Free Web NovelChapter 134: Chapter 134: Agreed
Tang Yuanxiao looked into Su Li’s eyes and saw her unwavering resolve. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he asked in a hoarse, helpless voice,
"Then if we get divorced... what happens after that? Will we have a future then?"
Su Li’s eyes shifted. "Maybe we will."
Her reply was so faint, it seemed as if a gust of wind could carry it away.
In the depths of Tang Yuanxiao’s dark eyes, however, a spark of hope ignited.
He sat there quietly, lost in thought, and Su Li didn’t disturb him.
She had wanted to have a proper talk with Tang Yuanxiao for a while, but it had never worked out.
Finally, today, they could sit down and have a proper talk.
After a few minutes, Su Li glanced at the sky outside and asked Tang Yuanxiao softly, "The divorce application... when will you write it?"
Tang Yuanxiao paused for a long moment. "I... I’ll do it as soon as possible."
"Okay." Su Li nodded and added, "I can’t wait too long."
Tang Yuanxiao knew this even without her saying it.
She hadn’t brought any luggage; it was clear she was ready to sign the papers and walk away in an instant.
So eager.
A bitter sorrow filled Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes.
The feeling of his own wife being so desperate to divorce him was simply indescribable.
In contrast to Tang Yuanxiao, Su Li, on the other hand, seemed much more relaxed.
’After all that, Tang Yuanxiao has finally agreed.’
’As long as he agreed, the biggest problem is solved. The divorce is just a matter of time.’
’We have no property or debt disputes. As for child custody, I can’t win that fight. Without those issues, it’s almost like an uncontested divorce.’
’The rest is just paperwork. Even taking it slow, it could be done in a few days.’
Su Li’s goal was to get the divorce finalized before the school semester began. From the looks of it, this goal was achievable.
Su Li silently calculated the time in her head.
’Not counting today... hmm... three days should be about right. Should I aim for three days?’
’Since Tang Yuanxiao agreed to the divorce, I won’t leave. I’ll stay here and watch him, make sure he moves quickly.’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
’That way, I should be able to get the divorce done within three days!’
"Tang Yuanxiao, your supervisor..." Su Li had just begun to ask when the door to Little Tang Mo’s room slid open with a WHOOSH.
"Mama!" Little Tang Mo had woken up and couldn’t see Su Li. Finding himself in a strange environment, he had scrambled out of bed to find her.
Seeing Su Li when he opened the door, he let out a sigh of relief.
He smiled, rubbed his eyes, glanced at Tang Yuanxiao, bit his lip, and walked over to Su Li with his head down, too shy to speak.
Su Li and Tang Yuanxiao’s attention was immediately drawn to Little Tang Mo.
"You’re awake." Su Li smiled and smoothed Little Tang Mo’s hair.
"Momo." Upon seeing Little Tang Mo, Tang Yuanxiao’s somber face finally brightened a little. He stood up, looking at Little Tang Mo eagerly, a smile touching his lips.
"Go on, call him Papa." Su Li poked Little Tang Mo’s cheek with her finger.
Little Tang Mo smiled and finally said, "Papa."
Although they hadn’t seen each other in over half a year, they had been corresponding, so Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t a total stranger to Little Tang Mo.
"Yes! Good boy," Tang Yuanxiao replied heartily, his stiff, rarely-smiling face melting.
He scooped up Little Tang Mo and lifted him high in the air.
Little Tang Mo giggled, and father and son instantly grew much closer.
Little Tang Mo’s delighted laughter carried outside, immediately attracting the attention of passersby and the neighbors next door.
Everyone spontaneously stepped out of their homes and stopped a short distance from the Tang Family’s front door.
"This is Captain Tang’s place, right?"
"Of course it is! I hear a child laughing. Looks like his wife and kid are here to join him!"
When Su Li and her son had arrived, only four people, including the sister-in-law with narrow eyes, had seen them. Because they were caught gossiping, they had kept their mouths shut, so the other wives didn’t know yet.
"I haven’t seen Sister-in-law Tang yet. Come on, let’s go take a look," said a loud-voiced, dark-skinned wife.
A seven- or eight-year-old girl walking with her mother scoffed, mimicking the way adults talk.
"What’s there to see? Just some country bumpkin wife. I bet she’s not as pretty as the old Sister-in-law Cui..."
This was something her mother had said while gossiping, and the girl had just repeated it. Her mother, realizing this, immediately smacked her. "Shut up."
The little girl pouted, unconvinced. "But it’s true."
She shook off her mother’s hand, ran up, and knocked on the door. "Captain Tang, open up!"
They were talking right outside. Su Li and Tang Yuanxiao weren’t deaf; of course they could hear everything.
Tang Yuanxiao had been talking with Little Tang Mo. Upon hearing them, his rare smile vanished, replaced by a stony expression. Even if the little girl hadn’t knocked, Tang Yuanxiao was about to open the door anyway.
The little girl had barely finished speaking when the door flew open.
Tang Yuanxiao stared at the girl with a stern face. The previously defiant little girl shivered, spun around, and ran.
"Mama!"
The girl’s mother caught her, her own face flush with shame. "Captain Tang, I’m so sorry. Kids say the darndest things."
While she was apologizing, her eyes kept darting inside, filled with curiosity.
Tang Yuanxiao knew exactly what they were thinking. He gave the wives a heavy glare and was about to speak when he felt a warmth against his leg.
Little Tang Mo was standing behind him, curiously peeking out.
Tang Yuanxiao swallowed the words he was about to say. When the army wives saw Little Tang Mo, their eyes instantly lit up, and they stepped forward on their own, uninvited.
"Captain Tang, this must be your eldest, right?"
They walked right into the house as they spoke. "And where’s your wife?"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, the women who had just stepped into the Tang Family home saw Su Li standing up with a smile.
The women who had come to see the "country bumpkin" wife were instantly stunned. The little girl was especially dumbfounded. "Miss... you’re so pretty."
Su Li chuckled lightly. "Ladies, please, come in."
The wives glanced at each other for a moment before finally entering, looking from Su Li to Little Tang Mo and back, their faces a mask of disbelief.
Su Li was elegant and beautiful, not at all like a country woman. Little Tang Mo was the same, not at all like a wild boy from the village.
He was clean, with fair and delicate skin—more like a city kid than an actual city kid!
While they were timid and nervous, Su Li graciously welcomed them in, patting the little girl’s head. She offered them a bowl of sunflower seeds and told Little Tang Mo to greet the young lady.
Little Tang Mo wasn’t shy. He obediently went into the room, grabbed some fruit candies, and offered them to the girl. "Here, you can have this."
He then greeted each of the wives and the little girl one by one: "Auntie. Ma’am. Big Sister."
He was addressing them based on their apparent age, all without any prompting from Su Li.
The wives were once again taken aback.
People in the unit came from all over the country. To make communication easier, everyone was required to speak the official language, Mandarin.
Most of the wives had only started learning after arriving here. Many of them never mastered it or spoke with a thick, clumsy accent. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Yet when Su Li and Little Tang Mo spoke, it was perfect Mandarin—even more standard than a radio broadcaster’s.
The wives and the little girl were completely floored, left staring blankly.
It wasn’t just them; even Tang Yuanxiao was a little surprised.
Before, Su Li and Little Tang Mo had always spoken in their local dialect. Tang Yuanxiao had heard Su Li speak Mandarin when she testified in court, so he wasn’t too shocked by her.
But Little Tang Mo?
