Chapter 108 Qiao Xingyue: I Do Not Agree to a Divorce
Xie Jiang lowered his voice and gave a soft shout.
In all the years of their marriage, he has never yelled at Huang Guilan, nor has he ever said a harsh word to her. Even when they disagreed when they were young, they would just stay silent and have a little tiff.
But within half an hour, Xie Jiang would take the initiative to apologize to Huang Guilan, and then try every means to make Huang Guilan happy, such as washing her socks, cleaning the house until it was spotless, and making her favorite guokui and liangfen (cold rice noodles), until he saw her smile.
The word "nonsense," though clearly directed at Huang Guilan, felt like a knife stabbing into Xie Jiang's own chest.
Upon hearing this soft roar, Huang Guilan's tears flowed uncontrollably.
It wasn't because this was the first time Xie Jiang had yelled at her.
Instead, the thought that her husband, Lao Xie, might be dismissed from his post, sent to a lower-level reformatory, or even that the whole family might be implicated and investigated, and the thought that such a large family might encounter an unprecedented obstacle, made her unable to stop crying.
Xie Jiang understands Huang Guilan; no matter what difficulties they encounter, she will never abandon him.
He was a man of iron will and never easily shed tears, but now tears streamed down his face.
“Gui Lan.” Xie Jiang’s red eyes were filled with tears as he grasped Huang Gui Lan’s trembling shoulders and choked out, “Think about your daughters-in-law and your children.”
In this era, the prevailing principle is "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
There is zero tolerance for "enemy agents." Even if the evidence is insufficient, as long as the "character is sensitive and someone reports it," the nature of the crime will be determined first, and evidence will be supplemented later. In some cases, a conviction can be made even without evidence, and there is also a strong effect of collective punishment.
Xie Jiang was well aware of these things.
A pair of calloused hands wiped away the tears welling up in Huang Guilan's eyes, one on each side.
"Gui Lan..." Xie Jiang hadn't seen Huang Gui Lan cry like this in a long time.
He clearly remembered that Huang Guilan shed tears like this when she gave birth to her fifth son, Xie Zhongyan, and cried from the pain.
Oh, the last time I cried was when I recognized An An and Ning Ning, but that was tears of joy.
Xie Jiang couldn't bear to see Huang Guilan's tears fall. She had been pampered by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, who were mathematicians and optics experts, since she was a child. She also had her elder brother, a senior nuclear physics expert who participated in the development of nuclear weapons and satellites, her second elder brother, a geology expert, and her third elder brother, a senior scientist in the rubber technology field. She had never suffered any grievances.
He wouldn't bear to see her suffer if she followed him.
His throat tightened, and his voice choked, "Listen to me, this is not a trivial matter."
"I don't care, no matter what happens, I will not divorce you."
Huang Guilan was crying and sniffling, but Xie Jiang didn't mind and quickly wiped away her tears and snot. "If you don't set an example, what will happen to your three daughters-in-law, Liping, Xiuxiu, and Xingyue, and what about Zhiyuan, Mingyuan, Chengyuan, Boyuan, and An'an and Ningning..."
One sentence left Huang Guilan speechless.
yes.
She may not be afraid of hardship, but what about her three daughters-in-law and several children?
They could have had a bright future.
“Guilan, listen to my advice. You take the lead and divorce me. You take your wives and children and go to live with your eldest, second, and third brothers…”
"Old Xie, stop talking. It's not that serious. Our Xie family hasn't really colluded with the enemy or betrayed the country. We were just reported..."
"Guilan, this matter isn't that simple. Even the Chen family is involved. It's very likely that..."
Xie Jiang couldn't say what came next, "..."
He let out a deep sigh, a sigh that made the night even more silent.
The atmosphere between the two became even more oppressive and deathly silent.
Inside the room, the old Seagull brand fan sluggishly shook its head. The fan was quite old, and the mechanism was rusty. It would always get stuck when it turned its head, making intermittent noises.
When Huang Guilan first entered the house, she felt very depressed thinking about this matter and wanted to turn on the fan to cool off.
Unexpectedly, the gust of wind felt eerie and chilly when it blew against my skin.
The air was thick with the smell of butter and ink from when Xie Jiang replaced the old fan a few days ago; it was so strong it was suffocating.
An invisible net seemed to float in the air, enveloping the two of them, rendering them unable to move.
Huang Guilan slumped weakly to the side of the bed. The walls were still painted white with red flowers and the character for "double happiness," indicating that the Xie family had just held a grand celebration.
But it's clear that things are about to change.
Outside the paper window, the black sky hung low. On ordinary days, the chirping of cicadas and croaking of frogs sounded like someone singing, but today it sounded like a funeral procession.
Seeing Huang Guilan's tears streaming down her face, Xie Jiang took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped away her tears, and said in a deep voice, "I'll go to Lao Si's place and call the brothers over..."
As he spoke, he stuffed the handkerchief in his hand into Huang Guilan's hand, looked at Huang Guilan with heartache, then turned around and walked heavily to the door.
When I opened the door, I saw the old lady Chen Suying standing at the door.
Even though the old lady was leaning on her cane and her back was somewhat hunched, her eyes were firm, carrying a strength that showed she wasn't afraid even if the sky were to fall. "Second son, don't panic. The men of the Xie family will hold the sky up even if it falls."
"Mom, don't worry. I can carry it."
Xie Jiang nodded, the tears in his eyes long since wiped away, leaving only his battle-hardened fortitude and unyielding spirit.
“Go. Call the five brothers over and have a good talk with them.” The old lady nodded and raised a wrinkled hand from her cane. “Second son, the sky hasn’t fallen yet, but the men of the Xie family must plan ahead for the women and children in their families.”
The hand that landed on Xie Jiang's shoulder was not heavy, even very light.
But it brought back countless memories from Xie Jiang's childhood. Every time he encountered difficulties, his mother would gently pat his shoulder with her thin hand. It was very light, but it carried a great deal of strength.
Xie Jiang knew from a young age that a man should be able to shoulder responsibilities.
He looked at his elderly mother and said, "Mom, your grandchildren are also men who can shoulder responsibilities."
"I know that every man in the Xie family is a good man!"
When she said this, the old lady Chen Suying's eyes were full of pride.
After Xie Jiang passed her and left, Huang Guilan had already gotten up and come to the old lady, helping her to sit down in the living room of the main room.
The old lady added, "Guilan, this time you must listen to my advice and set an example for your daughters-in-law."
"Mom..." Huang Guilan choked up and couldn't speak.
She had been married into the Xie family for so many years, and the old lady had always treated her like her own daughter. The two women had never had any conflicts. Now that the Xie family was about to collapse, the old lady wanted the men to take responsibility. She told this daughter-in-law to divorce her son so that she wouldn't be implicated.
If it were any other old lady, she would have hoped that her son could bring his wife along when he was sent to the countryside, so that his wife could take care of him.
The old lady, however, was devoted to her.
She understood the old lady's feelings, just as she herself was reluctant to part with her Liping, Xiuxiu, and Xingyue, as well as her grandchildren, especially the two little girls An'an and Ningning, who were suffering along with her. She felt the same way.
The entire main room was filled with a depressing atmosphere.
The atmosphere was equally oppressive at Xie Zhongming's new house.
At this time, everyone was still making merry in the bridal chamber.
Jiang Beiyang suddenly suggested, "Zhongming, shouldn't you recite a vow of loyalty to your sister-in-law, just like reciting a quote from a great man?"
Jiang Beisong chimed in, "Zhongming, hurry up and show your loyalty. If you ever dare to bully Comrade Qiao Xingyue in the future, that won't do. We'll all be your witnesses."
The other four Xie brothers remained silent, and the atmosphere in the wedding night was not particularly lively.
If things had continued this way, Xie Zhongming would surely have said something from the bottom of his heart.
Today, however, there was silence.
The expression in his eyes carried a hint of solemnity.
The other four Xie brothers also looked somewhat solemn. At this moment, Xie Zhongyi said, "Bei Yang, Bei Song, let the young couple get some rest. That's all for tonight."
Just then, Xie Jiang walked into the main room. "Zhongyi, Zhongjie, Zhongwen, Zhongming, Zhongyan, come out here. Dad has something to say to you."
Everyone looked towards Xie Jiang at the same time.
Xie Jiang glanced at everyone, forced a smile, and finally looked at Qiao Xingyue. "Xingyue, I'm going to talk to Zhongming and the other brothers for a bit. I'll have them come back in a little while."
Qiao Xingyue was stunned for a moment.
Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, Qiao Xingyue had a feeling that something big had happened to the Xie family, ever since Uncle Chen came to their house last night.
Suppressing her worries, she nodded to Xie Jiang, "Okay, Dad, you can discuss things slowly. I'll talk to my sisters-in-law for a while."
Xie Jiang called his sons out of the house.
I haven't been back for a long time.
The eldest son, Zhiyuan, looked at Shen Liping and his two aunts, his worried gaze falling on Shen Liping. "Mom, has something serious happened at home? Grandpa seems a bit off."
"Don't overthink it." Shen Liping was also worried. She had noticed that her father-in-law had been acting strangely since last night. Today, Xingyue and Lao Si were having their wedding banquet, and her father-in-law seemed absent-minded and kept spacing out.
Something serious must have happened at home.
But Shen Liping pretended nothing was wrong and nudged Zhiyuan, saying, "It's still early, why don't you take your younger siblings out to play for a while?"
After the children left, Qiao Xingyue looked at Shen Liping and asked, "Sister-in-law, did my brother say anything to you last night?"
"No." Shen Liping shook her head. "Your older brother doesn't know anything either. What did Zhongming say to you?"
"No." Qiao Xingyue also shook her head.
The two sisters-in-law shared the same intuition: something terrible must have happened to the Xie family.
Sun Xiuxiu, who wasn't well-educated, didn't notice anything amiss. "Sister-in-law, Xingyue, why do you both look so worried? Dad probably just has some trouble at work, nothing serious."
Neither Qiao Xingyue nor Shen Liping spoke.
It was almost 10 p.m. when Xie Zhongming finally returned from outside the main room.
The fan in the main room was spinning.
The large red flowers made of red silk hanging on the wall swayed gently in the wind, but Qiao Xingyue, sitting on the long bench in the main room, remained motionless.
She was still wearing the same bright red dress she wore today when she saw Xie Zhongming walk into the main room with a somber expression.
The threshold of the main room was only a few steps from her, but Xie Zhongming walked with great difficulty as if his feet were filled with lead.
Qiao Xingyue has been at the Xie family's house for several months.
I came in the dead of winter, and now it's the tail end of summer.
She always remained calm and composed whenever she saw her father-in-law, Xie Jiang, and had never seen him so distracted before.
“Xingyue…” Xie Zhongming took out a folded document from his white shirt.
The paper showed signs of writing on it.
He was still two steps away from Qiao Xingyue, but those two steps to get closer to her seemed to have taken all his strength. So much so that when he handed the completed divorce application to Qiao Xingyue, his hand trembled, the paper in his hand trembled, and even his lips trembled.
He didn't have the courage to say what came next.
I don't know how to say it.
The folded paper was not unfolded. Qiao Xingyue glanced at the faint writing on it, but she couldn't make out anything. She only knew that something was written on the paper.
But Qiao Xingyue seemed to have guessed it.
For a fleeting moment, the image of Xie Zhongming shielding her from a bullet on the train flashed through her mind, followed by the image of Xie Zhongming's apprentice catching the white blades as the robbers in Chadian Village attacked with knives. The red knife was aimed at her, and he gripped the gleaming blade tightly, his hands covered in blood as he shielded her from the disaster.
She slowly rose from the bench, and before Xie Zhongming could finish speaking, she took the document, tore it to shreds without even glancing at it.
She held the scraps of paper tightly in her palm.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Tell me, what terrible thing happened to the Xie family?"
"..." Xie Zhongming couldn't bring himself to say it.
Qiao Xingyue looked at him as he lowered his head, his eyes red and hot tears welling up in his resolute gaze.
For a passionate young man to have tears welling up in his eyes on his wedding night, it must be something significant.
Qiao Xingyue's suspicions became even more certain.
She wasn't from this era, but she had heard about many things from this era.
There are only a few things that can cause the leader of a large family to suddenly collapse in despair.
The most likely explanation is that the entire Xie family has been labeled as enemy agents.
“I didn’t see my uncle at the wedding today. I asked my dad, and he said my uncle had an emergency. But I know it couldn’t be an emergency at home or at the factory. Could he have been taken away by the police?”
Xie Zhongming suddenly looked up, staring at her with some disbelief.
How did she guess it?
"And what's the meaning of this? We just had our wedding banquet today!" Qiao Xingyue spread out the scraps of paper in her hand and questioned Xie Zhongming while crying, "We just had our wedding banquet and you're already filing for divorce? You said you'd spend your whole life making it up to me and An'an and Ningning, is this your way of making it up?"
"Stars and moon..."
"Even if the Xie family is treated as enemy agents and their world is collapsing, I, Qiao Xingyue, will never agree to a divorce."
The handwritten document Xie Zhongming handed her was a divorce report.
From Xie Zhongming's eyes, she became even more certain, "The Xie family isn't really colluding with the enemy or betraying the country. At most, they've been reported, or it's a factional struggle. I know the history of this era best. It's 1975 now, and by 1979 at the latest, the labor reform program in the countryside will be completely over."
With red eyes and tears streaming down her face, she looked at Xie Zhongming and said, "Xie Zhongming, if my guess is true, I don't agree to a divorce. Whatever happens, the two of us, and our whole family, will face it together."
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