Lu Jianguo’s words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Ma Lanying’s bluster. How could this be? What was she going to do? If they couldn’t consummate the marriage, it would be letting that little tramp off too easy. Ma Lanying shot a worried glance at her son and carefully ventured, “How about we go to the hospital tomorrow to get it checked out?”
Lu Jianguo waved his hand impatiently: “Enough, enough. Just go back to sleep and stop bothering me.”
Behind the crack in the door, Xiao Mandong’s eyes glimmered with a knowing chill. Truly a family of black-hearted schemers, calculating every angle. But heaven did not grant their wishes. Evil deeds piled up always brought their own retribution.
Ma Lanying returned to her room, filled with resentment, her mind stuck on the 180 yuan Xiao Mandong had made from selling the wardrobe and sewing machine. And in a couple of days, she’d have to return the 200 yuan betrothal gift for the divorce. The thought alone made her heart ache.
Ma Lanying had always believed Xiao Mandong, being a capitalist’s daughter, must have hidden valuables. She had even searched Xiao Mandong’s room but found nothing. Letting Xiao Mandong divorce and walk away felt like a loss. In her mind, once a woman married into the Lu family, everything she owned belonged to them.
She couldn’t just let that cheap woman off so easily! Ma Lanying sat up abruptly, her eyes turning frantic. The next morning, she went straight to the town hospital to see her niece, Shao Tingting, who worked in hospital logistics. She wanted to find out if a hospital could tell whether a consummation had taken place.
Shao Tingting took her to the gynecology department to ask a doctor. The doctor’s answer left Ma Lanying collapsing into a chair—it was completely impossible to detect.
That little bitch Xiao Mandong had dared to con them! Blinded by rage, Ma Lanying headed straight for the Commune. She wouldn’t let Xiao Mandong get away with a clean break from the countryside. Even if she couldn’t stop her, she’d ruin her reputation. At the very least, she had to seize the dowry money or her job—her youngest daughter was still unemployed and worrying at home.
As soon as the Commune courtyard opened, Ma Lanying rushed in, plopped down on the ground, and began wailing at the top of her lungs, slapping her thighs: “Commune leaders, save us! Our family has been wronged! Our newlywed daughter-in-law has been cheating, and now she wants to take our family’s property and divorce. You can’t let such an unchaste woman go unchecked!”
Her voice was sharp and loud, quickly drawing a crowd of onlookers and Commune staff.
Seeing the crowd grow, Ma Lanying wept even harder, slandering Xiao Mandong relentlessly. She even pulled out Lu Jianjun’s martyr certificate: “My eldest son gave his life for the country, and now my younger son married a woman like this. Such a disgrace to the family! I beg the Commune to seek justice for me.”
In those days, people held genuine respect for martyrs. The onlookers, hearing Ma Lanying’s words, were all outraged.
The Commune Leader realized this was no longer a private family matter. If this weren’t handled properly, it would break the hearts of many martyr families.
When he learned it was Lu Jianjun’s family—the very household they had planned to visit that day to offer condolences—his composure cracked. He immediately sent people to Kaoshan Village, ordering the village cadres to bring Xiao Mandong to the Commune at once.
Xiao Mandong had just finished breakfast when the Brigade Leader rushed in urgently. Hearing what happened, she laughed: “Brigade Leader, don’t blame me for not helping you keep this quiet. You see, they’re the ones who wanted to expose it.”
The Brigade Leader was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected Ma Lanying to be so stupid. He had searched the village for ages but couldn’t find Lu Bingshan.
The village cadres and Xiao Mandong arrived together at the Commune. The moment Ma Lanying saw Xiao Mandong, she burst into a torrent of abusive curses, laced with the vilest language.
Xiao Mandong’s eyes reddened, putting on a pitiful look. She didn’t argue with Ma Lanying but handed the written pledge they had signed to the leaders.
“Leader, they caught me ‘in bed with another man’ yesterday. My sister-in-law’s undergarment was still on the kang. My husband was injured in the panic, and the village’s barefoot doctor can confirm it. Today, they think it’s blown over and want to deny everything.”
The Commune Leader looked at the pledge and frowned. If it were all lies, why write a guarantee?
Xiao Mandong glanced at Shao Tingting, who had come along with them, and understood everything.
“Leader, you can go ask the hospital’s gynecology department right now. My dear mother-in-law definitely went there to ask if consummation can be detected.”
Ma Lanying hadn’t expected Xiao Mandong to guess so accurately. Her heart skipped a beat, and she grew flustered.
The Commune Leader was a decisive man. He ordered someone to inquire immediately. Shao Tingting was filled with regret. Why had she followed her aunt to make a scene at the Commune? She was only a temporary worker at the hospital, not yet officially hired. If her superiors found out…
“Wait, no need to go to the hospital. I can testify,” Shao Tingting blurted out. “She did ask that question. The answer was that it’s impossible to detect.” She couldn’t let this affect her job.
Now the Commune Leader saw the truth clearly. Having failed to get proof, they tried to renege and smear Xiao Mandong’s reputation. Such behavior only brought shame to a martyr’s memory.
Seeing the look in the Commune Leader’s eyes, Ma Lanying was overcome with regret. What could she do? She hadn’t consulted her husband before running to the Commune. Lu Bingshan would kill her for this. Just as she thought of him, she saw Lu Bingshan storming in.
Lu Bingshan had returned to the village after calling the military base from the post office. When he heard from the villagers that the cadres had taken Xiao Mandong to the Commune, he grew panicked and rushed over. From a distance, he heard the gossip, and fury exploded inside him. The military had just said they were sending investigators and told him to wait patiently. This stupid woman was nothing but a disaster.
He lunged forward and slapped Ma Lanying across the face. His plan was to redirect the attention and pin all the blame on her, but Ma Lanying was so terrified her legs gave way. The slap sent her sprawling, and her head cracked against a stone nearby, instantly drawing blood. Lu Bingshan was horrified and rushed her to the hospital.
“Leader, this family is truly terrifying. I can’t bear to live with them for even one more day. I beg you to grant me an immediate divorce,” Xiao Mandong seized the moment to plead her case before the Commune Leader.
Seeing the written pledge, hearing about Lu Jianguo’s injury, and witnessing the family’s violent tendencies, the Commune Leader immediately sent civil affairs officers to verify the situation. If necessary, they would go to the village to get Lu Jianguo’s signature. This kind of family wasn’t worth mediating; it would only ruin the girl’s life.
The two civil affairs officers hurried back to Kaoshan Village with the village cadres. They checked with the barefoot doctor about Lu Jianguo’s injuries, inspected the scene Xiao Mandong hadn’t yet cleaned up, and reached a final conclusion.
Lu Jianguo was forced to sign the divorce papers. His father had told him to wait until his injury healed and even see about the enlistment opportunity, but he was afraid of losing his wife in the meantime. Xiao Mandong earned 38 yuan a month and had an office job—it was a good deal he couldn’t afford to lose. But now all his plans were ruined.
The Commune naturally reported the matter upward. The Brigade Leader, who had wanted to bury the news, ground his teeth in fury. Now that the Commune knew, he didn’t care anymore. Word quickly spread throughout Kaoshan Village…
Xiao Mandong looked at the divorce certificate stamped with the red seal. It felt as if the mud that had encrusted her heart finally cracked open and fell away. The relief was beyond words.
At this moment, it was more of a heavy sense of relief, a burden finally laid to rest. She carefully folded the divorce certificate and tucked it into her pocket against her skin.
Xiao Mandong told herself that divorce was only the beginning. On the path ahead, she would take one steady step after another, walking with resolve and ruthlessness, to reclaim everything she had lost and had been taken from her in her past life.
