a woman was a huge blow to his pride.