Chapter 99: No Way Out
After Lin Yuanshu had completely left the living room, Zhou Xiangling curiously asked her eldest brother, "Big brother, why did you listen to your second sister-in-law? Shouldn't she listen to you? You're the eldest brother! The pillar of the family."
The eldest brother smiled awkwardly and explained, "I can't be called the pillar of the family yet. Dad is the pillar. Once you've been at home for a while, you'll understand how terrifying your second sister-in-law is."
Zhou Xiangling looked incredulous. She tentatively said, "How could Second Sister-in-law be scary? She's a very warm and generous person. You can tell at a glance that she's a gentle and kind person."
The eldest brother pursed his lips, his expression complex, and said, "You're overthinking it. Your second sister-in-law is like a tiger; you have to go with the flow. If you go against her, she'll make you realize why the flowers are so red."
Zhou Xiangling subconsciously bit her lower lip. It seemed that her second sister-in-law was someone she couldn't afford to offend. If her second sister-in-law helped her, would she be able to stay at home more easily?
Unfortunately, she didn't take her second sister-in-law seriously just now, and kept talking to her second brother, forgetting to win over her second sister-in-law. It seems she made a mistake.
At least for now, it seems that my second sister-in-law is more useful than my second brother!
She originally wanted to continue asking her older brother about her second sister-in-law, but unfortunately, her older brother didn't seem to want to talk about her. To be honest, she could understand her older brother's thoughts, after all, his status in the family was lower than that of his second sister-in-law, and it was quite embarrassing to say it out loud.
The dog was too tired and had just cried a lot, so it fell asleep on the sofa without realizing it. Zhou Xiangling took out a small blanket and covered the dog's belly, then went to the temporary kitchen in the corridor to knead dough, wash potatoes, and cut potatoes.
Zhu Huilan, who was out walking her child, noticed Zhou Xiangling and looked at her curiously, asking, "Who are you? Why are you cooking in front of the Zhou family's house?"
Zhou Xiangling explained with a smile, "I am Zhou Dafu's daughter."
Zhu Huilan raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Lin Yuanshu to have a sister-in-law. She hoped that this sister-in-law would have a better personality and not be as difficult as Lin Yuanshu's mother-in-law.
Otherwise, Lin Yuanshu would really be like Sun Wukong, fighting one monster only to have another one appear.
Hearing the conversation between the two, Aunt Wen and the others quickly came over and started talking to Zhou Xiangling.
"I was wondering if you were a relative of Comrade Lin Yuanshu? I didn't expect you to be Xiang Ling! You've really changed a lot, I almost didn't recognize you. You got married in such a hurry back then, you didn't even have a wedding. I was hoping to attend your wedding, but I didn't get to."
Zhou Xiangling didn't want to talk about these things, but she had no choice. If her parents refused to let her stay at their house, she would have to rely on these neighbors to put in a good word for her.
“I was so immature back then, which is why I made my parents angry. All I want now is for them to forgive me…”
Zhou Xiangling's tearful account made the neighboring aunties feel sorry for her. Zhou Xiangling had suffered too much these past few years. Not only did her husband die, but she was also kicked out by her in-laws.
They must warn their daughters not to follow Zhou Xiangling's example. Zhou Xiangling encountered such a thing because she didn't listen to her parents and didn't choose a good family. When getting married, you should not only consider the man himself, but also his family.
After returning to his room, Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but rub his temples. His younger sister's return home not only meant an extra pair of chopsticks, but also new troubles.
She didn't know if Zhou's mother and Zhou Dafu would forgive her younger sister. She felt that forgiveness would be troublesome, and not forgiving would also be troublesome. Fortunately, she would be moving out in a few months, so it wouldn't have a big impact on her.
She sat down in the chair in front of the desk and asked earnestly, "I haven't asked you about your younger sister before, but now that she's back today, I have to ask: what exactly happened between Mom and Dad and your younger sister back then? What was your relationship with her like?"
Zhou Xiangyang's relationship with her younger sister determines how she will treat her.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xiangyang recounted in detail how Zhou Xiangling had run away from home years ago.
He said somewhat embarrassedly, "Maybe it's because I don't like to talk, so my relationship with my younger sister is just so-so. She doesn't tell me anything. My younger sister is closer to my older brother and likes to cling to him."
Lin Yuanshu's expression was subtle. She hadn't expected Zhou Xiangling to be so brave, running away from home with a man at the age of sixteen. She wondered if Zhou Xiangling had gotten a marriage certificate with that man...
On the other side, Sister-in-law Xue was carrying Xiao Ruyi on her way home. She was covered in sweat and her voice was tinged with resentment. "Mom, we shouldn't have come home so late. Even if we did, Xiao Er's wife wouldn't have cooked dinner. She would have either asked my husband to cook or let her husband cook. It's impossible for her to cook. All we're doing now is for nothing."
The most likely explanation is that her lover did it, since Lin Yuanshu would care for his lover but not hers.
Zhou Ma ignored Xue Dasao's words and said confidently, "There's a saying that goes, 'Where there is oppression, there is resistance.' I don't believe that Xiangyang can always be obedient and won't think about resisting. One day he will not be able to stand Xiao Er's wife anymore. That will be the time for me to turn the tables and become the master."
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Xue said with a heavy heart, "If it were anyone else, I really wouldn't be able to say for sure, but Xiangyang, I believe he won't resist. After all these years, he hasn't tried to resist you, so he won't try to resist his second wife now."
Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Damn it, I forgot Xiangyang's submissive nature. Lin Yuanshu has bullied him like this, but he is still oblivious and laughing like an idiot, thinking that Lin Yuanshu is especially good to him. How could I have given birth to such a stupid son? Asking him to resist is harder than asking him to fly to heaven."
Sister-in-law Xue pursed her lips. She felt that Zhou Xiangyang's submissive attitude was mostly Zhou's mother's fault. Zhou Xiangyang had been ordered around by his mother for a long time and was used to being treated this way, so even if Lin Yuanshu treated him like this, he wouldn't feel anything was wrong.
In addition, Lin Yuanshu is good with words. With just a few sweet words, he can make Zhou Xiangyang forget his own name. How could Zhou Xiangyang possibly resist? It seems that Zhou's mother has really raised a good husband for Lin Yuanshu.
The two had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Aunt Wen called them to a stop.
Aunt Wen jogged up to Aunt Zhou and excitedly said, "Good news, your daughter is home!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma raised an eyebrow and said expressionlessly, "What? Is her in-laws all dead?"
Aunt Wen smiled awkwardly and explained, "They're not all dead, but her husband died unexpectedly. No matter what, she's still your daughter. There's no grudge between a mother and daughter. She's already suffered so much, so there's no need for you to hold onto the past."
Aunt Zhou sneered and said sarcastically, "I knew it. If her husband hadn't died, how could she have been willing to go home? How could she have remembered that she wasn't born from a rock? Her misery today is all her own doing."
Aunt Wen touched her nose, surprised that Zhou Ma had become so eloquent after spending so much time with Comrade Lin Yuanshu.
Zhou Ma sighed and went upstairs with a serious expression.
Sister-in-law Xue, holding her child, didn't dare to breathe too loudly, for fear of incurring the wrath of others. She didn't know her younger sister very well either; her sister had already left home when she married into the family.
But she knew that she couldn't mention her younger sister in this family. If she did, Zhou's mother would fly into a rage. And now that her younger sister was in the house, she couldn't imagine how Zhou's mother was feeling at this moment.
Of course, she wasn't in a very good mood either, since having one more person meant one more person's expenses in the household.
Now, food is rationed for everyone in the family. With an extra mouth to feed, there is a high chance of food shortages, and people will have to use money to buy food coupons. This will inevitably reduce the family's savings.
This incident didn't have a significant impact on Lin Yuanshu, since she hadn't handed over much of her salary. However, it had a great impact on her because, in her eyes, the family's savings belonged to her children.
She and her partner worked so hard to please their parents, all for the sake of their savings!
Aunt Wen quickly followed behind Aunt Zhou. Judging from Aunt Zhou's current attitude, there was bound to be a good show tonight.
Now, Zhou's mother feels more frustrated and disappointed in Zhou Xiangling, unable to believe that she has given birth to such a stupid daughter.
Although she favors boys over girls, it doesn't mean she treats her daughter badly. She has already arranged blind dates for her daughter, and as long as her daughter does as she says, her future will definitely be good.
As a result, her daughter ignored her opinion and insisted on being with a rural person. Her good urban household registration has now become a rural household registration, and she no longer even has "rationed grain".
While others were desperately trying to move to the city, her daughter foolishly ran off to the countryside, telling her as she left, "From now on, just consider her daughter dead!"
Now that she can't make ends meet, her daughter has come back from the dead to make her clean up the mess. How could she possibly be happy about that!
When Zhou Ma arrived at Wei Da Ma's house, she saw her daughter cutting potato shreds in front of the coal stove. Her once fair and tender face now looked extremely sallow, with very obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead. Her hands were also covered with thick calluses, and her knuckles were large.
She was filled with mixed feelings. Although she hoped her daughter would suffer to prove that her daughter's choice was wrong, seeing this scene in person still made her feel terrible.
While Zhou Ma wasn't paying attention, Sister-in-law Xue quickly slipped into her room and called Lin Yuanshu and the others out, hoping that Lin Yuanshu would stand up and join her side.
Upon hearing that Aunt Zhou had returned, Lin Yuanshu immediately put down his pen and paper and followed Sister-in-law Xue out of the room without hesitation.
At this moment, Zhou Xiangling felt someone watching her. When she looked up, she saw not only Lin Yuanshu and others, but also her own mother. To be honest, she was a little scared, afraid that she would be kicked out of the house.
After all, she had a very unpleasant falling out with her parents over her marriage, and when she left home, she really didn't intend to come back.
She stopped chopping vegetables, wiped her hands on her clothes, and walked up to Zhou Ma, forcing herself to say, "Mom, I'm back."
Zhou's mother looked puzzled and said, "Are you calling me the wrong mother? I don't have a daughter. I only gave birth to two sons. My poor daughter died a long time ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiangling burst into tears again. She was truly at her wit's end. Her family was her last refuge. If even her mother didn't want her, she really didn't know where to go.
"Mom, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. I'm really desperate now. I'll be good. From now on, I'll do whatever you ask me to do. My husband died unexpectedly, and I have nowhere to go." Zhou Xiangling knelt in front of her mother, pleading with her.
Fearing that Zhou's mother would soften her heart, Sister-in-law Xue quickly placed Xiao Ruyi into Zhou Xiangyang's arms, then stood in front of Zhou Xiangling and loudly promised, "Little sister, don't be sad. We all know your suffering. We won't just stand by and watch your in-laws bully you like this. Do they really think you have no one to rely on? Your eldest and second brothers are willing to stand up for you. Even if your husband dies, you can still stay in your in-laws' house."
Zhou Xiangling was stunned for a moment, and she said with a sad expression, "I don't want to go back to that sad place. My in-laws seem to treat me very well, but in reality they despise me in every way. If my son and I eat an extra grain of rice, we will be scolded. If I continue to stay in my in-laws' house, they will torture me to death."
Sister-in-law Xue exclaimed in shock, "What? You brought a burden with you?"
Zhou Xiangling denied it, saying, "That's not a burden. Gouzi is also my parents' grandson, and he has the blood of the Zhou family."
Sister-in-law Xue said sarcastically, "Dog's surname isn't Zhou."
“If possible, I can also give the dog the surname Zhou,” Zhou Xiangling said confidently.
Sister-in-law Xue couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her words were more eloquent than her actions; did she want the Zhou family's surname? She wanted a share of the Zhou family's money! She absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
"As the saying goes, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. You are no longer a member of the Zhou family. Besides, what happened back then really broke your parents' hearts. This is not a family you can come and go as you please," Sister-in-law Xue said firmly.
Zhou Xiangling completely ignored Sister-in-law Xue's words. She knew that Sister-in-law Xue's words didn't count in this family. Otherwise, Sister-in-law Xue would have spoken with more confidence, instead of trying to find reasons to make her leave the Zhou family.
"Mom, are you really going to just watch me die? I know I made a mistake back then. I'm sorry to you and Dad. I will try my best to make up for it," Zhou Xiangling said, crying.
Lin Yuanshu inexplicably admired Zhou Xiangling; her tears flowed so easily, she was just as good as Zhou Xiangling.
Zhou Ma's expression softened somewhat. Even though they were on the same wavelength, she couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer.
Sister-in-law Xue walked over to Lin Yuanshu with a grim expression and said in a low voice, "If you don't say something soon, Mom will change her mind."
Lin Yuanshu whispered, "Do you know why Xiaoming's grandma lived to be 100 years old?"
Sister-in-law Xue shook her head, looking confused.
Lin Yuanshu said with a smile, "Because she never meddles in other people's business."
Sister-in-law Xue widened her eyes and said emphatically, "How can this be considered meddling in other people's business? This is our family's business. My younger sister's household registration is not in the city. She and her children do not receive 'rations'. If they eat and drink our food, we will be the ones who suffer the injustice."
Lin Yuanshu joked, "I think it's great. I can use this as an excuse not to hand over half of my salary, but only my living expenses."
What Zhou Ma said is useless. Whether Zhou Xiangling can stay in the Zhou family depends on Zhou Dafu's thoughts. So everything that is happening now is just a farce and has little meaning.
Sister-in-law Xue was dumbfounded. She didn't expect Lin Yuanshu to say that. A smart person's mind works. She could only see the benefits she was losing, while Lin Yuanshu could see what benefits he could gain from it.
However, on the other hand, this means her savings will be significantly reduced, which means her younger sister going home will only hurt her.
She quickly stopped her, saying, "Second wife, you mustn't do that. We're a loving family, and we should support each other. Haven't I been good enough to you? That's why I made you think about separating the family."
Lin Yuanshu smiled without saying a word. Time really can change a person completely. She still remembered when she first met Sister-in-law Xue, Sister-in-law Xue was not like this now.
Zhou's mother thought it over and over again. On one hand, she couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer, but on the other hand, if she kept her daughter, it would mean spending money. She would have to pay for all the expenses of her daughter and her child living at home, which was no small amount.
She suddenly remembered what Lin Yuanshu had told her before: the money she was reluctant to spend, someone else would spend for her. He was right; Lin Yuanshu was indeed a jinx.
Zhou's mother gritted her teeth, finally hardening her heart, and said in an extremely cold tone, "What your sister-in-law said makes sense. You were the one who insisted on marrying him, and you were the one who desperately wanted to go to that family. I have nothing to do with you anymore. However, just like your sister-in-law said, we will not stand by and watch you be bullied. I will have your father take your brothers to your husband's family and make sure they never dare to bully you and your children again."
Sister-in-law Xue nodded frantically behind Zhou's mother. Her mother-in-law was the most sensible one, knowing what was best for the Zhou family.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiangling felt a chill run down her spine. She knew her mother hadn't forgiven her yet, and she had no choice but to risk everything to survive. She had risked her life to leave this family before, and she could risk her life to enter it now.
She took a deep breath and smiled, "Mom, please take good care of my dog. I owe you so much, I can never repay you in this life, I'll repay you in the next."
After saying this, Zhou Xiangling glanced at Lin Yuanshu and rushed towards the wall without hesitation.
Lin Yuanshu knew something big was about to happen as soon as she saw Zhou Xiangling's eyes, so she rushed over to try and stop her.
"Stop her!" Lin Yuanshu shouted.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wei instinctively stood in front of Zhou Xiangling.
Zhou Xiangling's head slammed solidly into Aunt Wei's chest. The impact was so strong and painful that Aunt Wei gasped for breath and couldn't speak. It took her a while to recover.
Zhou Xiangling also ended up sitting on the ground because of the accident.
Everyone present was stunned by the scene. They never expected Zhou Xiangling to suddenly bang her head against the wall. Fortunately, Lin Yuanshu noticed in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Sun Yiyi immediately went to Zhou Xiangling's side and advised, "Comrade Xiangling, how could you be so foolish! How could you choose to give up your life over such a small matter? Aunt Zhou didn't say she wouldn't take care of you. Talk to her nicely, and she definitely won't send you back to your husband's family."
In her previous life, Zhou Xiangling had stayed in the Zhou family in the same way, so she wasn't surprised. However, in her previous life, there was no Lin Yuanshu. Zhou Xiangling had hit her head and was rushed to the hospital. Although she didn't die, she was left with aftereffects.
In this life, only her mother-in-law got hurt, which is great, everyone's happy.
Aunt Wen and the others quickly went over to comfort Zhou Xiangling, advising her not to be so pessimistic. They told her she was still young and had better days ahead of her, and that even if she didn't think about herself, she should think about her children.
The dog, who was sleeping in the living room, was awakened by the exclamations of the crowd. As soon as he went outside, he saw his mother slumped on the floor. Confused, he ran to his mother's side and shouted, "Mom, why are you sitting on the floor! Didn't you say the floor was dirty and you couldn't sit on it?"
Zhou Xiangling didn't reply. Instead, she hugged the dog and burst into tears. She pinched the dog's back, and the dog started crying too.
His mother told him in the car that if she pinched him, he would burst into tears.
When no one was watching, Zhou Xiangling's lips curled up slightly.
The mother and son embraced and wept bitterly; it was a sight that would break the hearts of anyone who heard it and bring tears to their eyes.
Seeing that Zhou Xiangling was alright, Lin Yuanshu silently walked back to Zhou Xiangyang's side. She hadn't expected Zhou Xiangling to be so reckless as to threaten to bang her head against a wall at the slightest provocation. She was truly a monster. She was most afraid of dealing with people like this because they were genuinely fearless.
After regaining her composure, Aunt Wei rubbed her chest and spoke up righteously, "Aunt Zhou, this is still your own daughter. There's no need to be so cruel! You're forcing your own daughter to die. Even if there were unpleasant things in the past, so much time has passed. You don't need to keep holding onto them. Anyway, your daughter's current husband has passed away. You can always remarry her!"
Zhou's mother was stunned by Zhou Xiangling's actions. After she finally came to her senses, she was scolded by Aunt Wei.
She originally wanted to scold Aunt Wei for meddling in other people's business, but then she remembered that now was not the time to argue, since her daughter was risking her life.
Aunt Wei's words made no sense. She couldn't support Zhou Xiangling indefinitely, but she could support her for a few months and then marry her off.
Things have developed to this point, so even if she doesn't want to raise her daughter, she has no choice but to. She can't just watch her own daughter die in front of her! That would truly be a waste of time and effort, a complete loss.
Just then, Zhou Dafu returned home. He saw a group of people gathered at his door and looked puzzled. Had something happened to his second wife again?
Upon seeing Zhou Dafu, everyone quickly stepped aside to make way, allowing Zhou Dafu to see Zhou Xiangling sitting on the ground.
Zhou Dafu looked at the woman in front of him and felt that she looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. He frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
Hearing this, Zhou Xiangling gave a bitter smile. Sure enough, her father hadn't forgiven her either.
"Dad, I was wrong," Zhou Xiangling said decisively.
Zhou Dafu's pupils dilated instantly. He hadn't expected that this woman was his daughter whom he hadn't seen in a long time. He knew the principle of not airing family dirty laundry in public, so he didn't scold his daughter. Instead, he calmly said, "Whatever you want to say, let's talk about it when we get home. We can't let our family matters bother others."
Aunt Wen and the others really wanted to say, "We won't disturb you; we're enjoying watching this."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiangling decisively took the dog's hand and returned to the living room. Her father hadn't told her to leave, which meant she still had a chance to stay in the Zhou family.
Zhou Ma and the others followed.
Lin Yuanshu closed the door, keeping Aunt Wei and the others outside.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, Aunt Wen quickly told everyone to disperse, "Go home! There's nothing to see here. Go back to your own homes and your own mothers."
Aunt Wei rubbed her chest and said indignantly, "So only I was injured, and Aunt Zhou didn't even say thank you. That's so rude. No wonder she could do such a cruel thing."
Aunt Wen smiled and comforted her, "You saved a life! Aunt Zhou is Zhou Xiangling's biological mother, and you are Zhou Xiangling's second parent. What a coincidence!"
Aunt Wei waved her hand and quickly refused, saying, "I don't want this kind of fate; it's a complete disaster!"
After saying this, Aunt Wei turned her gaze to Sun Yiyi and couldn't help but complain, "I'm injured, and you don't even care about me. You only care about an outsider. You're more like a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family than Comrade Lin Yuanshu. What a pity! Aunt Zhou doesn't think much of you..."
Sun Yiyi silently endured Aunt Wei's complaints.
She didn't take her mother-in-law's words to heart. In her past life, she felt that she wasn't good enough, which was why Zhou's mother disliked her. Everything that happened in this life gave her a new perspective. She felt that Zhou's mother was like a madwoman, able to find fault with no matter how good her daughter-in-law was.
Her mother-in-law was no better than Zhou's mother; both of them were crazy.
In the living room, Zhou's mother quietly told Zhou Dafu about Zhou Xiangling's situation.
After listening, Zhou Dafu's expression gradually became more and more serious. He did not mention Zhou Xiangling's previous runaway, after all, the past is the past and there is no use in bringing it up again. The most important thing now is what to do in the future.
Children are all debts; even if he wanted to ignore them, he couldn't! Zhou Xiangling is good in every way, except that her personality is too sharp. When she gets emotional, she's capable of anything. He doesn't want to be branded as someone who drove his daughter to her death.
He sat on the sofa, his face stern, and asked, "What are you planning to do now? Your current household registration isn't in the city. Even if we're willing to let you stay, you can't stay in the city for long; you can only stay temporarily for a few months."
Zhou Xiangling was stunned for a moment. She thought she could live in the city permanently, after all, this was not a relative's house, but her parents' house.
She thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Dad, I heard that you've become a junior manager, so I want you to help me find a job. If I have a job, I can not only support myself but also my child, without troubling you at all."
Zhou Dafu sighed and said helplessly, "You think too highly of me. Our pharmaceutical factory is short of everything right now, except for workers."
These days, jobs in pharmaceutical factories are highly sought after; many managers are eyeing each position, so he simply doesn't get a chance.
If Xiao Er's wife were still at the pharmaceutical factory, arranging a job for Zhou Xiangling would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Xiao Er's wife has gone to the research institute now. Even if she wanted to arrange a job for Zhou Xiangling at the research institute, Zhou Xiangling wouldn't be qualified!
Holding Xiao Ruyi, Sister-in-law Xue said without hesitation, "If you ask me, what's the point of looking for a job? Finding a partner is the most important thing. My little sister is still so young. There's no need for her to remain a widow for her deceased husband. She can marry into a good family and live a good life without being a burden on our family."
Zhou's mother shared the same thought, so she turned to look at Zhou Xiangling and asked, "Xiangling, what do you think?"
She didn't want to experience another situation where Zhou Xiangling insisted on going against her, even though she had everything arranged perfectly.
Zhou Xiangling was certainly unwilling to get married now. Her husband had only been dead for a short time, and she still couldn't forget him. Her husband was a very gentle person. Although he wasn't very capable, he had been trying his best to give her a good life.
If there was only one piece of meat in the house, he would always leave it all for her to eat, and only eat vegetables himself. He was such a gentle and kind person.
Knowing she had no say in the matter, she smiled and said, "I'll leave it to you. I have no objections. Whatever you decide, I'll do as you say."
It's more important to stay first.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lin Yuanshu. Zhou Ma asked, "Second wife, what do you think we should do?"
She had developed the habit of asking Lin Yuanshu for advice whenever she was in doubt. Although she disliked this daughter-in-law very much, she had to admit that Lin Yuanshu's decisions were mostly correct.
Zhou Xiangling didn't expect her mother to ask her second sister-in-law's opinion. It turned out that Sun Yiyi really wasn't joking. Her second sister-in-law's status in the Zhou family was much higher than she had imagined.
She looked pitifully at her second sister-in-law, hoping that her sister-in-law would be lenient and let her off the hook. At least asking her second sister-in-law was better than asking her eldest sister-in-law, who definitely wanted to marry her off immediately.
Lin Yuanshu pursed her lips. She didn't want to get involved, but thinking of Zhou Xiangling's suicide, she slowly said, "This is just my idea. You can take it as a reference, but you still need to discuss the specifics."
After saying that, she paused for a moment and continued, "My sister-in-law's previous job was taken over by Aunt Li. Why don't we let Aunt Li return the job and let my younger sister take over? Although my younger sister still can't get a city household registration, at least she can live at home for a long time. There's no need to rush into remarriage. After all, my younger sister's husband has only been gone for a short time. It would seem a bit heartless of us to marry her off immediately. Marriage is something that can't be rushed. If you rush it, you might end up marrying the wrong person."
Zhou Xiangling's eyes lit up when she heard Lin Yuanshu's words. Her second sister-in-law's words were so sweet, every word of which touched her heart. She was willing to follow her second sister-in-law's ideas.
Sister-in-law Xue pouted, clearly unhappy, and said, "That's my job. If I give it to my younger sister, I won't have a job anymore."
Zhou Xiangling quickly replied, "I'll keep this job for now, and I'll hand it over to you after I get married. Or, if you want to go back to work later, I can give this job back to you."
Sister-in-law Xue pondered for a while with a serious expression. Since Lin Yuanshu did not object to her younger sister living at home, then probably no one could stop her from returning home.
No matter what, my younger sister is my in-laws' daughter. They can't be heartless and abandon her. If they're not willing to give her a job, it means she'll just stay at home eating and drinking for free. It's better for her to go out and work, at least she can earn some money.
She said stiffly, "I can give you the job temporarily, but you have to keep your word. When I ask you to return the job later, you can't make excuses to refuse."
Zhou Xiangling said excitedly, "Sister-in-law, thank you for your generosity. Now I understand how important family is. I was really blinded by greed and made a decision that hurt my parents. I will never do that again."
If she were in this situation now, she would still choose to be with Brother Cao, but she wouldn't act so radically.
She would try her best to get her parents to approve of Brother Cao. With their help, Brother Cao would definitely be able to get a permanent position, and they would be able to stay in the city instead of having to slink back to the production team. Unfortunately, there is no going back in this world.
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