socalfunplaces Chapter 56 Divorced!
Chapter 56 Divorced!
"What do you mean? It was collected at the office converted from that dilapidated temple in our Red Star Commune!"
Niu Guihua curled her lips, "Does the civil affairs bureau in this county have the same shabby foundation as yours? If you want to get this done properly, you'll have to go back to the town! If we get divorced here, what if someone finds out later that the registration wasn't cancelled? How will my daughter ever get married?"
Besides, we've come all this way, and you want to kick us out before we even have a hot meal? Who's going to pay for our return tickets?
Zhao Gang's head was buzzing, and he felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.
Go back to town?
This back and forth will take several hours of hassle, not to mention what if the villagers see it again...
"I'm not going!"
Zhao Gang stiffened his neck. "We'll do it right here! I'll find someone! Besides, I have to go to work; I don't have time to run around with you guys!"
"Going to work?" Li Xianglian suddenly interjected.
She slowly stood up, smoothing the wrinkles on her clothes. Her movements were unhurried and calm. "Gangzi, it's fine if you don't want to go. It's perfect timing. My mother and I haven't been to the county town yet, so we'll stay here tonight. I heard that these soft chairs are comfortable to sleep on, much better than those hard kang beds."
"When your Lili gets home from work, we'll have a good chat about this five hundred yuan. And let her see how you, an orphan with no parents, managed to conjure up a house full of poor relatives."
These words struck Zhao Gang squarely where it hurt.
Zhao Gang suddenly shuddered, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
Wang Lili wanted to see a room full of people reeking of sour smells, eating and drinking heartily, and even occupying her bridal chamber.
Just imagining that scene makes him feel like he could ascend to heaven.
"Let's go! Let's go now!"
Zhao Gang forced out those words through gritted teeth, his expression more disgusted than if he'd swallowed a dead fly: "I'll buy the ticket! Even if I have to crawl, I'm going to get this divorce today!"
"You said it yourself."
Niu Guihua chuckled, grabbed a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from the glass fruit bowl on the coffee table and stuffed them into her pocket. She then casually tucked the remaining half-pack of Daqianmen cigarettes into her coat and tossed it to Li Dabao, saying, "Dabao, here! These are good cigarettes for the job, don't waste them!"
Li Dabao took the cigarette, beaming with delight, snot bubbles practically forming on his nose. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply, exclaiming, "It smells so good! Things from the city are just different!"
Zhao Gang was trembling with anger. Those were the premium cigarettes he used to impress his superiors!
He yanked open the door, pointed at the stairwell, and yelled, "Get out! All of you, get down there!"
The dilapidated bus, like an old ox suffering from diarrhea, bumped and swayed along the dirt road, panting heavily.
The carriage was filled with a strong smell of diesel fuel, mixed with the sweat of the villagers and the smell of chicken droppings coming from several bamboo cages.
Zhao Gang, wearing a polyester shirt and leather shoes, huddled among a group of villagers carrying baskets on their backs.
He covered his nose tightly and leaned as close to the car window as possible, afraid that sparks from the old man's pipe next to him would splash onto his pants.
Li Xianglian sat in the last row.
She stared blankly at Zhao Gang's straight, yet frail, back.
This man was willing to risk everything for the sake of appearances. Unfortunately, the ladder he built was about to collapse before it was even firmly in place.
Before sunset, the bus finally made its way into the courtyard of the Red Star Commune.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Zhao Gang shoved aside the people blocking his way and stumbled off the road.
The commune's civil affairs office was located behind the supply and marketing cooperative.
It was right at the end of the workday, and clerk Xiao Zhang had just put his pen into the pocket of his Zhongshan suit and was about to lock the door with his keys in his hand.
"Don't lock it! Get the job done!"
Zhao Gang's shout was so loud it cracked, and before he even arrived, his leather shoe got stuck in the door crack.
Xiao Zhang was startled. He frowned and was about to curse when he saw that it was Zhao Gang. His polyester shirt was wrinkled like sauerkraut, and there were five red finger marks on his face. His hair was a mess.
"Hey, isn't this Officer Zhao? And this is...?"
"Divorce! Now! Right now!"
Zhao Gang, breathing heavily, pulled Li Xianglian in from behind, slammed the divorce application on the table, and shouted, "Stamp it!"
Xiao Zhang paused for a moment, glanced at Niu Guihua and Li Xianglian who followed behind, and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He quickly took out the form.
The room was so quiet that only the scratching sound of the pen nib gliding across the paper could be heard.
Li Xianglian held the pen with a steady hand.
She carefully wrote the three characters "Li Xianglian" on the already yellowed notebook.
This is the best she has ever written in her life.
"Snapped!"
The bright red official seal fell heavily, like the sound of a hammer shattering shackles.
Zhao Gang snatched the divorce certificate that belonged to him, his fingers trembling.
He didn't even glance at Li Xianglian; his eyes were filled only with the ecstatic joy of getting rid of the rotten flesh.
"We're even."
Zhao Gang stuffed the divorce certificate into his pocket, turned around and walked out. When he passed by Niu Guihua, he even jumped to the side in disgust, as if afraid of getting some bad luck on her.
He stopped at the door, his back to the people inside, and said in a chilling voice, "Don't let me see you in the city again. If anyone dares to cause trouble at your workplace again, I'll fight them to the death!"
After saying that, he plunged into the twilight without looking back, running and stumbling as if afraid that a ghost might grab him from behind.
Xiao Zhang from the office shook his head, locked the door, and left.
The courtyard was deserted, with only a few members of the Li family remaining.
The wind blew, stirring up the yellow dust on the ground.
Li Xianglian held the thin piece of paper, her fingertips rubbing the still-dry red ink on it.
We're divorced!
From now on, she will no longer be someone's wife who can't have children, nor will she be someone's servant who toils like a slave.
She was simply Li Xianglian, the pure and innocent Li Xianglian.
My eyes feel a little hot, and my nose feels sore.
She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time; there was a wad of cotton stuck in her throat.
"Alright! Stop pretending!"
Niu Guihua's loud voice instantly shattered the silence.
She sat cross-legged on the edge of the flower bed in the courtyard, took out the stack of money again and counted it once more, before looking at Li Xianglian with satisfaction.
That look in his eyes was like a butcher looking at meat waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board.
"Xianglian, the divorce is over, and we've vented our anger. We need to get back quickly. I've already spoken to Butcher Zhang in the next village. He said that as long as you come back safe and sound, the bride price will increase by fifty! That body is easy to raise; you'll be living a life of luxury there!"
As Niu Guihua spoke, she reached out with a beaming smile to pull Li Xianglian's arm, "Dabao, keep an eye on your sister, don't let her run away. She's our family's cash cow."
Li Xianglian took a half step back without making a sound, dodging the hand whose fingernails were full of black mud.
Having just escaped the wolf's den, the tiger's mouth opened again.
These people sucked her blood, drained Zhao Gang's marrow, pocketed hundreds of dollars, and now they want to resell her for a good price.
Li Xianglian folded the divorce certificate neatly and put it in her pocket. When she looked up again, she saw Niu Guihua with no expression on her face.
"Mother is right, we should go back quickly."
She turned to look at the only road leading to the village, which was a dense forest, dark and gloomy, like a beast with its mouth wide open.
"Carrying so much money and stuff, this dark mountain path won't be easy to traverse. I've heard things have been a bit unsettled in the forest lately; what if we run into a robber..."
Li Xianglian's voice was soft, but it carried far on the wind: "That's going to be lively."
Niu Guihua instinctively clutched her chest, her triangular eyes darting around: "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting! Shut your jinxed mouth!"
"Let's go." Li Xianglian didn't say anything more, turned around and walked into the increasingly dark night.