After lunch, Jiang Xile said goodbye to Li Haizhen and the other two, and then went to the bus station.

At 1:30, the bus departed on time, the old vehicle exuding a strong smell of gasoline.

Jiang Xile had never known that she was prone to motion sickness. Clutching her chest, with a piece of orange-flavored fruit candy in her mouth, she closed her eyes and endured it for two and a half hours.

As soon as the car arrived at the station, Jiang Xile immediately rushed off.

Under a small tree by the roadside, Jiang Xile poured out all of her lunch.

The moment she stood up, she felt dizzy and saw stars.

After a long pause, Jiang Xile finally left.

The guesthouse is not far from the bus station.

Jiang Xile took the letter of introduction, asked for a single room, and prepared to rest for a while.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

Jiang Xile felt much better after taking a short nap. She rubbed her rumbling stomach, changed her clothes, and prepared to go out for dinner.

As I passed the service desk, I overheard two young girls chatting inside.

"Xiaoju, did you know? A batch of flawed fabric has recently appeared on the black market, and it's said to be of good quality!"

"Really? I've wanted to make two sets of clothes for a long time, but I just haven't saved enough fabric ration coupons!"

"Let's go over there tonight. I've been wanting to buy some things too. My sister-in-law is about to give birth, and we're short on some things at home!"

"Okay, let's go together after I lock the door tonight. There's nothing much to do after the room check, so let's go and come back quickly!"

"Okay, I'll come over and call you tonight!"

"Just don't forget!"

"Don't worry, I won't forget. I'll be going now. The recycling center is about to close, and I need to go back and show my face."

"Okay, go quickly. If Director Zhao catches you slacking off, he might dock your bonus!"

"Stop jinxing me, I'm going back now."

Although the two were not speaking loudly, Jiang Xile had excellent hearing and, after a conversation, clearly understood their identities.

Knowing that the two were going to the black market that night, Jiang Xile no longer needed to inquire further; here she was, a ready-made guide.

So Jiang Xile went directly to the state-run restaurant, ate and drank her fill, and then waited to set off that evening.

...............

On the other side, the Iron Bull Brigade.

After the forced marriage with Qiao Lizheng came to fruition, Li Tielan gathered all her family members that very evening for a special seminar on Yu Xiumei's marriage.

Yu Dachuan is honest and simple-minded. Although he disagrees with the annulment of the engagement, he is a henpecked husband and has no say in the family.

The family argued for a long time, but in the end they chose Qiao Lizheng and ignored Yu Dachuan's opinion.

Sister-in-law Zhou Xiaocao thought that Qiao Lizheng was from Beijing, and if he returned to the city in the future, he would definitely be better than a lame veteran.

Like their father, the eldest brother, Yu Jianshe, was also henpecked and dared not object to his wife's decisions in the slightest.

As for the two younger brothers, they both have girlfriends now, and they're just waiting for their second sister to get married so they can find wives!

Therefore, in their view, as long as the second sister can get married, it doesn't matter who she marries.

They were more inclined to support Qiao Lizheng than Xiao Chengyi, whom they were not very familiar with.

If Qiao Zhiqing could afford a dowry of sixty-six yuan, then he must be able to live a good life in the future.

As for Yu Xiumei herself, she is more inclined to believe that Qiao Lizheng is the one.

Compared to Xiao Chengyi, Qiao Lizheng is more articulate, better looking, a city dweller, and has a high school education. He is superior to Xiao Chengyi in every way.

If there were an emotional foundation between them, she might hesitate, but she and Xiao Chengyi had only met twice in total, including their engagement.

In the three years since their engagement, they have had no contact whatsoever, and there is not a trace of the passion between an engaged couple, so there is no emotional foundation whatsoever.

Having made the final decision, Li Tielan took her eldest daughter-in-law to the Xiao family the next day.

Their posture clearly indicated they were heading towards announcing the engagement, as if they were certain Xiao Chengyi's leg would be crippled.

They left early in the morning and arrived at the Progress Brigade at just seven o'clock. The marriage was arranged by his sister-in-law, and now that he wanted to break off the engagement, he naturally had to inform her.

Li Tiejun was sitting in his room sighing after breakfast when he heard a knock on the door.

He had smashed his pipe countless times, his mind still replaying what he'd overheard when he went to the Xiao family's house yesterday afternoon to inquire about the situation.

Although he had some connections with the Xiao family, Yu Xiumei was still his own niece.

Now, seeing her marry a man with a limp, Li Tiejun feels very sad.

That's right. When Li Tiejun went to the Xiao family to visit Xiao Chengyi yesterday afternoon, he happened to catch Zhang Guizhi and Xiao Chengyi discussing their plan.

Therefore, the answer Li Tiejun received was that even the Xiao family didn't know how well Xiao Chengyi's leg would recover; it might get better, but it might leave him with a disability.

Meanwhile, the military processed Xiao Chengyi's demobilization procedures, and he was no longer a battalion commander.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Li Tiejun. He didn't stay at the Xiao family's house for long before making an excuse to go home.

From yesterday afternoon until this morning, Li Tiejun's head was spinning, and he really didn't know what to do.

"Big brother!"

"Tie Lan, what brings you here?"

Li Tiejun looked back but didn't see his niece. His heart skipped a beat.

"Tielan, are you going to the Xiao family? Why isn't Xiumei here?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!