Chapter 111 Father-in-law's Birthday
There were no problems on the Ministry of Health's side, and the pharmaceutical factory's progress was also very smooth.
Lin Yuanshu was very familiar with Deputy Factory Director Mao and others, and the workers at Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory were well aware of her abilities, so no one in the factory would deliberately make things difficult for her.
Everyone completed the tasks assigned by Lin Yuanshu with utmost seriousness, because they knew that Lin Yuanshu was also doing it for the good of Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory.
Seeing that Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory was making good progress, other pharmaceutical factories did not dare to go against Lin Yuanshu.
After all, they are both pharmaceutical factories. Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory was able to implement the plan smoothly, while their progress was not smooth. Under such circumstances, everyone tends to think that the problem lies in the execution of the pharmaceutical factory, rather than in Lin Yuanshu's overall planning.
Lin Yuanshu's work was on track, but Liu, the deputy director's assistant, was having a much harder time.
The assistant had been investigating diligently for several days, only to find that Lin Yuanshu hadn't seen anyone from Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory even once during this period. He didn't know how to report this to Deputy Director Liu. He wanted to distort the truth, but there had to be some truth to it first!
Deputy Director Liu was unaware of his assistant's thoughts; he only knew to hand the matter over to his assistant for investigation. As a result, even for such a small matter, the assistant investigated for several days without reaching a conclusion.
He couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "What happened to the matter I asked you to investigate before? Have you gotten any results?"
The assistant swallowed hard and stammered, "I... I may not have investigated thoroughly enough. I haven't been able to find out about Lin Yuanshu's meeting with the people from Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory. Please give me a little more time. I will definitely be able to find out Lin Yuanshu's weaknesses."
Deputy Director Liu was somewhat incredulous. He frowned and said, "Didn't I hear that Lin Yuanshu's relatives all work at Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory? Hasn't she gone back to visit her in-laws during this time? Don't they have any objections?"
The assistant said cautiously, "The results of my investigation with Lin Yuanshu's in-laws are that they didn't bother her because they were busy with her research project. I didn't expect her in-laws to be so understanding and not hold her back at all. Unfortunately, this is not so friendly to us."
Deputy Director Lin took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "You don't need to continue investigating. If you continue, you won't find anything. Lin Yuanshu is very cautious and has long been prepared to avoid suspicion, just so that we won't find any incriminating evidence against him."
Upon hearing this, the assistant exclaimed in astonishment, "Could she be clairvoyant? Otherwise, how could she possibly avoid suspicion!"
Deputy Director Liu sneered and said confidently, "I don't know if she can predict the future, but I know she's as slippery as an eel, making it hard to find any fault with her. When she talked to me, her way of speaking was impeccable. Although I don't know what she was like talking to you, I know that after your mission failed, you didn't blame her but blamed Mas. That shows how smart she is."
The assistant swallowed hard and couldn't help but retort, "It's not that I want to blame Comrade Mas, but this matter is Comrade Mas's fault. If Comrade Mas hadn't said those things to Lin Yuanshu, we would have successfully won him over long ago."
Deputy Director Liu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who gave you that idea?"
The assistant was about to say Lin Yuanshu's name when he suddenly realized what he meant. He gasped, his expression one of utter shock. "I understand what you mean. So what should we do now? Should we continue to deal with Lin Yuanshu?"
Deputy Director Liu shook his head and said softly, "Lin Yuanshu is a tough nut to crack right now. If we force it, we'll inevitably hurt our teeth. We might as well start with Team Leader Zhuang. Team Leader Zhuang isn't that difficult to deal with. Tell our people that there's no need to keep an eye on Lin Yuanshu for the time being."
The assistant nodded quickly, agreeing with Deputy Director Liu's idea. He felt that Lin Yuanshu was so powerful that it was a little frightening. He didn't want to get close to Lin Yuanshu now, because he was afraid that Lin Yuanshu would sell him out and he would have to count the money for Lin Yuanshu.
After all, before Lin Yuanshu appeared, he had a pretty good relationship with Mas. But now, even if he knows the truth, he can no longer be friends with Mas because he thinks Mas is crazy.
Before they knew it, it was Zhou Dafu's birthday. Since Zhou Xiangyang had already told Lin Yuanshu about it, Lin Yuanshu made a special trip home to visit her husband's family that day.
Even if it's not Chow Tai Fook's birthday, she'll still find a day to go back to her in-laws' house. It's not that she misses Chow's mother, but mainly she wants to make her presence felt and show off her filial piety to the neighbors.
She didn't care about these empty titles, but she also knew that in this era, having a reputation for being "filial" was quite advantageous.
Lin Yuanshu, carrying the pastries, cigarettes, and alcohol he had prepared the day before, boarded the bus back to the tenement building with Zhou Xiangyang.
Zhou Xiangyang originally wanted to carry these things, but Lin Yuanshu refused. The main reason was that Zhou Xiangyang was too inconspicuous, and carrying these things would make them as inconspicuous as him.
If these things lose their presence, it's like wearing fine clothes in the darkâshe bought them for nothing.
Because Lin Yuanshu's newly purchased bicycle had not yet been registered, it could not be driven on the road, so the two of them had to take a bus home.
She had hesitated before about whether to buy a new bicycle. When her research results were accepted, Director Huang rewarded her with a bicycle ticket. It seemed like a waste not to use it, but she was reluctant to sell the bicycle ticket, since bicycle tickets were not easy to obtain.
The reason I didn't want to buy a bicycle was simple: the apartment building I was assigned was very close to the research institute, and there were also vegetable markets, grocery stores, bus stops, and other places nearby.
She could buy almost anything she wanted near home, and since she and Zhou Xiangyang didn't like to wander around aimlessly, they felt that buying a bicycle wouldn't be of much use.
I never expected that I would be in charge of guiding the pilot units. My life, which used to be just going between two points, was suddenly disrupted. I had to go to the Ministry of Health one minute and the pharmaceutical factory the next, and I was extremely busy.
Every time she borrowed a bicycle from the research institute, she had to write an application and wait for approval before she could use it. She thought the procedure was too troublesome and was too lazy to wait for approval, so she gritted her teeth and bought a new bicycle.
If she had known things would turn out this way, she should have bought a bicycle sooner, so she wouldn't be unable to ride her own bicycle around now.
After getting off the bus, the two did not linger and went straight to the tenement building.
Aunt Wen and the others were watching people play chess under a big tree when they looked up and saw Lin Yuanshu carrying large and small bags of things walking towards them.
Aunt Wen and the others greeted Lin Yuanshu excitedly under the big tree. Then they walked up to Lin Yuanshu and started chatting with him.
"Comrade Lin Yuanshu, it's been a long time! Although you've left the dormitory building, it feels like you haven't left at all. We still hear about you. Thank you for helping the pharmaceutical factory set up that production workshop. When my husband first heard the news, he was so happy he couldn't sleep. Without you, how could the pharmaceutical factory have developed so well!" Aunt Wen said with a smile.
Lin Yuanshu said very modestly, "This is what I should do. Although I have left Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory, I have not forgotten that I am a worker who came from Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory. I still consider myself a part of Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory."
Aunt Hua patted Lin Yuanshu on the shoulder and praised him, "As expected of Comrade Lin Yuanshu, your ideological awareness is so high. Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory is really lucky to have a comrade like you."
Aunt Wen quickly chimed in, "That's right! Today is your dad's birthday. We knew you'd be back today, so we came downstairs to pick you up. You must be tired carrying all these things! Let me help you carry them."
As Aunt Wen spoke, she prepared to help Lin Yuanshu carry his things out.
Lin Yuanshu decisively refused, saying that the items were not heavy and she could carry them by herself. After all, she had already carried them downstairs, and the rest was just a short walk upstairs, so there was no need to trouble others.
When Aunt Wen saw that Lin Yuanshu refused her, she thought to herself that Comrade Lin Yuanshu was too polite. She then turned her attention to Zhou Xiangyang and whispered, "Xiangyang, why don't you help Comrade Lin Yuanshu carry his things? You're such a big guy, what a waste."
Zhou Xiangyang: "..."
Lin Yuanshu quickly explained with a smile, "It's not that Xiangyang didn't want to bring it up, but that I took the initiative to do so."
Aunt Wen gave a disapproving look and lowered her voice, saying, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu, are you confused? Your hands are for experiments, not for lifting things. Men need to be used more, otherwise you won't be able to do anything later! This is all based on my experience."
Lin Yuanshu subconsciously turned his head to look at Zhou Xiangyang.
Zhou Xiangyang explained with great grievance, "I'm not that kind of person. Even if you're seventy or eighty years old, you can still order me around."
Lin Yuanshu cleared his throat and said seriously, "I have no doubts about you."
Aunt Hua chuckled and teased, "The relationship between you two is truly enviable. What others say about you two not being a good match is all nonsense. I think you two are a perfect match. It's just that you're missing a child. If you had a child, it would be even better."
Lin Yuanshu smiled and replied perfunctorily, "I would like to have a child, but unfortunately the time is not right yet."
If she said she didn't want children for the time being, the neighbor aunties would definitely persuade her to have children, so it's better to say that they weren't meant to be, and the neighbor aunties wouldn't continue the discussion.
Aunt Hua comforted her earnestly, "You're right. Look at your sister-in-law, it took her five years to find this match! You don't need to be too anxious. Just let nature take its course, and the baby might come soon."
Lin Yuan nodded with a smile.
She didn't linger downstairs, as she was carrying things that would get tiring after a while. She chatted with Aunt Wen and the others as she went upstairs.
Aunt Wen and the others naturally followed Lin Yuanshu upstairs. Before they even reached the Zhou family's house, Aunt Wen shouted loudly, "Old Zhou's wife, your daughter-in-law is carrying big bags and small packages home."
Hearing the noise outside, Zhou Ma, who was in the living room, quickly came out. The moment she saw Lin Yuanshu, she felt a mix of emotions.
She had originally planned to confront Lin Yuanshu about his neglect of them after meeting him, but the presence of so many neighbors around him made her hesitant to speak.
It wasn't that she was thinking of Lin Yuanshu's best interests, believing that scolding Lin Yuanshu to her face would damage Lin Yuanshu's self-esteem. Rather, she felt that if she scolded Lin Yuanshu to her face, the neighbors would gossip about her behind her back, saying that she was a wicked mother-in-law who was always harsh on Lin Yuanshu, which was why Lin Yuanshu didn't like going back to her husband's family home.
Her already precarious reputation will only get worse, and although it's already bad enough, she doesn't want it to get any worse.
"It's good that you're back. Come and rest for a bit! You must be tired after walking such a long way." Zhou's mother looked reluctant.
Lin Yuanshu was somewhat surprised that Zhou Ma was so easy to talk to and didn't mention that she hadn't been going back to her in-laws' house recently. Something was definitely going on. It seemed that Zhou Ma was planning something big.
She handed the things she was carrying to Zhou Ma, who didn't stand on ceremony and opened the bag right in front of everyone.
Although this thing looks valuable, it's pretty useless to her. She's not interested in cigarettes or alcohol, and can only eat some fruit and pastries.
"I thought there was something good! This is nothing, not even enough to fill my teeth," Zhou Ma said with some disdain.
Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow and said with feigned concern, "Mom, it seems you have quite a large gap between your teeth. I suggest you see a doctor. With such a large gap between your teeth, either there's something wrong with your brain or there's something wrong with your mouth."
Once again, Zhou Ma experienced the power of Lin Yuanshu's words. She looked at Aunt Wen and the others, hoping they would step forward and say a few fair words.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Wen and the others looked at the sky and the ground, but not at her and Lin Yuanshu. Everyone was pretending to be stupid and pretending not to hear what Lin Yuanshu said.
Just as she was furious, Zhou Dafu walked over, looked at the cigarettes and alcohol on the table, and said excitedly, "These are good cigarettes and alcohol that I myself would never buy. Second wife, thank you for your trouble. I really like what you gave me. Don't listen to your mother. She's just saying one thing and meaning another. She also likes what you gave me."
In her heart, Zhou Ma loudly refuted, she didn't like anything Lin Yuanshu gave her, not a single thing caught her eye. She could only think it to herself, not daring to refute Zhou Dafu in front of so many people.
Lin Yuanshu knew that Zhou Dafu was trying to make amends for Zhou's mother, so she smiled and said, "Dad, whatever you like is fine. You're the birthday boy today, so everything should be based on your wishes. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
Chow Tai Fook gave a satisfied smile and sat back down on the sofa.
Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu also went over and sat down on the sofa.
Aunt Wen and the others naturally stayed by Lin Yuanshu's side, continuing to chat with him and inquiring about his current work situation.
Lin Yuanshu showed no impatience and answered with a smile, "I'm currently in charge of the planning for the factory buildings of three pharmaceutical companies. Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory is progressing the fastest. In a while, you should be able to see the new factory buildings of Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory..."
Zhou Dafu didn't care about such things at all. He was currently working under Lin Yuanshu and knew more about Lin Yuanshu's work than anyone else, so there was nothing to talk about. After all, it was all bitter and tearful stuff, and he wasn't the one giving orders.
He didn't stay in the living room for long before going back to his room to rest, since the living room was full of women and he felt embarrassed to stay any longer.
Not long after, Sister-in-law Xue and her brother returned with the groceries they had bought, and Zhou Ma prepared to go to the kitchen to get busy.
Today is Zhou Dafu's birthday. Not only his family but also his boss are coming to dinner, so a good meal must be prepared to entertain them. She and Sister-in-law Xue were processing live chickens in the makeshift kitchen. She was in a pretty good mood at first, but when she heard the laughter of Lin Yuanshu, Aunt Wen, and others coming from the living room, her mood worsened, and she became angrier and angrier.
Why should she be busy here, while Lin Yuanshu, as her daughter-in-law, can just sit back and chat with the neighbor ladies in the living room? Shouldn't cooking be the daughter-in-law's job? She, the mother-in-law, has been cooking for so many years, it's time for her to rest.
Zhou Ma took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress her temper, but hearing the laughter coming from the living room, she couldn't stand it anymore and angrily threw the half-plucked dead chicken into the vegetable washing basin.
She stormed into the living room, looked at Lin Yuanshu expressionlessly, and ordered, "Second wife, since you're free right now, why don't you come and help pluck some chicken feathers? Your sister-in-law and I are too busy to pluck any chicken feathers."
Zhou Xiangyang volunteered, "Mom, let me do it! I have nothing to do right now."
Aunt Zhou gave a cold laugh and said irritably, "Since you have time, why don't you go and kill the fish? There's plenty of work to do in the kitchen, and you all have things to do. There's no need to fight over it."
Seeing this, Aunt Hua spoke up for Lin Yuanshu, saying, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu has finally come back to his in-laws' home. There's no need for him to waste his time in the kitchen. He should spend more time with the birthday boy today."
Zhou's mother rolled her eyes and said coldly, "This is my family matter, and none of you have the right to interfere. I'm just asking my daughter-in-law to go to the kitchen to help with cooking. No matter who comes, they can't find fault with me. After we finish eating, she can do whatever she wants, but right now, she has to go to the kitchen to help with cooking."
Everyone looked at each other, it seemed that Zhou Ma was determined to teach Lin Yuanshu a lesson today. Their eyes were filled with pity for Lin Yuanshu. Lin Yuanshu was really unlucky to have such an unreasonable mother-in-law.
If Lin Yuanshu were their daughter-in-law, they would definitely treat her like royalty.
However, on the other hand, if Zhou's mother had been reasonable, Zhou Xiangyang wouldn't have faced the predicament of not being able to find a wife, and Zhou's mother wouldn't have gone to the countryside to find a wife for her son, nor would she have chosen Lin Yuanshu.
Therefore, all of this is a cycle of cause and effect.
Faced with Zhou Ma's rage, Lin Yuanshu remained calm and readily agreed, "Mom, I understand. I'll go pluck the chicken feathers in a bit, and then I'll chat with Aunt Wen and the others. We can't all be busy in the kitchen and have to call Dad out to keep Aunt Wen and the others company!"
There's no point in arguing with Zhou Ma at this point. Just agree first, and whether you actually do it is another matter.
If Zhou Ma asked her for help in a nice tone, she wouldn't necessarily refuse. But with Zhou Ma's attitude, even if she went to the kitchen to help, she wouldn't get a kind word in return, and might even be complained about for getting in the way.
Seeing that Lin Yuanshu wasn't going against her, Aunt Zhou felt much better and less angry. Her tone became kinder, and she said confidently, "You go and get busy in the kitchen. I'll keep Aunt Wen and the others company."
Lin Yuanshu nodded and said casually, "No problem. Dad's boss is coming today. It's a good opportunity for my sister-in-law to show off in front of him. If my sister-in-law and Dad have a conflict in the future, the boss will think of today's events and put in a good word for her."
Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then quickly called out to Lin Yuanshu, saying in a righteous tone, "You should stay with Aunt Wen and the others. I'll go to the kitchen to help. Your sister-in-law isn't a good cook and has never handled this kind of thing before. She won't be able to do it well. I can't let her lose face in front of the leaders. If she loses face, it's the Zhou family losing face."
As she spoke, Zhou's mother left the living room.
Lin Yuanshu did not refute Zhou Ma's words, and just watched Zhou Ma leave.
Aunt Wen gave Lin Yuanshu a thumbs up and couldn't help but praise him, "You're really something, managing to handle your mother-in-law. If it were us, we'd just have to obediently go to the kitchen and not dare to utter a sound."
Lin Yuanshu smiled slightly and said softly, "Actually, my mother-in-law isn't such an unreasonable person. It's just that no one is willing to reason with her. As long as you communicate with her sincerely, she can understand what people are saying."
Sigh! It's only natural for a mother-in-law to scold her daughter-in-law, but if a daughter-in-law scolds her mother-in-law, that's considered unfilial. What can she do but put on a good show?
Aunt Hua sighed, "You are such a good daughter-in-law, it's a pity you didn't meet a good mother-in-law."
Lin Yuanshu gave a helpless smile. "That's just how my mother-in-law is. She's a bit impatient, but she means well. If she does anything wrong, just tell me. Please don't take it to heart."
Aunt Wen said confidently, "Don't worry, we'll do you a favor for your sake, even if we don't care about the monk. She's incredibly lucky to have such a good daughter-in-law like you, and yet she doesn't appreciate it. She's truly blind..."
Aunt Wen's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
Zhou Ma, working in the makeshift kitchen, had no idea that her reputation had been ruined once again.
Because of what Zhou Ma had said earlier, Aunt Wen and the others felt embarrassed to stay at Zhou's house any longer, lest Zhou Ma say behind their backs that they were delaying her cooking. They left Zhou's house after chatting for a short while.
Hearing that there was no sound of Aunt Wen and the others talking outside, Zhou Dafu went out.
Lin Yuanshu looked at Zhou Dafu, a slight smile playing on his lips, and began chatting with Zhou Dafu about the head of the repair department.
Zhou Ma waited and waited until Aunt Wen and the others left. She hurried into the living room, intending to call Lin Yuanshu to pluck the chicken feathers, but found Lin Yuanshu chatting with Zhou Dafu.
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