If You Won't Cherish Me, I'll Devote Myself to the Nation

The day my best friend divorced with her head held high, Jiang Xu and I also brought up divorce. He scoffed. "Jiang Tang, Gu Nuan is beautiful and successful. She'll only live better after a divorce. What do you have?" Our son chimed in too. "Mom, all you do is cook and keep house. You're just a housewife. Without Dad, you wouldn't last a day." I was utterly disappointed... Then I turned around and accepted the country's invitation to take part in a classified experiment lasting twenty years.

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When Jiang Xu came home with our son, the house was still a complete mess. Empty cans and cigarette butts littered the floor.

"Mom, why haven't you cleaned up?" Our son, Jiang Chen'an, began to ask.