Chapter 27: July

Chapter 27 July

"Don't rush, take your time. Why does he want to divorce you?" Sister Li took out a notebook and began recording as she listened.

"He's having an affair with his cousin's wife, and I caught them in the act in bed. Instead of showing remorse, he wants to divorce me. Boo-hoo-hoo, my in-laws and kids have all tried to talk sense into him, but he's dead set on it. What am I supposed to do if we divorce? He's a heartless bastard—I've been through so much hardship with him and borne him three children, and now he wants to leave me for some vixen. I won't agree, absolutely not." The woman shouted angrily.

"Honey, calm down first. How about this—we'll go with you and have a talk with your husband." Li Yue called Lin Zhijin and Chen Qiuqiu over, and they headed to the lady's place to understand the situation.

When they arrived, the man was eating. Seeing his wife bring back several people, he didn't seem flustered at all. Unflappable, he had his eldest daughter bring them chairs and even made small talk, asking if they'd eaten and offering them a meal.

"No need, we're with the Women's Federation. Your wife says you're dead set on divorcing her—we're here to understand the situation." Sister Li stated their purpose.

Lin Zhijin looked around. It was an ordinary household, though spotlessly clean, showing the mistress was a diligent woman. As for the master, he looked like a simple, honest guy, but she never expected him to be involved with his cousin's wife and insist on divorcing his original spouse—a real piece of work.

"You all know the deal." The man said casually.

"Name, age, how many years married, how many children? Why the divorce?" Sister Li asked routinely.

"Li Mu, forty-three, married at nineteen, so got to be about twenty years? Three kids—oldest is a daughter, that one there; second is a son, eating at his grandma's; youngest is also a daughter, inside the house. Why else divorce? We just can't make it work." The man said while eating.

"You have three children—you can't just throw around divorce, not with kids in the picture. I can see your oldest girl is getting up there in age; if parents divorce, it makes it harder for the kids to find a spouse, don't you think?" Sister Li noticed the children seemed indifferent too, frowning slightly. "I heard from your wife that you cheated? Who is it? Do you plan to marry her after the divorce?"

The man glanced at his wife. "She cheated first, with my cousin. My cousin's wife caught them several times. She was pissed and came to me, and I was a little pissed off myself, so we got together. She'd already agreed to the divorce, but then she wanted me to give her the house—that's impossible. This house was given to me by my father, and it'll be for my son's marriage in the future. No way I'm giving it to her."

Sister Li, Chen Qiuqiu, and Lin Zhijin all wore blank expressions, feeling like they'd been played.

Chen Qiuqiu turned to the woman. "Anything you want to say?"

"So I slept with the cousin—so what, big deal? He slept with the cousin's wife too. I didn't actually want the house; I was just angry about the divorce and wanted to give him a hard time." The woman pouted, looking aggrieved.

This was completely off the wall. Lin Zhijin took a deep breath and looked at the man. "Mister, you insist on the divorce? And after that?"

"I just think things are too complicated right now (munch munch munch), so my cousin, his wife, and I discussed it (munch munch munch)—we'll all divorce, then she marries (mouth full) my cousin, and I marry the cousin's wife (munch munch munch). But she's not willing (munch munch munch)." The man was wolfing it down, loving every bite.

"No way. Your cousin's lazy as hell except for that one thing—I don't want to marry him." The woman shook her head; she was still quite satisfied with her current husband.

"Not my problem. I want the divorce. Ask the kids—they prefer the cousin's wife too." The man poked his eldest daughter with his chopsticks.

The eldest daughter kept her head down, glancing at the woman. "The cousin's wife cooks better."

"Have I been starving you? Bought off by a couple of meals?" The woman was fuming.

Sister Li frowned and told Lin Zhijin to fetch the cousin and his wife.

"No need to fetch—I'm right here." The cousin stepped out from the crowd of onlookers.

Soon after, a woman emerged from the other side, smiling shyly at Lin Zhijin and the others—clearly the cousin's wife.

"Anything you two want to say?" Sister Li asked calmly.

"I go with whatever my wife says." The cousin looked at his wife.

The cousin's wife shot him a glare. "I go with whatever my cousin says."

The man finally finished eating, set down his bowl, and like he was the head of the household said, "Divorce. So we don't have to sneak around at night. Summer's fine, but winter's too cold—just when the bed gets warm, you gotta leave."

The other three agreed, the children had no objections, and even all the nosy relatives urged the woman to agree. Who knows who talked her into it, but she finally nodded. Lin Zhijin and the others hadn't been able to help—they'd just watched a circus.

"Honey, you're sure about the divorce?" Sister Li asked seriously.

The Women's Federation can help, but if the people involved agree on their own, and there's no threat to personal safety, they can't interfere too much.

"I'm sure. I think they're right—sneaking around all the time isn't a way to live." She glanced at the cousin, looking a little embarrassed.

Lin Zhijin and the others were at a loss for words, then turned and headed back to the office.

"Who's that guy? He keeps staring at you." Chen Qiuqiu pointed at someone under a big tree, asking Lin Zhijin beside her.

"Kind of a friend." Lin Zhijin followed her gaze—it was Sheng Huaimin, wearing a white shirt and white trousers. Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto him, the breeze gently stirring his hair. He looked up, and what a picture: a smooth, refined gentleman.

Sister Li glanced over. "Has he been to the Women's Federation before?"

"Yes, the one whose brother-in-law kept a mistress." Lin Zhijin reminded her.

"I remember his surname is Sheng?" Sister Li asked quietly.

Lin Zhijin nodded. "Yes, his name is Sheng Huaimin."

"I could tell that day he had a thing for you. Good-looking, decent family background—if you like him, you could give it a try." Sister Li glanced over and said casually.

"I'm still young, I'm in no hurry." Lin Zhijin brushed it off.

Sheng Huaimin was nice enough, but he was a businessman—and in the 1950s, you know how it is.

After work that afternoon, Lin Zhijin passed by the big tree and saw Sheng Huaimin still there. Surprised, she asked, "You've been here all afternoon?"

"No." Sheng Huaimin said shyly.

"Miss Lin, the young master's lying to you. He just wanted to see you, so he's been waiting here all along." Liu Yuan, standing quietly off to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Shut up, quit talking nonsense." Sheng Huaimin shot him a glare, but thought to himself, nice one, he's getting a raise when they got back.

"That's right. The young master comes by here every day, hoping to run into you and exchange a few words." Liu Yuan's voice grew quieter as Sheng Huaimin glared at him.

"I was just killing time and taking a walk. Don't listen to Liu Yuan's nonsense." Sheng Huaimin was turning beet red.

Lin Zhijin nodded knowingly. So easily embarrassed? "I see. It's getting late, I should head back."

"Comrade Lin, would you like to have dinner together?" Sheng Huaimin looked at her nervously.

"Comrade Sheng Huaimin, are you pursuing me?" Lin Zhijin cut straight to the point.

Sheng Huaimin glanced at her awkwardly. "Is it that obvious?"

"We're not suited. First, our family backgrounds don't match—I have no intention of climbing up the social ladder. Second, I'm young and not looking for a relationship right now. You should find someone else." Lin Zhijin nodded at him and turned to leave.

"Comrade Lin..." Sheng Huaimin watched her retreating figure, unwillingness clear in his eyes. She only mentioned family status and age, not that she didn't like him—so maybe there was still a chance?

Before they knew it, it was already July of 1951.

"Zhijin, over here." Lin Shishu waved at Lin Zhijin. "Why is your Women's Federation so busy? It's really hard to get you out for a meeting."

Lin Zhijin didn't know how busy the Women's Federation would be in the future, but at this time, it was truly swamped—liberating oppressed women, helping those without a place to go find a livelihood or a home.

Besides that, the Federation had to go to the countryside with the People's Liberation Army to promote gender equality—things like no pawning or selling wives, no abandonment, no domestic violence.

In the past half month, they'd been to many places, and the situation of rural men and women was truly shocking.

Beating wives was normal; sending a wife back to her family for not bearing children or not bearing sons was normal; being beaten and scolded by in-laws for talking back was normal. There were also baby girls who died inexplicably, and little girls not even as tall as the stove who had to do laundry and cook...

No wonder they had to smash the Four Olds—customs passed down for thousands of years need a hard crackdown to truly be broken.

"Don't even get me started—I've been run off my feet lately. Today's my one day off, and tomorrow I've gotta head out to the countryside with Li Jie." Lin Zhijin handed one of the ice pops in her hand to Lin Shishu.

"If you ask me, why bust your back? With a face like yours, you could easily find a man to marry. Oh, by the way, remember I told you—at that dinner last time, one of Old Liu's war buddies took a shine to you and kept pumping me for info about you. He was sitting kitty-corner from you—the one with the single eyelids and the high nose bridge. Ring a bell? He's a regiment commander too, twenty-nine, never been married. Want me to play matchmaker?"

Lin Zhijin shook her head without hesitation. She'd taken a look at all those guys that day, and not one of them was her type.

"I'm only seventeen, so no rush. Besides, I really like my current job—I get to help so many women every day, and it feels genuinely meaningful." Lin Zhijin said honestly.

At first it was just about having a steady job to get by, but now she genuinely felt that helping women and kids gave her real fulfillment and a sense of purpose.

"Right, you're only seventeen. I keep forgetting how old you are—I always feel like you're about my age, sometimes even more mature than me." Lin Shishu said with sudden realization.

Lin Zhijin just smiled. Her soul was already thirty; no matter how hard she tried to act young, she couldn't pass for a seventeen-year-old.

The two of them shopped until three in the afternoon, when Lin Shishu had to head home to make dinner. Since it was still early, Lin Zhijin decided to swing by her place in the eastern part of town.

The essentials from the house had already been moved to the jujube tree courtyard and her current place. She'd only been gone half a month, but the yard was already covered in fallen petals and leaves.

"Officer Lin, you're back." A heavyset woman in a checkered short-sleeved qipao walked in carrying a basket. "I'm your neighbor, Ye Li-shi." She pointed to house number six. "Thanks to you folks last time, or our whole family would've been in serious trouble. These are melons and peaches from my own garden—just a little something for you to try. Don't be shy now."

"No need, no need—you already thanked me last time, and I've got melons and peaches at home too." Lin Zhijin declined repeatedly.

After the home invasion case was wrapped up, the family from house number six had sent a banner to the Military Control Office and bought cigarettes, liquor, and supplements to visit Lao Li. Lin Zhijin hadn't been left out either—they'd given her pastries and fabric, real polite about it.

"This isn't a thank-you gift, just stuff from our own garden. We can't finish it all ourselves, so we pass some around to the neighbors." Ye Li-shi smiled warmly at Lin Zhijin. "Ever since that incident, everyone on our alley has pitched in—some with manpower, some with money. Every night, someone takes a turn patrolling. Now even the thugs and deadbeats steer clear of this place; it's the safest spot around, Officer Lin. How about moving back?"

Officer Lin was so pretty and capable, and her son was around the same age. If Officer Lin moved back, being close by would give him a shot—maybe even a real chance.

"No, I'm staying in the work dormitory now. My neighbors are all coworkers, so we can go to and from work together. Main thing is it's close to the office—just a few minutes' walk—so it's easy for work." Lin Zhijin couldn't refuse, so she took one melon and two peaches from the basket. "I can't eat that much on my own; this is plenty."

Even without burglars and thieves, Lin Zhijin wouldn't dare live alone in such a big house. She was genuinely scared of the dark and of ghosts.

"Don't be so formal." Ye Li-shi set all the melons and peaches from the basket on the table, then hurried off, saying, "I'll head back now. Officer Lin, come visit often, you hear?"

The jujube tree house was in Taoyuan Village, not far from Maple Leaf Alley. Word has it a big peach grove once stood there, which is how the place got its name—but it all burned down during the war. Now most of the area's built over, with just a few households keeping peach trees by their front doors.

"Miss Lin, long time no see." Granny Wang from next door greeted Lin Zhijin with a cheerful smile.

"I've been busy with work lately. You soling shoe soles?" Lin Zhijin pulled a peach from her cloth bag and handed it to her. "A relative gave it to me—see if it's sweet or not."

"Oh my, then I won't be shy. This peach is so red, it looks sweet just from looking at it." Granny Wang took it with a grin. "Someone came by looking for you a few days ago—around thirty-something, said his last name was Li."

Thirty-something? Surname Li?

Lin Zhijin racked her brain for a good long while but couldn't think of who it might be.

"Maybe they were looking for the original owner?" Lin Zhijin opened the door. The vegetable patch in the yard had sprouted quite a few weeds, but the veggies she'd planted before were doing great too—the tomatoes and eggplants were ready to pick, and the chives and water spinach were ready to cut as well.

There was a basket in the house, so Lin Zhijin picked everything she could, pulled the weeds, and headed back to her place on Anhe Street with a basket full of veggies.

"Leaving already?" Aunt Fang came out with a bowl of fried beans, offered Granny Wang a handful, and crunched away while saying, "So which young lady is it? Buys a house here but never comes to stay."

"Who knows? She's truly beautiful, like someone out of a painting." Granny Wang remarked admiringly.

"She really is pretty. Hey, next time she comes around, ask her if she's seeing anyone—I'll set her up." Aunt Fang thought of a distant relative; if it worked out, she'd score a favor and maybe even build a connection.

Granny Wang frowned. "You're setting up Miss Lin? Someone like her—if you introduce a bad match, you'll just make an enemy."

"Would I introduce just anyone? A distant relative of mine, a doctor, with both parents working in the government. The conditions are beyond reproach." Aunt Fang let out a few details.

Back at the three-courtyard house, Lin Zhijin, unaware that Aunt Fang was planning to use her as a favor, was picking vegetables and preparing dinner with Li Yue.

"How's the street office going?" Lin Zhijin asked curiously.

"A few new people came, and one of them has experience, or I wouldn't have gotten off on time today." Li Yue sighed at the pile of work. "The street office is mostly trivial stuff—this man beats his wife, that family has mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battles. Ugh, even a wise judge can't settle family disputes. It's giving me a headache."

Lin Zhijin nodded knowingly. They also oversaw the southern part of the city, so they dealt with a mountain of messy family matters every day.

Maybe because she'd grown into herself, Lin Zhijin was getting more and more beautiful, and more people were noticing her. Lately, quite a few had been asking about her, wanting to set her up.

"Xiao Lin, a lot of people have been asking me about you lately. So, what are your own thoughts?" Director Qian asked with a chuckle when she saw Lin Zhijin.

Lin Zhijin shook her head. "Director, for now I just want to focus on work and studying. I really don't want to date anyone. Please turn them all down for me."

During this time, there had been bold male comrades confessing, but unfortunately, they didn't pass the looks test. The one who suited her taste best was still Yang Su, but he hadn't returned after his mission, and she had no idea how he was doing now.

In August, under the blazing sun, Lin Zhijin felt like she was about to melt. As she was packing up to leave work, the guard told her someone was asking for her—a middle-aged man surnamed Li.

Author's note:

None