Chapter Eighty-One: A Hair Ribbon

“No, no, we absolutely did not take any betrothal gift from old Zhang the widower’s family. That was money we borrowed from him earlier.” Chen Liang’s words threw a lifeline to the couple in the Yue family. The middle-aged woman, realizing what was at stake, immediately insisted the money was a loan, not a bride price.

“So what you’re saying is that Comrade Yue Hehua has not been promised to anyone?” Chen Liang pressed further.

“That’s right, that’s right… Our Hehua hasn’t been pledged to anyone. She… she’s still a proper maiden!” Yue Laosan blurted out, barely able to control himself.

“Good, then. Since Comrade Yue Hehua hasn’t been promised elsewhere, she’s free to marry whom she chooses. Will you dare to interfere in their relationship again?” Chen Liang continued.

“No, no, we wouldn’t dare! Never again, please, Comrade Security Officer, have mercy on us this time!” they pleaded.

“Heh, it’s not out of the question to let you off, but you must understand, this is a new society now. Arranged marriages are a feudal relic of the old society—they stand opposed to the people, and they’re illegal, do you understand?”

“Yes, yes, we understand, we truly do!” The couple could say nothing but that they understood. Seeing the atmosphere was right, Chen Liang signaled for Yue Hehua to step forward and speak her piece.

Catching Chen Liang’s look, Yue Hehua took Bolba by the hand and walked forward. “Father, Mother, this is the man I’ve chosen myself.”

“What? When did this happen? Have you forgotten you’re about to be married off to Shanggezhuang?” Before Yue Laosan could finish, he saw Chen Liang, his face stony, take a pair of cold, shining handcuffs from his satchel.

“What’s this, you’ve already forgotten what I said? Or do you think I wouldn’t dare arrest you?” Chen Liang’s move left the brigade leaders across from him utterly dumbfounded. Good heavens! Who would’ve thought you could handle things like this? No wonder he was from the city, while they were stuck scraping a living from the fields. When it came to cunning, they weren’t even fit to shine his shoes.

Receiving Chen Liang’s glance, the brigade captain slammed the table. “So, Yue Laosan, you’re really set on opposing the people, are you?”

The double intimidation snapped Yue Laosan out of his rage. He became meek and didn’t dare utter a sound.

“No, no! Leaders, my man’s just fooling around. He wouldn’t really dare!”

“Father, when I went to the city and Cousin set me up, when that scoundrel tried to take advantage of me, it was Bolba who saved me. From then on, I swore I’d marry no one but him.” Yue Hehua’s words hit like a depth charge, stunning everyone present.

So that was the real story behind the attempted assault—what a revelation!

Chen Liang stepped forward again. “If you agree to the marriage between Yue Hehua and my apprentice, I’ll double the bride price.”

Ignoring the ecstatic couple, Chen Liang laid out a new condition: “But after taking the bride price, you must write a formal statement severing all ties, making it clear Yue Hehua will have nothing to do with you from now on.”

“No, absolutely not. Who ever heard of severing ties when marrying off a daughter? No, no way.” They were loath to let a daughter go to the city, especially to a son-in-law who was a security officer. Who would willingly give up such a stroke of good fortune?

“What’s the matter, Yue Laosan? Are you so shameless you want to live off your son-in-law? Aren’t you afraid of the village gossip?”

Truth be told, the brigade had no real way to handle the likes of the stubborn Yue family. They were poor peasants; at most, they’d be talked about behind their backs. Any punishment would be ineffective—what good would it do?

Yue Laosan had already decided to play dead. Let the brigade leaders talk themselves hoarse; it was useless. Like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, he was determined—if they wanted a severance, they'd never get it.

Chen Liang was well-versed in dealing with such hard cases. He motioned for the brigade leaders to stop talking, then fished six large ten-yuan bills from his satchel.

He tossed the money onto the table. “Yue Laosan, let me tell you: freedom in love was advocated by our leader. Even without bride money, you can’t stop Yue Hehua from marrying. Now, I’ll count down from sixty to one—each number, one less yuan. Think about it.”

“Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight…” When he reached fifty, Chen Liang took away one of the bills.

That made Yue Laosan, who was already torn, see red. That was money he’d rightfully earned!

“Fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight, forty-seven…” When Chen Liang hit forty-five, Yue Laosan lunged forward, slapping his hand over the money on the table.

In this era, rural families lived on work points. Even if every adult in the family got full marks every day, after deducting daily grain rations, a family would be lucky to earn four or five yuan a year. Losing as much as they could earn in three years was like bleeding from the heart.

Eyes red, ignoring his fear of Chen Liang, Yue Laosan demanded, “Give me back the previous ten yuan, and I’ll write the severance. Otherwise, I’d rather die than sign!”

Chen Liang glanced at him with disdain. Was this all he had? I hadn’t even tried, and you’re already down for the count—a total paper tiger.

He tossed the bill onto the table, face stern. “Remember, don’t try any more tricks, or I’ll see you lose both your money and your freedom. Understood?”

“Yes, yes!” This time, thoroughly cowed, Yue Laosan obediently pressed his fingerprint on all three copies of the severance agreement written by the brigade accountant.

Holding the severance letter, Yue Hehua was truly in tears. She had waited so long for this day.

As the old saying goes, once there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. Yue Laosan was a stubborn old farmer who favored sons over daughters. While Yue Hehua hadn’t been outright abused, she rose earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs. Her life was endless farm work, never enough to eat or wear.

Now, with Chen Liang’s help, not only was she spared from marrying the old widower, but she had also severed family ties. No more endless toil, no more hunger or cold—her only duty henceforth was to care for her own husband. What more could she wish for?

Looking at the patches on Yue Hehua’s clothes, Chen Liang doubted there was anything in this house she’d want to keep, but he still asked.

“Yue Hehua, is there anything you want to pack? Leave those rags behind. Is there anything here you can’t bear to part with?”

Upon hearing this, Yue Hehua went into the inner room and returned after a while with a hair tie wrapped in a handkerchief, eyes brimming with tears. “This is the only thing left to me from my mother.”