The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 117 - 116: Don’t Stop Him from Pursuing True Love

Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Don’t Stop Him from Pursuing True Love

Mrs. He couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, "He Ze, have you lost your mind? You have a wife and children! Why are you doing this? You can’t be so selfish! You’re just chasing a moment of pleasure, but what are Little Chen and the others supposed to do? How will Little Chen and Xiao Yang see you as their father from now on? Are you even human?"

He Ze looked at Mrs. He, his face etched with bitterness. "Mom, I’m still young. I have a long life ahead of me. I don’t want to spend the rest of it with a person like her. It’s a life where I can see the end from the beginning, and just thinking about it makes me miserable. Mom, what’s wrong with me wanting to pursue my own happiness?"

Everyone in the room stared at He Ze in astonishment. A man who was almost forty was suddenly saying he wanted a divorce to remarry, all in the name of pursuing his own happiness.

"Hah—" He Lang scoffed.

He stood up.

"If you ask me, you all should stop trying. Don’t get in the way of someone’s pursuit of true love. Since He Ze is the one at fault, just have him leave with nothing and pay child support for the kids each month. That’ll solve it."

"No," Gao Cuiyun shot back. "I won’t get a divorce, and he’s not leaving this family."

As Gao Cuiyun spoke, she started crying again.

Little Chen ran in from outside. He went to Gao Cuiyun’s side. "Mom, divorce him. Since he doesn’t want us anymore, what’s there to hold on to?"

Crying, Gao Cuiyun shook her head. "You don’t understand—"

Little Chen held Gao Cuiyun’s arm. "Mom, don’t be afraid. I’m a man. I’ll provide for you and my little brothers from now on."

Hearing this, Gao Cuiyun hugged Little Chen and broke into loud sobs.

The room fell silent, the only sound Gao Cuiyun’s choked sobs.

Watching this scene, Mr. and Mrs. He were heartbroken. Mrs. He clutched her chest, patting it repeatedly.

"Oh, this is a sin! How did I ever give birth to such a wretch?"

He Nan kept trying to calm her. "Mom, don’t get so worked up. Think about your health."

Gu Yuwei stood silently the whole time, looking like a bystander. If not for the fact that she was tightly wringing the hem of her clothes and had nearly bitten through her lower lip, no one would have noticed how terribly nervous she was.

’He Ze absolutely cannot be the one to leave with nothing. If he moves out of the He Family home, with our current finances, we wouldn’t be able to afford to build a new house. He’ll also have to pay child support for his three children. How much of his monthly salary would even be left?’

’This is far beyond my original expectations. My plan was for Gao Cuiyun to be the one to leave with nothing, and then I would marry into the He Family.’

’Now things have already gone off track.’

The village chief looked at He Ze. "You see? Your wife doesn’t want a divorce. Your sons aren’t even grown yet. Do you still want to go through with this?"

He Ze glanced at Little Chen, feeling a pang of reluctance. But then he turned and met Gu Yuwei’s pitiful, lovely eyes, and his resolve wavered.

"Uncle Village Chief, I still want a divorce. Even if we don’t, we can’t live together anymore. As for the children, I’ll take care of them."

He Ze’s attitude was resolute. The expressions on the He family’s faces turned grim.

The village chief was at a loss. He looked at Mr. He. "What do you think should be done about this?"

Mr. He asked He Ze, "Have you really decided? You’re going to get a divorce even if we don’t agree?"

He Ze didn’t dare to look his father in the eye. He just lowered his head and grunted, "Mhm."

Mr. He nodded several times. "Fine. Fine. You’ve got guts. Since you’re so set on a divorce, then get one. We’ll do as the third son said. You move out of this house. You’ll give them 15 yuan a month—5 yuan for each of your three sons—as child support. Do you agree?"

"Dad, I’m your son." He Ze looked toward Mrs. He, but she turned her head away from him, tears streaming silently down her face.

"You are my son, but have you forgotten that you also have three sons? So if you want a divorce, you’re the one who has to leave." It wasn’t that Mr. He was being heartless; he had to think about He Ze’s three sons.

Just as He Ze was about to agree, Gu Yuwei tugged on his arm. Everyone saw the gesture.

Gao Cuiyun instinctively wanted to rush forward and pull them apart, but then she remembered that He Ze didn’t want her anymore, and she froze.

Mr. He sneered. "If you two don’t agree, then let’s just call the police. The He Family has already lost all its face, so a little more won’t make a difference. You can go discuss it at the Public Security Bureau. We’ll see if the crime of hooliganism gets you a prison sentence or if..."

"I agree," He Ze said hastily.

He Lang smirked, his expression full of contempt.

"Uncle Village Chief, could you please help write up an agreement? And while you’re at it, draw up the divorce certificate."

He Ze and Gao Cuiyun hadn’t gotten a marriage license when they first got married; they had only held a wedding banquet. This was common for most people in the countryside at the time. Holding a banquet meant you were married, and it didn’t matter whether you had a license or not.

He Lang suddenly remembered that he and Xue Yue had also only held a banquet and hadn’t gotten a marriage license yet. His brow twitched.

The village chief sighed as he looked at He Ze, but he still helped write the agreement. Then, everyone present signed their names.

When it was Gao Cuiyun’s turn to sign, she covered her mouth, unable to bring herself to do it.

He Ze urged impatiently, "Hurry up."

Mr. He promptly kicked him. "If you’re in such a hurry, then get out."

Seeing this, He Ze didn’t dare to press her again and just stood there waiting resentfully.

Little Chen lifted Gao Cuiyun’s hand. "Mom, sign it. You still have us."

Gao Cuiyun glanced at Little Chen and, trembling, finally signed her name.

After signing, she looked at the divorce certificate and couldn’t help but start crying again.

After leaving the village office, He Ze asked his father, "Where am I supposed to stay for now?"

Mr. He shot him a glance. "Don’t ask me. Aren’t you the one with all the great ideas?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With that, he walked away.

He Nan gave him a cold look, then supported Mrs. He as they left as well.

Gao Cuiyun and Little Chen walked away without even glancing at him.

He Ze watched their retreating backs, and his shoulders instantly slumped. All the energy seemed to drain out of him.

He Lang shot him a sidelong glance. "Second Brother, to think you’d go through all this trouble just to find true love. I’m impressed. I wish you happiness."

He Ze looked at He Lang, meeting the disdain in his eyes, and said with a firm gaze, "I will be."

He Lang scoffed, "Tch," and slowly strolled away.

"I will be," He Ze repeated, though it was unclear if he was saying it for others or trying to convince himself.

Gu Yuwei took He Ze’s hand. He Ze turned to look at her and tried to smile, but he just couldn’t muster one.

He Ze had nowhere else to go, so he returned to the He Family home. Since he had previously bought He Lang’s old room, he didn’t have to live in the same quarters as Gao Cuiyun, which spared them the awkwardness.

Gu Yuwei returned to the educated youth quarters. As soon as she walked in the door, she saw that her bedding had been thrown on the floor.

She hurried over to pick it up. "Who did this?" she demanded, looking at the other people in the room.

Li Jie stood with her arms crossed, looking at her mockingly. "You home-wrecking slut, there’s no room for you in our educated youth quarters anymore. You should just get out. Oh, but I suppose you don’t want to live here anyway. Aren’t you about to move into the He Family home?"

Gu Yuwei’s face was full of fury. "It’s none of your business where I live! I’m an educated youth, so it’s my right to live in the educated youth quarters. No one can kick me out."

Li Jie snorted. "It’s precisely because you’re an educated youth that you’re dragging all of our reputations through the mud. Thanks to you, what are the villagers going to think of us now?"