Zhou Lihua had already thought this through: "I want a divorce."
Tang Huihui's thinking remained the same: "You really want a divorce? You have no family to rely on, who will you depend on after the divorce?"
“I’ll rely on myself. Auntie, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll sell the medicinal herbs and build a house. With a house, I’ll have a home.”
"It's not easy for a woman to support a family."
Zhou Lihua took a sip of water: "No matter how difficult it is, it's not as difficult as when the Japanese invaded. Aunt, don't worry, I will get things back on track."
Tang Huihui still felt that a woman needed someone to rely on. Besides, Zhou Lihua and Battalion Commander Kong had five children: "You should think about it again. If you leave, Battalion Commander Kong will definitely find someone else at his age. If he finds someone kind-hearted, that's fine, but if he finds someone unkind, the children will be in trouble. The three sons are fine, they're all grown up. But Lanlan and Yanyan will be pitiful."
Zhou Lihua had also thought about this: "I want Lanlan and Yanyan to come with me."
Tang Huihui was a little surprised. Zhou Lihua not only had to live alone but also raise her two daughters: "Would the Kong family agree to this?"
"Commander Kong will definitely look for them again; his mother is a sexist. I think they'll let me take Lanlan and Yanyan away."
What if they don't allow it?
"Taking Lanlan and Yanyan away would only benefit them."
Tang Huihui didn't think so: "What if they deliberately don't give it to you? Besides, didn't you say that as soon as you went to the Kong family, Grandma Kong handed over all the housework to you? If you leave, Battalion Commander Kong's mother might push all the housework onto Lanlan and Yanyan."
“This…” Zhou Lihua wanted a divorce but was afraid the Kong family wouldn’t let Lanlan and Yanyan stay with her: “Xiaoman, would the Kong family do that?”
Xiaoman looked at Zhou Lihua: "Will Battalion Commander Kong divorce you?"
"this……"
Tang Huihui: "While you were away for the past few days, Battalion Commander Kong would come to check on you whenever he had a spare moment to see if you had returned."
Zhou Lihua: "I will not go back to the Kong family."
Xiaoman smiled and said, "Aren't you going to build a house? What do you think of the piece of land next to Commander Jin's house?"
Next to Commander Jin's house is a small triangular plot of land, large enough to build at most two houses. The yard would also be triangular. Two houses wouldn't be enough for one family. Farming there would be too much stone.
Tang Huihui knew about that piece of land: "That piece of land is not good."
“There’s a reason I sent her to build a house there,” Xiaoman said, looking at Zhou Lihua. “You’re single and don’t know martial arts. If you build a house elsewhere, people might bully you. But here, in the military region, everyone knows each other, so no one will bully you. Besides, even if the Kong family doesn’t give you Lanlan and Yanyan if you build a house here, you can still find out if they’re doing well. If anything happens to them, you’ll know immediately.”
Tang Huihui nodded: "That's right. With you here, Lanlan and Yanyan have someone to rely on. But, Xiaoman, there are other vacant lots. Why are you letting Lihua build a house there? That piece of land is not only small, but also not good."
“It’s precisely because it’s small and not good that I let her build there. This is a military region, and the houses and land belong to the military. The military has already allocated a house to Battalion Commander Kong. Even if she doesn’t divorce Battalion Commander Kong, the military won’t give her any more land to build a house. If she does divorce Battalion Commander Kong, the military will be even less likely to give her any more land to build a house.”
Zhou Lihua didn't understand: "You said the army wouldn't give me any more land, so why are you telling me to build a house next to Commander Jin's house?"
“The military won’t allocate land to you, but you can borrow land from the military.”
"Borrowing land?"
"Yes. You're a military wife, and that piece of land is useless to you. If you ask the military for a loan, they should lend it to you."
"But I'm getting a divorce from Battalion Commander Kong, will the army still lend me the money?"
“You used to be a military wife, and after divorcing Battalion Commander Kong, you were left with no one to rely on. The army should lend you money.”
Tang Huihui looked at Xiaoman and then at Zhou Lihua: "Can land for building houses still be borrowed? If the army wants to use that land, what will happen to the houses built on it? Will they be demolished?"
Xiaoman nodded: "I let her build a house here. Besides the fact that no one will bully her here, and she can take care of Lanlan and Yanyan, there's another reason. Battalion Commander Kong probably doesn't want to divorce her."
Tang Huihui looked at Zhou Lihua and said, "I also think that Battalion Commander Kong doesn't want to divorce you."
Xiaoman continued, "If Battalion Commander Kong doesn't divorce you, then let her live in the house you built."
Tang Huihui: "Let Battalion Commander Kong live in the house built by Lihua? This...this is like him marrying into the family! Would Battalion Commander Kong agree to this?"
Xiaoman smiled and said, "Lihua wants to divorce him."
Zhou Lihua thought for a moment, and considering that Lanlan and Yanyan were both attending a military-affiliated school, in addition to the reasons Xiaoman mentioned, she said, "Okay, I'll go to the military leaders tomorrow to borrow him."
Xiaoman: "No rush, you can think about it for a few more days."
"No need. I want to build the house as soon as possible so that the children won't have to live in shacks."
Tang Huihui: "You'd better think this through. That land was given to you by someone else. If they want to use the land, you'll have to demolish your house."
"I know."
"Alright then."
After resting for a while, Zhou Lihua wanted to move her things to the shack. Tang Huihui wouldn't allow it: "Lanlan and Yanyan are so well-behaved, and they've called me Grandma Tang for more than ten days. How can I let them live in the shack? Besides, you're not going to stay here. If you insist on moving, I'll get angry."
Zhou Lihua felt embarrassed: "Auntie, I'd better move back. I've already troubled you for more than ten days."
Xiaoman: "I'll stay here. If my mother gets angry, I'll have to coax her."
Tang Huihui: "That's right." After saying that, Tang Huihui realized something was wrong: "You child, I'm not like Naonao and Tengteng."
Xiaoman smiled. "Stay here."
"Well... alright." Zhou Lihua looked at Tang Huihui and said, "Auntie, if there's anything to do, just tell me. If you don't tell me, I'll be too ashamed to stay here."
"OK."
Lanlan and Yanyan saw Battalion Commander Kong as soon as they stepped out of the school gate.
Yan Yan immediately ran over: "Dad."
"Okay. Dad will take you to Grandma Tang's house and check if your mother has returned yet."
"good."
Knowing that Zhou Lihua had returned, Battalion Commander Kong wanted to talk to her. But Zhou Lihua wouldn't say much to him. Having no other option, Battalion Commander Kong secretly called Tang Huihui out. "Auntie, could you please try to persuade Lihua? I don't want to divorce her."
"real?"
"Yes, Auntie, I've made up my mind. I'll spend the rest of my life taking care of them, mother and children."
The elderly don't want their children to divorce. Although Zhou Lihua isn't Tang Huihui's child, Tang Huihui still doesn't want her to divorce: "I can try to persuade her, but the chances are slim. Let me tell you, Lihua is already planning to build a house."
"Build a house?" Battalion Commander Kong asked anxiously, "Where is she going to build a house?"
"Isn't there a vacant lot next to Commander Jin's house? She wants to borrow that land to build two rooms."
Battalion Commander Kong breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, they're still in the military region. "I understand. Auntie, please pass on a message to Lihua."
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