Mr. Lu said with a smile, "Whether they're envious or not, they're all our daughters-in-law. If they're envious, let their daughters-in-law go and receive the award too."
"Hahaha, how can just anyone go if they want to?"
After dinner, the eldest son's wife, He Hongmei, and the second son's wife, Jiang Xiaoyan, cleared the table together and then went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"Look at how Mom and Dad talk about their third son's wife. It's obvious they're different when they talk about us. They seem to treat her even better than their own daughter. That shows how much they love their third son's wife," Jiang Xiaoyan complained.
He Hongmei clicked her tongue. "What can we do? He's just that capable. Our parents-in-law favor the third son the most, you know that, so naturally they'll favor his wife."
Besides, he was so young, yet he discovered a new infectious disease and developed a special hemostatic drug for soldiers. That's a huge contribution. Unlike me, although I deal with medicines every day, I'm just a lowly quality control worker in the workshop. I can't compare to him at all.
"Sigh, it would be strange if my in-laws didn't like the third son's family. There's no use in you having opinions. Otherwise, if you achieved as much as the third son's family, they would definitely like you very much too."
"What are you talking about? Do you think I have that much ability?" Jiang Xiaoyan rolled her eyes at He Hongmei. "I was just saying. I don't actually have any objections. Don't make wild guesses that I do. As their second sister-in-law, I welcome the third brother and his wife back."
If Lu Zhengting and Lin Qingyan return, and the eldest daughter-in-law tells Lin Qingyan what she said, she and this newly arrived sister-in-law will have a falling out.
He Hongmei said, "Of course we have to welcome the new bride to our home."
Jiang Xiaoyan said, "Sister-in-law, this is the first time she's meeting us. Don't you think we should buy her a gift?"
He Hongmei rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter whether we buy it or not, right? I guess our mother-in-law will buy it, so we don't need to. Anyway, we can just get to know each other when we meet."
Jiang Xiaoyan hesitated, "We're all sisters-in-law, wouldn't it be inappropriate not to give a gift?"
He Hongmei seemed to think for a moment, then asked Jiang Xiaoyan, "So what do you suggest we buy?"
Jiang Xiaoyan shook her head. "I don't know either. If I buy ordinary things, people might not appreciate them. If I buy something too nice, my wallet won't allow it."
Finally, He Hongmei offered a suggestion: "I think that since my sister-in-law has managed to get to this level, she must not be short of money. She probably doesn't care about what we have."
"If it's our first meeting, it wouldn't look good not to bring a gift. So let's just buy something simple, a token, and I don't think she'll mind."
"Then what do you want to buy?"
“Let’s each give her a silk scarf.”
Jiang Xiaoyan thought for a moment, "That works too. As long as the gesture is there, it's fine. We don't need anything too expensive. So, sister-in-law, when shall we go buy a silk scarf?"
"I have to go to work tomorrow, so I'll just buy it on my way home. If I go together, it will take up too much time."
“Okay. It’s not on my way to work to the department store, so how about I give you the money and you bring me one? We can buy the exact same one.”
"OK."
Jiang Xiaoyan went to the room to get the money and gave it to He Hongmei, who accepted it, saying, "I'll pay you back if there's any left over tomorrow."
After the two returned to their respective rooms, He Hongmei discussed Lu Zhengting and Lin Qingyan with Lu Zhengming, Lu Zhengting's elder brother.
"You know, Zhengting is so capable, and he married such a capable wife. From now on, the two of them will be the most outstanding in our family."
Lu Zhengming glanced at his wife and said, "What's wrong? There are many capable people in our family, and you're still not happy? Actually, I know what you're thinking. You're afraid that when the third son's wife comes, my mother will favor her the most, and you'll lose your standing in front of her."
“Sigh, I never had much status in this family. Before, it was because you weren’t as good as the third son, and Mom and Dad favored the third son the most, so naturally they would favor the third son’s wife. Now that the third son’s wife is so capable, Mom and Dad will only care about the third son and his wife from now on.”
"So what?" Lu Zhengming said, "If you don't want to, you can discover some new infectious disease, develop some special medicine, and get the leader to meet you at the Great Hall of the People in the capital. Wouldn't that make you look good in front of your parents? They would still like you."
"Me? Why are you saying the same thing as the second brother's family? If I were that capable, would I need to complain to you?"
Lu Zhengming: "I understand that you are afraid that you have no status in front of your parents, but we are all family, so why be so serious? It is a good thing for our family and for us as a couple that the third son and his wife are capable. We will not suffer if they do well."
He Hongmei nodded: "I know that makes sense. I can't blame anyone if I'm not as capable as others. From now on, Lao San and his wife will be the two big shots in our family, so of course I have to please them."
Lu Zhengming took a breath: "They are indeed great Buddhas, while we are just mortals. How can mortals argue with Buddhas? As for flattery, the third brother is a loyal and righteous person, so there is no need to do anything special in front of him. As for his wife, you women naturally understand women better than I do how to get along with her."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's just that it's the third brother's wife's first time visiting our house, and I was thinking about what kind of gift to buy for her. I figured if we bought something cheap, she definitely wouldn't appreciate it, so let's buy something good."
"Anyway, the money is all with you. Buy whatever you want."
He Hongmei smiled and said, "Okay."
She lay comfortably on the bed. She was just a lowly drug quality inspector, while her younger brother and sister-in-law had become prominent figures in the pharmaceutical industry. They must know many important people in the pharmaceutical industry and other fields, and their future prospects were limitless.
If she could win over her third brother's wife and get her to say a few good words for her in front of those important people, wouldn't she be able to get a promotion or a better treatment at the factory?
As for the second son's family, Jiang Xiaoyan's gift was of lower quality so that it would stand out more from the gift she gave, making Lin Qingyan look at her differently.
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