Chapter 7
Mo Daoyan originally planned to reveal the divorce after the New Year to avoid upsetting everyone during the Spring Festival. However, after much thought, he realized that the marriage was forced to end just after the fact. The longer he delayed, the more passive he would become, so he decided to reveal everything. In addition, during the few days he stayed at the Qiao family's house, he heard Qiao Zhuocheng's eldest sister Qiao Zhuoqun talk about the divorce case of an old classmate, which inspired him deeply.
The protagonist of this case is the director of the Forestry Bureau, and his wife is a dispatcher at the Electricity Bureau. Their personalities clash, and they argue every three days, a major argument every two days. Exhausted and physically and mentally, they agree to divorce, hoping to escape their bitterness. However, they only take the first step in a long, drawn-out battle. The union, the neighborhood committee, the Women's Federation, and the Civil Affairs Bureau are among the next to take on the challenge. Hundreds of attempts at ideological persuasion are underway, and after three years of turmoil, they still haven't received a certificate from their employer. Although the new Marriage Law of 1980 explicitly stipulates that divorce may be granted if mediation fails, the criteria for emotional breakdown, freedom, and morality are abstract and difficult to define. Therefore, relevant government departments prioritize peace, preferring to demolish ten temples rather than break up a marriage.
At the end of the story, Qiao Zhuoqun kept the story in suspense, asking Qiao Zhuocheng and Mo Daoyan to guess the ending of this pair of enemies.
Qiao Zhuocheng is a single person who is still looking forward to the future of marriage. He is optimistic: "As long as your mindset doesn't slip, there are always more solutions than problems. I've been stuck in the same place for three years. It's not that I can't break up, it's that I don't want to."
Mo Daoyan made a general guess: "Even the round-the-clock battles haven't worked, indicating that the two have made up their minds. Divorce is only a matter of time."
Qiao Zhuoqun mercilessly pointed out that Mo Daoyan was superior in every way, having lived in Europe for many years and possessing a thorough understanding of China's organizational strength. Qiao Zhuocheng, on the other hand, was superficial, underestimated the Organization's ability to conduct ideological work, and overestimated the appeal of marriage, exposing his ignorance of relationships. He didn't want to break up, but instead, they kept the relationship afloat for nearly a decade, thinking it was just a disguised flirtation. He'd read too much street literature that glorified life! The reality was that the two divorced a few days ago. Their successful divorce wasn't due to the Organization's refusal to rescue them, but rather to a midnight brawl in which the woman kicked the man's genitals, providing strong evidence of the breakdown of their relationship.
Qiao Zhuoqun lamented: "Four and a half years, one is disabled for life, the other is in jail. This is the price of divorce."
Mo Daoyan then realized that a normal divorce takes at least two years. He estimated how long his own divorce would take. He and Tong Yufei had no quarrels or fights, and there were only vague signs of a breakdown in their relationship. The organization would only care more about them. If it unfortunately dragged on for three to five years, Tong Yufei would be in her late thirties and her range of choices for a spouse would be greatly narrowed. Wouldn't he have ruined her?
To sum up, it is better to cut the Gordian knot. Now you can give a legitimate reason for divorce, saying that you are rarely together and have no common language and basis for mediation. If the two are determined, it will speed up the divorce process. But if time goes on for a long time and they continue to live in a muddle, this reason will be untenable. What's more, compared with the couple mentioned above, he faces one more obstacle, the protests of family members. He can be sure of this without special confirmation. Tong Yufei is too "perfect", "perfect" to the point of being impeccable.
She worked the night shift, and even after getting off, she wouldn't rest immediately. She would accompany her grandmother in the morning light, listening to Guan Sushuang's "The Fate of the Iron Bow" and Tong Zhiling's "Silang Visits His Mother," massaging her back as they listened, often staying up until noon. Her father, exhausted from his work, had lost his appetite and casually mentioned a desire for some yanghe (water chestnuts) to satisfy his craving, but the season was almost over, and they were unavailable at the market. That evening, stir-fried yanghe (water chestnuts) were placed on the table. Aunt Lin praised her colleague's generosity for selling her the yanghe they had sent from her hometown. Mo Daoyan was later asked by a neighbor what she had bought from the city's vegetable markets on her bicycle. She knitted a crocheted triangle shawl for her mother, which caught the eye of her mother's old boss. She then worked through the night, knitting one for him and his wife, embroidering their names. The boss reciprocated, and later, on the district distribution map, two more squares appeared in Meng Ruqing's area of ​​responsibility.
She responded to every word Mo Daoxing said, acted as his listener, and wrote reviews of the performances he attended.
Mo Daoxing trusted her very much. Occasionally, he would lean on her shoulder and confess joyfully, "Sister-in-law, please marry my brother in your next life, and the next ...
She pretended to be angry: "Oh, you don't want me to be your biological sister?"
Mo Daoxing waved his hand and said, "Sister-in-law is still the best, otherwise my brother would have lost a lot."
She can make delicious soup, and her family can enjoy a fresh and delicious soup every few days. Even her grandmother, who is fond of fine food, and Aunt Lin, who is an excellent cook, praise her wisdom and ingenuity. After Mo Daoyan comes back, she will make Western-style fried steak and cream-baked fish for him, and bought a Taichung Zhou brand oven to bake bread.
Mo Daoyan signed the contract and went to work at Xinli. Every day, he would come home after dark, covered in grease. No matter how busy she was, she would always find time to scrub his dirty clothes that couldn't be washed in the washing machine until they were as clean as new, her hands red from soaking in cold water. Mo Daoyan bought her a small aluminum can of Friendship brand hand cream from the supply and marketing cooperative and found some of Mo Changlin's old clothes as temporary work clothes, asking her not to wash them anymore. However, she advised him not to wear those outdated and ugly clothes, as they didn't suit him. He was a child of destiny and he had to look glamorous wherever he went. Not only did she let Mo Daoyan wear his suit again, but she also matched a tie and brooch for him, and wore a different one every day.
Aunt Lin teased her: "Daoyan is a natural clothes hanger. You dress him up so carefully. Aren't you afraid that someone will snatch him away?"
Tong Yufei just smiled and said, "What's mine is mine, no one can take it away from me."
There is a second half to this sentence, which she didn't say.
Aunt Lin was worried about her: "You are not competitive, but there are so many things to earn and grab in this world. Marriage is not a gold medal for freedom from disturbance."
What Aunt Lin said was true. A person who was too dazzling could attract people's attention far more than the moral constraints of coveting a married man. Besides, many people were not aware that Mo Daoyan was a married man.
Meng Ruqing initially opposed Mo Daoyan's plan to go abroad. This was due to both the reluctance to part with his family and political considerations. At that time, the country's doors were wide open, and advanced Western technology poured in, which also gave rise to serious worship of foreign things. A large number of government-funded students who had seen the colorful world and broadened their horizons ignored the country's cultivation and stayed abroad. Even government-funded students were selfish, and there was no reason for those who went abroad at their own expense to never return. However, Meng Ruqing did not want Mo Daoyan to part ways with his motherland and family. The country had a lot of work to do and needed talented people like him even more.
When signing Mo Daoyan's financial guarantee, Meng Ruqing and he reached an agreement, requiring him to wait until he was married before leaving. She believed that no one knew a son better than his mother, and with the bond of responsibility, she wasn't afraid that he wouldn't return. This was unnecessary, as Mo Daoyan had never considered changing his nationality or settling abroad. He had a deep sense of patriotism, and his original intention was to acquire skills and return to China to build a successful career. In this sincere understanding, Chen Huaili trusted him more than Meng Ruqing did.
As a son knows a mother best, he understood his mother's need for reassurance, and as long as it didn't affect his plans to go abroad, he gave it to her. Whether the reassurance was bitter or sweet depended entirely on his mother's preferences. The marriage partner, the engagement, and the wedding process were all arranged by her. From the outset, this marriage was forced by circumstances. Mo Daoyan didn't consider it one of life's three great joys. Deep love was irresistible, but shallow love was like weeping over grass. There was no such thing as "love" between them, so he naturally had no passion for the details, and even hoped that as few relatives and friends as possible would attend, so that the end of the relationship would be easier.
On the day of the engagement, Tong Wan and Zhao Weimin were unable to make it because their son and daughter both had high fevers, and Tong Yi was hungover at a friend's house. Only Tong Jianzhong was present from the Tong family. Tong Jianzhong was quite dissatisfied when he saw that none of Mo Daoyan's classmates and friends were present. Farmers had a grand ceremony to get married, but it was such a big event in their life, so it was too unfair to their daughter. Meng Ruqing comforted him with two words, saying that they were state cadres, and it was not appropriate to make a high-profile engagement party for their children. Everything should be simple, and he would make up for what he owed Tong Yufei later.
Meng Ruqing had indeed considered holding a grand wedding for them, but man proposes, God disposes. The incident with Chen Ruchao made it difficult to hold a grand wedding, so the matter had to be called off.
To this day, very few people know that Mo Daoyan and Tong Yufei are husband and wife. Tong Yufei is content with this abnormal marriage. It is not because she is conceited and expects Mo Daoyan to fall in love with her over time, but it is based on her absolute trust in his character. She knows very well that he may love someone else, but she will never bother to juggle between two relationships. Maintaining a superficial marriage is both unnecessary and a waste of energy. More importantly, this hypocritical behavior is far more disgusting to him than the emotional betrayal itself.
Mo Daoyan has been looking at commercial housing recently and is planning to move out after the New Year.
Living under the watchful eyes of her grandmother and parents, she still had to share a room with Tong Yufei until she moved out. She worked the night shift, so they would spend the day and the night separately, managing their time precisely to leave the room for each other so as not to disturb each other. She worked the day shift, going in and out at the same time, so she had to be more cautious. Their bedroom was only about 30 or 40 square meters, and it was filled with so many things, and even had a bathroom installed, leaving only a few square meters of space for their feet. Mo Daoyan also tucked in a pull-out sofa bed, which he placed horizontally behind the desk, less than 30 centimeters away from the bed. Sleeping side by side at night, they could not only hear each other's breathing, but also smell the fragrance of each other's bath products. Therefore, they would tacitly dress neatly before going to bed to prevent exposure.
That night, Mo Daoyan arrived home and gave Tong Yufei a purple brocade box. The perfume he had intended to give her earlier had a problem, so he specially asked his friend from Shanghai who had returned from Paris to bring back a new one.
Tong Yufei touched the exquisite ribbon on the brocade box and said, "You gave me a scarf."
"Isn't it true that gifts can only be given once? By the way, do you have enough money? I earned some money from work and transferred it to the bank. My passbook and bank card are in the storage box on my desk. If you need money, just take it out..."
She often bought food and daily necessities for her family, and many female workers from poor families had to support their families without exception, and she might have to do the same. As far as he could see, her food, clothing and daily necessities were not the most fashionable, and were even quite tight. Enough money was not only enough to meet her basic needs, but also to meet some material and spiritual needs. The basic needs included slightly higher-end clothes and cosmetics. She worked in a newspaper, and the higher needs were to buy books and subscribe to magazines to expand her knowledge, all of which required money. She was still his wife, and he couldn't let her live a tight life. She wouldn't be one anymore, so providing her with money was the most practical way to go.
Some colleagues in the company deposit money in the bank, but only a very small number of people use it. Bank cards are not widely used. Tong Yufei has skimmed through some relevant information and has a very superficial understanding.
She grabbed the scissors from the sewing basket and cut off the thread. "How do I get the money?"
She didn't hold back on the money, which was a sign that the divorce would go smoothly. Mo Daoyan immediately wrote down the ID and password he needed to withdraw money on a piece of paper: "What are your plans after the divorce?"
Tong Yufei placed the perfume on the bedside table and said, "When you're free, can you accompany me to the hospital?"
"Hospital?"
"Grandma and Mom told me to adjust my body."
His question concerned her personal interests, but she ignored it. On the verge of divorce, she was still preoccupied with trivial matters, unable to distinguish between the important and the unimportant. Mo Daoyan was reluctant to use that idiom to describe her, and could only sigh: God is fair. When God closes one door, he will surely open another window for you, and vice versa. The Creator opened the window to her beauty and figure, but stingily closed the door to wisdom. Speaking of figure, how did someone so slender manage to maintain such exquisite and curvaceous features in those places? She didn't seem like someone who was keen on exercise.
Noticing Mo Daoyan's eyes fixed on her chest unscrupulously, Tong Yufei turned her back and asked, "What's so good about it?"
Mo Daoyan remained calm and composed: "The facts are before our eyes, there is no need to be modest."
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