A couple came to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce. They didn’t argue or cause trouble, and the staff thought: If the divorce goes smoothly like this, it’s better—no need for mediation, just let them go ahead.

The next day, the woman who just divorced yesterday brought a man to get married again. The staff noticed that the woman looked a bit familiar and asked, “Are you the one who just divorced yesterday?” The woman replied, “Yes.”
The staff looked at the man she brought today and felt something was off: “This man looks a bit like the man from yesterday, doesn’t he?”
Guess who she brought? It’s the father of her ex-husband from yesterday!
The woman confidently said, “What era are we in now!”
The staff at the Civil Affairs Bureau was shocked immediately: “That’s absolutely not allowed. I can’t process this for you.”
The woman was unhappy: “Why won’t you do it for me? Don’t bully me because I’m less educated. We both meet the marriage requirements! Are we not within three generations of direct blood relatives? We’re in free love, right? Hurry up and process it for us.”
The staff refused to proceed at all costs. The woman got anxious: “If you don’t do it, I’ll sue you in court!”
She actually took the Civil Affairs Bureau to the local court, demanding the court rule that the bureau’s “administrative inaction” was illegal and force them to allow her to marry that old man.
In the end, the court ruled in favor of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Why?
According to marriage law, they indeed did not meet the conditions that prohibit marriage, but there’s an important basis: social public order and good customs.
Turning her father-in-law into her husband completely breaks moral bottom lines. In ancient times, such acts were considered heinous crimes, punishable by beheading.