"How is it not illegal? Your brigade has a women's director, so you should know that this is a new society. The first article of the Marriage Law abolishes arranged marriages and promotes freedom of marriage. Marriage must be based on the complete free will of both the man and the woman, and women cannot be forced to do so."
"Comrade Li Xiaohong has made it clear that she does not want to marry this man, and no one can force her. Not only her, but every female comrade is the same."
“Even your parents and brothers have no right to disrespect your wishes and force you to marry. If they do, you can go to the brigade leader or the women's director.”
At this moment, a woman in the crowd asked, "What if the brigade doesn't care, and the women's director doesn't care either?"
Not all team leaders and women's directors are conscientious and responsible; some prefer to compromise and muddle through.
Yu Yao looked at the female comrade who had asked the question and said loudly, "If the brigade doesn't care and the women's director doesn't care, you can report it to the police. The police will always take care of it."
When the people around heard that this matter could be reported to the police, there was an uproar.
"What nonsense are you spouting, little girl? What police? The police are so busy every day, they don't have time to meddle in this kind of thing. Besides, who forced you? It was all voluntary, no one forced you."
Seeing that there were many women around, Yu Yao continued, "Besides the freedom to marry, the state also stipulates the freedom to divorce. If a man and a woman don't want to continue living together, they can get a divorce. The state has said that if one party requests a divorce and mediation by the brigade and commune fails, the divorce will be granted."
These words caused even more commotion among the crowd.
In this day and age, this is simply outrageous and outrageous. If anyone in a family dares to utter this word, they will be talked about for a long time.
At this moment, everyone, whether married or unmarried, stared wide-eyed at Yu Yao.
Of course, Yu Yao's purpose in saying this was not to encourage people to divorce, but to let those who are unhappy in their marriages know that they have the right to divorce.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. Marriage requires effort, and problems can't be solved by divorce. But we women and men alike need to know that we have this right. We may not choose to use it, but we are not deprived of it."
At this point, Yu Yao added, "As long as your spouse treats you and your children well, just live your lives happily. But if they beat you or treat you badly, you can ask the brigade, the women's director, or the police for help. This is a right that the country has given to each of us."
Some of the old women and men's faces changed upon hearing this, fearing that if they stayed any longer, Yu Yao would say something even more shocking. They grabbed their wives who were watching the commotion and pulled them out, forbidding them from hearing anything more.
Other women had dim eyes; they already had children, what could they do? If only they had known sooner. Even so, they stayed where they were and refused to leave.
Of course, many men and women also thought Yu Yao was simply crazy.
"You have such a vicious heart, girl. What man doesn't hit his wife? If a man hits a woman, it must be because the woman hasn't done enough. Who would encourage someone to get a divorce?"
"Exactly, she must be unhappy in her marriage to say that. If you ask me, you haven't hit her enough, she's just outrageous."
The surrounding gazes included disdain, contempt, and accusation, as well as doubt, incomprehension, and enlightenment.
Two of the people in the crowd were military dependents who lived in the military compound. They couldn't stand the criticism from the crowd and stood up to speak for Yu Yao.
"Don't talk nonsense. Comrade Yu is very happy in her marriage. Her husband is the youngest regimental commander in our island compound."
"Commander Lu treats Comrade Yu very well. He doesn't scold or beat her. If Comrade Yu loses a single hair, Commander Lu gets extremely nervous. She's not the unhappy person in your marriage that you all say she is."
“That’s right, I can testify to that too. When Comrade Yu used to live in the old family compound, I often saw Commander Lu washing her clothes and bringing her breakfast every morning. Among all the married men in the compound, Commander Lu was known for how much he doted on his wife.”
Upon hearing this, the old woman who had been criticizing Yu Yao earlier became even more agitated.
“Listen to this, all of you. This woman is married, and even married the regimental commander. She’s living happily, yet she’s trying to get others to divorce. What is this if not malicious?”
The two military dependents wanted to argue, but Yu Yao stopped them, saying, "Thank you, sisters-in-law. There's no need to waste your breath. Some people are hard to explain, and they don't want to understand."
Yu Yao didn't care what they thought. She was just an ordinary person who happened to be teaching the law while dealing with Li Xiaohong's situation.
I only hope that this can be of some help to those women who are currently suffering, at least letting them know that the law supports their resistance.
Even if it's just to make those around us who commit domestic violence or force women to have a second thought, that would be good.
Even if she is misunderstood, even if she is criticized, even if she knows that the impact of her words will soon subside, she does not regret saying those words today.
The plight of women is not something that can be resolved overnight, nor can it be turned around with just a few words, but so what?
There will always be someone who needs to do things that seem to have little or no effect, but even a small spark can start a prairie fire.
She is neither the first nor the last; countless women have fought for this cause before and after her.
Because of this, the situation of women in later generations has been able to improve.
When the two military wives saw the bruises on Li Xiaohong's arm, a hint of sympathy appeared in their eyes. They glared at the man and looked at Yu Yao, saying, "Comrade Yu, don't be afraid, we support you."
As they spoke, the two stood next to Yu Yao, facing the man together.
Yu Yao was very grateful for their help, but she was more than enough to handle this man on her own. "Thank you for your help, sister-in-law. I can handle her by myself."
Both military wives knew that Yu Yao was skilled in combat, and considering that there were many people coming and going, they didn't say much. They made some harsh remarks to their husbands and then left.
The onlookers gradually left, leaving only a few who stayed to see what would happen next.
Yu Yao looked at the man and said, "You'd better leave. Don't make me say it a second time, or the police will be coming after you."
The man was indignant, knowing he was no match for Yu Yao, and not wanting his money to go to waste, so he turned his attention to Li Xiaohong.
"Li Xiaohong, I'm giving you one last chance. Are you coming back with me or not?"
Li Xiaohong grabbed Yu Yao's hand and shook her head, "No, I won't go back."
The man gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Li Xiaohong. "Very well! Your father took three hundred yuan from me as a bride price. If you don't want to marry me, fine, just give me back the money."
Li Xiaohong fearfully hid behind Yu Yao, who squeezed her hand to comfort her, "There's a cause for every grievance, and a debtor for every debt. Whoever took your money, you should ask them for it back."
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