An Accidental Military Marriage

The reason Mrs. Guo went to the Zhang Family’s house to cause a scene was that Zhang Sanmei had come to her and said her daughter-in-law, Ge Yue’e, was seeing another man.

That night, Guo Dawei ran up the mountain to catch them in the act, but he failed and accidentally fell, splitting his own head open.

Afterward, Mrs. Guo went to ask her third daughter-in-law.

Ge Yue’e had indeed been at their house that evening. She stayed from 8:00 until almost 9:00 before leaving and hadn’t gone anywhere else.

Not only was the accusation of an affair completely baseless, but her son had also injured his head, and it was uncertain if there would be any lasting damage.

Mrs. Guo couldn’t possibly swallow this indignity, which was why she had led people to the Zhang Family to demand an explanation.

Jiang Dahai lamented, "Sanmei said Jiang Qing told her about Ge Yue’e and my big brother’s affair in a letter. But when they asked her to show them the letter, she couldn’t. Said she threw it in a ditch."

The implication in Jiang Dahai’s words was clear: he suspected Zhang Sanmei was lying.

For one, Zhang Sanmei couldn’t produce the letter. For another, he didn’t believe his own big brother would have an affair with Ge Yue’e.

Jiang Dashan was even more of a simple, honest man than he was, and timid besides. How would he dare fool around with a married woman from their own village?

Jiang Moli, on the other hand, believed Zhang Sanmei.

’In the original book, Jiang Qing was the one who orchestrated Jiang Dashan being caught in the act.’

’What else could you expect from the story’s heroine? Scheming and pulling strings from a thousand miles away.’

’If I hadn’t interfered and warned Jiang Dashan beforehand, he’d be the one lying in the hospital right now.’

...

Because of the long delay, Zhang Tiesheng’s left eyeball had become necrotic and had to be removed.

The money had been spent, yet he had still lost his eye. This was a result the Zhang Family simply could not accept.

Jin Yulan, however, was tough. She gathered her family, ready to go and settle the score with the Guo Family.

Jiang Moli said languidly, "Auntie, I suggest that before you go, you get all your affairs in order. After all, once you go over there, best-case scenario, the Guo family ends up in the hospital and you all end up in jail. Worst-case scenario, you all end up in the hospital and the Guo family ends up in jail. In short, it can be summed up in two words: mutual destruction."

Jiang Moli’s reminder, however, made Jin Yulan think of the other main culprit.

"Where’s Li Hongying? Get her out here! This is all her fault for giving birth to such a menace! Our perfectly good family has been ruined by that jinx!"

Even though Zhang Sanmei couldn’t produce the letter, Jin Yulan was convinced that Jiang Qing was the one who had put her up to it.

Her motive was to get revenge on Ge Yue’e, since it had been Ge Yue’e who was spreading gossip around the village about Jiang Qing and some male educated youth.

And even if, hypothetically, Jiang Qing hadn’t been the one behind it and her daughter had caused this mess all on her own, she was still going to pin the blame on Jiang Qing.

Her daughter was only eleven years old. If word got out that she was spreading malicious gossip at such a young age—gossip that led to her own father losing an eye—she’d be drowned in the village’s scorn. She’d never be able to get married in the future.

As for whether her daughter-in-law Jiang Qing’s reputation would be ruined, she couldn’t care less. It wasn’t her own flesh and blood.

She was still resentful about Jiang Qing secretly running off to the army base for a family visit.

Jiang Moli gloated, "Aunt Ying went back to her maiden home. If you’re looking for her, you’ll have to find her there."

Jiang Dahai shot her a glare, silently warning her not to add to the chaos, then explained to Jin Yulan in a placating tone:

"Sister-in-law, please calm down. Hongying went back to her family’s home yesterday. She doesn’t even know what happened to Tiesheng."

Li Hongying’s own father had fallen ill, and a message had been sent asking her to return home to care for him.

Li Hongying had always been soft-natured, so upon receiving the message, she packed her bags and went straight back to her maiden home.

Jin Yulan grabbed Jiang Dahai’s arm, sobbing, with tears and snot streaming down her face.

"Dahai, you heard the doctor! Tiesheng lost an eye for no reason! Our family is just old folks, women, and children. How are we supposed to get by now!"

Jin Yulan hadn’t lost her wits, however. She didn’t completely burn her bridges with Jiang Dahai.

Not only had Jiang Dahai fronted the money for the hospital stay and surgery, but she knew the follow-up treatments would cost a lot more. She was still counting on him for support.

Jiang Dahai was already very close with Zhang Tiesheng to begin with, so hearing Jin Yulan’s tearful plea made him feel even worse.

"Sister-in-law, don’t be so heartbroken. This family still needs you to hold it together. You can’t afford to fall apart."

Jiang Dahai had Jiang Moli stay and keep an eye on things at the hospital while he took Jin Yulan back to the police station in town to file a report.

Having an eye brutally gouged out was a criminal matter.

That very afternoon, Guo Dawei was taken away by two uniformed police officers.

For a traditional and simple village like Plum Valley, this was explosive news.

During breaks from work and after meals, everyone in the fields was talking about it.

"Tiesheng’s eye is gone! He’s a one-eyed man now!"

"That Dawei is vicious!"

"The Guo Family is in huge trouble this time. He’ll probably do jail time for this."

"Hey, do you think that business with Boss Jiang and Ge Yue’e is true?"

"Boss Jiang? You think he’s got the guts for that?"

Most of the villagers didn’t believe the scandalous rumors about Ge Yue’e and Jiang Dashan.

In the villagers’ eyes, Jiang Dashan wasn’t just simple and honest; he was also a spineless wimp, completely dominated by the tigress he had for a wife.

He just didn’t seem like the type to have the guts to cheat on his wife.

But even with the villagers’ vote of confidence, Jiang Dashan was still hiding at home, too afraid to go out.

Yang Chunxiang strode into the room, saw Jiang Dashan lying on the bed, and walked over to give him a swift kick. "Get your ass up and go work in the fields!"

Jiang Dashan cowered on the bed, playing dead. "I’m not going. I don’t feel well."

Of course Yang Chunxiang could see he was just trying to get out of work. She pointed at him and cursed, "You useless coward! Someone shits on your head and you don’t even dare to fart back! What good are you?!"

Like the other villagers, Yang Chunxiang didn’t believe for a second that Jiang Dashan would dare cheat on her.

She was convinced Zhang Sanmei was the one spreading baseless rumors and slandering her husband.

’And why slander my husband instead of someone else? Obviously, because he’s a wimp and an easy target.’

’How dare they bully my husband? Am I dead or something?’

Seeing Yang Chunxiang about to storm out, her eldest daughter-in-law, Gao Yanhong, quickly put down her work. "Mom, where are you going?"

"I’m going to find that little bitch Zhang Sanmei and settle this! We haven’t done a single thing to her family, but she dares to drag your father’s name through the mud like this? I won’t let her get away with it!"

"I’ll go with you."

Gao Yanhong was furious too.

When she’d gone out to the fields that morning, everyone kept asking her if her father-in-law was having an affair with Ge Yue’e. ’Do they really think the Jiang family is such an easy target that anyone can just walk all over us?’

Only after hearing the mother-and-daughter-in-law duo leave did Jiang Dashan, still lying on the bed, dare to open his eyes.

’It wasn’t because I’m a coward that I don’t dare to go out,’ he thought. ’It’s because I have a guilty conscience and I’m scared.’

When he heard yesterday that Guo Dawei had gone to the cornfield on the back hill the night before to catch them in the act, he had been so scared his back was drenched in a cold sweat.

In the evening, when the Guo Family went to the Zhang Family’s house to cause a scene, he had been outside watching the commotion.

Seeing Guo Dawei’s punch rupture Zhang Tiesheng’s eyeball nearly scared him into paralysis.

He had been lying in bed since last night, but he hadn’t slept a wink.

’How could I sleep? I’m terrified.’

The moment he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the image of Guo Dawei punching Zhang Tiesheng.

He didn’t dare to imagine how much it would have hurt if that punch had landed on his face instead.

He stared down at his crotch for a long moment, then raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face. Twice.

’This is all your fault, you damned thing! Why couldn’t you just hold it in?’

...

The rest of the Zhang Family had all gone to the city, leaving only Zhang Sanmei and her great-grandmother at home.

Yang Chunxiang showed no courtesy, dragging Zhang Sanmei straight to the village chief’s house.

A crowd of curious onlookers quickly surrounded the village chief’s house, packed several layers deep.

Zhang Sanmei, so young, had never experienced such a confrontation. Trembling, she confessed everything about the letter from Jiang Qing.

"It was my sister-in-law! She told me to do it! SOB SOB... She told me not to tell anyone, and she even gave me one yuan! SOB SOB SOB... I was wrong! I’ll never do it again..."