Chapter 91: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 14

Congratulations to Liu Zhanyuan and Xu Chunxia for making their grand debut at the military compound.

They were a sensation. In private, everyone had something to say about them.

After all, issues of moral conduct were a massive deal in the military. This was a bombshell of a scandal, and the crowd of onlookers was enormous.

Every time Liu Zhanyuan and Xu Chunxia were mentioned, Su Huandan and Zhan Hongjun were inevitably brought up as well. Most people felt that these two had been wronged and were finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Acting like a hooligan and forcing Su Huandan into marriage – Liu Zhanyuan must have been terrified of facing a firing squad back then, right?

Committing adultery during her marriage and then expecting Zhan Hongjun to raise a bastard – Xu Chunxia was probably just afraid of the public humiliation if her affair came to light, wasn’t she?

Bah, what a pair of lowlifes.

Yet, as luck would have it, these two actually ended up married to each other. Tsk tsk, who could say this wasn’t divine retribution?

The fact that Liu Zhanyuan beat his wife was considered a major incident in the military, and it was certain he would be called in for a formal talk.

Meanwhile, Xu Chunxia lost her job.

Working as a teacher at the elementary school in the family residential area was a prestigious position in this era. Unfortunately, due to her conduct issues, the school leadership would have to be out of their minds to let someone like her remain a teacher.

Xu Chunxia’s heart turned cold. Other things were manageable, but how could her job be gone?

“Wasn’t this all settled before?” Xu Chunxia’s face was still swollen, making it unfit for her to go out, so she could only question Liu Zhanyuan.

Liu Zhanyuan sneered. “Let me ask you, did you have an affair after you married Zhan Hongjun?”

Xu Chunxia’s face turned pale instantly.

Seeing her expression, Liu Zhanyuan understood that the rumors outside were true.

Damn it, what rotten luck. Not only had he picked up a woman Zhan Hongjun didn’t want, but she was a woman with loose morals.

No wonder the son Xu Chunxia gave birth to was always raised by her parents and she never kept him by her side. It turned out she knew herself that a bastard born from an affair was a disgrace.

“Your own conduct is rotten. What kind of place is a school? Do you think they’d want you?” Liu Zhanyuan’s words were like a knife, stabbing directly into Xu Chunxia’s heart.

Just because of that?

“Isn’t that reason serious enough? You think it’s not enough to ruin you? What? Have you already found your next target? Come on, tell me, who is it this time? How are they better than me? I was thinking, Zhan Hongjun’s circumstances weren’t bad. When you married him, his father was at the divisional commander level, yet you still cheated. It seems your lover must have quite a background.” Liu Zhanyuan truly hadn’t expected Xu Chunxia to have such capabilities.

He looked her up and down, left and right, and didn’t think Xu Chunxia was attractive at all. She wasn’t even as good-looking as his previous wife, who had never dared to look him in the eye.

His ex-wife?

Liu Zhanyuan set down his wine glass and poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. What else were people saying outside?

They said he and Zhan Hongjun shared a “fated bond” because they had swapped wives?

The two victimizers got married, and the two victims formed a family.

That was how they put it, right?

He had been too busy being angry before to pay attention to that detail.

So, Zhan Hongjun had also picked up the woman he didn’t want?

In the following days, Liu Zhanyuan looked for an opportunity to see what his ex-wife looked like after marrying Zhan Hongjun.

That woman was quite something; after divorcing him, she had married right back into the military compound.

Liu Zhanyuan had almost no impression of Su Huandan, which was why he hadn’t recognized her. In his mind, he had planned to divorce her once he became a deputy regimental commander. Unfortunately, Su Huandan had insisted on a divorce, and when the truth of their past came out, he not only failed to get the promotion but was demoted. He was now a deputy battalion commander.

Su Huandan was the fuse that led to his family’s downfall. He was only now discovering what this woman actually looked like.

She was about five feet seven inches tall. Even in her loose military uniform, one could see she had a great figure. Having never given birth, her physique was different – it was beautiful.

Her skin was as white and smooth as a peeled egg. She had slightly rounded phoenix eyes with upturned corners that looked particularly charming. Every feature was beautiful, and even her hair was a glossy, deep black.

His ex-wife was actually such a beauty?

In the past, she would only keep her head down when she saw him. Now, she walked with her head held high and her back straight, looking very poised. Her spirit was worlds apart from before.

If this woman had looked like this back then, how could he have been so indifferent?

What a waste. Now Zhan Hongjun was reaping the benefits.

He had never even touched his ex-wife.

Then he looked at the one in his own home. Although Zhan Hongjun hadn’t touched her either, other men had slept with her. She was filthy.

The bruises on her face hadn’t faded yet, but even if they did, she couldn’t hold a candle to his ex-wife, Su Huandan.

Consequently, Liu Zhanyuan found the woman in his house more repulsive and unlucky by the day.

Taking advantage of a day off, Liu Zhanyuan went to the small town outside the base and called home. “Mom, I want to divorce Xu Chunxia. This woman’s conduct is no good. She’s the ex-wife of the younger son of the Zhan family across the way, but the child she had isn’t Zhan Hongjun’s. It’s a bastard from an affair during her marriage. So, forget about arranging jobs for Xu Chunxia’s family.”

After Old Lady Liu hung up the phone, she couldn’t catch her breath and fainted.

By the time Liu Zhanyuan’s father returned that evening and rushed her to the hospital, she was already partially paralyzed.

She mumbled incoherently, and it took Liu Zhanyuan’s father a long time to understand what she was saying. He, too, began to shake with rage.

The couple only had two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughter’s life had been smooth, but after he moved to the second line of authority, her life with her in-laws hadn’t been so easy.

Liu Zhanyuan was their only son, yet his career had hit a wall, and his personal life was…

Sigh, could this be retribution?

No, he didn’t believe in that. If a person wanted to get ahead, they had to be good at maneuvering.

Liu Zhanyuan had no idea about his mother’s paralysis. He was still plotting to get a divorce once the rumors died down a bit.

Liu Zhanyuan wanted a divorce, and Xu Chunxia did too.

So, once the injuries on her face had healed, she also went to town. Her family didn’t have a phone, so she could only write a letter.

She wanted to ask if the job arrangements had been finalized.

As soon as she became a permanent employee, she would get a divorce.

Neither of them intended to keep living together.

When the first snow fell that year, Su Huandan discovered she was pregnant.

Zhan Hongjun was overjoyed. He was already thirty years old; most people his age had children who were at least five or six.

Now that she was pregnant, Su Huandan no longer had to attend morning drills¹.

She wouldn’t resume her training duties until the child was weaned from breast milk.

Having a child was a momentous occasion. Zhan Hongjun called home, and the rest of the Zhan family was equally ecstatic.

Su Huandan didn’t need to worry about a thing. Everything the baby would need after birth was prepared and mailed to them. Along with the supplies, they sent money and coupons, urging Su Huandan not to be stingy with her meals.

By the time the ground outside began to freeze, Su Huandan had harvested all her Chinese cabbage. She kept two heads for making dumplings and pickled the rest into sauerkraut.

Zhan Hongjun was incredibly busy. Even during his time off, he would head to the nearby towns or visit local farmers to trade for chickens and fish.

The scent of meat wafted from their home every day.

Sister-in-law Niu remarked that life was getting better and better. She remembered how difficult it had been to get even a little bit of meat when she was pregnant ten years ago.

She was the reasonable sort, not prone to jealousy.

However, the neighbor on the other side did not feel the same way.

Translator’s Notes