Chapter 5

The Municipal Youth Palace is a white building that combines Eastern and Western European styles.

In the early stages of construction, due to financial constraints, Ye Manzhi and his classmates responded to the call of the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League to "work hard and rely on themselves" and went to the construction site to do voluntary labor for more than a month.

Today was her first time to visit the fruits of her labor.

After checking my ticket at the door, I went upstairs to see the dance hall, amusement hall, and exhibition hall, and lingered for a long time in front of the huge propaganda posters of several Soviet dancers.

It was not until the agreed meeting time that she finally stopped wandering around, breathed a sigh of relief, and lined up to enter the theater.

Most of the auditorium was already full. Ye Manzhi looked around but couldn't find the green figure in military uniform, so he had to look for his seat according to his ticket stub.

First floor, 8 rows, 16 seats.

The light shining into the auditorium was not bright. She held the ticket stub and counted up the stairs one step at a time until she reached the 8th row.

Just as I was about to look for seat number 16 according to the number on the seat back, I unexpectedly met the eyes of the man sitting next to me in the aisle.

The other person's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, and then he stood up to confirm: "Comrade Ye Manzhi?"

The voice was low and had a unique gentleness.

Ye Manzhi felt a shadow descending from above. After looking up to see the other person's face clearly, she clenched her palms and greeted with a smile, "Hello, Captain Wu. Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"I just arrived too," Wu Zhengrong stepped aside to make room, "Please take a seat."

Today he wore a shirt and trousers instead of his serious military uniform. His eyes were restrained and polite, and he looked handsome and gentle. If someone who didn't know his background saw him, they would probably mistake him for a young university professor.

However, an unloaded gun is still dangerous, and a sheathed knife is still sharp.

Perhaps the preconceived impression was too deep, but Ye Manyi's nerves were always tense when facing the seemingly gentle Captain Wu.

Embarrassment was like ink dropped into clear water, spreading between the two of them.

The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.

Glancing at her hands clasped nervously on her legs, Wu Zhengrong was silent for a moment and handed her a card that looked like an invitation.

"Here's tonight's program list. Take a look and see if there's anything you like."

Ye Manzhi quickly glanced at the other audience members, not seeing anyone with a program in hand, and couldn't help but ask, "Captain Wu, where did you get the program?"

She also wanted a copy as a souvenir.

"Ask the staff for it. Large-scale performances like this usually have a program." Wu Zhengrong said casually, "You can keep it."

Ye Manzhi quickly thanked him politely, his eyes naturally curved into a beautiful arc.

Her appearance is like that of her grandmother who was from the south of the Yangtze River. She is soft and round, beautiful but not aggressive, with a sense of clear mountains and pure water.

When she is silent, she looks like a quiet little girl.

Therefore, Wu Zhengrong had no doubts after meeting her in person about the matchmaker's praise of her as "well-educated" and "gentle and well-behaved."

In fact, since he was transferred back to Binjiang to work, his grandfather has helped him find more than ten female comrades of the right age.

Her temperament is similar to that of Comrade Xiao Ye next to her, and she has the virtuous and gentle qualities inherited from the Wu family's daughter-in-law.

There is nothing wrong with a gentle and virtuous girl, but he is not prepared to add another daughter-in-law to the Wu family who will act according to her husband's wishes.

Therefore, after meeting the daughter of his old friend only once, Wu Zhengrong no longer dealt with this kind of monotonous blind date.

He never thought that the old man would go to his unit behind his back and ask the party organization to help him solve his personal problem.

The social gathering arranged by the organization for him was, to some extent, a political task, and it was not easy to shirk it without reason...

Wu Zhengrong glanced sideways at the female comrade next to him. She was looking down at the one-page program. Her wavy ponytail was tied behind her head, revealing her slender neck and delicate jaw.

Even though she pretended to be relaxed, there was a sense of uneasiness that he could see through at a glance.

It perfectly overlaps with the little girl holding a bundle and looking anxious in front of the workshop door.

Thinking that the other person had just graduated from high school and was one year younger than his youngest sister, Wu Zhengrong waved to the staff member in front who was carrying an insulated box, bought a bottle of iced soda and handed it to her.

Then, she tried to speak in a gentler tone, "Chairwoman Yao of the factory women's federation just mentioned our meeting yesterday. Time is tight, so I wonder if you understand my situation?"

Ye Manzhi thought to himself, Old Ye and elder sister have almost figured out everything about your ancestors for three generations, so of course I know it!

But she also knew that introducing their respective situations was the key to the topic.

So he nodded and said, "I heard that you are also from Binjiang. In the past few years, you have been participating in revolutionary work outside. Only last year were you transferred back to the No. 656 Factory as the military representative stationed at the factory..."

Wu Zhengrong smiled faintly and corrected him, "To be precise, it's the interim military representative. The original military representative, Captain Wang, was a veteran revolutionary and was transferred due to health reasons. Given my age and qualifications, I'm not qualified to serve as the military representative for Unit 656, so I'm just acting as a replacement for now."

"ah……"

Ye Manzhi held the soda bottle in a daze, not understanding why he had to explain all this to her.

Judging from his words and actions, she really wanted to observe Captain Wu's expression when he spoke, but for some unacceptable reason, she only quickly glanced at the other's overly superior profile and sat up straight without leaving any trace.

Wu Zhengrong continued, "If the central government finds a more suitable candidate, someone will take my place in six months at the least, or two years at the most."

Ye Manzhi asked with a sudden inspiration, "Will you still return to the General Logistics Department by then?"

"Maybe."

Ye Manzhi nodded thoughtfully.

Old Ye had mentioned it before, but everyone took it for granted that Captain Wu would be successfully promoted and would take root in Binjiang in the future.

If he had known that he might leave, Old Ye probably wouldn't have arranged this blind date.

She glanced at Captain Wu who was standing beside her with a calm expression, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Could it be that all those blind dates that ended in failure were scared off by his frankness?

The two chatted casually about their personal situations, and soon they heard the bell for the performance to begin.

The opening program was a polka dance performed by Soviet Meritorious Actress A. Sitnikova and young actors. The tune was cheerful and the choreography was novel.

Wu Zhengrong seemed to like this kind of singing and dancing program very much. He sat in a relaxed and leisurely posture, and his fingertips would tap on the armrests from time to time to the beat.

Ye Manzhi also gradually immersed herself in the joyful atmosphere of the performance.

…

The show was not even halfway through when someone waved his hand in front of her eyes.

She turned her head and saw a middle-aged woman standing in the aisle next to her seat, looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Thinking that this was a latecomer, Ye Manyi prepared to stand up and let him pass.

But the other person stood still, pointed his chin at the seat to her left and asked, "Are you with him?"

Ye Manzhi subconsciously glanced at the male audience member wearing a top hat on the left, shook her head and said, "No."

Seeing the strange expression on the woman's face, she instinctively leaned her shoulder towards Captain Wu on her right and added, "I'm with this comrade."

The woman who got the answer nodded in understanding.

Then, in a flash, something unexpected happened.

When everyone was off guard, she suddenly pounced on the audience like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey!

He pressed his upper body against the thighs of Wu Zhengrong and Ye Manzhi, swung his left hand, slapped the man in the top hat in the face, and swung his right arm, accurately hitting the female comrade on the other side of him.

"ah--"

The young girl screamed when she was suddenly attacked, and the audience around her also became agitated.

Ye Manyi was stunned by this scene. When she turned her head inadvertently, she found that the expression on Captain Wu's beautiful face changed from calm to astonishment, and then to speechless.

His expression was so rich that she felt like laughing at an inappropriate time.

She didn't know where she got the courage from, but she hugged the female assassin lying on her legs and said in panic, "Sister, please talk nicely, don't hit me!"

The other party ignored him and waved at the man in the top hat again.

"Chen Jinwang, don't think I can't recognize you just because you're pretending to be wearing a hat! Didn't you say you were going to the factory for a meeting? Why are you at the theater?"

"Oh, what a misunderstanding! Stop it now!"

The woman didn't listen to his explanation. She slapped and scratched the man in the top hat a few times, and soon he was injured.

In the summer, people wear thin clothes, and she was only wearing a faded short-sleeved jacket. Her legs kept kicking as she hit people, as if she was swimming on dry land.

If others want to stop it, they will inevitably be restricted.

When she was "swimming" more and more excessively, Wu Zhengrong grabbed her collar with one hand and used the strength of his arm to lift the woman who was still about to commit the crime into the aisle.

He had broad shoulders and long legs, and his tall figure stood between the two sides like a solid barrier.

"Comrade, this is a public place. Whatever conflicts you have, please resolve them outside!"

The man called Chen Jinwang cried out, "Yeah, can you understand the situation? This is such a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding!" The female assassin glared at the young woman beside him fiercely. "Sister Liu saw you walk into the Youth Palace with the vixen!"

The girl she called out was not happy, "Who are you calling a vixen?"

"I'm talking about you! Anyone who paints their eyebrows, paints their eyes, and perms their hair, and is out of touch with the people, is no good!"

Ye Manzhi touched her precious flower head and hid behind Captain Wu with a little guilt.

She is not out of touch with the masses. This is her first time perming her hair!

The dispute between the two sides attracted a lot of attention.

Amidst the noisy discussions, there were also inquiries in Russian that were difficult to understand.

Chen Jinwang, the center of attention, felt deeply humiliated. When the woman jumped up and hit him again, he roared, "Liu Guihua, are you done yet? We're divorced. What I do is my freedom. What does it have to do with you?"

Liu Guihua snorted, "Who divorced you? When did you divorce? I was just wondering, why did you suddenly ask for a divorce yesterday? It turns out you had someone else outside!"

"Ours is a feudal arranged marriage! The Marriage Law has long abolished arranged and forced marriages. Our marriage is illegal!"

"Who forced you in the first place? Did someone hold a knife to you and force you to have a baby with me?"

The snickers from the others made Chen Jinwang's face turn red and purple. He angrily said, "Don't bother to argue with me. We advocate freedom of marriage now. As long as either party in an arranged marriage asks for a divorce, the marriage will definitely be divorced! I already have the divorce certificate!"

Upon hearing this, the audience, which had been laughing just now, suddenly became quiet, and sympathetic eyes were focused on Liu Guihua.

Liu Guihua was born in the countryside. Because her husband was promising, she was able to live in the city with her parents-in-law and children. She had never heard of the "Marriage Law".

But she suddenly remembered that last month Lao Chen went home to take away the household registration book and resident ID card, and also asked for the letter of introduction she had issued from the village, which was said to be used for registering information in the factory.

She didn't think much about it at the time and just found the thing.

She never thought that this bastard would dare to secretly get the divorce certificate behind her back!

Liu Guihua was so angry that her face turned purple. She complained, "I've been married to your Chen family for 20 years, taking care of the old and the young. What gives you the right to divorce me just like that?"

When she spoke the last few words, there was already a hint of tears in her voice, which made people feel inexplicably sad.

Chen Jinwang turned his face away and said nothing.

The staff of the Youth Palace also rushed over upon hearing the noise and wanted to take the uninvited guests away from the theater.

Liu Guihua, who was both sad and angry, held on to the back of the chair tightly and refused to let go, insisting on getting an explanation from the man.

The two sides were deadlocked and the performance on stage was also affected.

Seeing this, Ye Manzhi looked over Captain Wu's shoulder and asked with pity, "Sister, have you two told both your units and the neighborhood committee about your divorce?"

"No, I don't want a divorce!"

"Then you are still a legal couple now," Ye Manzhi glanced at Chen Jinwang, "He's having an affair with someone else before getting a divorce. This is a lifestyle issue!"

Seeing her youthful appearance, Chen Jinwang could tell she was a young woman with little experience. He couldn't help but ask sternly, "Who do you think you are? I have a divorce certificate. You can't just accuse me of adultery!"

"My elder sister doesn't agree to divorce, so how did you get the divorce certificate?" Ye Manzhi didn't believe his nonsense at all.

"Do you understand the Marriage Law? I can divorce this arranged marriage whenever I want!"

Ye Manzhi snorted contemptuously, "You're the one who doesn't understand the Marriage Law, aren't you? Arranged marriages can indeed be divorced, but both spouses need to come forward to confirm. If one party disagrees with the divorce, the cadres of the Subdistrict Office and the District People's Committee (i.e., the District Government) must mediate!"

"It doesn't count without mediation! You obtained the divorce certificate without my elder sister's knowledge and presence. That was a mistake on the district's part. My elder sister can go to the city to file a complaint to annul the divorce!"

Chen Jinwang: “…”

Where did this troublemaker come from? What is he doing here?

Ye Manzhi observed his expression and asked firmly, "You don't actually have a divorce certificate, right?"

The onlookers noticed the unnatural look on his face and suddenly realized that the so-called divorce might just be a bluff after being caught cheating.

While everyone was whispering, Ye Manzhi said to the female assassin, "Sister, if you don't want a divorce, you can ask the neighborhood officials to mediate first. If mediation fails, the case will be reported to the district people's committee. If mediation fails there, the case will be referred to the court. The court will also mediate first and then try the case. The divorce process will take at least half a year."

"During this period, you're still a legal couple. If he dares to date other women, that's a lifestyle issue. You can report him to his workplace! Judging from his attire, he looks like a cadre. With lifestyle issues like this, forget about making any progress!"

Hearing this, the couple kept their mouths half-open and remained silent, and the scene suddenly became quiet.

Don't judge a book by its cover. The onlookers didn't expect that this young girl could be so experienced and cunning!

Ye Manzhi, unaware of others' thoughts, held Liu Guihua's hand and advised, "Sister, you should resolve the matter between you two behind closed doors. Family disgrace should not be made public, especially with so many foreigners present today. We can't afford to embarrass ourselves abroad and damage our international image!"

Liu Guihua was angry and sad, her eyes wandering between her husband and the fashionable curly-haired woman, unable to make up her mind.

"Sister," Ye Manzhi leaned close to her and whispered softly, "You caught him red-handed today, and his lie about divorce was exposed in public. In order not to affect his work, he probably won't mention divorce again in the short term. Go back and think about it carefully. If you change your mind and want to divorce him, I'm willing to help you testify about what happened today. My last name is Ye, and I live in the 656 Factory staff compound. Come find me when the time comes!"

Liu Guihua remained silent. She squeezed her hand, thanked her softly, and then turned to the man and said angrily, "Isn't this embarrassing enough? Get out of here right now!"

Chen Jinwang was afraid that she would really listen to others' instigation and go to the workplace to make trouble, so he glared at the nosy Ye Manyi and hurriedly chased after her.

*

Ye Manzhi watched the few people go away, and when she turned around to sit down, she met Captain Wu's ambiguous gaze.

Since they were so close, everything she said to Sister Liu must have been heard by her.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said, but in order to avoid being seen as a scheming troublemaker, she still forced a fake smile and tried her best to flatter herself.

"I just can't bear to see others being bullied. Being able to help my elder sister vent her anger is also a kind of helping others."

Wu Zhengrong thought to himself, then you are truly a chivalrous person.

He hummed with interest and asked, "I see you seem quite familiar with the Marriage Law. Have you studied it specifically?"

Of course, Ye Manzhi didn't know much about it. If her third brother and his wife hadn't been arguing about their divorce for several months, she would have had no chance to understand the divorce process.

But this is a family matter after all, there is no need to tell it to outsiders.

She hesitated, "I introduced it in my previous political class..."

As if believing her, Wu Zhengrong nodded slightly. "Very good. That explanation was simple, clear, and easy to understand. The female comrade was willing to accept your suggestions and didn't delay the performance any further. This shows that your mediation was effective and your work is no worse than that of the district and street officials."

Ye Manzhi thought to herself, Captain Wu is indeed a leader, he can actually elevate meddling to such a refreshing and unconventional level!

If the occasion and the person were not wrong, she really wanted to hold the other person's hand and call him "Bo Le" affectionately.

At this point, he could only offer polite words, "I'm just a recent graduate with little work experience, so I can't compare to the cadres."

Wu Zhengrong seemed to suddenly feel like chatting, so he followed up on her and asked, "I heard from Chairman Yao that you didn't get a job after graduating from high school. Did you encounter any difficulties?"

Ye Manzhi was not sure whether Captain Wu knew that she had been engaged as a child.

But there was nothing to hide about this matter, and the dispute with Deputy Director Zhou's family was explained in a few words.

"By the time I contacted for a job again, most companies had already filled their recruitment quotas. Now I can only slowly look for a suitable company."

Wu Zhengrong nodded, twirling his cufflinks with his fingers without saying anything.

Ye Manzhi couldn't guess what he was thinking, so she simply gave up. While his thoughts were drifting away, she boldly observed her blind date.

She always felt that there was an elusive sense of oppression from Captain Wu, which greatly weakened the impact of his outstanding appearance.

In fact, Wu Zhengrong has a handsome face that conforms to the public's aesthetic standards, with distinctive eyebrows, a straight nose, and exceptionally sharp side profile lines. His eyelashes are as dense and long as the stamens of Hypericum, fluttering and flickering in a way that distracts people.

Even if he occasionally looks indifferent, it is a kind of beautiful indifference.

Wu Zhengrong pretended not to notice her peeping, and during the intermission, he tilted his head and asked, "Guangming Subdistrict Office, you should have heard of it, right?"

"Ah, I've heard of it."

Feeling his heart beating too fast, Ye Manzhi quickly straightened his back, leaned his shoulders slightly back against the seat, and kept a safe distance from the delicate profile that was suddenly approaching.

Wu Zhengrong's clear voice rang out again, "With the recent public-private partnership initiative, quite a few district and subdistrict officials have been transferred to enterprises as public-sector managers. The Guangming Subdistrict Office oversees our 656 area, and they're looking to add staff. Do you want to work there?"

The street office is close to home, has few staff and is very lively. It is a very good place for Ye Manzhi. She has been looking for a job for so long, but she has never heard that the street office near her home is recruiting.

She secretly leaned back again and was about to ask some recruitment details when she suddenly felt a warm sensation in her nose.

Soon, a string of nosebleed, in a way that was so gorgeous that it made people feel overwhelmed, began to drip down...