Chapter 52 Comrade Qiao is determined to get a divorce
Inside the room, Qiao Xingyue sat on the edge of the bed, telling her two children a bedtime story.
However, the bedtime stories she told were not the well-known tales of this era, such as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "Grandma Bear," but a foreign story called "The Story of the Female Sailor."
"Tao Xueluo, a 13-year-old girl living in high society, boards the Sea Eagle ship bound for Country M alone..."
"Bang! Bang!"
The knocking on the door interrupted Qiao Xingyue.
Hearing the sound, the two children looked towards the door. "Mommy, is that Uncle Zhongming knocking? Should we go see him?"
An'an had already climbed up from her little pillow and was about to open the door when Qiao Xingyue gently pressed down on her small shoulder. "No need, Uncle Zhongming should be fine."
She looked towards the door. "Is something the matter?"
She knew the person at the door must be Xie Zhongming. She sat on the edge of the bed without moving, too lazy to get up.
Her crisp and decisive voice carried her dissatisfaction with Xie Zhongming.
Bright and blatant, without any attempt to conceal it.
Anyway, she just didn't want to talk to him. This man had made her and An'an Ningning suffer so much, she didn't want to pay any attention to him.
Xie Zhongming, standing outside the door, clenched his enamel basin tightly. He could hear the dissatisfaction and anger in Qiao Xingyue's voice. It was all his own fault. Who told him to ignore her for the past five years? Even though he sent money to Chadian Village, Comrade Qiao didn't receive a single penny. What good was that?
It's understandable that Comrade Qiao ignored him.
He stood at the door and replied, "Comrade Qiao, your and An'an and Ningning's clothes have been washed and are drying on the bamboo poles in the yard. Here is your enamel basin."
Qiao Xingyue has a habit: every time she finishes taking a shower and washing clothes, she likes to take her enamel basin back into the house.
Because all enamel basins look the same, it's hard to tell whose is whose. She's particular and doesn't like mixing them up. This was a detail Xie Zhongming had observed before, so he took her enamel basin upstairs to deliver it to her.
From inside the door came Qiao Xingyue's crisp and decisive voice, "Just put it at the door."
An'an tilted her head back and asked, "Mommy, why does Uncle Zhongming help us wash our clothes?"
“Yes, Mom. Didn’t you say we should do things ourselves? Why did you let Uncle Zhongming wash our clothes?” An’an was also a little confused.
This is a problem... Qiao Xingyue didn't know how to explain it to the two children, so she just said lightly, "He deserves it."
As a husband and father, he has never fulfilled his obligations. What's wrong with washing clothes once?
"Let's continue the story. After Tao Xueluo boarded the Haiying ship, she experienced a thrilling transatlantic journey. On the first day of boarding, a thin sailor, seeing that no one was around, whispered a warning to her: 'You'd better stay away from the captain…'"
This story took about half an hour to tell.
Seeing that An'an and Ningning were both yawning, and that the two sisters' long eyelashes were getting heavier and heavier, and finally they slowly closed their eyes together, she stopped.
"Goodnight!" She lowered her head and kissed the foreheads of her two children. Over the years, she had raised them both single-handedly and had raised them to be very successful. An'an inherited her traits—decisive, resourceful, and fearless. Ningning also had her own opinions and was exceptionally clever.
However, the two children have indeed suffered a lot in the past few years while living with her.
Just then, she walked to the door, ready to open it and bring in her enamel basin.
When the door opened, a person stood there upright, motionless—it was Xie Zhongming.
She told him to put the basin by the door, so he did, waiting for her to come out and get it. He didn't really have anything to say to her; he just wanted to see her. When the door was closed, he hoped she would open it. Now that the door was open, he felt a little nervous. He stood at attention like a soldier, but his heart was pounding. This was a feeling Xie Zhongming had never had before when meeting any female comrade.
Qiao Xingyue looked at him and asked, "What are you doing standing here? Are you feeding the mosquitoes?"
"It's nothing." Xie Zhongming's ears would turn red whenever he saw her before.
When she found out that she was Fatty, her ears turned even redder.
I never imagined that the first woman I ever liked would be the wife I married many years ago. I guess it was fate.
No matter what I say, he will never agree to a divorce.
"Comrade Qiao, since you don't want my parents to know, I haven't told them yet. Don't worry about that!"
Qiao Xingyue bent down, picked up the three enamel basins, said "I understand," and prepared to turn around and go inside.
Suddenly, she heard several gurgling sounds coming from Xie Zhongming's stomach. She turned around and looked at Xie Zhongming, "You still haven't eaten the noodles in the pot?"
It's been three or four hours since Jiang Beiyang called him out, hasn't it?
The sauerkraut and shredded pork noodles that were still hot on the honeycomb briquette stove must have clumped up beyond recognition by now.
Why hasn't this man gone to eat yet?
Aunt Lan and Uncle Xie probably didn't know he hadn't eaten yet. The noodles were in the steamer, and if Aunt Lan were boiling water to take a bath, she would definitely remove the steamer, and they would probably be cold by then.
So Qiao Xingyue said, "I'll go downstairs and heat up the noodles for you. Come down and eat quickly."
Xie Zhongming, however, assumed that Qiao Xingyue was concerned he hadn't eaten dinner. In reality, Qiao Xingyue was simply doing this as a nanny. After all, she was still working as a nanny for the Xie family.
When they got downstairs, Qiao Xingyue went into the kitchen. Sure enough, the steamer that had been steaming noodles was now on the ground, and a pot of water was heating on the honeycomb briquette stove, which was for taking a bath.
The noodles in the steamer are probably cold by now.
Qiao Xingyue took out the noodles, which were not only cold but also clumped together. Seeing that Xie Zhongming had also come to the kitchen, she glanced at him and said, "I'll heat them up for you."
"Let me do it. You've had a long day, go and rest." Xie Zhongming took the noodles from her hands and stir-fried them again using the honeycomb briquette stove. As he stir-fried them, the clumps of noodles broke into pieces.
However, when Xie Zhongming ladled the food into his bowl, he didn't mind at all, and shoveled it into his mouth with big mouthfuls, exclaiming, "Delicious!"
These are noodles made by his wife, how could they not be delicious?
He ate to his heart's content.
"Alright then, you eat it. Remember what I told you in the cornfield. Once it's approved, we'll go get the paperwork done."
Xie Zhongming stopped picking at the clumps of noodles, his brow furrowed as he looked up. "It might not be that quick. Division Commander Chen isn't in the unit right now. We have to wait for his approval, and then the higher-ups have to approve it too."
They were referring to a divorce report.
Qiao Xingyue felt as if he was lying. "Is Commander Chen really not in the army?"
"He's definitely not in the army; he went to a meeting out of town." Xie Zhongming lied for the first time, his heart pounding with anxiety. From a young age, Xie Jiang and Huang Guilan had taught him to be honest and never lie, especially not to those closest to him. Now that he had lied, he couldn't bear to look at Qiao Xingyue.
Before she transmigrated, Qiao Xingyue had studied psychology.
This man is obviously lying and trying to fool her; he probably wants to drag out the divorce.
"You have to agree to this matter, whether you like it or not. There's no room for discussion." After saying this, Qiao Xingyue turned and left without a trace of a smile.
As soon as he stepped out of the kitchen, he almost bumped into Huang Guilan.
Huang Guilan felt that there was something wrong with these two people. She originally wanted to listen to what they were saying, but who knew that Xingyue would come out of the kitchen so quickly.
Judging from Xingyue's tone, it's starting to sound more and more like the angry tone of a young, upset wife.
"Aunt Lan?" Qiao Xingyue composed herself. Fortunately, she hadn't mentioned the word "divorce" just now, but Xie Zhongming should know what she meant.
Huang Guilan stammered, "Xingyue, I, I, I came to the kitchen to get some hot water."
Qiao Xingyue knew that Aunt Lan had been eavesdropping, but she didn't expose her. "Aunt Lan, get some rest. I'm going upstairs now."
As soon as Qiao Xingyue left, Huang Guilan went into the kitchen and asked, "Zhongming, what did Xingyue ask your Uncle Chen to approve? Didn't Xingyue not want to serve under your Uncle Chen? Besides, nothing is negotiable. Did you do something to upset Xingyue?"
Huang Guilan added, "Don't you dare bully Xingyue."
"Mom, I'll explain this to you later. In short, it was all my fault."
"What? You really bullied Xingyue?"
Seeing Xingyue's tone of voice just now, Huang Guilan realized she was genuinely angry. She slapped Xie Zhongming hard and asked, "What did you do to make Xingyue so angry?"
This palm strike was not light.
But Xie Zhongming remained unmoved, feeling that he deserved to be taught a lesson. "Anyway, it was my fault, and I will make up for it."
...
The next day.
Jincheng Military Region, Sixth Division, Division Headquarters.
Xie Zhongming knocked on Chen Shenghua's office door.
"Come in!" Chen Shenghua's strong, deep voice came from inside.
Upon entering, I saw Chen Shenghua writing something at his desk, while Xie Zhongming stood upright in front of him. I didn't disturb him.
After writing those words, Chen Shenghua looked up at Xie Zhongming. Based on his understanding of Xie Zhongming, the fact that this kid didn't get straight to the point after coming in, but instead stood there waiting properly, meant it definitely wasn't official business.
Chen Shenghua asked, "Private matters?"
"Yes, Commander Chen. It's a personal problem." Xie Zhongming stood at attention, his back and shoulders ramrod straight, his long, slender fingers pressed firmly against the seams of his trousers.
Chen Shenghua got up from the table, walked halfway around, and stood in front of him. "You little rascal, tell me honestly. Do you like Comrade Qiao, who works at your house?"
Chen Shenghua had always hoped that Xie Zhongming could become his son-in-law. This time, he planned to divorce the missing Pang Ya, and Chen Shenghua thought that their Jia Hui had a chance.
Little did they know that Xie Zhongming had already set his sights on their nanny.
However, this nanny is no ordinary nanny. Qiao Xingyue is Chen Shenghua's savior, and he has personally witnessed Qiao Xingyue's resourcefulness, courage, and extraordinary skills in the hospital.
Chen Shenghua had nothing to regret about Jia Hui losing to Comrade Qiao; at least Comrade Qiao deserved it.
Xie Zhongming's ears burned at the mention of Qiao Xingyue.
Chen Shenghua pointed at him, smiled, and said in a deep, powerful voice, "You rascal, this is the first time I've ever cared so much about a woman. Don't worry, Fatty's missing person poster has been up for over a month, so I guess the mother and three have already passed away. The higher-ups have already approved your divorce application. You really should settle down and start a new family. I'll sign the divorce papers for you right away."
As Chen Shenghua was speaking, he took Xie Zhongming's divorce report from the drawer and was about to pick up his pen to sign and approve it when Xie Zhongming suddenly said, "Commander, I don't plan to divorce Fatty."
Chen Shenghua looked up at him, puzzled. "Zhongming, why are you suddenly not getting a divorce? Weren't you always hoping to divorce Fatty?"
"Commander, there is something I need to report to you truthfully, but I would like to ask you to keep it a secret for me and not tell my parents for the time being."
"What's up?"
"Comrade Qiao is the missing Fatty."
"What?" Chen Shenghua didn't understand. Xie Zhongming repeated, "Comrade Qiao who works at my house, Qiao Xingyue, she's Fatty. An'an and Ningning are my twin daughters. Over the years, Comrade Qiao has suffered a lot raising the two children, probably not even having enough to eat, which is why she went from weighing over 200 pounds to her current state. I only found out about this with Bei Yang last night. I'm sorry to Comrade Qiao and An'an and Ningning."
As he spoke, Xie Zhongming took the divorce report he had written and tore it into pieces.
The more resolute he was in deciding to divorce Fatty when he wrote the divorce papers, the more resolute he is in now in not getting a divorce.
"I can't get a divorce!"
"How could it be such a coincidence..." Chen Shenghua was stunned for a long time. When Xie Zhongming submitted his marriage application, Chen Shenghua was very disappointed. He, Xie Jiang, Huang Guilan, and Wang Shufen all agreed that Zhongming was an excellent boy in every way, so how could he have been ruined by that fat girl? It was like a fine cabbage being eaten by a pig.
But now Zhongming says that Fatty is Qiao Xingyue, and Qiao Xingyue is Fatty?
"How could that be? Fatty never went to school in the countryside and can't read a single word. But Comrade Qiao is capable in everything. How could they be the same person?"
However, Chen Shenghua thought again that both An'an and Ningning had the Xie family's hereditary disease, which clearly meant they were of the Xie family bloodline. He just couldn't believe that the chubby girl would turn into the tall, thin, fair-skinned, beautiful, and capable Qiao Xingyue.
Chen Shenghua asked, "Zhongming, does Comrade Qiao know that you were the platoon leader back then? Have you recognized each other?"
When the matter was brought up, Xie Zhongming was at a loss. "She knew a long time ago. I don't know when she found out. Maybe she recognized me from the beginning... No, she probably only found out recently."
He remembered that Comrade Qiao had asked him before if his wife's name was Fatty.
Yes, five years and a half years ago, when he had relations with Fatty, he drank sweet potato porridge laced with veterinary drugs. He didn't remember anything or see anything clearly at the time.
I doubt Comrade Qiao even remembered what he looked like.
"That's great news." Chen Shenghua patted Xie Zhongming on the shoulder. "Your parents adore Comrade Qiao. If they knew that Comrade Qiao was your wife, and that you suddenly had such a capable daughter-in-law, and that An'an and Ningning had become their own granddaughter, they would probably wake up laughing in their dreams. Your grandma will be overjoyed too."
Xie Zhongming changed the subject, looking worried, "Comrade, Comrade Qiao has agreed to the divorce, and her attitude is very firm. That's why I can't tell my parents about this for the time being."
Chen Shenghua was so happy that he forgot that Xie Zhongming had never returned to Chadian Village in the past five years, and he couldn't even recognize his own wife and children standing in front of him.
"Comrade Qiao wants a divorce?"
"It wasn't Comrade Qiao who wanted a divorce; it was me who brought it up, which broke her heart. Commander, all the suffering she and her two children have endured these past few years is my fault..."
When Xie Zhongming said this, his eyes were filled with guilt.
I only regret that all these years I've only thought about sending money to Chadian Village, but I've never actually visited it.
"Commander, but I don't want a divorce. Please do me a favor."
Chen Shenghua was so happy and pleased for Xie Zhongming that she overlooked one point: Xie Zhongming had indeed not fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband and father over the years.
He patted Xie Zhongming on the shoulder and said, "Zhongming, tell me how you want Uncle Chen to help."
Xie Zhongming stated his request, adding, "Commander, I'm thinking of living a good life with Comrade Qiao, raising An'an and Ningning properly, and making up for what I did to my mother and the three of them."
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