Chapter 31 Labor Productivity Competition
Lin Yuanshu enjoyed a period of peace and quiet, undisturbed life, while the Wei family next door was in dire straits. Zhou Ma had nothing better to do than keep an eye on their house, using every trick in the book to get to them.
For example, when it was Aunt Wei's and Sun Yiyi's turn to use the toilet, she would deliberately cut in line; when Sun Yiyi was washing dishes, she would spit into them; and when Sun Yiyi was cooking, she would deliberately sprinkle water into the pot, which has caused Sun Yiyi to avoid doing chores with Aunt Zhou now.
It wasn't that she didn't deal with Aunt Wei because she was bullying the weak and afraid of the strong. It was because Aunt Wei never went out during the day, so she could only knock on Aunt Wei's door in the middle of the night to disturb their sleep. She even had the audacity to say that Aunt Wei was making too much noise at night and disturbing her sleep, which was why she knocked on the door.
Sun Yiyi experienced the power of her wicked mother-in-law once again. She tried to reason with Zhou Ma, since she wasn't the one who said those words, but Zhou Ma wouldn't listen at all and continued to target the Wei family on her own.
Aunt Wei couldn't take it anymore, and her family also complained that she was talking nonsense, so she could only ask Zhou Dafu to keep a close eye on Aunt Zhou.
Zhou Dafu also complained a bit about Aunt Wei spreading his story everywhere, and said helplessly, "If I could control her, the lies about me being the team leader wouldn't have spread everywhere."
Having no other option, Aunt Wei had to report the problem to the building manager.
Zhou Ma made all the promises to the building manager, but she was still targeting Wei Da Ma in private, just not as excessively as before, and wouldn't knock on Wei Da Ma's door in the middle of the night.
In order to impress Zhou Dafu, Zhou's mother took over all the housework, handling everything inside and outside the house by herself, unlike anyone else. She hoped that Zhou Dafu would stop blaming her soon, and Sister-in-law Xue finally felt a long-awaited sense of relief.
This incident opened Sister-in-law Xue's eyes. She suddenly realized that Aunt Zhou wasn't so scary after all. She discovered that bullying her mother-in-law felt so enjoyable! No wonder Lin Yuanshu liked to tease his mother-in-law so much.
Before we knew it, it was the beginning of the month, and the production workshop managed by Director Tang announced a new list of team leaders, with Chow Tai Fook's name prominently featured.
Grandpa Wei stood next to the bulletin board and said incredulously, "I heard that your daughter-in-law and Director Tang don't get along. I didn't expect you to become the group leader. It seems that your daughter-in-law wasn't lying back then. You really went through a lot of trouble keeping it from me."
Zhou Dafu retorted without hesitation: "You can't just talk nonsense like that. The organization appointed me as the group leader because they value my abilities, not because of any so-called connections. So there's no question of whether the connections are good or bad. My wife just got lucky. If she had known I could become the group leader, she would have refuted your wife's words long ago. How could she have suffered in silence and been laughed at for talking big, not even daring to leave the house?"
Grandpa Wei felt very bad. Zhou Dafu was about the same age as him, and Zhou Dafu was already a team leader, while he could only be an ordinary worker. Moreover, Zhou Dafu's abilities were not as good as his.
“We’ve been friends for years, so tell me, how exactly did you become the group leader?” Grandpa Wei pressed.
Zhou Dafu frowned and said, "I really don't know. You'll have to ask the manager."
Grandpa Wei wanted to ask more questions, but other colleagues came up to congratulate Zhou Dafu and pushed him aside. He looked at Zhou Dafu being praised by everyone, his expression very complicated.
Since no one in the group stood up to oppose Zhou Dafu becoming the group leader, Zhou Dafu smoothly became the group leader. People used to call him Comrade Zhou or Comrade Zhou Dafu, but now he became Group Leader Zhou. This feeling was really strange, and it made him feel elated.
Meanwhile, after Lin Yuanshu and others changed their clothes in the break room, they were reminded by senior employees to go to the meeting room next door, where the team leader was going to hold a pre-shift meeting.
Lin Yuanshu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Weren't the pre-shift meetings always held in the office before? Why are we leaving the workshop this time to hold them in the conference room next door?"
The veteran employee explained with a smile, "If it's to convey the day's production tasks or remind us of safety issues, we'll hold the meeting in the office. If it's an important matter that requires all the workers in the workshop to attend, we have to hold it in the meeting room next door."
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully.
Ling Ke moved closer to Lin Yuanshu and asked curiously, "What's the big deal?"
Lin Yuanshu shook his head. "I don't know."
Ling Ke exclaimed in surprise, "You have such a good relationship with the team leader, and you didn't even know!"
Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "There are plenty of people who are on good terms with the team leader. If she told everyone, there would be no need for a meeting today. Besides, I'm here to work, not to build relationships."
Ling Ke curled her lips. Lin Yuanshu was really shameless, saying such things without blushing. If Lin Yuanshu didn't know how to network, he wouldn't have gotten a job at the chemical plant. Among the new recruits, Lin Yuanshu was the best at networking.
First it was Director Pan Tang, then Director Pan Xia. Lin Yuanshu is clearly a fence-sitter, I really don't know why the workshop directors value him so much.
After signing in at the office, Lin Yuanshu went to the conference room next door. The conference room was already full of people, including some familiar colleagues and some unfamiliar ones, who were probably colleagues from other naphthalene intermediate production workshops.
There are four workshops in the naphthalene intermediate production workshop, and she is in the fourth workshop.
Four team leaders stood next to the conference table. Apart from the team leader who was leading her, the other three were men.
A dozen minutes later, the conference room had become very crowded, and those who arrived later had no seats and could only stand in the corner of the conference room.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Wu Jianhua walked up to the stage and said loudly, "Quiet!"
The workers in the meeting room all stopped chatting at the same time.
Wu Jianhua took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "To motivate everyone's production enthusiasm and sprint to complete the production tasks, the chemical plant has decided to hold a biennial labor production competition next month. All workshop teams are required to participate. The winning team will be awarded the title of Advanced Production Team, and an awards ceremony will be held. Those who perform well will be rewarded with a bicycle ticket, and those teams that perform well will be rewarded with daily necessities and meat coupons..."
Upon hearing this, everyone could no longer contain their excitement and began discussing it with those around them.
"The factory is so generous this year! They're even willing to give away bicycles as a reward. In previous years, they only gave away some daily necessities, not even meat coupons."
"Who cares why they're being so generous? Let's just do it."
"This competition is perfect, my family is really short of bicycles!"
"Look at what you're saying! Everyone has a bicycle!"
Lin Yuanshu turned to look at his colleagues in the same workshop and found that they were completely uninterested, discussing how long the meeting would last and how much production they had to do this month!
Ling Ke and the others also appeared indifferent, after all, they were still in their apprenticeship period and could not even operate the equipment independently, so this matter was none of their concern.
Lin Yuanshu asked in a low voice, "Don't you want to participate in the labor production competition? You don't seem very interested?"
Upon hearing this, one of the veteran employees couldn't help but laugh, lowering his voice to say, "Do you know who came in last place the year before last?"
Lin Yuanshu shook his head.
The veteran employee forced a smile and said, "It's us."
"Do you know who was the last person two years ago?" the veteran employee asked again.
Lin Yuanshu shook his head again.
The veteran employee said, "It's us."
Another long-time employee said with a wry smile, "So now you understand why we're not interested! It's not that we don't work hard, it's just that our competitors are too strong."
They've already given up. They're already in last place anyway, so it's either maintain the status quo or improve. Things can't get any worse, because they're already as bad as they can get.
Lin Yuanshu hadn't expected things to turn out this way. If you don't try, it's one thing to blame everything on not trying, but if you try and still have no hope, that's really frustrating.
After the meeting, the workers left the conference room one after another.
Wu Jianhua smiled and said to the team leader, "Your team needs to perform consistently this year to lay a solid foundation for us. Otherwise, we're really worried that we'll end up in last place."
The other team leaders also laughed.
The team leader gritted his teeth and said, "My team will make changes this year."
Wu Jianhua laughed heartily and said, "What you said makes sense. All the talents that Director Xia has his eye on are in your hands. The leaders above have said that women can hold up half the sky, and you have indeed helped us hold up half the sky, so we don't have to worry about being last."
He never took Lin Yuanshu seriously, after all, Lin Yuanshu was Director Xia's right-hand man. The reason Director Xia elevated Lin Yuanshu's status was just to mock Director Tang.
If Lin Yuanshu had no relationship with Director Tang, she wouldn't even have had the opportunity to communicate with Director Xia. How could she have developed to the point where everyone knew she was a talent favored by Director Xia?
However, this kind of thing is quite disgusting, even though he was clearly the right person to help.
The team leader, with a stern face, uttered a harsh remark: "We'll see."
After the team leader returned to the workshop, she called everyone to the office for a meeting. With a serious expression, she said to everyone, "In this labor production competition, we must go all out and strive not to be last."
The veteran employees replied listlessly, "Okay."
Lin Yuanshu watched this scene and was speechless. If the veteran employees continued to be like this, it would be difficult for them not to come in last place in this labor production competition.
The team leader waved them back to the workshop; their lack of enthusiasm annoyed her.
"Comrade Lin Yuanshu, please stay for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."
Everyone turned to look at Lin Yuanshu, their eyes filled with nothing but self-satisfaction, knowing that staying at this time would surely bring no good.
Although Ling Ke was jealous of Lin Yuanshu being valued by the team leader, she didn't want to be kept behind by the team leader at this time.
After everyone had left, the team leader cut to the chase and asked, "What do you think of this labor production competition? How do you think we can avoid coming in last?"
Lin Yuanshu pondered for a moment and then said honestly, "I don't have any opinions for the time being. I don't know much about the labor production competition organized by the factory. I don't know the content of the competition or the scoring criteria. I need to check the relevant information before I can give my opinion."
Although she was familiar with some of the policies and prices in the 1970s, she was completely clueless about the labor production competition in factories. Such information was difficult to understand unless one specifically looked it up.
However, she is quite familiar with modern innovation and skills competitions, and presumably labor production competitions are much the same. To avoid saying the wrong thing, she should be more cautious and read the information before speaking.
Upon hearing this, the team leader's eyebrows involuntarily furrowed into a "川" shape, and her thumb unconsciously rubbed her chin. Perhaps Lin Yuanshu's usual performance was too effortless and poised, causing her to forget that Lin Yuanshu was a country bumpkin who had no idea about the competition held in the factory.
“Okay, I’ll find the information for you as soon as possible. It’s time for you to show your abilities and let Director Xia see your true skills. You can’t climb up the ladder just by relying on connections. I admire the ambition in your eyes, so I’m happy to help you,” the team leader said with a smile.
For her, helping Lin Yuanshu was helping herself. After all, the labor production competition was not an individual competition, but a team competition. Lin Yuanshu's excellence meant that the group she led was excellent. So why should she stop Lin Yuanshu and prevent her from taking the lead?
“Okay, I will try my best.” Lin Yuanshu agreed without hesitation. She had originally planned to offer the method of preparing naphthalene intermediates as a stepping stone, but she did not expect to get more opportunities than she had anticipated.
It's better to showcase her abilities through labor production competitions. After all, the best skills should be saved for later. The more attention her abilities attract in the chemical plant, the more credit she can retain, and the less likely she will be treated as a nobody, used and discarded.
The team leader patted Lin Yuanshu on the shoulder and said with a smile, "I don't need you to perform exceptionally well, as long as we don't come in last place."
Lin Yuanshu touched her nose, surprised that the team leader's requirements were so low. She had thought the team leader would strive for first place!
"I can't guarantee anything else, but as long as I'm here, we definitely won't be last," Lin Yuanshu said confidently.
The team leader didn't place all her hopes on Lin Yuanshu alone. During the afternoon break, she went to talk to the veteran employees and asked them about their thoughts on the labor production competition.
They didn't have any particular ideas; they just hoped this labor production competition would end quickly, so they could lose face and feel at ease.
Team leader: "..."
What useless subordinates! It seems we can't rely on them. We can only count on the newcomers. We'll have them review the labor production competition materials with Lin Yuanshu and see if they can come up with any constructive ideas.
As the get off work bell rang, Lin Yuanshu quickly put the enamel basin, glassware, and other items back in their original places.
An experienced employee responsible for cleaning the floor joked, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu is only most enthusiastic when he's off work and during his lunch break."
Lin Yuanshu smiled and said righteously, "If you're not enthusiastic about working, you have a problem with your thinking; if you're not enthusiastic about leaving get off work, you have no fun in life."
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed in unison, "You're right. I didn't expect you to be so insightful at such a young age."
They were all more than a decade older than Lin Yuanshu and had long since lost any ambition, so they looked at Lin Yuanshu as if he were their own child, without any feelings of jealousy.
Lin Yuanshu packed up his tools and went to the changing room to change his clothes.
While Lin Yuanshu was changing clothes, Ling Ke asked Lin Yuanshu why the class leader had kept her behind.
Seeing Ling Ke's curious expression, Lin Yuanshu smiled and said, "You can ask the team leader. I have no obligation to answer your questions."
Ling Ke's expression immediately turned ugly. After Lin Yuanshu left the dressing room, she muttered under her breath, "What's so great about him! He just has connections!"
Ling Ke's friend couldn't help but retort, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu is quite capable. I get a headache just learning how to operate the equipment. There are so many things to pay attention to, and you have to be fully focused to avoid making mistakes. But Comrade Lin Yuanshu learned how to operate the equipment on the first day, and by the second day, she didn't need the team leader's supervision. While operating the equipment, she could also help the team leader with some trivial matters. This is something that not just anyone can do."
At first, she also thought that Lin Yuanshu was someone who gained attention through connections. But after spending time with him, she realized that some people not only have connections, but are also capable and ambitious, which is simply unbearable for others.
During her afternoon break, Lin Yuanshu didn't chat with her colleagues or knit; instead, she read a book. Unfortunately, she had covered the book's cover with white paper, so no one knew what she was reading.
Upon hearing this, Ling Ke retorted irritably, "Sycophant."
Ling Ke's friend was unhappy to be told that, and she retorted, "I'm not a bootlicker, you're just blinded by jealousy."
"I didn't," Ling Ke retorted weakly.
She initially wanted to be friends with Lin Yuanshu. She tried hard to please him and get closer to him, hoping to become good friends. However, Lin Yuanshu rejected her time and time again, which made her very unhappy.
She was clearly just a country bumpkin, yet she looked down on her. What was even more unbearable was that Lin Yuanshu actually performed better than her.
The contrast was too great, and she found it hard to accept.
As Lin Yuanshu stepped out of the workshop, he immediately noticed that the layout of the chemical plant was quite different from that morning. Slogans for the labor production competition were posted everywhere, and the bright red banners were particularly eye-catching. Although the competition had not yet started, the atmosphere was already in place.
As she passed by the bulletin board, she noticed newspapers about the labor production competition from two years ago and an introduction to the achievements of the first-place team in the competition. She couldn't help but stop and read them carefully.
"You also think this is a good opportunity, right?"
Upon hearing the words beside him, Lin Yuanshu instinctively turned his head to find the source of the voice and discovered it was Zhou Moli.
Without waiting for Lin Yuanshu's reply, Zhou Moli continued, "I really envy you. You can switch sides anytime, anywhere. I can't do that. I don't have the trust of the other directors. I have a feeling that you will be my biggest rival. We'll see each other on the battlefield."
Lin Yuanshu replied with a smile, "Look at it another way: your relationship with Director Zhou won't be sown apart, and Director Zhou will always trust you."
Zhou Moli's lips curled up slightly. "I like this way of putting it."
The two exchanged a glance, Zhou Moli waved to Lin Yuanshu, and then left the bulletin board.
Lin Yuanshu watched Zhou Moli leave with some regret, feeling it was a pity they couldn't be friends; otherwise, they would have definitely cherished each other.
After Lin Yuanshu left the bulletin board, Wang Gang walked to the front of it. He had just seen Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Moli staring at the bulletin board and was quite curious about what they were looking at.
He looked right and left, but couldn't see anything noteworthy. He was completely baffled. Was the bulletin board unimportant, and the fact that they were chatting the important thing?
Could Lin Yuanshu be one of Director Zhou's men?
Wang Gang excitedly told Director Xia about his discovery, and unsurprisingly, he received a scolding from Director Xia.
He's not stupid. If he wanted to promote Lin Yuanshu, how could he not investigate Lin Yuanshu's background? How could a newlywed woman who had just married into the city possibly know Director Zhou?
If Lin Yuanshu hadn't been helping his father-in-law deliver gifts, he wouldn't have even met Director Tang, let alone been recommended by Director Tang to take the recruitment exam.
Wang Gang felt wronged. He genuinely believed that Lin Yuanshu harbored malicious intentions. Lin Yuanshu, who could propose that plan, was definitely not as simple as Director Xia imagined, and would not be easily won over by Director Xia. The answer to why was his intuition.
When Lin Yuanshu arrived at the entrance of the chemical plant, Zhou Xiangyang was already waiting for her at the gate.
She originally wanted to ask Zhou Xiangyang to wait for her in her workshop break room next time so she could rest a bit, but then she thought that Zhou Xiangyang was socially awkward and her colleagues might take the initiative to chat with her, which might make Zhou Xiangyang uncomfortable. So she decided it was better to continue having Zhou Xiangyang wait for her at the door.
Anyway, they get off work around the same time, so Zhou Xiangyang won't have to wait long.
"Thank you for the idea. My dad has already become the group leader." Zhou Xiangyang had a bright smile on his face.
His father made a special trip over at noon to tell him this good news. If he hadn't missed seeing Lin Yuanshu in the cafeteria at noon, his father would have told Lin Yuanshu the good news too.
Lin Yuanshu was not surprised by the result at all. No one in his father-in-law's group was particularly good at studying; they all had a laziness attitude. Only his father-in-law worked hard and had a good relationship with the leader, so becoming the group leader was a piece of cake.
Although my father-in-law didn't do anything outstanding, he didn't make any major mistakes either!
“Your dad has worked really hard lately, and he deserves this result,” Lin Yuanshu said with a smile.
After all, my father-in-law has been working overtime regularly lately in order to get a promotion.
Zhou Xiangyang nodded. He actually liked it when his dad worked overtime, because he didn't have to be in the same space as his dad, and his dad couldn't find a reason to scold him anymore.
"By the way, how is your grandmother?" Lin Yuanshu asked tentatively, because in the original owner's memory, there seemed to be no trace of Zhou Xiangyang's grandmother. It was also possible that when the original owner got married, he had a fever and went through the procedures in a daze, so he knew almost nothing about the Zhou family relatives.
Zhou Xiangyang paused for a moment, then replied, "That's great. I heard you can earn work points and raise fat chickens in the countryside."
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully and said with a smile, "My grandma passed away early, so I've always envied other people's grandmas. Thanks to you, I have a second grandma. When you have time, invite her to come to the city to play. We should take good care of her."
So, my mother-in-law's mother-in-law is still alive! She's still so healthy and can even earn work points. Things are getting interesting. We need to use magic to defeat magic. It's time to let my mother-in-law relive the hardships of being a daughter-in-law, otherwise I'll always be trying to control her.
She's currently focused on her work and doesn't have the energy to fight with her mother-in-law. Naturally, she needs someone to help her, and her grandmother is the most suitable candidate. After all, most mothers-in-law these days want to control their daughters-in-law.
She didn't even need to go home to know that her father-in-law had become the group leader, and her mother-in-law had straightened her back again, ready to stir up trouble.
She's always been on the defensive, but now it's her turn to take the initiative. Hopefully, her mother-in-law can withstand this blow.
Zhou Xiangyang agreed, "Okay."
He really likes his grandma because she always praises him and brings him delicious food whenever she sees him. Unfortunately, his mom doesn't like his grandma very much, and she always has a stern face whenever she comes to the house.
More importantly, he liked it when Lin Yuanshu said the word "we".
On the other side, Zhou Dafu strolled leisurely down the road. When the elderly neighbors learned that he had become the group leader, they all came over to congratulate him. No one was tactless enough to bring up the previous farce; otherwise, it wouldn't be a congratulation but a sarcastic remark.
Seeing this, Grandpa Wei walked forward dejectedly. He felt suffocated if he stayed near Zhou Dafu any longer.
What should have been a half-hour journey took Zhou Dafu an hour. His previously furrowed brows relaxed, and his eyes radiated undisguised joy. He, who usually looked fierce, now appeared quite amiable.
He returned home, sat on the sofa, and said with a smile, "Pour me a glass of water. I've been talking all day and I'm dying of thirst."
Zhou's mother quickly poured Zhou Dafu a glass of warm water, handed it to him, and asked him expectantly, "You really became the team leader?"
Chow Tai Fook nodded proudly, "The list is out, how could it be fake?"
Zhou Ma cheered and said, "That's wonderful!"
Zhou Dafu's expression changed, and he said irritably, "If it weren't for you dragging us down, things would be even better."
Zhou Ma muttered under her breath, "I'm really being wronged. I didn't say those things. They figured it out themselves. You can't blame me."
"That's because you can't control your temper and your expression! Being a team leader is just my starting point. I can climb higher. You can't make this mistake twice," Zhou Dafu said sternly.
Zhou Ma was so tired of hearing these words that she almost got calluses on her ears. She replied perfunctorily, "I know."
Zhou Dafu sighed deeply. He shouldn't have married Zhou Ma because of her family's three generations of poor peasants. He should have married a smart, cultured woman, but not someone as unruly as Xiao Er's wife.
"By the way, Xiao Er's wife and Director Tang have fallen out. Don't use Xiao Er's wife's name to chat with Director Tang anymore," Zhou Dafu kindly reminded him.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up instantly. Lin Yuanshu had fallen out with Director Tang, which meant that Lin Yuanshu had no one to back him up. She no longer needed to worry about making things difficult for Lin Yuanshu affecting Zhou Dafu's work. She could make things difficult for Lin Yuanshu and manipulate him at will.
“That’s really…so…sad…” She originally wanted to say something happy, but seeing Zhou Dafu’s expression, she immediately changed her words.
Zhou Dafu had lived with his mother for decades, and he could see right through her. He warned her, "Don't even think about dealing with Xiao Er's wife. She's Director Xia's right-hand woman now, and she has a lot of influence with him. Putting aside everything else, it would be quite easy for Director Xia to make things difficult for a team leader."
The smile on Zhou Ma's face gradually disappeared. She pursed her lips and retorted softly, "Aren't there any other capable workers in the chemical plant? Why is she always on good terms with Xiao Er's wife? One Director Tang left, and another Director Xia came. As the saying goes, don't wash your dirty linen in public. I don't think Xiao Er's wife would tell Director Xia about my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict!"
Instead of answering Zhou Ma's question, Zhou Dafu asked in return, "What do you think?"
After thinking about Lin Yuanshu's shameless and unyielding nature, Zhou Ma realized that Lin Yuanshu was indeed capable of such a thing, after all, Lin Yuanshu was even more shameless than her.
With her head hanging low, Zhou Ma said with great grievance, "Then does that mean I have to keep putting up with my daughter-in-law? People will laugh their heads off if they find out. As a mother-in-law, you can't hit or scold your daughter-in-law, you have to try to please her!"
Zhou Dafu analyzed with great confidence: "Director Xia is competing with Director Tang, which is why he values Xiao Er's wife. Once the deputy factory director is selected next year, everything will return to normal. They will no longer take advantage of Xiao Er's wife, and she can return to her normal job as an ordinary female worker. At that time, you will be the one in charge at home."
Zhou Ma believed Zhou Dafu's words without a doubt. She took a deep breath. It's just a year! She can endure it. She will repay Lin Yuanshu double when the time comes.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Wei returned home with a blank expression.
When Aunt Wei saw Uncle Wei come home, she didn't notice his disappointment. Instead, she complained, "You told me before that it was impossible for the neighbor to become the group leader, so I said those things. Now look what happened, the neighbor became the group leader, and I've lost all face. I don't know how to face my neighbors!"
She feels incredibly ashamed now and least wants to face Zhou Ma, seeing her smug expression.
Grandpa Wei said in a low voice, "You just feel ashamed, but I still have to work under Lao Zhou. We were in the same factory back then. He has become a team leader, while I am still an ordinary worker."
Hearing this, Aunt Wei's mood worsened. She didn't want to be inferior to her neighbor. "Then what should we do? Why is Old Zhou's family next door allowed to become the group leader?"
Grandpa Wei was also completely confused. If Old Zhou's daughter-in-law had a good relationship with Director Tang, he could say it was because of their relationship. But Old Zhou's daughter-in-law had fallen out with Director Tang. And he had done the same things that Old Zhou had done recently!
Sun Yiyi was shocked to hear this news. She lowered her head and thought about it. She felt that her father-in-law in her previous life must have been helped by Lin Yuanshu to become a group leader. After all, Lin Yuanshu was able to pass the entrance exam for the chemical plant on his own, so it was not difficult for him to help her father-in-law in her previous life become a group leader.
She couldn't voice her suspicions. Her mother-in-law loved to compare herself to the neighbors, and if she knew it was Lin Yuanshu's doing, her mother-in-law would definitely blame her for being incompetent. She didn't want to cause trouble for herself.
Sun Yiyi touched her belly. Lin Yuanshu had already achieved her goal of finding a job. She wondered how long it would take for Lin Yuanshu to achieve her goal, even though she and Wei Yong had worked very hard during this time.
"There's no room for negotiation about the group leader position next door, Dad. Why don't you consider switching to another workshop? Ideally, the group leader in that workshop should be older or have a bad reputation." Although Sun Yiyi couldn't voice her own guess, offering a suggestion was still perfectly acceptable.
Grandpa Wei looked at Sun Yiyi with considerable surprise and exclaimed, "I didn't expect you to be so quick-witted. This is a good idea. I've worked in the chemical plant for so many years, and I still have some connections. I can't fall too far behind Lao Zhou."
Sun Yiyi gave a faint smile.
Aunt Wei's mood improved slightly, as long as her husband didn't have to work for the neighbor next door.
As night fell, Zhou Ma prepared two dishes and a soup, then called Lin Yuanshu and the others to eat.
At the dinner table, Chow Tai Fook formally announced, "I have become a team leader and received a significant raise. You all need to continue to work hard and become leaders as soon as possible to contribute to the chemical plant."
The older brother remained silent. It was already difficult enough for him to be a decent elementary school teacher; becoming a leader was out of the question.
Zhou Xiangyang had no desire to be a leader; he only liked cooking in the kitchen and preferred facing fruits and vegetables to facing strangers.
Sister-in-law Xue didn't think these words were directed at her, after all, she was just a canteen worker with no room for promotion.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Lin Yuanshu took the initiative to speak, saying, "How can we compare to Dad's abilities! Only by following in Dad's footsteps can we make our lives better and better."
Zhou Dafu was secretly delighted. Of all the people in the family, only his second wife knew how to talk. No wonder she was valued by the workshop director; she just had a pleasant way of speaking.
Lin Yuanshu continued, "This is a joyous occasion that brings honor to our ancestors. We can't just celebrate it alone. Although we can't return home in glory, we can invite Grandma, Uncle, and others over for a meal to celebrate Dad's happy occasion."
Thinking of the envious looks from his siblings and the villagers, Zhou Dafu excitedly said, "Let's do it this way! My second wife is so thoughtful. Such a joyous occasion must be shared with my relatives and friends."
If he never gets promoted again in his life, then this promotion will be his moment of glory. He must hold a banquet to show off, no, to demonstrate his abilities.
Zhou's mother was the first to object; she didn't want to see her mother-in-law's gloomy face. "No way! We just had a wedding banquet; how can we have a feast if we have no food or money!"
Lin Yuanshu exclaimed, "This is such a joyous occasion for Dad! How can there be no money? Where has all the money Dad has earned over the years gone? Dad has worked hard for half his life, but he hasn't spent any of it on himself. I really feel sorry for Dad!"
After saying this, Lin Yuanshu turned his gaze to Sister-in-law Xue.
Sister-in-law Xue really didn't want to speak, but she had no choice! If she didn't help Lin Yuanshu, Lin Yuanshu wouldn't tell her the auspicious days for pregnancy this month, but if she did help, her mother-in-law would definitely be angry.
"What the second wife said makes some sense. After all, it's Dad's happy occasion. Mom's idea isn't wrong either, since we don't have enough food to support another banquet." She chose to play it safe, not offending either side.
Lin Yuanshu was speechless. Sister-in-law Xue was really unreliable; even a fence-sitter would be better than her. She wanted both ways. "The grain issue is easy to solve. Instead of steamed buns, we'll make dumplings with extra vegetables inside, and that will be enough for everyone. As for meat, Dad can take some money to the canteen at noon to buy some prepared meat. Sister-in-law works there anyway, so she can set some aside beforehand. We're all family and friends; everyone understands during these difficult times..."
After all, in those days, people had to bring their own food when visiting relatives and friends. It was already quite kind of them that they didn't ask the uncle and others to bring their own food.
Zhou Ma sneered, "Understand my ass." Of course Lin Yuanshu understood, since it wasn't her doing the work. She only had her mouth and did two things: eat and talk. After finishing her meal, she would throw down her bowl and chopsticks and leave all the work to him.
"Alright, that's enough. This matter absolutely must be done. You'll have to make do this month, tighten your belts, but things will be better next month," Zhou Dafu said decisively.
What's the point of working so hard if you don't spend your money on yourself?
After dinner, Zhou Dafu went out for a stroll, continuing to enjoy the flattery from those around him. Sensing something was amiss, the eldest brother and Zhou Xiangyang promptly slipped back into their room.
With a blank expression, Aunt Zhou instructed Sister-in-law Xue, saying firmly, "Go wash the dishes and don't mention anything about what happened before. Now that your father has become a group leader, it means this matter is over. I didn't affect your father's promotion..."
Sister-in-law Xue looked at Lin Yuanshu, but Lin Yuanshu completely ignored her gaze. She wasn't going to help. Sister-in-law Xue really was like Xia Yingchun when things were going well, but Zhong Wuyan when things were going badly.
Seeing that Lin Yuanshu ignored her, Sister-in-law Xue could only tidy up the table and wash the dishes. She was truly exasperated; whenever her mother-in-law and sister-in-law fought, she was always the one who suffered.
As soon as Sister-in-law Xue left, Aunt Zhou questioned Lin Yuanshu fiercely, "What do you want to do?"
Lin Yuanshu exclaimed, "Mom, did you see through my thoughts?"
Aunt Zhou snorted coldly, "I knew you had ulterior motives."
Lin Yuanshu sighed and said helplessly, "I'm doing this all for your and Dad's sake, afraid that you'll encounter the situation of 'wanting to care for your parents but finding them gone.' You've always told us to be filial, and I think it's time for you to be filial to your elders too. Mom, don't you want to? Aren't you a filial person?"
Zhou Ma was furious, but didn't know how to retort. She gritted her teeth and said, "Do you think Xiangyang's grandmother is a kind and gentle person? When she scolds you, you'll realize how much trouble you've gotten yourself into."
Lin Yuanshu pretended to be deep in thought, then said with relief, "Luckily, I have to go to work during the day, so I don't have to stay with Grandma all the time. It's hard on Mom to take care of Grandma."
Aunt Zhou pointed a finger at Lin Yuanshu, exasperated, and said, "You...you believe I'll make Xiao Er divorce you..."
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