Zhao Lingcheng read through the Medical Record, then looked at his ex-wife standing beside him. Under the dim light, she was painfully thin.
Her face was sallow, lips purple, neck veins bulging, but her eyes were bright.
His hand trembled, and an envelope fell out of the Archive folder, marked: Deposit, 35 yuan.
Zhao Lingcheng glanced again at his ex-wife, then at the Medical Record, which listed the date of her last period and her due date.
The last period was the very month he was with her, and so was the due date.
The postmark was from Quancheng Hospital, proving it was sent directly from the city hospital to the Base.
The Military Doctor saluted: “The Political Office said it’s up to you whether to approve or not.”
Zhao Lingcheng returned the salute: “Thank you for working overtime. Go home and rest early.”
He went in first, wiped the dining table, then went back to the kitchen for a rag and wiped the table again.
Finally, he said, “So you came back because you found out you might have a difficult labor?”
Before Chen Mianmian could answer, he added, “Three months ago, I heard you were going to remarry into the Railway Bureau.”
His uncle’s name was Lin Yan, a former Nationalist officer, now in a labor reform farm.
The reason he was set up by the Xujia Siblings was because he often visited the farm to see his uncle.
If he heard about her remarriage three months ago, it was probably Xu Cigang who told him during one of those visits.
Like Chen Jinhui, they feared Zhao Lingcheng might want to remarry her and ruin their plans.
The marriage wasn’t even settled at the time, but they still told Zhao Lingcheng.
Of course, the best way to defend herself was to shift the blame.
Chen Mianmian lowered her eyes, mixing lies with truth: “The Xu brothers wanted to get into the Railway System, so they forced me to marry Wei Section Chief. I didn’t want to, but they kept beating me until I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I pretended to agree.”
She added, “We’re husband and wife, and I love you and the baby. Later, I escaped their control, contacted my sister-in-law, and called the police. A Police Officer who claimed to know you rescued me and helped me get justice.”
For small matters she could lie, but for big matters she couldn’t make things up, so she brought up Lao Gong’an.
Zhao Lingcheng was indeed curious: “A Police Officer who knows me? Who, what’s his name?”
Chen Mianmian shook her head: “He looked about forty, spoke with a Beijing accent, skin was dark, but I don’t know his name.”
Forty-something, from the capital—
Zhao Lingcheng had a rough idea who it was.
To combat enemy agents, the Ministry of Public Security had set up eight major border areas, and the Northwest’s Public Security Commissioner was his father’s old subordinate.
It seemed Chen Mianmian had run into him, which explained how the news spread so quickly, even to the capital.
Zhao Lingcheng’s gaze turned cold: “So even your divorce with me was forced by them? You had no choice?”
Chen Mianmian thought, Is it really that effective?
Now I’m a pure and innocent white lotus?
But wasn’t this man a little too easy to fool?
She hadn’t even tried to act, and he was helping her make excuses.
She sniffled and lowered her head to caress her belly: “Of course.”
If he didn’t believe her, she could show him her belly—the bruises from fists were still there.
But Zhao Lingcheng countered, “Last year I saw Wei Cuiyun personally ride you home to your mother’s house. Was that forced too?”
Chen Mianmian nearly jumped up.
That really wasn’t forced—the female supporting character had a physiological crush on Wei Section Chief.
She liked the sour sweat and tobacco smell his overactive sweat glands gave off, and adored his Northwest wind-like, fierce personality.
But Zhao Lingcheng had seen it with his own eyes—how could she explain her way out of this?
For the sake of the nation’s top-notch medical care and to avoid a difficult birth, Chen Mianmian had to go all out.
She suddenly raised her head, pouted, sniffled, and sobbed: “I was already pregnant then. The morning sickness made me so sick I could barely walk. My mother lied about being seriously ill, and I believed her, but I was too dizzy to walk, so I begged him to take me home.”
After making her excuse, she bit back: “They say the worse a woman’s mood is, the worse her morning sickness gets, and I…”
She had, after all, had a huge fight with him before storming out.
She’d succeeded—her ex-husband stared at the table, his eyes cold but also a little guilty.
But he sharply picked up on a sore point: “So you knew your mother was lying.”
Wang Ximei never asked her daughter for money directly; she always pretended to be sick.
Headache today, butt pain tomorrow, headache again the day after—always for medical expenses.
In two years, Zhao Lingcheng had tracked over three hundred yuan in major expenses alone, and his monthly salary was only thirty-something yuan.
Faced with his jab, Chen Mianmian didn’t know how to respond.
Thirsty, she unconsciously licked her lips.
She wanted water, but was too tired to get up.
Zhao Lingcheng brought over the hot water flask from the corner, and she quickly handed him her cup to get some.
She held up four fingers and said, “You can see it yourself—my due date is July 8th, give or take a week. Plus thirty days for the postpartum period, so you only need to put up with us for four months. I have 250 yuan in cash: 150 from my sister-in-law, 100 from myself. I’ll give it all to you as good faith money.”
Zhao Lingcheng asked, “If you give me all your money, how will you live?”
Chen Mianmian smiled: “I can earn money myself. Once Niuniu is a month old, I’ll take her and leave.”
Once her postpartum period was over, she could get divorced and take her daughter back to Quancheng.
Another long, awkward silence.
Zhao Lingcheng glanced at the cupboard, where there was half a bottle of vodka.
He didn’t smoke, but he used to drink, though he’d stopped since getting married.
Because all his alcohol had been taken by the female supporting character and sent back to her mother’s house for her brother to drink.
Being pregnant made her sleepy and tired, and Chen Mianmian was exhausted too.
Her ex-husband probably couldn’t make up his mind tonight.
So she said, “You can have a drink and get a good night’s sleep. Decide tomorrow.”
She made a point to add, “I won’t take your alcohol to give away anymore.”
Zhao Lingcheng stiffened for a moment, then asked, “After the postpartum month, where do you plan to go? What will you do?”
Chen Mianmian said, “Go back to Quancheng.”
Zhao Lingcheng curled his lips in a slight smile: “Go back to serve your mother and brother, then get your clothes stolen, get beaten, and tell everyone it was me abusing you?”
Chen Mianmian was speechless, but had to keep her head down under someone else’s roof.
She patiently said, “I’m a Hongzhuan Graduate. I’ll find a job and go to work.”
Zhao Lingcheng pressed on: “With a baby, what job could you possibly get?”
Chen Mianmian replied honestly: “I can work as a Translator and pick up side jobs, earn money to hire a nanny.”
For the first time, Zhao Lingcheng looked at his ex-wife seriously, his eyes burning.
He said, “I used to test you. You only knew A and B, didn’t even recognize C, and you can’t read a word of Russian!”
Chen Mianmian had to keep up her act: “I’m the first Lei Feng of Huangxi Red Specialized, and a top student!”
She added, “I was tricking you before—my foreign language skills are actually excellent!”
Zhao Lingcheng didn’t believe her and didn’t even want to argue: “Instead of being a Translator, you might as well go hunt Xiaxia.”
Actually, in recent years, with large-scale irrigation and land reclamation in the Hexi Corridor, as farmland expanded, Xiaxia Mouse populations exploded.
Local people had a hard time catching them, let alone Zhishi Qingnian, Rightists, or Immigrants.
So every production farm’s biggest headache was Xiaxia.
Chen Mianmian had already planned—once she had spare time, she’d take Niuniu to hunt Xiaxia and earn extra money.
Seeing her nod, Zhao Lingcheng snorted: “So my daughter won’t even be able to walk before you drag her into the fields to dig Xiaxia holes?”
Chen Mianmian’s patience was wearing thin, but she still said, “She’s my daughter. I can take care of her.”
But Zhao Lingcheng said, “But you also said she’s my daughter. Her custody should be in the agreement. Let’s add a clause: if you want to remarry, after the baby’s one month old, she stays with me and I raise her.”
Right then, Chen Mianmian’s belly squirmed again.
That was Niuniu’s opinion—she wanted to stay with her mother, so Chen Mianmian blurted out, “No!”
She argued her case: “You can only hire a nanny, but you’re away most of the year. If the nanny hits her or abuses her, would you even know? You wouldn’t. Besides, the Base can’t even hire a nanny, so you can’t.”
Truth be told, Chen Mianmian hoped Niuniu’s brow would be like her father’s—high and straight, with neat, clean eyebrows, thin eyelids, and deep-set eyes, yet with beautiful single-phoenix eyes.
Not just good-looking, but elegant.
Beautiful but cold, his gaze was icy, with not a trace of emotion.
But after so many courtroom battles, Chen Mianmian was confident she could persuade her ex-husband.
Seeing that he still didn’t reply, she spoke sincerely: “You can pay child support—I’ll use it to hire a nanny.”
Zhao Lingcheng still didn’t speak.
He opened the envelope and took out the 35 yuan deposit.
The Base only allowed close relatives of soldiers inside, so she couldn’t hire a nanny.
No nanny, and with his workload, there was no way he could raise a child.
But suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
Chen Mianmian followed his gaze and nearly jumped in shock.
On the back of the 20 yuan passbook was a note: [This patient is an abandoned military wife. We sincerely ask the army leaders to show leniency.]
Of course, Chen Mianmian hadn’t written that; it was probably Jing Jing Wu, the gynecologist, or maybe Lao Gong’an.
But because Chen Mianmian had given that kind of information, they misunderstood.
Clearly, she was the one who initiated the divorce, and when she left, she emptied the house until there were only four walls left.
Yet she claimed to be the one abandoned?
Because Lao Gong’an knew Zhao Lingcheng, this Medical Record was delivered straight to him.
Otherwise, it would have been sent to the Provincial Public Security Department, then to the Northwest Military District, and finally back again.
Wouldn’t that mean not just the capital, but the entire Hexi Corridor would think Zhao Lingcheng had abandoned his wife and child?
Meeting the man’s shocked gaze, Chen Mianmian was dumbfounded too, and gave a sheepish smile: “Let me explain—no, let me make an excuse!”