The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 76

Yin Xiumei spent a long time persuading Zhang Jingjing, but she remained unmoved. She shot a look at Song Mingyue, hoping Mingyue would join her in convincing Jingjing to reconcile. Mingyue, however, was unwilling. Old Yu might look honest and dependable on the surface, but he was actually petty and nowhere near good enough for someone as wonderful as Jingjing. Mingyue was determined to support her friend’s wishes no matter what—if Jingjing wanted to divorce, Mingyue would back her 100%.

The atmosphere grew heavy. As the head of the Women’s Federation, Yin Xiumei felt it was her duty to keep families together; a divorce under her watch would be a personal failure. She pulled Old Yu aside and told him to go home. “Jingjing is still furious; nothing will work right now. Go back and give her some space to cool down.”

Old Yu thought about it and eventually softened, asking Yin Xiumei to help persuade her. He insisted that his intention was never to break up their family.

After he left, Yin Xiumei sat down with Zhang Jingjing in Mingyue’s home. “Auntie understands you’ve been wronged, Jingjing. Old Yu doesn’t know how to cherish you, and you must have been treated unfairly to want to leave.”

“But Jingjing, let’s be practical. If you leave the compound, you have nowhere to go. You’d have to slink back home, and I’m sure your parents would only worry. Old Yu’s temper is a bit poor, but he’s not a bad man. That’s just how married life is—if you don’t like his behavior, teach him. Give him a chance, don’t you think?”

Song Mingyue looked at Yin Xiumei and suddenly felt she sounded like one of those “matchmakers” from the news who tried to save failing marriages by fixing “broken machines.” It sounded noble, but something about it felt wrong.

Swayed slightly by Yin Xiumei’s words, Zhang Jingjing looked at Song Mingyue. “Mingyue, what do you think I should do?”

Times were different then, and so were the ways people dealt with problems. If this were decades later, Mingyue would have told her to divorce the volatile man immediately. But in the 1980s, she couldn’t dictate Jingjing’s life. As Yin Xiumei pointed out, the consequences of divorce—the judgmental stares, the potential rejection by parents, the future regrets—were all heavy burdens to carry.

“Jingjing, follow your heart. No matter what you choose, I will support you.”

Jingjing nodded. If Old Yu hadn’t made a scene at Mingyue’s house, she might have truly been persuaded. But the fact that he dragged others into their mess—making it more than just a private issue between the two of them—had changed things.

It was getting late, and Yin Xiumei suggested Jingjing keep thinking about it, staying at Mingyue’s place for the night. Ordinarily, Jingjing would have loved to stay with Mingyue, but fearing she would bring trouble upon her friend after the scene Old Yu had caused, she hesitated.

Mingyue, sensing her concern, said, “Jingjing, do you think staying here is a burden just because Old Yu came over to cause trouble?”

“Mingyue, I’m sorry.”

“Jingjing, we’re friends who have been through a lot. Do you really think a few words from someone else would create a rift between us? If I were the one in trouble today, would you not help me?”

Of course, she would. Zhang Jingjing had always been loyal. Yin Xiumei chimed in, “Exactly. We don’t have relatives in the compound; we rely on each other. If you don’t want to stay at Mingyue’s, you can come stay with me.” Yin Xiumei didn’t mind where Jingjing stayed; she mostly wanted to go have another talk with Old Yu without Jingjing present.

Song Mingyue stepped in. “No need, Auntie Yin. Jingjing will stay here.”

Chen Che had been ignoring the drama, reading in the study after the crowd dispersed. Mingyue called him out, wanting to make her stance clear. “Chen Che, it’s no problem for Jingjing to stay here, right?”

“No problem at all. You make the call.”

With that, Yin Xiumei and Zhang Jingjing felt relieved. Jingjing was exhausted from days of travel and the night’s events. Mingyue found her some comfortable pajamas, and they lay on the cool reed mat, listening to the cicadas outside. Jingjing finally felt a sense of reality.

“Mingyue,” she said suddenly, resting her hands behind her head, “I felt so happy at your place in Pingcheng.”

“You mean Pingcheng?”

“Yes, and in Shanghai. I was so happy. I don’t know why, but the moment I step foot back here, I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Outside, she was Zhang Jingjing, a partner ready to start a shop with Song Mingyue. Here, she was just “Old Yu’s wife,” and everything she did for herself was considered a “mistake.”

Mingyue comforted her gently. “It’s okay, Jingjing. If you feel you can’t go on, then leave.”

“But can we still do business together?” Jingjing wondered. A divorce would reach her parents’ ears, and they would surely demand she return home. If she didn’t have the beautiful future she had imagined with Mingyue, she might as well go back, as she did miss home. But she didn’t want to; there were still so many dreams left unfulfilled.

Mingyue seemed to see through her worries. “If you don’t want to go back, don’t. Once we open the shop, we’ll need someone to manage it—you could even live in the shop. But Jingjing, I want you to consider carefully if you can really forgive Old Yu. Don’t make a decision based on temporary anger that you’ll regret later.”

Zhang Jingjing suddenly asked, “Mingyue, do you love Captain Chen? What do you think ‘love’ is?”

Mingyue knew she did. If she didn’t love him, she wouldn’t let herself be so vulnerable with him. She was glad Jingjing asked; in those days, most marriages were about “suitability,” not love. Mingyue posed the simplest test: “You and Old Yu have kissed, right? What do you think about when you’re kissing?”

Jingjing’s face flushed red. “What else would I think about? Isn’t that just something married couples do?”

“If you don’t hate doing that with him, it means you don’t actually dislike him as a person.”

Since she had married him, Jingjing didn’t dislike him, but she increasingly realized they were on different wavelengths, and Old Yu wasn’t as wonderful as he had seemed at first. “Enough about me. How are you feeling?”

“You mean the pregnancy?” Jingjing patted her stomach. “I don’t really feel much right now. Maybe it was just the stress in Pingcheng.”

“Mingyue, are you really going to abort the child? Captain Chen and you are a perfect match—you should have this baby.”

“There is no ‘should.’ The most important thing is that I have no plan for this. I like doing things according to a plan; once things go off-track, I don’t know what might happen.”

Despite the exhaustion, they talked until midnight. Mingyue felt lucky to have met Zhang Jingjing—at least here in this strange place, she had someone to confide in.

Meanwhile, Yin Xiumei went to Old Yu’s house after leaving Mingyue’s. Some of Old Yu’s friends were still there trying to talk him into calming down, but being men, they didn’t understand women’s psychology. After they left, Yin Xiumei sat Old Yu down. “Tell me the truth, Auntie—do you want to divorce her?”

“No, of course not. Why would I want to divorce her?”

“Then why are you acting like such a fool? You’re just forcing Jingjing to leave you.”

“Auntie, you don’t know what happened. It’s not my fault. She’s been brainwashed by Song Mingyue, that’s why she doesn’t want to live a normal life. She’s the one who wants a divorce, not me.”

Old Yu recounted his version of the story, blaming Jingjing for being away from home and using Zhao Xing as an example. “Zhao Xing quit her job. Jingjing is just the next version of her—she won’t care about our home either.”

Yin Xiumei’s expression soured. She didn’t buy it. “I can see what kind of person Comrade Mingyue is. She’s your wife’s friend, yet you’re blaming her for everything for no reason. You’re truly foolish, and it’s no wonder Jingjing can’t live with you.” She stood up. “If your heart isn’t sincere, nothing I say will matter. We’re done here.”

Old Yu grabbed her. “Auntie, if I’m wrong, just tell me. You know Jingjing listens to you—you have to help us reconcile.”

“If you want her back, you must first change your attitude and truly recognize your mistakes. Zhao Xing is Zhao Xing; what does her situation have to do with you? Why accuse others of ‘corrupting’ your wife?”

“And she’s not in a rush to do business—I can understand you’re unhappy about that, and conflict between couples is normal. You should just talk to her calmly. She’s an obedient woman. Instead, you fly into a rage. Why don’t you learn from Captain Chen? Look at how beautifully he and Mingyue live together.”

After the advice, Old Yu seemed to listen. Seeing how happy other couples were, he resolved to apologize to Jingjing for his impulsiveness tomorrow. However, regarding the fact that Jingjing wasn’t “keeping house,” he still didn’t think he was wrong. He needed to find a way to make her stay home peacefully—and he decided the best way was to find someone who could keep her in line. He soon had an idea, determined to get Zhang Jingjing “back on the right path.”