You know what kind of temper he has, always single-minded. In his letters, he always looked forward to finishing his military service and coming home to marry me. If I wanted a man with no ambition, why would I have pushed him to join the army?
So, I grew colder toward him, not wanting to reply to his letters. As long as he was attached to me, my mother couldn’t make other plans, but who would have thought that I’d actually become a soldier myself.
You can never imagine how excited I was when I received the enlistment notice, not having to marry a man I didn’t love, not being forced to be a cash cow, being able to work hard for the life I wanted. It was a dream come true, and it came so easily!
What I didn’t expect was that not long after I arrived in the army, I met a man we both liked. He admired my resilience and looks; I liked his personality and the way he conducted himself.
After my relationship with him went public, the female soldiers in the regiment talked about me behind my back, calling me shameless. Outwardly, I acted as if I didn’t care, but inside, it hurt like hell.
I’m not with him because he’s a platoon leader, nor did I deliberately seduce him to be with him. We trained on the same field; he was the one who noticed me and approached me first.
We decided to be together only after getting to know each other slowly. He’s not young anymore, in a hurry to get married. Although I’m not completely confident, I’m afraid of missing out on this chance, never finding such a suitable man again. Plus, as long as I marry him, even if I can’t stay in the army, my mother won’t be able to make plans for me once I’m discharged.
We already got our marriage certificate last month, and the wedding is set for next Tuesday. But a few days ago, he suddenly told me he had to leave for a mission, with an uncertain return, with life and death uncertain, and he wanted to cancel our engagement. He said he could ask the leadership for help, to leave no record of my marriage in the files, so it won’t affect my future marriage prospects.
But, it was so hard to find someone I liked, and I had already written to my family about the wedding. Knowing my mother’s mouth, surely the news has spread across ten miles, and everyone knows.
If the wedding is suddenly canceled, how can I face returning home? And what about the female soldiers in the regiment, how will they mock me? This is essentially driving me to a dead end.
Chuxia, from my mother’s letter to me, I guess you must have married Regimental Commander Zhou. Please, could you discuss with Commander Zhou, see if it’s possible for Liu Lianbao to finish the wedding before he leaves?
I’m not trying to hold him back; I just ask that he complete the wedding ceremony with me before he leaves. After all, the regiment was going to keep some people here anyway, right?
After my mother, my father, and the relatives from home have attended the wedding, he can leave whenever he wants, and I can guarantee no matter how he changes in the future, I’ll follow him.
Chuxia, I wouldn’t be asking this if I weren’t so desperate. I know you must think I’m being vain, but I have no choice, that’s just the way I am. If the wedding really gets canceled, I can’t go back home, and I’d have no face to stay in the army. I would truly be on a path of no return."
Zhong Hongying explained everything from the beginning to the end. Chuxia had finished her breakfast, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and let out a light sigh, "People like you bring it all upon themselves.
Of course, I can’t say I believe everything you’ve told me, nor can I say I disbelieve it. I had heard about your affair with Commander Liu before, and the versions I heard were indeed different from what you’ve said.
But one thing I can tell you for sure, I can’t help with this. Yes, I’m married to Zhou Mikang, but I cannot interfere with his official duties just because I am his wife.
Moreover, he is also assigned to this mission. Compared to me, what makes you think you couldn’t live on? You know, when we got married, it was when the Zhou family was going through tough times.
I guess you’ve learned how I am being talked about at home through your mother’s letters. Originally, I had planned to ask Zhou Mikang to visit my hometown with me to put an end to these rumors.
But now, the day he can return home with me seems so far away. So, you can imagine what people will say about my family while he’s away.
Moreover, my parents are stubborn and refuse to owe my husband’s family any favors when I can’t afford to keep them here. You’re right; my parents do see me as their darling, never intending to gain from me.
But you can imagine the pressure they’ll face once they go back. Even so, I haven’t asked for Zhou Mikang to go back home with me first. Zhong Hongying, do you really think your request will be granted?"
"Chuxia, I’ve said it, I don’t have your broad-mindedness. Please, help me, or I really will end up on a dead-end road," Zhong Hongying’s face was dejected, "When I came here, I was ready, if you can’t help me, I might as well resort to threatening with death, or maybe, death might actually be possible."
"Back in the village, I thought you were strong, but now it seems I was wrong." Chuxia stood up, "Zhong Hongying, if you don’t cherish your own life, nobody else can cherish it for you. I can’t help you; it’s time for me to go to work."
Zhong Hongying looked up pitifully with tear-stained cheeks, "I just want to marry him; I’m not asking for anything else, just delaying him for a dozen days, can’t you really talk to him for me?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)