Chapter 5: Starting the Job Search
On the other side, Lin Yuanshu went downstairs and saw the neighboring aunties sitting under the big tree with their stools, chatting while sewing shoe soles.
She greeted her neighbors warmly and introduced herself. One of the older women, who had attended yesterday's wedding banquet, asked, "I heard you weren't feeling well. How are you now?"
Lin Yuanshu blinked, his face full of emotion, and said, "Thank you for your concern. I'm feeling much better now. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but my health failed me, and I've spoiled the fun for you all. I'm really so sad..."
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion, and she covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting others to see her tears.
The older women had never seen someone cry so easily before, so they hurriedly and frantically tried to comfort her.
Lin Yuanshu wiped away non-existent tears and exclaimed, "You guys are so kind."
In modern times, reputation is not so important. In the old days, everyone did their own thing. But in this era, it's different. A person with a good reputation and good word-of-mouth is more likely to get promoted. This is called following the mass line.
Although she could disregard her mother-in-law's opinions of her, she couldn't afford to offend all the neighbors, who sometimes proved to be quite helpful.
One of the older women quickly changed the subject, asking, "What are you planning to do there?"
"I'm planning to go out and see if I can find a job. As the saying goes, women hold up half the sky, and I should also shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family. I can't leave everything to my parents. They've had a hard life, and I want them to have a better life," Lin Yuanshu said sincerely.
Hearing this, everyone felt a mix of emotions. They never expected that the unreasonable Aunt Zhou could meet such a filial daughter-in-law. "Didn't your parents object? Jobs aren't easy to find these days. Many factories only hire the children of working parents."
Lin Yuanshu's eyes reddened slightly as he said seriously, "I have to try my best. I can't just stay at home and enjoy life while my parents work hard. It's okay if I'm misunderstood. Filial piety isn't something you just talk about; it's something you do. My mom is all bark and no bite. She may look fierce, but she's actually a very kind person. My sister-in-law hasn't gotten pregnant all these years, and apart from saying a few words, my mom hasn't kicked her out."
Acting, though amateurish, is good enough.
It's really hard for everyone to judge. They've known Aunt Zhou for so long, and they really can't see that Aunt Zhou is all bark and no bite. She's not only stealing their toilet paper, but she also turns around and blames them, saying they deserved it for not putting the toilet paper home. She's always treated her eldest daughter-in-law like a maid, scolding her whenever she wants. Her eldest daughter-in-law has to go to work during the day and do housework at night.
Afterwards, Lin Yuanshu chatted with her neighbors for about half an hour before leaving. She had learned about the general personality of the Zhou family from her neighbors, and that's why she decided to leave. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.
In any case, apart from Zhou Xiangyang, none of them are easy to deal with. Of course, this doesn't mean Zhou Xiangyang is good; sometimes inaction is also a mistake.
After Lin Yuanshu walked away, one of the older women sighed, "I used to think that marrying a country wife was a bad idea. Country wives are rude, uncultured, and unhygienic. But now it seems that Sister Zhou and Sister Wei have married very good country wives. They are both filial and polite, and you can't tell they are from the countryside at all."
"That's right! Sister Zhou is really lucky. It's not common to see such a filial daughter-in-law. It's just a pity that she can't eat 'supply grain,' otherwise I would also be willing to marry a country wife." Another aunt nodded in agreement.
If her daughter-in-law had this kind of awareness, she would be laughing in her dreams.
"Filial piety is useless. I don't think her job prospects are good. Think about Zhou Dafu's attitude towards women going out to work. He always says that women should stay at home and take care of their families. How could he possibly agree to Lin Yuanshu going out to work? Why doesn't he speak up for his eldest daughter-in-law in front of Sister Zhou? It's because he told his eldest daughter-in-law not to go to work, and she didn't agree! Since then, he hasn't cared about the relationship between his mother and daughter-in-law. Before, he would have spoken up for his eldest daughter-in-law," Aunt Hua said confidently.
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment, then sighed in unison, "It's tough being someone else's wife!"
Of course, this sigh doesn't stop them from making things difficult for their daughters-in-law, after all, they've been through it themselves.
Lin Yuanshu hummed a song as he admired the old Beijing of the 1970s. The streets were lined with all kinds of shops, such as food stores, tailor shops, and photo studios. There were slogans and posters everywhere, giving it a very lively atmosphere. Neatly arranged "28-inch bicycles" were parked on the roadside.
Although Beijing is not as refined as it is now, it has an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The county town where she lived when she was a child was similar to Beijing now, with propaganda slogans everywhere. However, back then, the propaganda was that it was good to have only one child!
Zhou's mother was rather idle at home, so she left all the housework to Xue's sister-in-law. She got annoyed when she saw Xue's sister-in-law washing clothes and Zhou Xiangyang cleaning the corridor. People who should be doing things don't do them, while people who shouldn't be doing things are doing them like crazy. How could she have raised such a stupid son? He's being ridden around by women, and he's still smiling and saying that his wife likes him.
Holding a shoe sole in one hand and a stool in the other, she kicked the door open and left the tenement building to chat with her friends downstairs. It was better than staying at home with two idiots.
When Sister-in-law Xue and Zhou Xiangyang saw Zhou's mother leave, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Sister-in-law Xue exclaimed, "Your wife is really amazing."
Although she disliked Lin Yuanshu, it didn't mean she didn't admire him. But if she were asked to speak to her mother-in-law like Lin Yuanshu did, she wouldn't dare.
Respect doesn't mean she doesn't dislike Lin Yuanshu. Everyone lives the same way, but she's different. She dares to talk back to her mother-in-law. Everyone would be happy if she just behaved.
Zhou Xiangyang nodded in agreement. He also thought Lin Yuanshu was very capable, handling everything with such ease, which was completely different from him.
Aunt Zhou carried a stool down to the big tree downstairs. The older women in the tenement building liked to sit under the tree to cool off and make insoles. She sat down next to Aunt Wen and asked with a smile, "What are you talking about?"
Aunt Wen said with a smile, "Let's talk about how filial you and Sister Xue's wife are."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma's face immediately turned ugly. She frowned and said disapprovingly, "Sister Xue's daughter-in-law is indeed filial, washing dishes and doing laundry. My daughter-in-law is far from filial. She ran off to find a job the day after the wedding and doesn't want to lift a finger for housework."
One of the older women, who had a good impression of Lin Yuanshu, said, "She went out to find a job so that you could have a better life! You should understand her. The most important thing between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is mutual understanding."
Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then retorted, "The only time she'll give me a good life is after I die, when she'll burn money for me every year."
“You can’t say that. Your daughter-in-law is quite filial; she even spoke well of you in front of us,” another woman retorted.
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