Chapter 171 Taking Care
Sister-in-law Xue didn't care much about this. She never had any expectations of getting into university; she only studied to be lazy. But her husband dragged her into it, and she couldn't get off.
Meanwhile, Zhou's mother was inwardly blaming her eldest son for teaching others. If he hadn't taught them, his wife might have passed the exam. Now, others had passed, but his wife hadn't.
If two more college students were to enter our family now, how proud we would be to talk about it!
The eldest brother was completely unaware of what Sister-in-law Xue and Aunt Zhou were thinking. At this moment, the Zhou family's living room was extremely lively, as the families of those who had been admitted to university came with gifts to thank the eldest brother for his tutoring.
Although Zhou's mother was unhappy that her eldest son was teaching others, she was still quite happy to receive the gifts. After all, in her eyes, as long as she didn't have to spend money, she was getting a great deal.
The older women surrounded the older man, flattering him. They knew very well that if they could build a good relationship with him now, they would feel comfortable asking him for help later, since their families certainly didn't lack children taking the college entrance exam.
The eldest brother's face was beaming with barely suppressed pride. He could finally hold his head high. Before, everyone would only praise Lin Yuanshu, but now the tables had turned and it was his turn. It was so good that the college entrance examination had been reinstated!
No wonder ancient emperors loved sycophants; their words were so comforting to hear.
He glanced at Sister-in-law Xue and noticed that she was looking at Zhou Xiangling's college acceptance letter with envy.
He thought for a moment, then reluctantly gave up listening to the older women's flattery. He pulled Sister Xue into the room and whispered to comfort her, "A temporary setback is nothing. It's not your fault for not passing the exam. The main problem is that you didn't have enough time to study. Your foundation was already weak. I've decided to continue tutoring you until you take the college entrance exam again. With that much time to study, you'll definitely pass."
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Xue's heart sank. There was still almost half a year until the next college entrance examination, which meant she would have to study for another half a year. Just thinking about it was a nightmare.
She resolutely refused, saying, "I'm a blockhead. No matter how you teach me, I won't learn. I'm doing just fine working in a pharmaceutical factory. You don't need to waste your time on me. You should use your time for more valuable things."
The older brother gave a disapproving look and advised, "No, how can you be content to be a worker for the rest of your life? Don't you envy your younger sister for having an acceptance letter and being able to go to university? After working hard for half a year, you will have a better future. You should set an example for Ruyi!"
Sister-in-law Xue was not swayed at all. She retorted in a low voice, "Ruyi has already had enough role models. There's you, there's my younger sister, and there's my second wife. It doesn't matter whether I'm there or not. Don't look down on workers. Some people want to be workers but can't even do it!"
Although she envied her younger sister for having an acceptance letter, it didn't mean she wanted to work hard for half a year. Some things can't be learned just by hard work, like knowledge.
She really tried her best to memorize, but after a good night's sleep, it was as if she had never studied at all. She didn't want to live in such a miserable state every day; it wasn't a life fit for a human being.
The elder brother tried his best to persuade Sister-in-law Xue, even resorting to threats and inducements, but to no avail. Sister-in-law Xue was determined not to continue studying, and he was at a loss.
Sister-in-law Xue didn't want to listen to her husband's long-winded lecture any longer in the room, so she decided to go to the living room and chat with the other women. She made up an excuse and left the room.
Watching Sister-in-law Xue's departing figure, the elder brother couldn't help but feel resentful. He felt that his wife was being ungrateful. Others couldn't even get one-on-one tutoring, but his wife not only didn't appreciate it, she also refused his tutoring.
It will be a long and arduous journey to help his wife become a cultured person!
As soon as Sister-in-law Xue stepped out of her room, she bumped into Sun Yiyi. Sun Yiyi looked at Sister-in-law Xue with envy and asked curiously, "I heard that you and Zhou Xiaomei took the college entrance examination. How was it? Did you pass?"
In her eyes, Sister-in-law Xue had always been an uneducated middle-aged woman. She never expected that Sister-in-law Xue could now take the college entrance examination and become associated with cultured people. What a big change! Letting Lin Yuanshu marry into the Zhou family was a bargain for them.
She never had the chance to take the college entrance examination in her life.
Sister-in-law Xue waved her hand sheepishly, "I only took the college entrance exam to join in the fun. I didn't even graduate from elementary school, how could I possibly pass! Those people who took the college entrance exam are all incredibly capable."
Hearing this, Sun Yiyi felt an indescribable joy. She didn't want to see Sister-in-law Xue living a better life than her. She suppressed her laughter and said, "That's a pity. Actually, I admire you for daring to take the college entrance examination. If it were me, I wouldn't have the courage."
Sister-in-law Xue was a little embarrassed by the praise, but said with great ease, "Although I didn't pass the exam, it's good that my younger sister did. Our family didn't end up with nothing, so we didn't lose face."
Sun Yiyi was stunned for a moment, and realized once again with absolute clarity that this life was completely different from the last. Zhou Xiaomei no longer needed to rush into marriage; she could go to university and have a bright future.
She wasn't jealous of Zhou Xiaomei, after all, Zhou Xiaomei hadn't targeted her in her past life. She hoped that Zhou Xiaomei's life would get better and better. If it were Sister-in-law Xue, then it would be hard to say.
However, on the other hand, she is doing quite well now. She is not as rich as some, but not as poor as others, but at least much better than in her previous life. A wicked mother-in-law like Zhou Ma is not someone that ordinary people can tolerate.
"Then I'll go congratulate Zhou Xiaomei and share in her joy," Sun Yiyi said as she walked towards the Zhou family's living room.
Sister-in-law Xue followed Sun Yiyi into the living room.
In the living room, the older women were chatting enthusiastically, dreaming about the good days their children would have after graduating from university and getting jobs, and none of them noticed the two people walking in.
Sun Yiyi walked up to Zhou Xiangling and said with a smile, "Congratulations on getting into university and becoming a college student. Your family is truly blessed with double happiness!"
"Double happiness? What other happiness?" Zhou Xiangling looked at Sun Yiyi with a puzzled expression.
Sun Yiyi was taken aback for a moment, then explained truthfully, "Oh? Don't you know? Comrade Lin Yuanshu is pregnant. I ran into her at the department store a few days ago, and her belly was already quite big. Your family is going to have a new addition to the family, how can this not be a joyous occasion!"
To be honest, she was quite shocked when she saw that scene. She had always thought that Lin Yuanshu was not pregnant because Zhou Xiangyang was impotent. She used to be smug, thinking that although her life was not as good as Lin Yuanshu's, at least her man was a normal person.
If it weren't for the fact that Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang seemed to have a close relationship, she would have suspected that Lin Yuanshu was pregnant with someone else's child, just like her.
When Zhou's mother heard the news, she showed a surprised expression, but she quickly realized that her expression was not right and quickly returned to normal.
She took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "How could we not know she was pregnant? We just felt that since she hadn't given birth yet, there was no need to publicize it so much."
To be honest, she hadn't seen Lin Yuanshu since he returned to Beijing. She had invited him to her house for dinner before, but he was too busy with work to come; only Zhou Xiangyang showed up.
Zhou Ma was also a person who cared about her reputation. She was unwilling to shamelessly go to Lin Yuanshu and be humiliated by him. Of course, she was also a little worried that if Lin Yuanshu saw her, he would settle scores with her later, since they had taken advantage of Lin Yuanshu's absence from Beijing to give Zhou Xiangyang a small reprimand.
Meanwhile, Sister-in-law Xue and Zhou Xiangling were also preparing for the college entrance examination, studying all day long and rarely going to see Lin Yuanshu.
This has resulted in her being completely unaware of Lin Yuanshu's situation. If Sun Yiyi hadn't told them today, she might still be unaware of this even after having a child.
After hearing Zhou's mother's explanation, Sun Yiyi didn't think much of it. Instead, she held Zhou Xiangling's hand and chatted with her, discussing the college entrance examination and related matters.
The older women smiled and congratulated Zhou Ma, "You're so lucky now. Comrade Lin Yuanshu is pregnant too. You can finally put your mind at ease. In a few months, she'll give birth to a big, healthy grandson."
"So you see, among us, Aunt Zhou is the most fortunate. Her eldest son is a teacher and he's very good at teaching. Her youngest daughter has also been admitted to university, and her daughter-in-law is also very successful. Unlike us, we worry about trivial things every day."
Zhou's mother felt bitter, but she was too ashamed to say it. Her eldest son was indeed a teacher, but he taught elementary school and wasn't very successful. Her youngest daughter was going to get married and go to university, so it had nothing to do with her family. As for Lin Yuanshu, although he was successful, he was stubborn and didn't listen to her at all. It was already good enough that he didn't boss her around.
She didn't expect them to be successful; she only hoped they would understand the meaning of filial piety. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Although she appeared to be enjoying a life of luxury, her life was actually a complete mess.
When the older women saw that Aunt Zhou didn't reply to them, they all muttered to themselves that Aunt Zhou's life was getting better and better, and she looked down on them now.
“Once Comrade Lin Yuanshu gives birth, we will definitely visit her. I’m going to tell Aunt Wen and the others the good news. The aunties in the tenement building are all hoping that Comrade Lin Yuanshu’s life will get better and better. After all, she has helped us a lot…” one of the aunties said confidently.
The other women nodded in agreement, and as they talked, they left the Zhou family's living room.
Zhou's mother wanted to persuade them to stay, but she couldn't find a reason, so she could only watch them leave.
The eldest brother returned to the living room, hoping to continue being praised by the aunties, but all the guests had left, leaving only his own family in the living room.
"Where are the aunties? Why did they leave so quickly? Didn't they want to stay a little longer?" the older man asked, puzzled.
Sister-in-law Xue explained in a low voice, "They went to spread the news that the second son's wife is pregnant."
Big Brother: "..."
He felt that instead of spreading rumors about Lin Yuanshu's pregnancy, these middle-aged women should continue to support him!
At least they should praise him; he can tutor their children or grandchildren. Spreading rumors about Lin Yuanshu's pregnancy is of no benefit. These old ladies are really losing sight of the bigger picture and have no foresight.
Zhou's mother stroked her chin, her expression complex, and said, "Didn't you and your younger sister go to Zhou Xiangyang's house before? You're not young maids anymore, you've both had children. Didn't you notice that your second daughter-in-law was pregnant? Didn't she tell you anything at all?"
Sister-in-law Xue explained, "My second daughter-in-law is busy with work, and we can't always run into her."
Aunt Zhou sneered, her face full of disdain, "You've gone to such lengths to please her, it seems your relationship with her is nothing special, she didn't even tell you such an important thing."
Zhou Xiangling found her mother's expression particularly unpleasant, and she retorted in a low voice, "Maybe she didn't tell us because of you."
Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "What do you mean by that? She married into this family and I haven't mistreated her. Although I don't like her, it doesn't mean I won't like my grandson. Tomorrow I'll bring a big hen to take care of her and make her chicken soup."
"Mom, maybe the second daughter-in-law doesn't want to be disturbed by you," Sister-in-law Xue mustered her courage to remind her.
With her hands on her hips, Zhou Ma said, "Pah! I didn't want to go to their house either. Those two young people have never raised children before. What do they know? What if something happens to my grandson if I don't go and check on him? If it weren't for my grandson, I wouldn't have gone there!"
She wasn't there to boss people around; she was there to take care of Lin Yuanshu. She knew Lin Yuanshu was pregnant and couldn't get angry, so she would try her best to go along with Lin Yuanshu. Her family line couldn't be cut off.
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