Chapter 29: Marriage Fraud

Chapter 29: Marriage Fraud

"Cadre Lin, long time no see." Chunlan spotted Lin Zhijin and handed over a food box with a smile. "The old lady asked me to bring this to you—all your favorite pastries."

Lin Zhijin glanced at the food box and gently pushed it away. "This... I can't accept it."

She knew better than to take such gifts—they came with strings attached.

"It's just a little something to eat." Chunlan looked around, pulled Lin Zhijin aside, and lowered her voice. "The old lady asked me to apologize on behalf of her younger brother. He heard some rumors that the old lady had betrothed you to him. Good heavens, the old lady treats you like a granddaughter—she never had such intentions."

Chen Lishi was furious that Lin Zhijin had given away the inheritance without her consent, but since Lin Zhijin had become a public official, she had no easy way to vent her anger.

Remembering how much she had done for Lin Zhijin, Chen Lishi couldn't let it go. Just then, Li Siqi came to beg her to find him a wife, swearing he would never hit a woman again and asking only for someone obedient and pretty.

Obedient and pretty? That fit Lin Zhijin to a T.

Chen Lishi told Li Siqi about Lin Zhijin's situation, and together they hatched a plan—a staged damsel-in-distress rescue on Lin Zhijin's way home from work.

In public, if a man were seen embracing a disheveled woman, even in the New China, Lin Zhijin would be forced to marry him.

Unfortunately, Li Siqi couldn't restrain his impatience and wanted to see if Lin Zhijin was as beautiful as Chen Lishi claimed—which led to yesterday's incident.

Chen Lishi was furious. She quickly looked into Yang Su's background—regiment commander, mayor's nephew, and from an impressive family. She gave Li Siqi a severe scolding and sent Chunlan early that morning to deliver gifts and apologize to Lin Zhijin.

"I thought as much—the old lady has always been good to me. She'd never arrange such a match. Putting everything else aside, the age difference alone wouldn't work." Lin Zhijin pushed the food box away again. "I really can't take it. I eat at the cafeteria now and have lost my taste for such pastries."

Lin Zhijin hinted that they were no longer in the same circle.

Chunlan, as Chen Lishi's head maid, was sharp. She just smiled and opened the lid a crack, just enough for Lin Zhijin to see inside.

"Cadre Lin, you'll like these pastries."

Lin Zhijin glanced in and her eyes widened—a plate of mooncakes made of gold and a plate of fruit arrangements made of jade. They were indeed valuable "pastries" she would enjoy, but precisely because of that, she couldn't accept them—they were too hot to touch.

"I appreciate the thought. As long as your brother doesn't show up in front of me again, yesterday's matter is water under the bridge." Lin Zhijin closed the food box lid.

Chen Lishi had schemed against her, but Lin Zhijin had also fleeced her quite a bit—like that one-courtyard house on Maple Leaf Lane. They were even.

"But... Cadre Lin, if you don't accept this, I won't be able to report back." Chunlan looked troubled.

"I truly can't accept it. I'm a government employee now—accepting gifts is against the law. The old lady wouldn't want me to slip up and lose my job, would she? How about this: tell the old lady I'll visit her when I get the chance, and she can have plenty of my favorite dishes and pastries ready then." Lin Zhijin said with a smile.

Chunlan gave Lin Zhijin a lingering look, then carried the food box back to the Chen residence, where she recounted her conversation with Lin Zhijin word for word, mimicking her expressions and tone perfectly for Chen Lishi.

"You're saying the current Deputy Secretary Zhang was Lin Pandi's teacher? And the director of the Women's Federation and the mayor both think highly of her?" Chen Lishi turned to ask Mother Sun.

"That's what our investigation found." Mother Sun bowed slightly.

Chen Lishi nodded knowingly. "No wonder she's changed so much—she must have had influential backing. So that Yang, the regiment commander, was also introduced by Mayor Yang. With his family background, he'd actually take a liking to Lin Pandi?"

Xia Lan, while refilling Chen Lishi's tea, said, "Those Communists are all about the proletariat—they preach equality and don't care about family background."

Chen Lishi snorted. "Don't believe that for a second. It's just lust—Lin Pandi is young and pretty. What man could resist that?"

Thinking of Lin Zhijin's current connections, Chen Lishi felt a twinge of regret. If only she could marry Lin Zhijin to her brother, the Li family could ride that wave back to prominence.

No, she couldn't give up that easily. She needed to think of another way.

"Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up—a time for family reunions. Even though Lin Pandi is no longer the master's ninth concubine, her name is still in the family registry. The master was so good to her—she should come back and offer incense for him." Chen Lishi said slowly.

Mother Sun understood immediately. "Indeed. The ninth concubine was in the household only a few days and never even consummated the marriage, yet she got the same inheritance as the other concubines. On such an important occasion as Mid-Autumn, she'd feel guilty if she didn't come back to burn incense for the master."

Chen Lishi nodded with satisfaction and said to Chunlan, "You heard that. Go tell our dear Cadre Lin in a few days—she shouldn't forget where she came from."

Meanwhile, Lin Zhijin had a headache on her hands. The Women's Federation was set up to help women—men's affairs weren't supposed to be their concern. But here was a grown man sitting on the ground, sobbing and accusing his wife of running around with another man, demanding the Federation step in. She had no clue what to do.

"Get up first. A grown man rolling around on the ground—what does that look like?" Sister Li called over a guard to pull the man up.

"No! The Women's Federation handles women's business, right? Find my wife for me, or I'm not getting up." The man whined.

Lin Zhijin got goosebumps from his slightly effeminate demeanor. Was he gay?

With no other choice, Chen Qiuqiu and Lin Zhijin went along with him to find his wife.

When they arrived, the woman was hanging out laundry. Seeing the man arrive with Lin Zhijin and the others, she raised an eyebrow and said testily, "What are you kicking up a fuss about now?"

"What am I fussing about? Ling'er, how can you be so heartless? We're not even divorced yet, and you're already stepping out on me." The man wept, looking at his wife with a heartbroken expression.

Ling'er rolled her eyes, glanced at the gawking neighbors, and snorted. "What are you all looking at?"

"Ling'er?" The man looked scared.

Ling'er rolled her eyes again, then turned to Chen Qiuqiu and Lin Zhijin. "Are you two more relatives he dug up from somewhere? I'm telling you, it's useless. That bastard tricked me into marriage, and he wants me to have his child—no way. I'd rather marry a widower than marry him."

Chen Qiuqiu glanced at the man, then said, "Hello, we're from the Women's Federation. Is this your husband? I'd like to hear more about the situation from you."

Ling'er looked at the man in surprise. "Well, well, Li Aiguo, you actually went to the Women's Federation?"

Once she learned they were government workers, Ling'er's attitude softened considerably—ordinary folks feared officials.

"Let's talk inside. Too many eyes and ears out here." Ling'er stepped aside to let them in, poured them glasses of plain water, and set out a plate of pumpkin seeds. "Li Aiguo and I did have a traditional ceremony, but we never registered. So we're not really married, are we?"

Li Aiguo panicked. "We had the ceremony! How are we not married? Leaders, you be the judge."

"Marriages solemnized before liberation count as de facto marriages—the state recognizes them, unless you can prove it wasn't voluntary." Chen Qiuqiu stated matter-of-factly.

If only marriage certificates counted, how many people in the country actually had them? Hardly anyone in the countryside.

"What about Li Aiguo tricking me into marriage? He doesn't even like women." Ling'er shot Li Aiguo a contemptuous look—big and burly as he was, he preferred men.

Actually, from Li Aiguo's mannerisms, Lin Zhijin and Chen Qiuqiu had already suspected as much, so Ling'er's words didn't surprise them.

"You're lying! I'm just soft-natured, but I like women—really!" Li Aiguo's eyes welled up with tears in desperation.

Heaven as his witness, he truly liked women. He'd loved girlish things since childhood, but he absolutely did not like men.

"Leaders, I really don't like men. Ling'er, you tell them yourself—was there any problem in our marital bed? If I liked men, how could I have done that to you?" Li Aiguo was on the verge of swearing oaths.

Ling'er snorted. "You just wanted a child—I know you. Li Aiguo, I need a pillar of the family, not a sister I have to coddle. Since the Federation leaders are here, let's part ways cleanly in front of them."

Just then, Ling'er's current man walked in. He'd heard Li Aiguo was causing trouble again and rushed back, dropping his work.

"Ling'er, are you alright?" He checked her over first, confirmed she wasn't harmed, pulled her behind him, and glared sharply at Li Aiguo and the three of them. "I don't care what relatives you are to him—Ling'er is my wife now."

"Your wife? She's my wife!" Li Aiguo shrieked.

Lin Zhijin rubbed her ears and knocked on the table. "Comrade Li Aiguo, calm down. Hello, comrade—we're from the Women's Federation. We're here because Comrade Li Aiguo came to us asking for mediation. From what we understand, Comrade Ling'er and Comrade Li Aiguo had a ceremony, which constitutes a de facto marriage. Even if you two want to be together, they need to divorce first—otherwise it's bigamy."

Ling'er frowned deeply. "Li Aiguo and I never registered—how can we divorce? Does he have to write me a letter of repudiation?"

Lin Zhijin shook her head, "Of course not. This is the New China now, where men and women are equal. If you want a divorce, you need to go to the street office to understand the situation. Only after obtaining the divorce certificate can you remarry."

"Hold on, Chief, aren't you here to help me? Why are you teaching her how to get a divorce?" Li Aiguo looked at Lin Zhijin, visibly thrown off.

Lin Zhijin handed the water that Ling'er had poured for her to Li Aiguo, "Comrade Li Aiguo, take a sip of water and calm down first. Getting angry won't solve anything. Come, sit down, let's clear the air. You were married once, after all—no need to make this ugly."

Author's note:

None