Xiao Chenglin looked at Jiang Tian, scrutinizing her dusty gray robe, his expression unchanged.
Actually, Xiao Chenglin was stunned for a moment when he saw Jiang Tian's eyes.
Jiang Tian's eyes are quite beautiful, deep and serene, with a touch of coldness.
Her eyes gave her an overall aloof and inexplicable air, even though she was clearly a country bumpkin.
Xiao Chenglin didn't have time to waste with her; he had too many important matters to attend to, and Jiang Tian was nothing to him.
She wants to be his wife just because she has a letter in hand. What kind of deal is that?
"Then I'll arrange for someone to take you back," Xiao Chenglin decided immediately.
Jiang Tian shook her head: "My father-in-law said that I must come to you and win your favor. If I can't win your favor, then I won't go back. My family doesn't want to accept me, and my husband's family won't let me go back, so I can only rely on you."
She explained her situation very clearly.
Xiao Chenglin looked at her: "Your situation is not my fault, so you don't need to hold me responsible. I've already given you silver dollars. With 100 silver dollars, you can make a living in the city. Why did you have to come here? Are you still daydreaming that I can accept you?"
“This is not a pipe dream, it is a matter of course. I am your wife. Throughout history, those who dishonor their wives have been called Chen Shimei. You are not surnamed Chen, nor are you called Shimei, so why can’t I come to you?”
Jiang Tian's eloquence is truly impressive.
Xiao Chenglin was somewhat surprised.
In his mind, old-fashioned women like Jiang Tian would exhibit very consistent characteristics: quiet, shy, rigid, only knowing how to follow the rules, and not daring to cross boundaries.
But Jiang Tian's eyes clearly showed stubbornness and a refusal to admit defeat.
“I don’t care about where you came from or where you’re going. Give me Grandpa’s handwritten letter and you can leave. I don’t want to waste my time on you. You should know very well that we have no connection whatsoever, and I have no obligation to take responsibility for your entire life.”
Xiao Chenglin made a move to leave, but Jiang Tian blocked his way.
"You don't acknowledge our marriage? Even if you know very well that I might die if I go back?"
Xiao Chenglin's tone was extremely cold: "If you don't fight back, you'll die anywhere. You've seen the ways of the world; everyone has to rely on themselves to survive. Don't blame your problems on others."
Jiang Tian couldn't help but laugh: "That's what you think?"
"That's just how it is."
Xiao Chenglin's expression grew even colder.
He came from the battlefield and wouldn't give in to a woman's tears.
Moreover, they've already given her enough money; if Jiang Tian still doesn't leave, she's just being shameless.
“Sometimes I find you men quite ridiculous. You know perfectly well that the education of women in the old days was different from that of women in the new days. We were taught from a young age to be good wives and mothers, to put our husbands above all else. There was no other way in our lives, because no one gave us another way. If my husband abandoned me, even my family would force me to die.”
"Perhaps I am an old-fashioned woman who is not particularly old-fashioned. You gave me money, and I can indeed find a place to survive. But why do you say it so easily?"
Xiao Chenglin discovered that this woman was very good at making a fuss.
"Was your tragedy caused by me? Was it my fault for the arranged marriage? Our marriage should never have started. Now, it seems like I'm the one making things difficult for you. Miss, your ability to throw a tantrum is truly impressive."
Jiang Tian smiled at him: "You know better than I whether you were informed about that marriage. Before the marriage even started, they called to ask for your opinion. If you had really rejected it or strongly resisted it, I wouldn't have had the chance to marry you."
"It's true that arranged marriages happen without consent, but the prerequisite is that both sets of parents will make the arrangements. If either side is absolutely unwilling, our marriage cannot proceed."
"It seems the warlord has forgotten that you tacitly approved of this marriage."
Xiao Chenglin was about to be defeated by this woman's powerful logic.
"I tacitly agreed to it? Are you kidding me?"
"When Grandpa was seriously ill, he called you and notified you. Can you honestly say you didn't receive a single message?"
Xiao Chenglin's expression changed slightly.
He certainly received it, and he refused it.
“I received news that my grandfather was seriously ill and refused to marry you. Your tragedy is not my fault, so there is no need to argue.”
Jiang Tian's lips curled into a sneer: "Commander-in-Chief, are you sure you're refusing? Have you forgotten what you said?"
"You didn't say you refused, but after the argument, you threatened that it was up to them, and if they really did marry a wife for you, you would tell them that you wouldn't acknowledge it and wouldn't take responsibility!"
Xiao Chenglin remained silent.
Did he say that back then? Even he himself has forgotten.
Jiang Tian remembered it clearly.
"Even so, so what? I've already said I won't acknowledge you."
Xiao Chenglin finally backed down.
If he really said those words, he has no way to deny them.
"Back then, so that Grandpa could pass away in peace, you at least tacitly agreed to let the family find you a wife. Was that responsible of you? I came to you because I had nowhere else to turn. You wanted to send me away with a lot of money, but did you ever think that for a weak woman like me to carry so much money in such chaotic times, what difference is there between me and a child carrying gold across the street?"
“I didn’t receive your modern education, and I don’t know how chaotic the world has become. I’ve always been taught traditional female virtues and how to serve you, but you’re leaving me to fend for myself alone. Sure, I can learn, but if I’m killed by a villain before I’ve learned, who will compensate me?”
Jiang Tian's eloquence is truly amazing, Xiao Chenglin exclaimed once again.
Influenced by Qin Xueyi, he used to feel angry at these old-fashioned women for their lack of ambition and saddened by their misfortune. Today, Jiang Tian's shrewishness showed him another side of old-fashioned women.
"What exactly do you want? There's no way you can stay here, no matter how sweet your words are."
Jiang Tian's smile grew increasingly mocking: "You won't let me stay, is it because you already have a fiancée?"
"right."
Xiao Chenglin did not deny it, nor did he need to deny it, as he had already made it public not long ago.
"And what about me?"
"If you need it, we can publish a divorce notice in the newspaper and then each of us can remarry."
Jiang Tian smiled again and shook her head: "I will not divorce you. If I leave you, I will never find a better husband than you, and my life will be even more miserable."
"It's not a matter of whether you're willing or not, but whether I'm willing to publish it in the newspaper."
Xiao Chenglin's tone was even calmer, with a hint of disgust in it.
“So that’s how it is,” Jiang Tian smiled. “So you’ve thought it all through.”
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