Chapter 112 Offending
Seeing this, Aunt Zhou frowned involuntarily. She walked over with a serious expression, interrupted the conversation between the two, and instructed Lin Yuanshu: "Don't chat with your dad anymore. Now that Aunt Wen and the others have left, you should go and pluck the chickens. This is your job, don't think about slacking off."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanshu immediately shut his mouth, stood up, and prepared to go to the makeshift kitchen.
Zhou Dafu was having a lively conversation with Lin Yuanshu and naturally didn't want to interrupt the topic. He said to Zhou Ma, "My second daughter-in-law and I have some important things to discuss. She doesn't have time to pluck the chickens right now. Anyway, you and your eldest daughter-in-law are busy in the kitchen. You can do this simple chore!"
Zhou's mother stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Zhou Dafu really was talking without thinking, just doing it on a whim! Why didn't he do it himself? He just kept telling her to do it.
She pressed on, saying, "I'm not an octopus with so many arms. I can't do things all by myself. What important business do you have to discuss? The most urgent thing is to cook a good meal to entertain the leaders, instead of you sitting here chatting and laughing while I'm busy in the kitchen and you two are leisurely."
Lin Yuanshu retorted with a smile, "Big brother is quite leisurely too."
The older brother was looking down at the newspaper, trying his best not to attract attention, but Lin Yuanshu still mentioned his name. He could only put down the newspaper, smile innocently, and say tactfully, "I'll go cook for my wife now. You two continue chatting."
If he stayed in the living room, he would only incur the wrath of others, so it would be safer to leave sooner. He knew that trouble would come as soon as Lin Yuanshu arrived. There was no quarrel at home when Lin Yuanshu was not there. From a certain perspective, Lin Yuanshu could be called a troublemaker.
After his elder brother left the living room, Zhou Dafu took a deep breath and explained in a gentle voice, "My second sister-in-law and I are discussing how to get the head of the maintenance department to value me more. He'll be here soon, and I need to make a good impression on him so that our relationship can deepen. It can't just be a simple meal; that won't build a closer relationship or help with my work..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou's mother was at a loss for words. She could explain things reasonably in terms of daily life, but when it came to work, she was completely clueless. After all, she had hardly ever worked a regular job or tried to curry favor with her superiors.
After pondering for a while, Zhou Ma still didn't give up on her idea. She said confidently, "Then...then you two chat, I won't disturb you for now. Try to chat as quickly as possible, the work in the kitchen is waiting for Xiao Er's wife to do! Since we're all family, we should work together to do a good job of entertaining our guests, how can we shirk our responsibilities!"
Zhou Dafu waved his hand at his mother and said somewhat impatiently, "I know, I'll finish talking to Xiao Er's wife as soon as possible and have her cook for you."
Zhou Ma nodded in satisfaction, turned and left the living room. As Zhou's daughter-in-law, Lin Yuanshu should go to the kitchen to help entertain the guests, instead of treating herself as a guest and sitting in the living room chatting idly.
Lin Yuanshu gave a meaningful look. There were already four people busy in the kitchen. It wasn't that Zhou Ma was short-handed, but that Zhou Ma couldn't stand her being idle. She felt that if she was idle, it meant she didn't care about the family.
Chow Tai Fook also agreed with Chow's mother's idea, feeling that she should be busy in the kitchen instead of helping her entertain guests.
That's why she doesn't like going back to the Zhou family.
When Sister-in-law Xue saw Zhou Ma return to the makeshift kitchen alone and pluck chicken feathers, she wasn't surprised at all. There was nothing Lin Yuanshu couldn't do if she wanted to, and no one could force her to do anything she didn't want to.
She kindly advised, "Mom, there's no need for you to provoke the second daughter-in-law. Anyway, she won't be staying at home for long. Just turn a blind eye and bear with it. Why make a scene with her?"
Zhou Ma didn't appreciate Xue Dasao's good intentions. Instead, she said irritably, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're willing to please Xiao Er's wife, but I'm not. No matter what, I'm her mother-in-law. She has to be filial to me for the rest of her life. Otherwise, even if she dies, people will still talk behind her back."
Sister-in-law Xue's expression was complicated. She felt that Lin Yuanshu didn't care much about this. She had plenty of ways to make Zhou Ma suffer in silence. Zhou Ma's current behavior was no different from asking for trouble.
Seeing that Sister-in-law Xue remained silent, Aunt Zhou sneered and said smugly, "As the mother-in-law of the second daughter-in-law, I'm teaching her how to be a good daughter-in-law. Even if she doesn't live in the Zhou family, I still have this obligation to raise her into a virtuous wife and loving mother, just like you, respecting your husband and being filial to your parents-in-law..."
Sister-in-law Xue was not happy to hear this. If she had a choice, she would also like Lin Yuanshu, who was confident and harsh to everyone. People disliked her, but had no choice but to please her.
As the saying goes, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful. She shouldn't have said those extra words. Pitying Zhou Ma is just letting herself down.
What's so pitiful about Zhou Ma? She bosses me around all day, and curses at me whenever things don't go my way. Instead of pitying Zhou Ma, I should pity myself for having to live with this kind of mother-in-law for the rest of my life. I really hope Zhou Ma leaves this world soon, so I can finally have some peace and quiet.
Zhou's mother kept talking, while Xue's sister-in-law remained silent. Only the eldest brother agreed with Zhou's mother's idea, "Mom, you really should teach the second daughter-in-law how to be a good daughter-in-law in the Zhou family. By the way, don't tell her that I brought this up. I'm afraid she'll hold me accountable later."
Zhou's mother couldn't help but roll her eyes, saying with obvious disdain, "You're so useless..."
The eldest brother said with great grievance, "Mom, you don't work, so you don't know how extensive the connections are of the second sister-in-law. It would be a piece of cake for her to deal with me. She's even gotten into the Ministry of Health now, how could I dare to mess with her?"
Lin Yuanshu doesn't even need to lift a finger. As long as he expresses his dislike for him, people will naturally rush to deal with him in order to curry favor with him. He can't fight against so many people!
Zhou Ma is, after all, Lin Yuanshu's mother-in-law. No matter how much Lin Yuanshu dislikes Zhou Ma, he will still show her leniency for Zhou Xiangyang's sake. He, however, might not be so lenient.
Zhou Ma asked sincerely, "You're a college graduate, an educated person, how come you can't even compare to the second daughter-in-law! You deserve a promotion!"
The older brother was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer Zhou Ma's question. If it were so easy to get promoted at work, his father wouldn't have been an ordinary repairman for half his life. If he hadn't met Lin Yuanshu, he wouldn't have become a team leader.
When Zhou Xiangyang returned from getting water at the toilet, he saw his older brother and sister-in-law working with their heads down and looking dejected.
He asked in confusion, "What happened? My brother and sister-in-law don't seem to be in a good mood?"
Zhou Ma's face was full of ignorance. "How would I know? They were chatting peacefully, and then suddenly they stopped talking. Who knows if they took the wrong medicine?"
Zhou Xiangyang didn't dwell on the issue too much. It wasn't a big deal anyway; he just didn't want to talk. When he was with his mother, he often didn't want to talk and was even forced to by her.
Zhou's mother kept an eye on Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Dafu's conversation, occasionally popping into the living room to try and get Zhou Dafu to end his talk with Lin Yuanshu as soon as possible.
Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu acted with ease. As long as she didn't want to end the conversation, she could bring up things that would interest Zhou Dafu. She found it quite amusing to watch Zhou's mother get angry but helpless.
After all, in the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, either the mother-in-law or the daughter-in-law is frustrated. Rather than being frustrated herself, she prefers to make her mother-in-law feel frustrated and unable to express her grievances.
Just then, the sound of the older brother talking to someone else could be heard from the doorway.
Lin Yuanshu turned his head and saw Deputy Factory Director Mao, the head of the technical department, and the head of the maintenance department carrying things into the living room, with his elder brother following behind them.
Zhou Dafu hurriedly walked up to the three men, overjoyed, and said, "Leaders, this way please. I am so happy that you could come to my home. It is my honor. This is the first time I have had such a meaningful birthday."
He never expected that Deputy Factory Director Mao would come to his house; it was something that would make people envious.
The head of the maintenance department glanced at Lin Yuanshu and said with a smile, "We've all come here specifically to share in your good fortune. In the new year, keep up the good work and contribute to the factory. We all have high hopes for you."
Chow Tai Fook nodded earnestly, "I will."
The three handed the items to Zhou Dafu and then sat down in front of Lin Yuanshu, starting to chat with him. Zhou Dafu was completely ignored.
Although Zhou Ma dared to be assertive in front of Lin Yuanshu, she did not dare to be assertive in front of these leaders, nor did she dare to open the packaging in front of them.
She took the items from Chow Tai Fook and put them into the room.
Zhou Dafu took a deep breath, smiled, and sat down next to the head of the maintenance department, trying his best to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, the head of the maintenance department didn't want to talk to Zhou Dafu and instead chatted with Lin Yuanshu and the others.
The eldest brother shamelessly sat down next to Deputy Factory Director Mao, hoping that Deputy Factory Director Mao would notice him and chat with him.
Deputy Factory Director Mao looked at Lin Yuanshu with gratitude and said in a low voice, "Thank you for speaking up for us at the Ministry of Health meeting. Otherwise, Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory might not have been able to get this spot! Director Qian and I are very grateful to you. If Director Qian hadn't been so busy, he would have come too."
Previously, Lin Yuanshu would always rush to the pharmaceutical factory to talk to her about work, and she never had a chance to properly thank him. Taking advantage of Lin Yuanshu's father-in-law's birthday today, she came to the Zhou family specifically to express her gratitude to Lin Yuanshu.
Lin Yuanshu blinked and said with a smile, "Deputy Factory Director Mao, you are too kind. Even without me, Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory could still get this quota. I just contributed a little. I really can't accept your thanks. It's all what I should do."
Deputy Factory Director Mao gave a pleased smile and said in a firm and resolute tone, "Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory is fortunate to have a comrade like you. If everyone in the factory could be as responsible as you, how could Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory not develop!"
Lin Yuanshu said with utmost humility, "You flatter me."
When Zhou Ma came out of the room, she saw Lin Yuanshu chatting and laughing with the leaders.
When she heard laughter again, her mindset completely changed. She no longer felt that the laughter was funny; instead, she felt that it was good that Lin Yuanshu could make the leaders happy, at least the leaders wouldn't complain that she hadn't treated them well.
She quietly returned to the makeshift kitchen to cook.
When Aunt Wei heard from her neighbors that the leaders had actually come to the Zhou family to attend Chow Tai Fook's birthday banquet, she felt a lump in her throat and a very unpleasant feeling.
She knew that the leaders came to the Zhou family not because they valued Zhou Dafu, but to give Lin Yuanshu face. Seeing the originally ordinary Zhou family become so glamorous just because of Lin Yuanshu made her feel extremely annoyed.
If Zhou Dafu had made a good living through his own abilities, she wouldn't have been jealous. But the fact that Zhou Dafu was only able to show off in front of her because of his daughter-in-law made her extremely uncomfortable.
When Aunt Wei passed by the Zhou family's house, she saw Zhou's mother bustling about in the corridor with a beaming smile. She couldn't help but grumble sarcastically, "Oh, some people! They openly and secretly despise their daughters-in-law, but when they benefit from something, they're utterly ungrateful. What's that saying again? 'Eating from the bowl, then cursing the mother!'"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou knew that Aunt Wei's words were loaded with meaning and that she was definitely being insulted. She put her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "What nonsense are you talking about? I have never done anything like eating from a bowl and then cursing your mother. If you keep talking nonsense, do you believe I will tear your mouth apart?"
Aunt Wei wasn't afraid of Aunt Zhou at all. She said with a disdainful look, "Believe it! Why wouldn't I believe it? If you can do something so shameless, what else can't you do?"
Zhou Ma took a deep breath and said emphatically, "My second daughter-in-law is a member of the Zhou family. What's wrong with me benefiting a little? She doesn't mind, so why should you, an outsider, mind..."
Aunt Wei pursed her lips, her expression unpleasant, and said, "Only you could say such shameless things. She's just being magnanimous, which is why she's not bothering with you. You can only benefit from this for now. Once your relationship fades, you won't have the chance to benefit from it anymore."
Zhou Ma completely ignored Wei Da Ma's words. She and Lin Yuanshu had never had a close relationship. As long as she was still Lin Yuanshu's mother-in-law, she could benefit from it.
"You're just jealous of me, jealous that I can benefit from being the second son's wife, while you can't."
Aunt Wei couldn't help but roll her eyes. Zhou's mother was really naive, thinking that she could always benefit from Lin Yuanshu's influence. If Lin Yuanshu was really that filial, he wouldn't have gone back to his parents' home for more than half a year.
Seeing that Aunt Zhou didn't take her words seriously, she didn't continue.
If she were to bring Zhou Ma to her senses and Zhou Ma actually went to curry favor with Lin Yuanshu, she would feel even more uncomfortable.
It would be better to just watch Zhou Ma's current cluelessness; that would make her feel better.
Zhou Ma had no idea what Wei Da Ma was thinking. Seeing that Wei Da Ma hadn't said anything, she assumed she had won the argument and showed a smug expression.
Aunt Wei muttered under her breath, "Idiot!"
What a fool who can't see the situation and is still complacent!
Zhou Ma stared wide-eyed at Wei Da Ma, not expecting that Wei Da Ma, unable to win an argument, would resort to personal attacks, cursing, "You're the idiot, your whole family are idiots..."
Aunt Wei didn't continue arguing with Aunt Zhou. After all, there were still leaders sitting in Aunt Zhou's living room, and she didn't want to leave a bad impression on them. After making Aunt Zhou angry, she dusted herself off and left.
When Zhou Ma saw Wei Da Ma leave like that, she felt like the argument hadn't been resolved. Wei Da Ma's departure left her feeling uneasy, but she couldn't call Wei Da Ma back, so she could only continue cooking in frustration.
Lin Yuanshu noticed what was happening outside the door. To deal with Zhou Ma, you still need someone like Aunt Wei. She is a junior, and there are some things she can't say, but Aunt Wei doesn't have that concern.
A slight smile played on her lips. It seemed that Aunt Wei was quite a useful tool; it was time to give Aunt Zhou some trouble, otherwise Aunt Zhou would want to cause her some trouble.
When Aunt Wei returned home, she still felt a tightness in her chest and drank a glass of water in one go.
Sun Yiyi overheard her mother-in-law and Zhou Ma's conversation at the door. She didn't step in to speak up for her mother-in-law, since neither of them were easy to deal with. She didn't want to get involved in their argument.
She cautiously probed, "Mom, now that the children are older, I think I can go back to work."
Aunt Wei looked up at Sun Yiyi and questioned, "Do you think you can find a job?"
Sun Yiyi was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Although I can't find it, Dad can help!"
Aunt Wei pursed her lips and said mercilessly, "You're overthinking it. If your dad had that ability, our family would have made a fortune selling jobs long ago. Jobs in the city aren't that easy to find. Look at Old Zhou next door, he still hasn't been able to find a job for his daughter!"
Sun Yiyi pursed her lips and continued tentatively, "We can buy jobs!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wei decisively refused, saying, "Don't even think about it. We don't have that much money to buy you a job. I don't know how long you'd have to work to earn back the money for a job. You should just stay home and take care of the children. You can think about finding a job after the children start school."
She's come to terms with it now. Rather than keeping her daughter-in-law confined at home, it's better to let her go out and explore, but the premise is that there has to be a place for her to explore!
There are so few job opportunities now. If her daughter-in-law could find a job through her own abilities like Lin Yuanshu, she would be the first to support her daughter-in-law going out to work, and she would scold anyone who objected.
Sun Yiyi lowered her head somewhat dejectedly. Although she knew her mother-in-law was right, she was still envious of Lin Yuanshu's success at work and wanted to try her hand at it herself.
"I see."
After seeing that her daughter-in-law had given up the idea, Aunt Wei didn't say anything more.
The Zhou family had a lavish lunch, including stewed chicken, pickled fish, braised pork, and four-happiness meatballs, among other dishes. After enjoying this meal, they would have to be frugal from now on.
Looking at the large table of dishes, Deputy Factory Director Mao smiled and said, "Thank you for spending so much on lunch today."
Zhou Dafu quickly waved his hand and retorted, "It's no trouble at all, just some ordinary home-style dishes. I hope the leaders won't find them offensive."
The head of the technical department said earnestly, "With so much meat and vegetables, how could we possibly complain? We're overjoyed! Thank you so much to Xiao Zhou's wife for preparing such a big meal for us."
Zhou Ma said somewhat reservedly, "It's no trouble at all. This is what I should do. As long as the leaders are happy with their meal, that's all that matters."
"Not only should we enjoy our food, but you should enjoy it too," Deputy Factory Director Mao said with a disapproving expression.
Aunt Zhou nodded repeatedly and said, "We are all happy."
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
After lunch, the head of the technical department and the head of the maintenance department returned to work at Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory. Only Deputy Factory Director Mao was off work today and could stay at the Zhou family's house.
Lin Yuanshu took the initiative to say to Deputy Factory Director Mao, "There's a park nearby with a nice environment. I'll take you for a stroll and help you digest your food."
Deputy Factory Director Mao readily agreed, "Sure, I'm quite full anyway, and I was just thinking of getting some exercise."
The eldest brother and Zhou Dafu wanted to go with them, but they knew that Deputy Factory Director Mao hadn't even given them a second glance since he entered the room. Even if they asked to go together, Deputy Factory Director Mao wouldn't agree.
Their trip to the park was just an excuse; what they really wanted was to find a quiet place to have a private chat.
Zhou Ma had originally planned to have Lin Yuanshu wash all the dishes after dinner. Since he hadn't helped with the cooking, he could at least be responsible for washing the dishes!
She hadn't expected Lin Yuanshu to accompany Deputy Factory Director Mao to the park. She couldn't very well stop Lin Yuanshu and Deputy Factory Director Mao from going to the park!
As soon as Lin Yuanshu left, the task of cleaning the table and washing the dishes fell to her again. After all, she couldn't leave it unattended forever; if others saw her doing so, they would definitely call her a lazy old woman.
She wouldn't have been so timid if Chow Tai Fook's management hadn't come.
Looking at Zhou Dafu, Zhou's mother said in an unfriendly tone, "Isn't Deputy Factory Director Mao your superior? Why isn't it you who's accompanying him, but instead his second wife? You can't be lazy about this kind of thing!"
Zhou Dafu felt his heart shatter into pieces, beyond repair. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is it possible that I wanted to accompany him, but Deputy Factory Director Mao wouldn't let me?"
Zhou's mother looked Zhou Dafu up and down and suddenly realized, "You're a man, so it's normal that Deputy Factory Director Mao doesn't want you to keep him company. I should have stayed to keep Deputy Factory Director Mao company instead of going to the toilet right after dinner. If I were here, Deputy Factory Director Mao wouldn't have asked Xiao Er's wife to keep him company. I'm particularly good at chatting with people."
After hearing what Zhou Ma said, Zhou Dafu suddenly felt that it was quite good for Lin Yuanshu to accompany Deputy Factory Director Mao, at least he didn't have to worry about Lin Yuanshu offending Deputy Factory Director Mao.
He reminded her with a serious expression, "You overestimate yourself. Don't be too presumptuous in front of Deputy Factory Director Mao. She's different from Aunt Wei and the others. If you two have a conflict, I'll be the one who suffers. She can't target you, but she can't target me!"
Zhou's mother felt extremely wronged and muttered under her breath, "How could I be as stupid as you think? How could I possibly argue with your boss for no reason? Didn't I behave well enough in front of your bosses today? I didn't even argue with Xiao Er's wife because I was afraid of affecting your work."
Zhou Dafu explained with a serious expression, "I'm just reminding you in advance so you don't offend the guests. Even if you don't like Xiao Er's wife, you can't show it in front of the boss."
Aunt Zhou rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "I know, I'll try to avoid appearing in front of your boss, so as not to embarrass you."
Upon hearing this, Chow Tai Fook nodded in satisfaction, "That's not a bad idea."
Zhou Ma: "..."
Ha, men!
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