Chapter 59: Technological Innovator
The women's director waved her hand dismissively and said with a smile, "It's alright, we'll take whoever comes. After all, our goal is to spread new knowledge and promote family planning."
As she was leaving, the women's director couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "You need to be careful of your mother-in-law. She came to me earlier and said some confusing things, saying that you were harsh on her. Of course, I didn't believe her nonsense, but I still hope you can be careful."
Lin Yuanshu took a deep breath and said softly, "I understand, I will be more careful."
She's gotten used to Zhou Ma's antics and isn't angry at all, which shows that Zhou Ma really knows how to temper a person's temper.
After Lin Yuanshu and the other women's directors had completely left, they went to the living room to find Zhou Ma, who had just returned home from outside.
Lin Yuanshu said with a serious face, "Mom, do you know what it means to keep family scandals private? Why did you go and talk nonsense in front of the women's director? Are you trying to get the whole family killed?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma knew that the Women's Director had told Lin Yuanshu about their meeting. She inwardly scolded the Women's Director for being a big mouth and saying everything.
"I didn't," Zhou Ma denied stubbornly.
Lin Yuanshu said helplessly, "Mom, only the police talk about evidence. I don't talk about evidence. I'm going to talk to Dad about this."
It's not that she likes to tattle, but besides Chow Tai Fook, only her grandmother can keep Chow Ma in check.
Zhou's mother rolled her eyes, stubbornly insisting, "Fine, I'll say it! Anyway, I didn't do it, and your father will believe my innocence."
She hadn't even asked Zhou Dafu to deal with Lin Yuanshu yet, but Lin Yuanshu was asking Zhou Dafu to deal with her instead; it was truly a reversal of the natural order.
An hour later, Chow Tai Fook went home. Because the chemical plant was rushing to meet production deadlines, Chow Tai Fook was getting off work much later than before.
Lin Yuanshu recounted the whole story to Zhou Dafu, then lowered her voice and said, "Dad, I'm not saying this to make you punish Mom. I know Mom isn't highly educated and isn't sensitive to these kinds of things. I want you to help Mom understand what it means for everyone to suffer, so she won't damage my reputation outside. Otherwise, it will not only affect my promotion, but it will also affect you."
She had given up trying to reason with Zhou Ma, because it was pointless to try. If she could, Zhou Ma wouldn't be giving her the cold shoulder now.
She didn't have high expectations of Zhou Ma, as long as it didn't affect her work.
Zhou Dafu never expected that his mother, who had been working so quietly, would actually dare to go and talk nonsense to the cadres. Luckily, she went to the Women's Director instead of the Revolutionary Committee, otherwise his whole family would be in the cowshed by now.
“I will have a good talk with your mother,” Chow Tai Fook promised.
After receiving Zhou Dafu's reply, Lin Yuanshu pulled Zhou Xiangyang back to the room. If she continued to stay in the living room, she would definitely be scolded by Zhou's mother.
Zhou Dafu called his mother, who was cooking in the hallway, to the living room. As soon as Zhou Dafu's expression turned sour, his mother knew that Lin Yuanshu had complained. She really wanted to spit in Lin Yuanshu's food.
She swallowed hard, still denying it, saying, "My second wife just doesn't like me, that's why she's deliberately making things up for me. You mustn't believe her. We've been married for so long, you should know I wouldn't do such a thing."
Zhou Dafu sneered and said irritably, "Hmph, I didn't know you'd become so bold as to talk nonsense in front of the cadres. Your second wife married into the Zhou family, so she's part of the Zhou family now. Do you think that if she suffers, our lives will be easier?"
Lacking patience, Zhou Dafu still managed to explain the principle of mutual destruction to his mother, and earnestly instructed her: "Don't speak ill of Xiao Er's wife in front of outsiders. If I find out, you can expect to be sent back to the production team!"
After hearing this, Zhou Ma felt a chill run down her spine, not because she had done anything wrong, but because she could no longer speak ill of Lin Yuanshu outside. Did she think she could never get rid of Lin Yuanshu for the rest of her life? Did she still have to support Lin Yuanshu?
She retorted in a low voice, "I'm not making this up. It's all the truth. As a daughter-in-law, she should listen to her mother-in-law. That's how the family can be harmonious. She's clearly in the wrong. Why should I shut up? She's the one who's being unfilial, not me. Why are you criticizing her and telling me to shut up?"
Zhou Dafu said coldly, "Because she can contribute to the factory and the country, even if you have any complaints, you should keep them to yourself. Your second wife has never disrespected you in front of outsiders, nor has she spoken ill of you in front of outsiders. Instead, she tries her best to speak up for you. That's what you call a good person. From now on, treat your second wife not as your daughter-in-law, but as your guest."
He really didn't want to get involved in the conflict between his mother and daughter-in-law, but he couldn't stay out of it now, because he was afraid that Zhou's mother would continue to target Lin Yuanshu and cause him trouble.
Zhou Ma said with great resentment, "I understand, I won't speak ill of Xiao Er's wife outside."
If she doesn't want to talk about it, so be it. What's the big deal? No one would believe her anyway. Everyone will protect Lin Yuanshu. Once Lin Yuanshu gets pregnant, there will be plenty of people asking her for favors.
Seeing this, Sister-in-law Xue casually mentioned, "Dad, we haven't found a suitable candidate for my job yet. We can let Mom work there for a while and see how hard it is. Then she'll understand how difficult it is for you all."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou looked at Sister-in-law Xue angrily and retorted, "What kind of nonsense is this? If I leave, who will take care of the family? I think you're asking for a beating."
Sister-in-law Xue argued, “Mom, don’t underestimate your abilities. I used to work and do housework at the same time. Working won’t affect doing housework. Besides, I’m doing this for your own good. Working not only pays you but also broadens your horizons. If you really don’t want to, then forget it. I’ll find someone else to cover for me.”
When Zhou Ma heard the last sentence, she felt a little better; that sounded like something a human being would say.
Unfortunately, Zhou Dafu had a different idea. He felt that Zhou's mother was trying to make things difficult for her daughter-in-law because she was too idle and had nothing to do all day. He suggested that she should get a job to reduce the time she spent with her second daughter-in-law, which would prevent the conflict between them from escalating.
“Xiang Jun’s wife’s idea is good. Since she hasn’t found a suitable candidate yet, you should give it a try first. Anyway, Xiang Yang is in the canteen, and he will protect you. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll talk about it later,” Zhou Dafu said with a look of agreement.
Zhou Ma felt like the sky had fallen. She was fine with doing housework at home, but she couldn't handle going out to work. She'd rather give the job to Sun Yiyi. She'd rather let the Wei family earn the money than earn it herself.
“I’m not going.” Zhou’s mother was clearly resistant.
Zhou Dafu didn't care about his mother's thoughts; he just wanted her to use her brain and not affect his promotion. He said expressionlessly, "Work in the canteen or earn work points in the production team—choose one."
Zhou Ma: "..."
What's the point of choosing? Besides working in the cafeteria, does she have any other options? No.
Sister-in-law Xue gave a smug smile, but Aunt Zhou glared at her angrily and muttered, "What are you standing there for! Hurry up and go cook in the corridor. Do you really think you're some kind of pampered young lady just because you're pregnant? You're destined to be a hard worker your whole life. You're always talking nonsense and coming up with all sorts of bad ideas. I think you're the one who should experience the hardships of life..."
She was originally annoyed by Lin Yuanshu's complaints, but now she's annoyed by her work.
Sister-in-law Xue knew that Zhou Ma didn't want to see her right now, so she quickly slipped into the corridor. Luckily, she was pregnant, so even though Zhou Ma was very angry, she didn't dare to lay a hand on her.
The more Zhou's mother thought about it, the angrier she became, but there was no one in the family who could speak up for her. She couldn't count on her two good-for-nothing sons either; they didn't even dare to contradict her, let alone their father.
She could only run across the street to look for Sister Ahua, but unfortunately Sister Ahua wasn't home, so she could only go downstairs to look for her.
Just as she reached the stairwell, she saw Sun Yiyi coming upstairs. Her eyes lit up, and she looked down at her and said, "I'll allow you to cover for my daughter-in-law and earn this money. If I hadn't pitied you for being bullied by the Wei family, I wouldn't be so kind."
Hearing this, Sun Yiyi felt disgusted. What kind of kind person could Zhou Ma be? Half of her current miserable life was caused by Zhou Ma. If Zhou Ma hadn't insisted on compensation from the Wei family, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
She refused without hesitation, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm pregnant now and can't work in the cafeteria. Besides, my in-laws treat me very well, so please don't talk nonsense."
Zhou Ma was speechless and said, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. I'm doing this for your own good. I've known the Wei family for so many years, and I know exactly what kind of people they are. They are the best at 'eating people without spitting out the bones' and 'cutting flesh with a soft knife'."
If Sun Yiyi is willing to cover for her eldest daughter-in-law, she won't have to work in the cafeteria.
Sun Yiyi gave a fake smile, "I don't need you to pretend to be kind to me. I know in my heart whether the Wei family treats me well or not."
If she didn't have children, she might have considered it, but with children, she decided against it. After all, work wasn't as important as children, and children were the key to whether she could survive in the Wei family.
As Zhou Ma went downstairs, she muttered to herself, "It's like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart. She'll regret it one day."
After she went downstairs, she saw a group of middle-aged women surrounding Sister Ahua under the big tree. She walked over without hesitation and found that Sister Achun was talking to the group of middle-aged women about the key points of getting along between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She spoke very eloquently.
After Li Xiaohua's eyes met Zhou Ma's, Li Xiaohua quickly pulled Zhou Ma to a small corner and whispered, "Don't tell anyone that I taught you how to get along with your daughter-in-law, otherwise people will suspect that I'm exaggerating. It's not that I'm incapable, but that your daughter-in-law is too capable."
She found that it was better to talk in a sophisticated way to build rapport than to participate in activities with these people, so she wanted to avoid Zhou Ma ruining her plans.
Aunt Zhou whispered, "I understand."
Li Xiaohua nodded in satisfaction, "I'll contact you again after I'm done with my work."
Zhou's mother could only wait on the sidelines for Li Xiaohua to finish chatting with these older women.
An hour later, Zhou's mother and Li Xiaohua returned to Li Xiaohua's home together. Zhou's mother told Li Xiaohua the whole story. Li Xiaohua comforted Zhou's mother and suggested that she could try working for a few days, deliberately arguing with her colleagues, and then using that as an excuse not to go.
Zhou's mother had no better option and could only agree.
Lin Yuanshu was surprised that Sister-in-law Xue could actually arrange for Zhou Ma to work in the canteen. She was quite impressed with Sister-in-law Xue, who actually knew how to use her father-in-law to deal with her mother-in-law. It seemed that she had made progress recently.
Since Zhou's mother went to work, there have been far fewer arguments at home. After get off work, she simply doesn't have the energy to argue with anyone and just wants to rest, becoming much quieter.
Lin Yuanshu was very satisfied with this. Work was still the best way to keep his mother-in-law in check. When his mother-in-law became a corporate slave, she had no time to control her daughter-in-law, and work consumed all her energy.
Zhou Ma didn't give up working. She deliberately argued with her colleagues, but they simply ignored her and went about their work, no matter what she said.
They suspected that Zhou Ma did this on purpose to kick them out and let her relatives or friends work in the cafeteria. Job positions are all filled by specific people, and they didn't have Zhou Ma's powerful connections.
As time went on, the cafeteria manager noticed Zhou Ma's unusual behavior. He asked Zhou Ma to calm down, but she wouldn't listen and continued to do so.
He remembered what Zhou Xiangyang had told him about managing Zhou's mother, so he threatened to deduct her salary. Zhou's mother immediately quieted down and worked diligently every day, no longer causing any trouble.
Zhou Ma's heart felt like it was soaking in bitter water, and she had no one to confide in. She didn't want to work, but now she had to take it seriously. After all, she was more afraid of having her wages docked than of the hard work. Once her wages were docked, it would mean that all her efforts during this period of time would be wasted.
She now prefers to live with her mother-in-law rather than work every day. She only hopes that her eldest daughter-in-law can have a baby soon, or that she can find a suitable substitute to save her from this predicament.
Fortunately, her job is only for a limited time, only about half a year! She can still put up with it. If she had to do this job for the rest of her life, she would definitely quit and let whoever wants to do it do it.
Seeing that forcing his mother to work had been effective, Zhou Dafu was filled with regret, regretting that he hadn't let her go out to work sooner.
Since Zhou's mother went out to work, he no longer had to deal with the problems between his mother and daughter-in-law. The atmosphere at home became very harmonious, and Zhou's mother would go to bed early instead of waiting for her second daughter-in-law to turn off the lights. He would no longer be woken up in the middle of the night.
After Zhou Ma went out to work, everyone was quite happy except for Zhou Ma herself. No one wanted to be forced to work.
After working for a while, Zhou's mother asked Sister-in-law Xue, puzzled, "The work is so tiring, and the second daughter-in-law keeps saying she wants to work. What's in it for her?"
Sister-in-law Xue said with a heavy heart, "Mom, just like people are different from one another, jobs are also different from one another. The canteen helper has to wash vegetables, knead dough, wash dishes and pots, clean, move vegetables, and so on. But the second daughter-in-law only needs to sit in the office, instruct others to do their work, and supervise others to do their work. She is protected from the wind and rain. What reason does she have not to want to go to work?"
Zhou Ma: "..."
So she's the only one who's suffering at work, because she sees that Xiangyang's job is easier than hers.
In order to escape the pain caused by her job, Zhou Ma had no choice but to lower her head and go to Lin Yuanshu, asking him to come up with a solution so that she could stop working or find a job that was easier for her.
After hearing Zhou Ma's words, Lin Yuanshu resolutely refused, saying with great difficulty, "Mom, this is Dad's order, and I dare not disobey him!"
Zhou's mother retorted confidently, "You're talking nonsense. There's nothing you wouldn't dare to do. Talk to your father and tell him that it's better for me not to work than to work. As long as you help me with this, I'll treat you like my own daughter."
Lin Yuanshu frowned, but finally agreed, "Okay, I'll try my best."
She wouldn't believe Zhou Ma even if she believed in ghosts. Zhou Ma had no sense of contractual obligation whatsoever. When she needed her, she would make all sorts of promises, but when she didn't need her, even breathing was wrong.
She didn't need Zhou Ma to treat her like her own daughter. After all, she had been married into the family for more than half a year and had only heard that Zhou Ma had one daughter.
During holidays, this daughter never came back. She didn't even return to the Zhou family on the day of her wedding to Zhou Xiangyang. This shows how bad the relationship between this daughter and the Zhou family is. Being a daughter is probably not a good idea, as she doesn't seem to be treated very well.
Ever since Lin Yuanshu agreed to help, her treatment at Zhou Ma's place has steadily improved.
Although the matter had not yet been resolved, in order to get Lin Yuanshu to help willingly, Zhou Ma had no choice but to suppress her dissatisfaction and treat Lin Yuanshu unusually well.
Sister-in-law Xue's feelings were very complicated. She felt that she had fallen into Lin Yuanshu's trap again. Now, in Zhou Ma's eyes, Lin Yuanshu had become a good daughter-in-law, while she had become a bad daughter-in-law.
In mid-November, the snow that Lin Yuanshu had been longing for finally fell. She was only happy on the day it snowed, because she found that after the snow, Beijing suddenly became cold, and the wind stung her face.
Indeed, the best way to demystify something is to own it.
Due to the weather, Zhou Xiangyang could no longer sleep separately from Lin Yuanshu, as there simply weren't enough quilts at home. Thus, he was given the opportunity to share a bed with Lin Yuanshu, grateful for nature's bounty.
Although they slept in the same bed, Zhou Xiangyang still didn't cross the line, and Lin Yuanshu was also worried that an unplanned pregnancy would affect her work, so as long as Zhou Xiangyang didn't mind, she was still willing to maintain the status quo.
When Zhou Ma realized that even Lin Yuanshu couldn't get Zhou Dafu to stop pressuring her to go to work, she became completely indifferent and unresponsive to everyone, except for Li Xiaohua across the hall.
Despite the cold weather at the end of November, the workers in Beijing were working hard, all hoping to complete their annual production tasks ahead of schedule and earn the title of "Advanced Unit".
Most importantly, if a factory cannot complete its work within the stipulated time, it will be criticized for not taking socialist construction seriously, so every factory is working desperately to meet the deadline.
Hongguang Dye Chemical Plant won first place in the labor production competition. However, only the naphthalene intermediate production workshop had outstanding production efficiency, completing the annual production task half a month ahead of schedule. The other two production workshops performed only averagely, making it difficult for them to obtain the title of "Advanced Unit".
When all factories successfully completed their annual production targets, the Chemical Industry Bureau held its "Annual Commendation Conference for Advanced Collectives and Individuals".
This time, only key leaders and heads of participating workshops can attend, and the event will be held in the conference room of the Chemical Industry Bureau.
Although the workers at Hongguang Dye Chemical Plant could not participate in the activities organized by the Chemical Industry Bureau, Director Qian organized a celebration in the chemical plant's auditorium. Team leaders, Zhou Moli, and others received all the recognition and rewards they were entitled to.
Lin Yuanshu followed behind Director Qian into the Chemical Industry Bureau's office building. This was something she never dared to dream of in her previous life—she could actually receive an award from the Chemical Industry Bureau and chat and laugh with its officials.
She never expected to see the factory director and deputy director of Jishi Pharmaceutical Factory in the conference room.
On second thought, some pharmaceutical factories involve chemical synthesis, bio-fermentation and other chemical processes and technologies in their production, so it is normal for these pharmaceutical factories to be under the jurisdiction of the Chemical Industry Bureau.
Since it falls under the jurisdiction of the Chemical Industry Bureau, it's not surprising that they attended this conference.
Lin Yuanshu didn't rush forward rashly. After all, now was not the time to talk. She planned to go over after the conference ended to see if the director and deputy director of Jishi Pharmaceutical Factory would be willing to have a chat with her.
If she wasn't willing, she would have to look for other pharmaceutical factories. She still preferred Jishi Pharmaceutical Factory, since it was the largest pharmaceutical factory in Beijing!
Although Lin Yuanshu was eligible to receive an award today, there were many other comrades receiving awards, and she was not easily noticed among them. The individual awards included "Model Worker," "Safety Production Pioneer," and "Advanced Worker," among others.
Lin Yuanshu was awarded the title of "Technological Innovation Expert," and received a gold-embossed certificate, a plaque, and a metal commemorative medal engraved with the words "Serve the People."
Material rewards included enamel mugs printed with the words "Technological Innovation Expert," washcloths, canvas work bags, two 100-yuan bills, and three industrial coupons.
Although Hongguang Dye Chemical Plant did not receive the title of "Advanced Unit", it did receive the title of "Model Workshop", so it was not a complete loss.
The first prize in the labor production competition was accepted by Factory Director Qian and Lin Yuanshu together on stage.
Lin Yuanshu thought that the factory director and deputy director of Jishi Pharmaceutical Factory should have some impression of her, after all, she went up on stage twice, and among so many people, she was the only one who went up twice.
Factory Director Guan was furious. If it weren't for Director Li's mistake, he wouldn't have gotten any awards this time.
The conference lasted from morning to afternoon. Lin Yuanshu even ate at the Chemical Industry Bureau's canteen, where the food was much more plentiful than that at the chemical plant's canteen.
After the conference, most of the factory directors left the Chemical Industry Bureau, but Director Qian was left behind to discuss with the deputy director the process of solvent sulfonation to produce naphthalene intermediates in Beijing.
When Lin Yuanshu chased after him, the factory director of Jishi Pharmaceutical Factory had already gotten into his car, while the deputy director was still outside, waving goodbye to another factory director.
She rushed over, panting, and said, "Deputy Factory Director Lu, hello. I apologize for bothering you. My name is Lin Yuanshu, and I am a team leader at Hongguang Dye Chemical Plant."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com