RYEY -Chapter 465 Too Late

Li Bing’s return was difficult. There was only one vehicle over there, and it couldn’t be used casually. So Li Bing borrowed a comrade’s bicycle and rode to the long-distance bus station.

It took over two hours. By the time he arrived, the last bus had already left. He had to leave the bicycle in storage and wait for another comrade to help bring it back.

Fortunately, in front of the station, an old lady was selling tea eggs and dried tofu. Starving and having missed mealtime, Li Bing bought five tea eggs and eight pieces of dried tofu.

Seeing him in uniform, the old lady immediately handed over the last two pieces of tofu. If she didn’t sell them today, they would spoil—better let this soldier eat his fill.

Li Huan, of course, wouldn’t take advantage of the extra tofu. They never took even a thread from the civilians. With his insistence, the old lady still collected two mao (0.2 yuan).

After eating, Li Bing found a water tap, washed his hands and face, then cupped his hands under the flowing water and drank deeply.

That night, Li Bing dozed lightly wherever he could at the station, his mind preoccupied with why the commander urgently summoned him. Could it be that Meili was in trouble?

No, if Meili were in trouble, the commander would have told him directly. This mysterious urgency puzzled Li Bing, so he stopped overthinking. At dawn, he finally boarded the bus.

—

Jiang Hua returned home in a daze. Jiang Meili closed the door and took Li Chen to the kitchen. Adults could skip a meal, but not children.

Today, Li Chen had been frightened. Jiang Meili made him a steamed egg cake, wrapped his favorite small wontons, and boiled a pot of mung bean soup, setting it on the table to cool before eating.

With his favorite food, Li Chen finally regained composure. Though he didn’t cry or fuss, he refused to leave Meili’s side. Jiang Meili felt heartache:

“Dad, maybe you should just divorce Mom. I can’t stand this life even for a day.”

“Or maybe you should ask Commander Qin to recall Li Huan?”

“No, Li Bing is in the final stage. Wait until he completes his mission.”

“Completing the mission doesn’t help. His mother-in-law committed murder. Do you think his reputation can survive?”

Jiang Meili was shocked. Right, the mother-in-law was also part of the political review. Li Bing wouldn’t pass the annual review unless she divorced him.

But if Li Bing divorced her, her reputation would be ruined. Thinking of this, Jiang Meili, like Li Chen, opened her mouth and cried bitterly.

Her tears released all the pent-up grievances and pain of recent times. Jiang Hua’s heart ached, and his eyes reddened.

Li Chen, eating the egg custard, scooped a spoonful and fed it to Jiang Meili. Seeing how sensible her son was, she hugged him and cried even harder.

“Daddy, Mom used to love me, treasure Chengcheng, so why has she suddenly changed like this? What happened?”

“Your mom’s personality is too competitive and ambitious. No one here could surpass her before, but Cheng Qiao appeared and took away all the spotlight—even yours. From that moment, she developed inner demons.”

“But Cheng Qiao is indeed outstanding, far stronger than me. I don’t mind; in fact, having such a sister-in-law is better. She can lead us forward. Why can’t Mom understand that?”

“About having a son, your mom always felt she couldn’t hold her head high without one, fearing she couldn’t answer to the ancestors of the Jiang family in the afterlife. But what’s there to answer for? A daughter is great too.”

Jiang Meili remained silent. Her son was indeed excellent, but not having a son was frustrating. She already had Li Chen and wanted two more sons, but one had been lost carelessly.

“Daddy, if… I mean, if I now ask Commander Qin for a divorce, is it still in time?”

“If you divorce, can you bear to part with Li Chen?”

“I can’t bear it, but Li Bing has done so much for me and our family, and Cheng Qiao has helped countless times. I can’t hold the Li family back.”

“Daddy supports you. Go write the divorce application and send it to Commander Qin as soon as possible.”

Jiang Meili handed Li Chen to Jiang Hua. Li Chen wanted to cling to his mother, but Jiang Hua distracted him with a cigarette:

“Grandpa can’t smoke. If you smoke here, it’ll get black marks.”

“What if Grandpa is already black-marked?”

“Ask Second Aunt to help. She’s amazing and can save lives.”

Jiang Hua nodded repeatedly. He had personally seen Cheng Qiao pull Mother Li back from the brink of death. And Ye Jun—pulling out a simple probe without blinking.

Even tearing open the In-law’s clothes, he wouldn’t dare, but a doctor sees only life, not gender.

The Jiang family had indeed held back the Li family. It was time for them to step aside. Jiang Hua first fed Li Chen, ate a few bites himself, and when Jiang Meili came out, they went to the garrison together.

Jiang Hua was glad he had applied for transfer during Yuan Qin’s pregnancy. Two months before Yuan Qin gave birth, he had been successfully reassigned to a local post, or he might have been forced to retire.

Commander Qin didn’t want to see Jiang Hua and Jiang Meili—they were a devilish family, capable of ruining a promising young man’s future single-handedly. Truly formidable.

But Guoqing said Li Chen was here too. Seeing the little boy, clearly still frightened, Commander Qin felt sorry for Li Bing and let them in.

“I, Comrade Jiang Meili, apologize for causing trouble for Li Bing. I wish to end this marriage and file for divorce. This is what I should do.”

“You want a divorce from Li Bing? Really? What about the child? Will you keep him or give him to Li Bing?”

“I want Li Bing to have him. I’m not as well-off as Li Bing. For the child’s future, it’s better with him.”

“But Li Bing’s mother is hospitalized. Who will help you take care of the child?”

“I can take care of him for now. When Li Bing finds a new wife, I… I…”

“Wow… I don’t want Mom to divorce. I don’t want Dad to have a new wife!”

Li Chen, half asleep, suddenly woke up and cried again. Commander Qin’s hard heart softened hearing his hoarse cries.

“Hey, it’s not your fault, it’s your mother’s. Even if you file for divorce, it’s too late. This matter is too serious. I can’t smooth it over.”

Half an hour ago, he had been scolded by Ye Chengying nearly to death. Any attempt to fix it now would be futile. Better to request transfer openly.