Chapter 261: She Refused To Believe It!
Sister Hua was also angry and scolded, “Song Jianfeng, what kind of male chauvinism are you showing here? On what grounds do you not allow Shi Xiangqin to go to night school? And what do you mean by having bad intentions? Letting your partner study hard, work hard, and build the Motherland is having bad intentions? Then I’m going to talk to your leaders about it. What’s the matter, has our Neighborhood Committee’s night school done something wrong?”
Song Jianfeng gritted his teeth, but he also knew he couldn’t find fault with Lu Qiaoge, so he had to brace himself and explain, “No, that’s not what I meant. I accidentally said the wrong thing.”
Elder Sister Tong came over to act as a peacemaker. Of course, acting as a peacemaker was to ease the atmosphere, not to smooth things over.
She first said to Shi Xiangqin, “Don’t just stare blankly. This is the Neighborhood Committee, and the mediators are all here. If you have any ideas, just say them. If you haven’t thought it through, don’t worry, take your time to think, or if it’s really not working, find someone to call your family over to discuss it. But you also need to think carefully about what Mediator Lu said to you. Taking care of the elderly is something you should do, but you’re young, and learning more things is also something you should do.”
She then looked at Song Jianfeng, whose face was ashen, “Registering marriage is also a joyous occasion. No matter what it is, it can be discussed. Can’t you just talk nicely? Why shout? To show off your loud voice? Shi Xiangqin hasn’t even said anything yet. Alright, tell us your current ideas.”
The people in the General Office actually all had sharp tongues; they did Neighborhood Committee work year-round, so who was slow-talking?
Song Jianfeng: ……
His idea was not to allow Shi Xiangqin to attend night school classes. They got married, so in the evenings she had to do housework at home and serve his mom.
But now he had calmed down a bit and knew that wasn’t appropriate to say.
He was angry inside and stubbornly refused to speak.
Lu Qiaoge didn’t take it to heart.
Doing mediation work, why would anyone respect you for it?
She still looked at Shi Xiangqin and said mildly, “Elder Sister Tong’s suggestion is very good. If you can’t decide for yourself, go home and discuss it with your family.”
She didn’t know the specific situation in their home.
It wasn’t good to directly name family members.
Shi Xiangqin finally reacted this time and murmured, “My mom wants me to go to night school. If I can graduate from night school, I can become a teacher at a school.”
Lu Qiaoge’s brows furrowed imperceptibly. This young woman seemed to have no mind of her own. Marrying a young man like this would either mean unconditional obedience or a lifetime of pain, and she might not even dare to mention divorce in the end.
Lu Qiaoge didn’t have those thoughts of pitying her misfortune or being angry at her lack of fight.
She just didn’t believe it!
Lu Qiaoge took her hand, soothing Shi Xiangqin’s somewhat disordered emotions and nerves, but said firmly, “You’re not a child anymore. You’ve reached the age to register marriage and start a family. You have a job, colleagues, and have entered society. How can you have no ideas of your own? I’m asking for your own ideas now, not others’!”
By the end, Lu Qiaoge’s tone had intensified.
Then she let go of her hand.
Some people needed a wake-up call.
This wake-up call might make her remember it for life.
It might be useless, but doing her best was enough.
Shi Xiangqin widened her eyes. This time her mind was no longer confused because Lu Qiaoge was asking for her own ideas.
Shi Xiangqin’s glance also became firm: “I want to go to night school to study. I only graduated from primary school, and I’m embarrassed to tell others, so I must graduate from high school. And only if I graduate from high school can I possibly become a teacher at a school.”
Now it was already much better than before.
At least in education, except for no college entrance examination yet, everything else had basically been restored to normal.
Graduating from primary school wasn’t something worth showing off.
Song Jianfeng immediately said, “If you go to night school, after dinner from six-thirty to nine-thirty you’ll be in class, but my mom goes to bed at nine. What, you don’t want to care about anything?”
Shi Xiangqin’s face immediately flushed red.
She looked incredulously at Song Jianfeng, who seemed like a different person.
Now she finally understood that Song Jianfeng wanted to marry her to find someone to serve his mom.
She hadn’t said she wouldn’t take care of his mom after marriage or wouldn’t be filial to his mom, but why was he talking to her like this?
Shi Xiangqin stuffed the letter of introduction and Household Registration Book into her pocket, clenched her fist, looked up at the tall and burly Song Jianfeng, and said, “Then wait until I graduate from night school before we get married.”
Lu Qiaoge smiled slightly.
That’s right, it should be like this.
Song Jianfeng said furiously, “We agreed to register today and get married in half a month. On what grounds do you make me wait until you graduate from night school to get married?”
Shi Xiangqin stood in place biting her lips, and the people in the General Office were all looking at her.
For a moment, it fell silent again.
Lu Qiaoge didn’t speak either.
She couldn’t make this decision for Shi Xiangqin.
She had already done what she could.
Shi Xiangqin finally shouted, “If we don’t marry, then we don’t! See who can serve your mom, go find that person!”
After saying this, perhaps from shame and anger, or grievance, tears fell, and then she turned and walked out.
Song Jianfeng probably hadn’t expected that the usually gentle and cute Shi Xiangqin could shout at him too.
After reacting, he glared hatefully at the people in the office: “It’s all your fault for running a night school with evening classes. I’m going to the Factory Department to report you for destroying others’ marriages.”
As he said it, he was about to run out.
This definitely couldn’t let him go out. What if the two fought, who knows what would happen?
No wonder many people didn’t want to meddle in others’ business—once you did, there might be a next thing.
Then would you intervene or not?
Without Lu Qiaoge saying anything, Sister Hua grabbed Song Jianfeng: “Don’t go yet, make things clear. Our night school was approved and agreed by higher leaders. You want to report us for destroying your marriage? How did we destroy it? I’ll call your leaders right now and let them all come judge. How did our Neighborhood Committee destroy your marriage?”
They couldn’t bear this charge; it would affect the Neighborhood Committee’s image.
Lu Qiaoge said to Elder Sister Tong, “I’ll go out and check.”
As Lu Qiaoge walked out, she heard Deputy Director Huang, who had been standing at the doorway without speaking, unable to hold back from criticizing Song Jianfeng: “Always talking about marrying a wife to serve your mom, with foot washing and massage on your lips—what, are you marrying a wife or getting a maid for your mom? This thought of yours is unacceptable.
From beginning to end, our Neighborhood Committee and Comrade Shi Xiangqin haven’t said anything about not being filial to your mom. Besides, is there a conflict between being filial to your mom and her going to night school? Also, what exactly is your mom’s situation now that she needs her son to marry a wife specifically to come home and wash her feet?”
What, thinking she’s the empress?
Needing a whole foot-washing maid?
After all, as a Neighborhood Committee leader, her words carried more weight than others.
Song Jianfeng didn’t dare retort.
Then Deputy Director Huang directly said to Elder Sister Tong, “Since Song Jianfeng says we’re destroying his marriage, we have to handle this to the end. You go to his home now and investigate.”
