"I don't know, maybe she was just asking casually." Xiao Tingshen was in charge of scheduling at the Ocean Shipping Company and wasn't very familiar with Fang Meiyuan. He had only overheard her question and was too embarrassed to ask.

"Why didn't you ask!" Tang Wenya complained to Xiao Tingshen. "You should have just said that I was already chosen as the meter reader. Even if she wanted to put her own person in the position, she wouldn't dare to compete with me."

“I didn’t think that much about it at the time…” Xiao Tingshen frowned. “I’ll ask around at the company later.”

The main problem is that Director Gao hasn't given them a definite answer yet, so he can't say that it's been decided beforehand.

If Director Gao has other plans, wouldn't that be counterproductive?

"It's just a meter reader job. If you're so capable, go and get it yourself. Why make Tingshen do all this and that?" Liu Yuzhen felt that Tang Wenya was going too far. Did they expect their whole family to fight for this job for her?

“Mom, my job is also a family matter. Everyone should do their part. Tingshen is my husband, of course he should care.” Tang Wenya couldn’t stand Liu Yuzhen’s overprotective attitude and couldn’t help but retort, “I’m not an employee of the Ocean Shipping Company. Do you expect me to ask her myself?”

It's really strange, even though her parents-in-law are both leaders, she still can't get a job.

I'm not afraid of being laughed at.

"Ask or don't ask, just don't order my son around like that." Liu Yuzhen suddenly got angry. "If you're so capable, go to university. If you get into university, you won't have to worry about finding a job. It's you and your mother who cleverly avoided going to the countryside, causing such a mess. How dare you order us around?"

Tang Wenya was so angry she couldn't speak.

Going to the countryside, again and again—she was driven crazy by those two words.

"Alright, alright, that's enough, let's get to work." Xiao Yaodong put down his newspaper, pulled Liu Yuzhen along, and walked out. It seemed that the atmosphere at home had changed as soon as his son got married.

Liu Yuzhen, in particular, treated Tang Wenya as if she were her enemy.

When exactly did things turn out like this?

After Xiao Yaodong and Liu Yuzhen left, Xiao Tingshen stepped forward to comfort Tang Wenya: "Alright, don't be angry. I'll go to the company and ask around later."

"Your mother always speaks so veiledly, never giving me any face." Tang Wenya looked at Xiao Tingshen with a resentful gaze, biting her lip as she said, "What will I do after you leave for school?"

She did want to get along well with her mother-in-law.

But Liu Yuzhen was just too domineering.

“I will come back to see you often.” Xiao Tingshen hugged her and rested his chin on her forehead. “And after I graduate, I will still go back to work at the Ocean Company, and then we can be together.”

"I just want to work and study at the same time, and I'm sure I can get into university next year." Tang Wenya also looks forward to the future. "We're only one year away from graduating. When I come back, we'll move out and live our own lives."

“That’s right, the company might allocate new houses to us then.” Xiao Tingshen couldn’t help but reveal some good news to Tang Wenya. “My parents’ company is building new houses, which should be completed next year. Once they have new houses, they will move out.”

"Really?" Tang Wenya's eyes lit up. "How come I've never heard them mention this before?"

After they moved out, the house would belong to her.

Then I won't have to worry about my mother-in-law's attitude anymore.

“Their company just finalized this in a meeting.” Xiao Tingshen told Tang Wenya this news to put her at ease and to take the opportunity to advise her, “Actually, my mother is just a bit impatient. You two will get used to each other after a while.”

He was caught in the middle, torn between his mother and his wife.

He had also advised his mother in the same way, and his mother also said that Tang Wenya was not easy to get along with.

"I don't think I can get along with your mother." Tang Wenya lacked confidence in maintaining a good relationship with her mother-in-law. Liu Yuzhen, relying on her position as a leader, always spoke to her in a condescending manner, which she couldn't stand.

"Take your time, no rush." ​​As Xiao Tingshen spoke, he suddenly thought of Xu Qingning. After Zhao Jingyu went to sea, Xu Qingning had been living with her mother-in-law, and they got along quite well.

He went to see her that day, and her home was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Instead of the tense standoff between Liu Yuzhen and Tang Wenya, he believed in time, that time would heal all wounds, including conflicts.

For three days in a row, Wang Yaqiang didn't go to see Xu Qingning, and Xu Qingning didn't know how the meter reader's job was going.

But neither she nor Yang Yuelan were in a hurry. After Zhao Lei's commotion, Yang Yuelan was no longer so eager for the job. Going was fine, not going was fine too.

After finishing their needlework, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law started knitting sweaters.

The yarn that arrived at the store last time had a really nice color. In addition to buying yarn for Zhao Jingyu, Xu Qingning also bought one for herself and her parents-in-law.

You need yarn coupons to buy yarn.

Xu Qingning couldn't have bought so much yarn at once, but Liu Caixia and Liu Dawei helped her get yarn coupons so she could buy four jin of yarn.

Four pounds of yarn cost Zhao Jingyu almost a month's salary, which was quite expensive.

When Yang Yuelan heard that it was so expensive, she insisted that she and Zhao Futang didn't need to buy it, and that each of them could just buy one.

Xu Qingning insisted on buying it, saying that she would wear a sweater for several years and it would be a good opportunity to get a new one for the New Year.

Actually, relationships are reciprocal. It's not easy for her mother-in-law to take care of her, so she can't just buy things for herself and Zhao Jingyu and ignore the elderly couple. If she's going to buy something, she should just buy it for both of them.

Compared to buying yarn, knitting a sweater is a much bigger project. Xu Qingning only knows how to knit in stockinette stitch, while Yang Yuelan knows various knitting patterns. Xu Qingning learned from her and got the basics down.

She asked Yang Yuelan to start, and she began knitting Zhao Jingyu's sweater. She promised to knit it for him by hand, and she would definitely do so.

Yang Yuelan knitted one for Xu Qingning. Xu Qingning chose pink and white because she liked cardigans. Yang Yuelan said it wasn't difficult and knitted a large section in half a day.

Xu Qingning looked at the sweater she had been knitting for three days and was very worried. At this rate, she probably wouldn't even have finished knitting the sleeves by the time Zhao Jingyu came back.

Everyone has their own specialty; she's really not good at knitting.

In particular, you have to count the stitches and twist them into a figure eight; if you count them wrong, you have to unravel them and start over.

Why would Zhao Jingyu wear a sweater for no reason? He must be here to punish her.

The next day, when Xu Qingning received a call from Zhao Jingyu, she couldn't help but complain to him, "Your sweater is too difficult to knit. It took me three days to knit a complete pattern."

"No rush, take your time knitting. I'm not in a hurry to wear it." Zhao Jingyu was delighted to hear that she was knitting him a sweater. "I'll wear it whenever you finish."

"I'll finish knitting it in the summer, will you wear it then?" Xu Qingning felt he was talking without thinking, but Zhao Jingyu laughed on the other end of the phone, "If you tell me to wear it, I'll wear it, I'll listen to you."

“I bought one for myself and my parents too, it cost almost a month’s salary of yours,” Xu Qingning told him. “I picked out good quality ones that can be worn for several years.”

"Buy whatever you want. If you don't have enough money, you can get an advance." Zhao Jingyu thought she didn't have enough money and reminded her, "Go to Manager Fang, and you can get an advance for a month."

“That’s enough, no need for an advance.” Xu Qingning was amused by his words. “Your salary is definitely considered high in Jiaodong City. If it’s not enough to cover your expenses, then I’m being too extravagant.”

"As long as you're happy, you can spend money however you want." Zhao Jingyu's voice tinged with laughter, and he felt exceptionally pleased. "Money can be earned back, and I'll earn lots and lots of money for you to spend in the future."

"Okay, I'll wait." Xu Qingning smiled. She didn't tell him about Yang Yuelan looking for a job, nor did she mention his sister coming to cause trouble.

He works so hard at sea, so let's not bother him with these things. His job is to make money.

She can handle these things herself.

"By the way, I have a friend who will be coming to Jiaodong City on a business trip soon. His name is Wu Yong, and he's in his forties. If he comes to our house, you and Mom can entertain him. Give the phone to Dawei, and I'll have him take care of the reception. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Okay." Xu Qingning agreed and handed the phone to Liu Dawei. This time, Liu Dawei had come to her house to call her, saying that Wang Yaqiang was away on a business trip.

After exchanging a few words, Liu Dawei handed the phone to Xu Qingning. Xu Qingning didn't have much to say to Zhao Jingyu, so she told him to be careful and take care of himself before hanging up.

Back home, Fang Meiyuan was sitting in the living room chatting and laughing with Yang Yuelan. Xu Qingning was delighted: "Manager Fang is here! Welcome, welcome!"

Upon seeing Xu Qingning return, Fang Meiyuan said with a smile, "Your mother-in-law and I were just talking about you when you came back."

Thank you to reader Jiaojiao Heiyueguang for the monthly ticket.