Chapter 399 - 347: A Reminder
Chapter 399: Chapter 347: A Reminder
Xiao Man nodded. "I know about that. It’s called a common-law marriage, and it’s protected by law."
In the seventies and early eighties, common-law marriages like this, officiated by elders and witnessed by neighbors and relatives, were everywhere in the countryside. The judiciary still recognized them.
Yang Liu’er looked at Xiao Man, her eyes glinting. "Really? How does the law protect my common-law marriage?"
"I’m not sure how to explain it exactly, but one thing is for sure: if the man has a change of heart and his family refuses to acknowledge your marriage, you can file a complaint. The authorities will hear your case and help you fight for your rights," Xiao Man said.
"So where would I go to file a complaint?"
"You can go to the court, the Women’s Federation, or even directly to the man’s workplace. You could also use public opinion to your advantage. Any of those would work."
After speaking, Xiao Man gave a slight smile. ’What kind of random advice am I giving?’ But then she thought about Bai Qingyue’s character and what Bai Junfan had done behind Yang Liu’er’s back. He had clearly already planned to marry into a family of equal standing. Yang Liu’er was obviously the weaker party. If things turned ugly, she could at least fight to protect some of her rights.
Seeing the serious expression on Xiao Man’s face suddenly break into a smile, Yang Liu’er couldn’t help but want to smile too. For some reason, she found herself starting to like the young woman before her.
"Tang Manman, how old are you? You really know a lot."
"It’s nothing, really. You can do it too. When you have free time at home, pick up a newspaper or a magazine to read. You can learn things and enrich yourself."
"That makes sense. I really should read more," Yang Liu’er said with a nod.
In her past life, she had been tricked by Bai Qingyue and never got to attend school as she had wished. However, she watched a lot of television and heard plenty of gossip from neighbors while out shopping for groceries. Eventually, she learned about common-law marriage. But by then, it was after the 1990s, and the marriage laws had changed. Even if she had wanted to, she could no longer seek legal protection. Moreover, Bai Junfan and Tang Yaxuan had already held a grand engagement ceremony, soon to be followed by an even more lavish and extravagant wedding. The Bai family watched her like a hawk, making it impossible for her to make a single move. She vividly remembered that during that time, both she and her son had lost their freedom!
Everyone had such detestable faces, but the most hateful of all was Tang Yaxuan. She demanded that mother and son be sent back to the countryside to fend for themselves. Bai Qingyue agreed. It was Brother Junfan who came up with a plan. In the end, they weren’t sent to the countryside but were instead confined to the Bai family’s old residence like prisoners. When Tang Yaxuan wasn’t there, they could move about freely. But whenever Tang Yaxuan returned to the old residence for seasonal rituals, arriving with the pomp and circumstance of a princess, she and her son had to be locked in their room. They weren’t allowed to show their faces or even make a sound!
Thinking of her son—who was always being locked in a dark room, becoming repressed, quiet, and timid over time—Yang Liu’er gritted her teeth. She wished she could kill those hateful people immediately, and Tang Yaxuan would be the first to go!
Now that she was reborn, she knew that Tang Yaxuan was just an imposter, a fake Tang Family Girl. Yet in her past life, that woman had been so arrogant, domineering, insidious, and cruel—stealing her man, humiliating her and her son, and even mercilessly killing her precious boy. The rage almost killed Yang Liu’er a second time.
A fake was a fake. Compared to the Tang Manman standing before her, the Tang Yaxuan from her past life wasn’t worth shit!
’Heaven truly isn’t blind.’ In both lives, Wu Xiaowen doted on a fake daughter, so she was the only one left to raise her. In the past life, Old Mrs. Tang died early and had no interest in looking after Tang Yaxuan. Wu Xiaowen herself was ill-mannered, so what kind of good child could she possibly raise? Naturally, Tang Yaxuan grew up twisted. But in this life, the real Tang Family Girl returned, and both Mr. Tang and Old Mrs. Tang were still alive and well. They were raising their granddaughter personally, so afraid Wu Xiaowen might get involved that they didn’t hesitate to have a falling out, kicking both mother and daughter out of the Tang family residence. Facing such a strong-willed and domineering old woman served Wu Xiaowen right, leaving her frustrated and miserable. In the last life, she and her daughter had been too outrageous and wicked. This was their retribution!
It was only with Old Mrs. Tang’s protection that Tang Manman could grow up so well. She had a natural elegance and noble air, and the pride that emanated from her very bones wasn’t off-putting at all. On the contrary, it was quite captivating.
"Tang Manman, I often hear your name at the Bai residence. Bai Qingyue... Aunt Bai likes you a lot. Even though you’re already engaged to the Gu family, Aunt Bai says the Bai family must have a granddaughter-in-law like you!" Yang Liu’er said, looking at Xiao Man with a hint of jealousy in her tone.
Xiao Man let out a sarcastic laugh. "She gets what she likes and wants? Even if Bai Qingyue’s word is law, that’s only inside your Bai family. The moment she steps out that door, who’s going to pay her any mind? The engagement between the Gu and Tang families is common knowledge. Gu Shaojun and I will definitely get married in the future."
Yang Liu’er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as Tang Manman doesn’t like Brother Junfan, things won’t be so easy for them.’ She added a warning, "You should be careful from now on. Don’t accept anything Aunt Bai gives you, especially food. If you can avoid eating it, don’t."
"I’ll remember that. Thank you." Xiao Man looked at Yang Liu’er. ’She dares to say something like that. It’s clear this girl doesn’t have a very high opinion of Bai Qingyue.’ "Have you been living with the Bai family this whole time? Do they treat you well?"
Yang Liu’er said frankly, "Not at all! My parents are gone and my family is ruined. Brother Junfan had someone bring me to Beijing, but he isn’t even here. No one in the Bai family thinks I’m good enough for them. They hide my identity and are always trying to find some rich young lady from a family of equal standing for Brother Junfan... I don’t think much of them either, but I love Brother Junfan. He is very good to me, and I don’t want to leave him. I... We’re already married. We’re a real husband and wife, so what right do they have to separate us?"
As she spoke, Yang Liu’er’s eyes turned red. She lowered her head, and tears fell one after another.
Seeing her wipe her eyes with the back of her hand, Xiao Man took a clean, unused handkerchief from her bag. "Here, take this. I just bought it; it’s new."
"I’ll pay you for it," Yang Liu’er said.
"It’s a gift. No need to pay."
"I couldn’t possibly accept."
"It’s all right," Xiao Man said. "You were so kind to Weiwei. I think you’re a good person, and I can’t help but want to tell you something. I don’t know if you want to hear it?"
Yang Liu’er nodded repeatedly. "I’m listening."
"The truth is harsh, and it might hurt you. I just hope that after you understand, you can be on your guard so you don’t end up getting hurt without even knowing why. Bai Junfan, your Brother Junfan... no matter how good he is to you, in my eyes, he’s a fickle man. Perhaps he does have feelings for you and is only doing this because he’s obeying his elders, but that’s still wrong. Since he’s with you, he should be responsible for you. A future and power are important, but you can’t abandon good faith. By secretly planning to marry someone else, isn’t he not only betraying you, but also letting down the adoptive parents who raised him?"
Yang Liu’er’s face went pale. "Brother Junfan... he’s... he’s already married someone else?"
"Not yet," Xiao Man said. "But just as you suspect, the Bai family does intend to arrange a marriage with the Tang family. Before Bai Junfan went abroad, he came to see me. He told me he would wait for me to grow up and left me a letter. It was a thick letter, I don’t know what’s inside. I never opened it. I’m keeping it to give back to him when he returns. I wouldn’t casually tell this to anyone else, but I can tell you."