Chapter 39: Let’s Get a Divorce
"Uncle Jiang, still busy?"
Jiang Dahai was overjoyed to see Lu Cheng arrive late at night, but his joy quickly turned to alarm.
’The wedding is tomorrow. For him to show up now... Don’t tell me something’s happened to the wedding...’
"Uncle Jiang, where’s Moli? I need to have a word with her."
Time was short, so Lu Cheng had no time for pleasantries.
Jiang Moli had been on the verge of falling asleep. When Jiang Dahai dragged her in front of Lu Cheng, she was completely bewildered.
Jiang Moli was still in her pajamas—a fine cotton set with a small blue floral print on a white background. Her long, messy hair was strewn across her chest and over her shoulders. Her delicate, palm-sized face was exquisite, and her skin, fairer than snow, looked impossibly beautiful under the light.
She glared at Lu Cheng. "Why are you here?"
"Let’s talk outside."
Before she could respond, Lu Cheng grabbed her wrist and started pulling her outside. He glanced back over his shoulder and ordered Jiang Peng, "Come get your sister in five minutes!"
The relatives in the courtyard craned their necks to watch Lu Cheng as he left:
"Dahai, so that’s your son-in-law? He’s a fine, handsome man."
"I heard he’s an officer, and a high-ranking one at that. Moli... I’ve known since she was a little girl that she was destined for great things!"
Jiang Peng piped up, "Second Aunt, that’s not what you said last year. You said my sister was a lazy glutton who wouldn’t do any work and that no man would want her."
"Nonsense, I never said such a thing."
Ding Yuzhen would never admit it. Her third brother-in-law’s family had married up, and she was hoping to benefit from it in the future.
"Xiao Peng, go out and keep an eye on your sister, but don’t get too close."
Jiang Dahai shooed Jiang Peng out.
He wasn’t so naive as to not guess that his two sisters-in-law had often spoken ill of his daughter behind her back. But as long as they didn’t say it to his face, he could pretend he didn’t know.
...
After leaving the Jiang family’s home, Lu Cheng didn’t release Jiang Moli’s wrist, merely slowing his pace slightly.
Jiang Moli’s mind was still in a daze, so she didn’t pay much mind to being pulled along by him.
"I have an urgent mission. I have to return to base immediately. As for the wedding, do you want to proceed as planned, or should we wait and hold it when I get back?"
"Oh... Let me think."
"Alright. Let me know your decision before we get to the compound gate."
Lu Cheng looked down at her, his eyes filled with a deeply hidden guilt and reluctance to leave.
He desperately wanted to stay and personally welcome his beloved bride into his home, but his hands were tied.
From the moment he chose to become a soldier, his body and his life belonged to his country.
"When will you be back?"
"Hard to say. I have plenty of family leave saved up, but this mission is open-ended. With the cleanup work afterward, it will be at least three months, I’d say."
’Three months... By then, my own mission should be wrapping up.’
Jiang Moli tilted her head back to look at the man.
It was very late. The residents were all asleep, and with no streetlights, the entire family compound was pitch-black. She could only make out the strong, deep contours of the man’s face, his eyes like cold stars in the darkness.
"Lu Cheng."
It was the first time Lu Cheng had heard his bride-to-be say his name.
Her voice was so soft and sweet, his heart nearly melted.
"Yes, I’m here. Go ahead."
"The wedding tomorrow will go on as planned. Then, when you come back on your next family visit, let’s get a divorce."
The smile that had just begun to form on Lu Cheng’s face froze.
’Divorce. The word sounded so distant, so inconceivable.’
After a long moment, he finally spoke again. "Moli, I know it’s terribly unfair to make you go through the wedding alone. Please, can you wait for me to come back? We can hold the wedding then."
His voice was low, laced with a pleading tone.
"It’s not about the wedding. The truth is, I don’t like you. I only agreed to marry you to avoid being sent to the countryside. I’m just using you. For a woman like me, who’d just as soon burn a bridge after crossing it, a divorce is for your own good. But don’t worry. I’ll pay you back for the betrothal gift and compensate you for all the wedding expenses..."
"I don’t mind."
Jiang Moli opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say.
"Moli, I don’t mind if you’re using me. I’m letting you, willingly."
"Moli, I have to go. We’ll talk about the divorce when I get back."
The man’s tall figure quickly vanished into the darkness.
A cool night breeze swept over her, and for some reason, Jiang Moli’s heart felt strangely empty.
"Sis, what were you thinking?! Brother-in-law is so good to you, and you still want to divorce him?"
Seeing Jiang Peng pop out of nowhere, Jiang Moli aimed a kick at him.
"Who said you could eavesdrop on us?"
"Dad sent me! Why do you want to divorce Brother-in-law? If you leave him, are you ever going to find another man who’s better, earns more, and is more willing to spend his money on you?"
’No.’
’There were plenty of men in the world, but she’d most likely never find another one like Lu Cheng.’
’But what choice did she have? Was she supposed to abandon her family for a man?’
’She didn’t doubt that Lu Cheng’s feelings for her were genuine.’
’But genuine feelings could change in a heartbeat.’
"I don’t care how much you heard, don’t you dare say a word to Dad, or I’ll kill you!"
Hearing Jiang Moli’s threat, Jiang Peng sneered. "If Dad finds out you’re making a fuss about divorce, he’ll kill you first."
"He won’t know if you don’t tell him."
"Seriously, Sis, I don’t get it. Why are you stirring up trouble about a divorce? What’s so bad about Brother-in-law?"
Jiang Moli shot him a look. "Stay out of my business."
"If you don’t tell me, I’m telling Dad!"
Jiang Moli had no choice but to lie, claiming she’d only said it in a fit of pique to make Lu Cheng angry.
Jiang Peng didn’t seem to doubt her.
’Threatening divorce out of spite? That was definitely something his sister would do.’
...
Jiang Xiaoguang could see Lu Cheng was in a terrible mood. His face was as cold as ice.
He guessed that Jiang Moli must have started a fight with Lu Cheng.
After all, you only get married once. If the groom couldn’t be at the wedding, anyone would be upset.
"Xiao Guang, I’m leaving tomorrow’s bridal procession to you. Make sure you’re on time, and don’t let anything go wrong."
"Don’t you worry, Third Brother. I’ll make sure to bring your bride home safe and sound."
Lu Cheng’s original plan was to pick up Jiang Moli, bring her back to the Lu Family home to serve tea to the elders, then go to the restaurant for the banquet, and finally, spend their wedding night together.
With him gone, Jiang Moli would have to spend her wedding night alone.
’But now that Jiang Moli had divorce on her mind, she probably wouldn’t be willing to go live at his family’s home after the banquet.’
"Just follow her lead. If she wants to go back to her parents’ house after the banquet, then you take her there."
Jiang Xiaoguang looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he swallowed his words.
’It was true that Lu Cheng’s absence from the wedding was unfair to Jiang Moli, but as a soldier, it couldn’t be helped.’
’As a military wife, Jiang Moli ought to be understanding and supportive of her husband.’
’No matter how upset she was, she couldn’t go back to her parents’ on her wedding day. That would be a huge loss of face for the Chief and his wife.’
’In his opinion, Lu Cheng simply spoiled Jiang Moli too much.’
Meanwhile, when Jiang Dahai learned that Lu Cheng had to return to base for an urgent mission and couldn’t personally lead the bridal procession tomorrow, he was very magnanimous, expressing his complete understanding.
He personally called the Lu Family to coordinate the new arrangements for the wedding.
After hanging up with Jiang Dahai, Lu Deyao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our third son’s bride might have her little quirks, but when it comes to what really matters, she knows how to handle herself."
An Hui nodded in agreement.
The fact that she was willing to go through with the wedding even without the groom made her think much more highly of her new daughter-in-law, Jiang Moli.
...
The next day, Jiang Moli was woken before dawn.
Face-threading, hairstyling, dressing, and makeup.
Jiang Moli was so sleepy she could barely open her eyes. Like a marionette, she let the wedding attendant fuss over her.