Chapter 50 Acknowledging Identity

Xie Zhongming was unable to calm himself down.

He stood in the moonlight and night wind, his knuckles pressed tightly against the seams of his military trousers, nervously rubbing them.

The night wind ruffled his collar and the corners of his clothes. He seemed to keep his eyes still, but his shoulders and back were tense. He just quietly watched Qiao Xingyue, who stood in the moonlight, her smile gone, leaving her silent.

Even Jiang Beiyang, who was standing next to him, fell silent as he looked at Xie Zhongming and Qiao Xingyue, who seemed so well-matched.

A tall, handsome young man who was already a regimental commander at the regimental level, many female comrades in the compound, upon hearing that he was getting a divorce, vied to have his aunt arrange a marriage for him.

One was a beauty who was well-known in the compound. She was tall, thin, fair-skinned, and pretty. She could cook and was also skilled in medicine. Many single, outstanding military officers in the compound had only seen her a few times. Even though they knew she was a widow with two children, they still wanted their aunt to come and arrange a marriage for her.

These two were actually married a long time ago?

Jiang Beiyang was so shocked that his gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, and he didn't react for a long time.

At this moment, standing in the moonlight and night dew, Qiao Xingyue couldn't help but admire Xie Zhongming.

Just as Commander Chen had said, this man possessed keen insight. Only two or three days had passed since she called the military region's regimental headquarters to agree to the divorce, yet this man had already traced it back to her.

She stood before the bean trellis and tomato seedlings glistening with night dew, holding a vegetable basket in her hand. Looking at Xie Zhongming, whose posture was as upright as a pine tree, and then at Jiang Beiyang, who stood beside her, jaw practically dropping in astonishment, she spoke decisively:

"Comrade Jiang, I have a few words to say to Comrade Xie. Please excuse me for a moment."

"Huh?" Jiang Beiyang was not about to evade the question.

Although he, like Xie Zhongming, was absolutely certain that the chubby girl who went to Hongxing Second Road to call the regimental headquarters was Qiao Xingyue.

But before Qiao Xingyue could admit it herself, Jiang Beiyang was as curious as if he were being scratched by a cat.

He stood there, frozen, not wanting to leave.

"I'm telling you to leave." Xie Zhongming shoved Jiang Beiyang, but Jiang Beiyang's legs were firmly planted in the vegetable garden in front of the Xie family's yard, as steady as Mount Tai, and he refused to leave.

At this moment, Qiao Xingyue handed the vegetable basket in her hand to Jiang Beiyang, but her gaze fell on Xie Zhongming, "Let's go for a walk outside."

Her slender, tall figure walked past Jiang Beiyang and Xie Zhongming towards the outside of the courtyard.

Xie Zhongming quickly chased after him, leaving Jiang Beiyang behind who hadn't heard an answer yet. He felt more anxious than if a cat were scratching him—was Qiao Xingyue really Fatty? This was driving him crazy.

At this moment, Huang Guilan came out of the main room carrying a basin of foot-washing water. By the dim light in the main room, she walked to the vegetable garden and poured the foot-washing water into a bucket. She would save the water to water the vegetables tomorrow.

She had just finished washing the old lady Chen Suying's feet and was about to check what Xingyue was doing in the vegetable garden.

Upon closer inspection, she saw Jiang Beiyang standing there blankly, carrying a basket of tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, and eggplants, his back to her, staring in the direction of the courtyard gate.

Huang Guilan looked into the vegetable garden, but Qiao Xingyue was nowhere to be seen. She wondered, "Bei Yang, what are you doing standing in my vegetable garden? Where is Xingyue?"

“Aunt Lan…” Jiang Beiyang remembered Xie Zhongming’s instructions not to disturb Aunt Lan and Uncle Xie before the matter was investigated, so as not to disappoint them. So he held back and did not tell Huang Guilan about his surprise.

"Oh, well, Comrade Qiao said he wanted to go for a walk with Zhongming. The two of them went out."

"What? Xingyue took the initiative to say she wants to go out for a walk with Zhongming?" Huang Guilan couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. Could it be that Xingyue's attitude towards Zhongming has changed?

Anyway, it's a good thing!

At this hour, no one in the compound is asleep yet.

As the weather gradually warmed up, many people sat on small stools under the paulownia trees, enjoying the cool breeze and chatting about this and that.

The battle formation had already been set up under the tree.

The hottest topic of conversation lately is Xie Zhongming's divorce.

Aunt Zhang brought over a bamboo stool, Uncle Li carried an enamel teacup, Aunt Wang was sewing, and Grandpa Li was smoking a pipe. The group sat together, completely unaware that Xie Zhongming was riding his old bicycle past the tree.

"Have you heard? Commander Xie's fourth son is getting a divorce."

"Why do you want a divorce? I've never seen him bring his wife to the military compound in all these years. I don't even know what she looks like. Why do you want a divorce?"

"Perhaps that wife is too ugly to be seen by others?"

"Nonsense, Commander Xie is a handsome man, how could his wife be bad?"

"If his wife wasn't ugly, why hasn't Commander Xie brought her back to the compound even once in the five years since they got married? He was already a platoon leader when he got married, so he was already eligible for family members to accompany him to the military. I think he just doesn't want to bring her back because he thinks she's too ugly."

"Anyway, he's going to divorce his wife. Even after the divorce, Commander Xie is still a hot commodity. Sister Zhang, I have a very pretty niece. Can you help me find a match for her with the Xie family?"

"Don't even think about it. There's a long line of people wanting to marry into the Xie family lately, but Commander Xie doesn't like any of them."

“He’s already remarried, what else could he possibly look down on? My niece is a virgin.”

A bicycle rolled over the muddy ground under the paulownia tree.

No one noticed Xie Zhongming and Qiao Xingyue in the car.

Xie Zhongming and Qiao Xingyue heard everyone's words clearly.

After leaving the military compound and arriving at the cornfield that was already full of corn, Qiao Xingyue jumped down without waiting for Xie Zhongming to stop the car. "Comrade Xie, let's get down and have a chat."

Xie Zhongming quickly applied the brakes and saw her step down steadily, standing on the edge of the field. He had just been riding his bike, and she had jumped off without a scratch. In the moonlight, she exuded the same decisiveness and agility as when they first met.

On the contrary, after getting off, he gripped the handlebars of the bicycle tightly because of nervousness, his shoulders and back tense. "Comrade Qiao, for the past five years, I haven't let you come to the army to accompany me, not because they said it, not because I think you're ugly. It's because I haven't figured out how to face our marriage."

Qiao Xingyue didn't intend to dwell on why he hadn't let her come to join him in the military all these years.

Anyway, it's a fact that he married her, ignored her for the past five years, that there was no affection between them, and that he wanted to divorce Fatty.

For the past five years, she wandered around while heavily pregnant, living under bridges and in dilapidated temples. She barely survived giving birth to An'an and Ning'ning. When An'an had a peanut allergy and Ning'ning had an asthma attack, she was penniless and desperate, and he was never by her side.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't angry.

At that moment, she clenched her fists, her fingers tightly gripping.

In the night breeze, amidst the chorus of frogs and cicadas, she asked crisply, "Comrade Xie, did you check my phone call records at the post office on Hongxing Second Road?"

She specifically filled in Fatty's name on the form.

There was no trace of the three characters "Qiao Xingyue".

How did this man find out about her?

"yes."

But no matter how the man found out about her, now that she's been exposed, she's no longer going to hide it.

The night breeze blew her skirt, and she brushed back the stray hairs that had been blown across her forehead.

"Yes, I am the chubby girl from Chadian Village back then."

"Comrade Xie, I have already made my position clear over the phone; I agree to the divorce."

"Tomorrow I'll go with you to your regimental headquarters, explain the situation, get the divorce approval report, and then we'll go to the neighborhood office to get the divorce certificate."

Xie Zhongming blurted out, "I don't agree to a divorce!"

The voice was not loud, but it was firm and resounding.

With a firm attitude, like a stone thrown into still water, every word carries a heavy force.

He gripped the handlebars of the bicycle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his eyes filled with an unyielding determination.

Why are they no longer agreeing to a divorce at this point?

What were you doing for the past five years?

Qiao Xingyue parted her red lips slightly and asked decisively:

"Commander Xie, if you don't agree to a divorce, then where have you been for the past five years?"

"Have you ever thought about the fact that you have a wife in the countryside? Since you married me, you should have known that you were a married man and that you should bear the responsibilities of a husband."

"That night, you and I were both tricked by Zeng Xiuzhu. You and I had sex several times in one night. Did you ever think that I might get pregnant?"

"Have you ever thought about how difficult it has been for me to raise An'an and Ningning all these years?"

Driven by agitation and anger, Qiao Xingyue's eyes churned with emotion. She snorted and said, "The only reason you don't want a divorce now is because I'm no longer the chubby girl who weighed over 200 pounds and looked like an old sow. If I were standing in front of you now, still weighing over 200 pounds, you'd probably be eager for me to agree to a divorce, and you'd be hoping to get the divorce certificate tomorrow so you could go find your happiness, right?"

She suppressed her anger and said decisively, "Since you dislike the chubby me so much, I'll grant your wish. But we can get a divorce, but you have to settle all the child support payments you've made over the years. It will all be settled in one lump sum at the time of the divorce, and the child will stay with me."

She took a deep breath.

A refreshing scent wafts through the rolling green cornfields.

After taking several deep breaths, Qiao Xingyue still felt a lump in her throat.

Xie Zhongming couldn't answer a single word; a wave of guilt surged through his chest.

Xingyue is right. Over the years, he has married her, but has he ever fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband? She was raising two children, An'an and Ningning, alone, and was kicked out of Chadian Village by Zeng Xiuzhu. How did she live? When the children were sick, how anxious and distressed must she have been when she had no money and no one around?

The last time his sister-in-law was going to a meeting in Beijing with his brother, she brought Zhiyuan and Mingyuan home. It was then that he learned from his sister-in-law, Shen Liping, that Xingyue had stayed in a dilapidated temple with An'an and Ningning, and had even encountered a lecherous man. At the time, she had just given birth and was so weak. If his brother and sister-in-law hadn't taken shelter in the temple to avoid the rain, Xingyue would probably have been taken advantage of by that lecherous man. Perhaps Jiang Yongqiang, in a moment of ruthlessness, would have even committed murder.

Night fell over the cornfield.

The leaves rustled in the wind, mingling with the sounds of frogs croaking and cicadas chirping, stirring up a chaotic feeling in Xie Zhongming's mind.

"Comrade Qiao, you're right. I really haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a husband and father. The fault lies entirely with me."

He loosened his grip on the handlebars of the old-fashioned bicycle, took a half step forward, and tried to grab Qiao Xingyue's wrist to apologize, but she forcefully slapped him away as soon as he touched her sleeve.

The next instant, a large hand landed directly on Qiao Xingyue's slender wrist and gripped it tightly.

No matter how much Qiao Xingyue struggled, it was all in vain.

The force between his wrists wasn't strong, but it held her firmly, preventing her from pulling away.

"Let's not talk about divorce anymore. I'll make it up to you and An'an and Ningning from now on. I'll do whatever you ask, even kneel on a washboard every day. Anyway, I don't agree to divorce. I'll slowly make up for the suffering you've endured."

Such a good wife is hard to find even with a lantern.

How could he possibly agree to a divorce?

The tone wasn't harsh, but it carried a heavy sense of guilt and determination.

Qiao Xingyue stopped struggling.

She straightened her chest, looked up at the tall, imposing man, and the anger in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest. "This is not something you can disagree with. You submitted the divorce papers yourself."

She added, "Also, I will treat Aunt Lan and Uncle Xie as my own parents and be filial to them, and I will also be filial to Grandma. The same goes for An'an and Ningning. Don't let them know about this, so as not to upset them. Just let them think that Fatty is really dead."

Anyway, none of them like Fatty.

Seeing that she was determined to get a divorce, the large hand that was holding her wrist suddenly loosened.

Qiao Xingyue took the opportunity to pull her wrist back, glanced at him, and said, "Let's go back."

A dozen minutes later, the two returned to the gate of the Xie family's courtyard.

Qiao Xingyue jumped off the bicycle with a clean and decisive motion, stepped into the courtyard, and Xie Zhongming pushed the bicycle in from behind, stopped it in the courtyard, and followed her into the main room.

Inside the main room.

The 15-watt light bulb was dim and light, casting a pale yellow glow on the small figures of An'an and Ningning, who were squatting on the ground playing with a tin frog.

Xie Zhongming remembered that when he bought the tin frog from Kunming and gave it to An'an and Ningning, An'an told him that this was the first time she had ever had a toy. Her bright eyes, like those of Qiao Xingyue, shone as she stared at the tin frog.

An'an and Ningning are almost five years old, but they have never owned any toys. Let alone toys, Qiao Xingyue has been raising the two sisters alone for years, and they may not even have enough to eat, which is why the two children are so thin and small.

When he was injured in Shantang Village, he met An'an for the first time. An'an took out a handful of roasted soybeans from his pocket and gave them to him. When An'an called him uncle, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to the two children.

To everyone's surprise, these two children turned out to be Xie Zhongming's biological daughters.

An'an, who was squatting on the ground, noticed that the tin frog had stopped jumping. She picked it up to wind it up, but then she saw Xie Zhongming enter the main room. She stood up and cheerfully called out, "Uncle Zhongming!"

Then she saw Qiao Xingyue next to her and called out "Mom!"

Upon hearing the address "Uncle Zhongming," Xie Zhongming's Adam's apple bobbed violently twice, as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat, rendering him unable to utter a sound.

He wanted to tell An An and Ning Ning that he was their father.

But his throat trembled, and his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He quickly turned his face away and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, only to find his hand covered in wetness.

I should have guessed long ago that An'an and Ningning are Xie family offspring. One of the children has a congenital peanut allergy, and the other has congenital asthma. Both are hereditary diseases in the Xie family. Why didn't he realize it sooner?

He crouched down and opened his arms to An An and Ning Ning, "An An and Ning Ning, come here, come..."