Even though Qi Hongsheng knew that his aunt in Beijing would be absolutely furious once she learned that such a situation had occurred so soon after her daughter had returned to the Lanshan Production Brigade, he had no other choice. In fact, he suspected she might even harbor a secret resentment toward him for it.
Yet, he had to act. Compared to the catastrophe of Tian Xingzhu registering her marriage to Zhang Gouzi, this was the lesser of two evils. If he let them go through with the registration, the consequences for his aunt would be far worse than they were now. Moreover, in the days since the incident began, he had clearly seen through Tian Xingzhu’s strategy: she hoped to use stalling tactics and denials to drag the matter out indefinitely.
But Qi Hongsheng was a man; he knew that such clumsy tricks wouldn't fool Widow Zhang and her son for a second. Recently, Widow Zhang had even begun threatening to take the matter to the commune and the commune's Revolutionary Committee. If that happened, it would no longer be a simple matter of a marriage registration. Even if Tian Xingzhu were unwilling, she would surely change her tune if faced with the prospect of public struggle sessions or being sentenced to forced labor on a farm. By then, however, it would be far too late.
Chapter 571