Chapter 45 New Neighbors
Upon hearing this, the repairman breathed a sigh of relief and said enthusiastically, "That's great! You didn't say that your daughter-in-law is really reckless. She even planned to use a different method to prepare naphthalene intermediates. She might not even understand these things, yet she put forward her own ideas. She's too arrogant and conceited, and she didn't even consider what would happen if she failed!"
Zhou Dafu felt very uncomfortable hearing these words. He hadn't said that yesterday; he had clearly admired his daughter-in-law's work ability. But today he had changed his tune.
“You’re not her, how do you know she doesn’t understand? What if she happens to know? She’s not the arrogant type; she must have thought this through carefully before proposing this method,” Zhou Dafu explained earnestly.
The maintenance worker paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "You really are protective of your daughter-in-law. You don't mean to make everyone follow you to the workshop where your daughter-in-law works, do you?"
Seeing the disapproving expressions on his team members' faces, Zhou Dafu denied it, saying, "Of course not. Protecting someone is one thing, but it can't be mixed up with work."
He's not stupid. If he went to the workshop where Xiao Er's wife worked and her plan failed, then neither of them would be able to participate in the labor production competition organized by the Chemical Industry Bureau.
If he goes to another group, it doesn't matter if Xiao Er's wife fails, because there's still him, and one of them will always have a chance.
One should learn to prepare for both possibilities.
The repairman smiled and praised, "You really know how to separate public and private matters."
Zhou Dafu smiled smugly. How could these people possibly understand his foresight?
Lin Yuanshu spent the entire afternoon directing the movers to clean the workshop. After the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Lin Yuanshu decisively ended his directing duties and went to the workshop to change clothes and leave without hesitation.
When the team leader saw Lin Yuanshu appear on time next to the sign-in blackboard, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I thought you were going to work overtime today! After all, it's your first time being in charge of such a big task, you should be thinking about finishing it as soon as possible."
Lin Yuanshu smiled slightly and said very seriously, "These things can't be rushed. Health is the foundation of everything. Before the plan is implemented, let's leave work on time as much as possible. Who knows what will happen after the plan is implemented?"
Fortunately, the Chemical Industry Bureau held the labor production competition a month later. If the competition had started this month, she wouldn't have needed to submit a plan at all, because she wouldn't have been able to make it in time.
Moreover, she doesn't like working overtime. She will finish her tasks within working hours if possible, and if she can't finish them, she will finish them tomorrow. She would rather mistreat herself than anyone else.
"You remain calm and composed under pressure. You proposed such a big plan and acted as if nothing had happened. You went to work when it was time to go to work and left work when it was time to leave. I still have a lot to learn from your composure," the team leader said sincerely.
Lin Yuanshu touched her nose sheepishly. Perhaps it was because she had experienced such a grand event as time travel that everything else seemed trivial compared to it, which was why she was relatively calm.
Zhou Xiangyang got off work a little late today, so it was Lin Yuanshu's turn to wait for him.
Looking at the workers who kept greeting her, Lin Yuanshu finally felt like a celebrity. However, she wasn't surprised, since the factory's newspaper was still publishing her story.
It will probably take some time for the hype to die down before she can return to a normal life.
Not long after, Zhou Xiangyang ran up to Lin Yuanshu, and the two left the chemical plant chatting and laughing.
Although Zhou Xiangyang had heard about Lin Yuanshu's proposal, he didn't ask too many questions. He figured that Lin Yuanshu had been dealing with this all day and probably wouldn't want to discuss it after get off work; nobody wants to talk about work after hours.
So he chatted with Lin Yuanshu about the books he had read the day before, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "His writing is so beautiful. I wish I could be that good."
Lin Yuanshu said with a smile, "You can also try writing. Maybe your writing is also very beautiful."
Zhou Xiangyang shook his head. "I can't do it. I'm just a cook."
Lin Yuanshu said softly, "The key is not whether you can do it or not, but whether you want to. As long as you want to, there is nothing you can't do. The purpose of doing something doesn't have to be success; it can also be for happiness."
Zhou Xiangyang looked at Lin Yuanshu with bright eyes and said somewhat embarrassedly, "When I was in high school, I wrote some manuscripts and sent them to publishing houses, but unfortunately, they were not selected. After my mother found out, she scolded me for not doing my job properly, and I haven't written any manuscripts since then."
Lin Yuanshu exclaimed in surprise, "You're amazing! If it were me, I wouldn't be able to write a single word. If writing makes you happy, you can write when you have nothing else to do. But if it gives you a headache, then there's no need to write."
Zhou Xiangyang said with great interest, "I want to give it a try."
Lin Yuanshu encouraged him, "Then I will fully support you."
"Um, thank you," Zhou Xiangyang muttered softly, feeling conflicted as he wanted Lin Yuanshu to hear but also didn't want him to.
Lin Yuanshu didn't hear Zhou Xiangyang's mutterings. After all, along the way, there were always older women who wanted to chat with her, but the older men probably avoided talking to her unless there were special circumstances, so they didn't.
The three workshop directors discussed it for an entire afternoon, but they couldn't come to a conclusion, and none of them would give in to the others.
They had originally planned to talk to Lin Yuanshu privately, since Lin Yuanshu's behavior today was too outrageous. How could he not discuss such a big matter with them at all?
As subordinates, Lin Yuanshu's unauthorized actions made them somewhat dissatisfied with his behavior. If they hadn't considered that the other two workshop directors would have helped if they hadn't, they certainly wouldn't have just taken it so lightly.
Unfortunately, they didn't see Lin Yuanshu, because he had already left work long ago.
Director Tang couldn't help but exclaim, "This attitude is just too good!"
Wu Jianhua had been closely following the meeting between the three workshop directors.
After his subordinates learned about the meeting, they immediately returned to Wu Jianhua's office in the workshop.
Wu Jianhua asked anxiously, "How is it? Have the results come out yet?"
The subordinate replied matter-of-factly, "No, the three workshop directors plan to continue the discussion tomorrow. However, I heard that Comrade Zhou Moli is planning to implement the plan together with Comrade Lin Yuanshu."
Wu Jianhua was stunned for a moment, "Are you sure you didn't hear wrong?"
The subordinate nodded and said seriously, "It's confirmed. Comrade Zhou Moli has already told Director Tang about this matter, and she plans to start working with Comrade Lin Yuanshu tomorrow."
Wu Jianhua laughed excitedly, "That's great! Lin Yuanshu's plan is really impressive. It takes down two of my rivals at once. It's good that they're all in this together. With this, I'm definitely going to be the leader of the backup workshop group!"
The subordinate pursed his lips and offered his suggestion, "Team Leader Wu, since Comrade Lin Yuanshu and Comrade Zhou Moli are both together, why not deal with them together? It would save us a lot of trouble."
Wu Jianhua shook his head and refused, saying, "Let's not deal with these two for now. We've also canceled our previous plan to deal with Zhou Moli. At this critical juncture, if something happens to them, people will definitely suspect that I did it. It's better if nothing happens to them than if something does. I don't want to get my hands dirty."
The subordinate, his eyes vacant, replied, "I understand."
He worked in vain all afternoon. He finally came up with a plan to deal with Lin Yuanshu, but as soon as he finished setting it up, his boss ordered it to be canceled and changed to deal with Zhou Moli instead. He finally set it up again, intending to kill two birds with one stone, but his boss ordered it to be canceled again.
What's even more frightening is that he might have to plan to deal with these two people in the future, and then he'll have to rearrange things again.
When Lin Yuanshu returned home, she found a plump middle-aged woman sitting in the living room. She had a kind smile on her face, and Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but take a second look at her. In this day and age, it was rare to see someone who was quite plump.
Li Xiaohua couldn't help but take a few more glances at Lin Yuanshu. She had thought that the second wife that Ah Chun had mentioned would have slanted eyebrows, a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, and look unapproachable. Unexpectedly, she looked quite well-behaved and was very approachable. You couldn't tell that she had a strong personality at all.
No wonder she was able to trick Ah Xiang into marrying into the Zhou family; her methods are quite shrewd.
Aunt Zhou introduced with great interest: "This is my childhood playmate, and she is also our current neighbor. You can just call her Aunt Li. Be polite to her and don't speak without thinking."
When Zhou Ma said this, she glanced at Lin Yuanshu, her eyes indicating that she was deliberately reminding him.
Sister Ahua came to help her figure out if there was any way to deal with Xiao Er's wife. With Sister Ahua's abilities, dealing with Xiao Er's wife would definitely be a piece of cake.
Lin Yuanshu revealed a playful expression; it seemed the visitor was up to no good!
Zhou Dafu was about to ask Lin Yuanshu about matters related to the business plan.
Before Zhou Dafu could even speak, Lin Yuanshu knew what he was thinking. She quickly handed him the bicycle ticket and said with a smile, "Dad, you can finally have the bicycle you've always dreamed of! I heard that the department store has a batch of new bicycles on display today. If you go too late, you'll have to wait."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Dafu disregarded the matter of the business plan and took the bicycle ticket from Lin Yuanshu. As he returned to his room to get the money, he said, "I might not have time to come back for dinner tonight. You guys eat first."
Zhou Ma couldn't help but mutter, "You can't be like Xiao Er's wife, spending money so extravagantly. Eating out is too wasteful. I'll save some food for you and keep it warm in the pot so you can have breakfast at home."
Zhou Dafu thought for a moment and agreed, "Okay."
Anyway, as long as his wife doesn't mind the trouble, he doesn't necessarily have to eat at restaurants outside.
Lin Yuanshu glanced at Aunt Li and caught a fleeting glimpse of envy in her eyes, which vanished in an instant.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have almost thought she was seeing things.
After Chow Tai Fook left, Chow's mother announced, "Aunt Li will be having dinner at home today. I have to entertain the guests, so I'll leave the cooking to you."
She originally wanted to ask Lin Yuanshu to cook, but remembering her previous agreement with him, she decided to leave it to them.
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to his elder brother and instructed, "Brother, remember to add more oil when you cook."
“As a real man, I have three words to say to you: I’m not doing it. Cooking is a woman’s job, not mine,” the older brother said without hesitation.
Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but clap his hands and praised, "Brother, well said. I will definitely help you spread the word tomorrow so that the workers in the factory know about your lofty ambitions and so that the women can entrust their children to you with peace of mind and let you be their child's teacher, so that they can raise a talent as outstanding as you."
The eldest brother's arrogance was immediately extinguished, and he stammered, "I...I didn't mean that..."
If the women heard this, what would happen? Teachers already have a low social status, and they are often dragged out for criticism and struggle sessions. He lives a precarious existence at work. If the women cause a scene, he might lose his job.
Lin Yuanshu glanced at Aunt Li and said softly, "Then what do you mean?"
The older brother took a deep breath and said with great frustration, "I'll go cook right now."
Lin Yuanshu turned around, looked at Zhou Ma and Li Dama, and said with a smile, "Mom, you two chat slowly. I'm going back to my room to rest first. I'm exhausted after working all day today."
Without waiting for Zhou's mother's reply, she pulled Zhou Xiangyang away from the living room after saying those words.
In the corridor, the eldest brother brought out a coal stove and set up a makeshift kitchen, while Sister-in-law Xue washed vegetables nearby.
The older brother was deeply moved and said, "Wife, you're the best to me."
Sister-in-law Xue blinked, a calculating glint in her eyes. She suddenly realized something: the worse Lin Yuanshu's attitude was towards his lover, the more grateful he would be for her companionship, and the better their relationship would become. This was probably what the book meant by "true love is revealed in times of trouble."
A bold idea popped into her head: she could pay Lin Yuanshu to put on a show for her, making him treat her lover worse, and then she could speak up for him. Her lover would definitely be grateful.
The thought of this scene made her tremble uncontrollably, her whole body radiating excitement.
Sister-in-law Xue was afraid that her husband would notice something was wrong, so she quickly lowered her head and said in a disappointed tone, "It's all my fault for being useless and clumsy with words. I can't argue with the second wife and can't stand up for you. I can only help you with the work."
The elder brother gently comforted her, "You've already done very well. Who can out-argue the second sister-in-law? Putting aside everything else, she's very good at labeling people; she can make a white cat look like a black cat!"
Sister-in-law Xue nodded and joined her husband in criticizing Lin Yuanshu. The corners of her mouth were always slightly upturned, and she showed no trace of her previous submissive appearance.
In the living room, Li Xiaohua frowned and said, "Your daughter-in-law is not easy to deal with. It's better to use the method I mentioned before to control your son."
Zhou Ma asked, puzzled, "She hasn't even spoken to you, and you already know she's difficult to deal with?"
Li Xiaohua said with exasperation, "Do you think she asked your eldest son to cook because she was lazy? No, she's making an example of him to warn me not to do anything rash."
Aunt Zhou asked incredulously, "Could it be that you're overthinking it?"
Li Xiaohua retorted confidently, "How could I be overthinking it! You're underthinking it. You're just unlucky to have such a daughter-in-law."
Zhou Ma: "..."
Has Sister Ahua been defeated just like that?
No, she wouldn't allow that to happen.
Zhou Ma lowered her voice and said, "Don't give up so soon. You'll still have a chance to chat with her during dinner tonight. Give her a good scolding and make her lose face so she can vent her anger for me."
Li Xiaohua's expression held a hint of uncertainty; Ah Xiang's daughter-in-law was troublesome!
"I'll try my best, but I won't have high hopes for the outcome."
Li Xiaohua's one of her few abilities is that she has an exceptionally good eye for people.
Zhou Ma had great faith in Li Xiaohua's abilities, believing that Li Xiaohua was as capable as two people in one.
Inside the room, Zhou Xiangyang carefully flipped through past literary journals from Beijing. Knowing your enemy is half the battle; you will never be defeated. He needed to understand what kind of articles these journals liked to publish before he could write similar articles, thus increasing his chances of being selected.
Lin Yuanshu was flipping through "Literature and Art of Beijing" and found some of the content quite interesting, as it was very characteristic of that era.
Just then, she suddenly remembered that she still had the reward given by Director Xia in her pocket. She quickly took it out and looked through each one to see what tickets were there.
Unexpectedly, Director Xia was quite pragmatic, giving out coupons for daily necessities, sugar, oil, and industrial products, all of which were useful. Unfortunately, there were still too few industrial coupons; they couldn't even buy a radio. Although there weren't many channels available to listen to now, a radio was still one way to understand this era.
The older brother realized that since guests had come, he couldn't show his stingy side, so he went to his parents' room and took out a piece of salted meat.
He felt that the only good thing about Lin Yuanshu becoming his sister-in-law was that he wouldn't have to worry about not having enough meat at home. After all, Lin Yuanshu would occasionally go to the slaughterhouse to buy scraps without ration coupons, but the quantity might not be as much as the first time she bought them. There wasn't enough meat for the family to eat, let alone send some to his grandmother.
Zhou Ma truly considered Sister Hua a friend, so she didn't stop her eldest son's behavior. If it were someone else, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to serve meat.
The eldest brother's cooking skills were so-so, so Sister-in-law Xue did all the cooking, and the eldest brother could only help out by chopping and washing the vegetables.
Smelling the cooked salted meat, Sister-in-law Xue couldn't resist. While cutting the meat, she secretly ate two pieces. Feeling guilty, she ate while looking around and saw her neighbor's daughter-in-law, Sun Yiyi, staring at her.
She quickly swallowed the meat and said fiercely, "What are you looking at! If you dare to tell anyone about this, I won't let you off the hook."
Sun Yiyi smiled slightly, then walked into the Zhou family's living room and told them about Sister-in-law Xue's secret eating of meat, which led to Sister-in-law Xue being scolded by Zhou's mother.
Sister-in-law Xue cursed Sun Yiyi in her heart. She had thought Sun Yiyi was a good person, but she never expected her to be so wicked and eager to cause trouble. She would remember Sun Yiyi and get her revenge when she had the chance.
Worried that Xue Dasao, who had a sweet tooth, would sneak some meat again, Zhou Ma kept an eye on Xue Dasao while chatting with Li Xiaohua.
Li Xiaohua looked at Xue Dasao's performance and said with satisfaction, "Your eldest daughter-in-law is quite good; at least she doesn't dare to contradict you."
Zhou Ma couldn't help but sigh, "It's just that her belly is uncooperative. She's been married for five years and hasn't laid an egg yet. I'm so worried that I can't sleep."
The eldest daughter-in-law is good, but she can't get pregnant, so she's not as good as the younger daughter-in-law!
Li Xiaohua patted Zhou Ma on the shoulder and said some words of comfort to her.
As night fell, Lin Yuanshu figured it was time for dinner, so he and Zhou Xiangyang went to the living room. Sister-in-law Xue was busy cooking, and when Zhou Xiangyang saw this, he went over to help her.
Lin Yuanshu had just sat down on the sofa when Li Xiaohua's wife walked into the living room with pastries.
She said very politely, "My husband is working the night shift today, so he can't come over for dinner. Thank you for the invitation, it's really too much trouble for you."
Zhou Ma accepted the pastries without any hesitation, and said with a smile, "It's no trouble at all, just a quick thing. Sister Ahua, your daughter-in-law is really beautiful."
She wasn't flattering her; the woman in front of her was genuinely beautiful. She wore a white floral polyester blouse and a red plaid skirt, and her hair was styled in a thick braid that hung down her back, making her look extremely fashionable.
Compared to Sister Ahua's daughter-in-law, her eldest daughter-in-law looked like a rural woman, completely lacking the temperament of a city dweller.
Li Dahua's face was very unpleasant. She said with a disdainful look, "What's the use of being pretty? I still prefer your eldest daughter-in-law. She looks capable. I like hardworking daughters-in-law."
Zhu Huilan's smile vanished instantly. She had tried her best to please her mother-in-law, but her mother-in-law was still not satisfied with her. She took a deep breath and sat down next to Lin Yuanshu.
"Hello, my name is Zhu Huilan. You can just call me Sister Huilan. I know your name; you're quite a celebrity in that tenement building." Zhu Huilan looked at Lin Yuanshu with admiration.
Women who can keep their mothers-in-law in line are highly respected by their daughters-in-law, who are also very capable and outperform many men.
Lin Yuanshu smiled sheepishly, "You're all too kind."
She didn't know whether the term "celebrity" was derogatory or complimentary. Although her neighbors would certainly praise her to her face, who knew what they would say behind her back? After all, even someone with little money couldn't be universally loved, and excessive envy could turn into jealousy.
The two hadn't been chatting for long when Sister-in-law Xue and Zhou Xiangyang brought out the food: steamed buns made from two kinds of flour, four dishes, and a soup. Excluding the pickled vegetables, it was quite a feast.
Halfway through the meal, Li Dahua suddenly frowned and asked, "Where's Xiaobao? You're her mother, how can you be so indifferent to your child? Bring her over to eat."
Zhu Huilan explained in a serious tone, "Xiao Bao is already asleep. He said he was hungry earlier, so I gave him some pastries."
Li Xiaohua said with great dissatisfaction, "I told you not to feed the child pastries before meals, and now you don't want to eat. If you develop this habit, you won't be able to break it. Children need to eat on time. The child may not understand, but don't you understand?"
"Mom, I was wrong. I'll go and bring Xiaobao over for dinner right now," Zhu Huilan said, taking the initiative to apologize.
Zhou Ma looked at Li Xiaohua with shining eyes. As expected of Sister Ahua, she was indeed capable. She asked with a smile, "How old is your little grandson?"
“Xiao Bao is two years old. He used to live with his father on the island. After his father was transferred back to Beijing for work, he brought me back to the city to reunite with them. I used to be in charge of keeping score in the production team, so I didn’t work in the fields much,” Li Xiaohua said with a sigh.
"Sister Ahua, you've suffered so much." Aunt Zhou looked at Li Xiaohua with a sympathetic expression.
Lin Yuanshu had no interest in watching their sisterly affection; they talked their own thing, and she ate her own.
Sister-in-law Xue was initially a little embarrassed, but seeing Lin Yuanshu enjoying his meal, she quickly forgot about her embarrassment.
Not long after, Zhu Huilan came in carrying a sleepy-eyed baby. When Sister-in-law Xue looked at the adorable child, her maternal instincts kicked in.
Lin Yuanshu also quite liked this human cub; as long as she wasn't allowed to take care of it, she would like it.
Zhou Ma looked at Lin Yuanshu earnestly and said, "How was it? Wasn't you a good boy/girl? Don't you want to have a child of your own?"
Lin Yuanshu said with a serious expression, "Mom, you can't rush things when it comes to children. They'll come when the time is right."
She hasn't even slept in the same bed with Zhou Xiangyang yet, so it's still a long way off if she wants a child!
Zhou Ma looked at Sister-in-law Xue, who was still thinking about how to answer, but Zhou Ma only glanced at her.
Sister-in-law Xue felt that her mother-in-law had said everything even though she hadn't said anything, and she was now dreaming of getting pregnant.
Zhou Ma took a deep breath and got down to business, "On another note, I was very dissatisfied with your speech at the commendation meeting the other day. You thanked too many people. What difference does it make whether I paid money or not?"
The older brother nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly, you didn't say you wanted to thank so many people!"
Lin Yuanshu ate his food slowly and said in a serious tone, "Tell me, did I thank you? We did everything according to our agreement. I never said I would only thank you!"
Aunt Zhou said with great dissatisfaction, "This is false advertising."
Lin Yuanshu smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, I don't offer refunds here."
Li Xiaohua cleared her throat and said seriously, "How can you talk to your mother with such a frivolous attitude? It's so ill-mannered. As a daughter-in-law, you should be filial to your mother-in-law. Even if your mother-in-law does something wrong, you can't argue with her."
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully, "You're right. I also think my mom, as a daughter-in-law, isn't treating grandma very well. How can she give grandma a hard time just because she's here? Like father, like daughter. Mom needs to set a good example for me!"
If she can't handle Aunt Li, can't she handle her mother-in-law? She knows exactly what her mother-in-law's weaknesses are.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma instantly lost all motivation to ask Sister Hua to help her vent her anger. She knew that Lin Yuanshu was using her mother-in-law to threaten her and tell her to stop causing trouble. She said weakly, "Let's all stop talking and eat! If we don't eat soon, the food will get cold."
Although Li Xiaohua was puzzled as to why Zhou Ma no longer asked her to help her vent her anger, she didn't ask any further questions. She was good at disciplining her own daughter-in-law, but she wasn't really good at disciplining other people's daughters-in-law, and she was feeling quite uneasy.
Lin Yuanshu finished his meal with relish, but Zhou Ma ate absentmindedly. It seemed that Sister Ahua couldn't deal with Lin Yuanshu either, because Lin Yuanshu wasn't afraid of Sister Ahua at all.
After finishing their meal, Zhu Huilan took the child and went home, while Lin Yuanshu and Sister-in-law Xue went to the tap to wash the dishes.
Li Xiaohua whispered a reminder: "Don't forget what I said last night. You need to grasp the key points to hit the mark in one strike."
Zhou Ma nodded solemnly. This was her last resort. If this method didn't work, she would accept her fate.
After washing the dishes, Lin Yuanshu said to Sister-in-law Xue, "I'll leave the rest to you. I have to go upstairs for a bit. Thank you."
“Okay,” Sister-in-law Xue readily agreed.
The biggest difference between her mother-in-law's and Lin Yuanshu's instructions was that Lin Yuanshu spoke more politely and said nicer things, while her mother-in-law would yell at her, not only being impolite but also scolding her.
Therefore, it's not without reason that Lin Yuanshu is more popular among the neighborhood aunties.
After Lin Yuanshu went upstairs, he went to see Ah Chun. Lin Yuanshu lowered his voice and said, "Could you please help me find out some background information about our new neighbor, Comrade Zhu Huilan?"
She didn't suspect Zhu Huilan of having any problems, but rather felt that Zhu Huilan must be someone important. In this era, anyone who could wear a Dacron shirt was no ordinary person.
Moreover, she can dress so uniquely, it's obvious she was pampered, and that innocent air is similar to Tang Rong's.
It wasn't that she didn't want to gather information herself, but rather that her ability to do so was indeed inferior to that of Ah Chun, who had lived in Beijing since childhood.
Ah Chun said excitedly, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
Comrade Lin Yuanshu finally trusted her. One reason she was willing to help was because Lin Yuanshu had spoken up for her, allowing her to attend high school.
Another reason is that she thinks Comrade Lin Yuanshu is very capable, and she thought that if she encounters difficulties in the future, she can ask Comrade Lin Yuanshu for help. Since the last incident, she is really afraid of the feeling of having nowhere to turn for help.
On the other side, Zhou's mother pulled Zhou Xiangyang into her room. Remembering what Sister Ahua had said, she cried and said, "Xiao Er! Your mother has been having a really hard time lately. How can you just stand by and watch your wife bully your mother? If a man doesn't even protect his own mother, is he even a man? He's no different from an animal."
Zhou Xiangyang retorted in a low voice, "My wife didn't bully you. She even thanked you at the commendation ceremony."
Zhou's mother argued, "It's only right that she's grateful to me because I paid for it. I don't want to dwell on it anymore. What's past is past. I don't want to keep arguing with your wife. So, you should divorce her! Anyway, she has a job now and won't have trouble finding another one."
If Zhou Xiangyang insists on divorce, even if Zhou Dafu disagrees, it won't matter. The decision is in Zhou Xiangyang's hands; nowadays, freedom of marriage is valued.
Zhou Xiangyang looked at his mother in disbelief and refused without hesitation: "I don't want a divorce. I want Comrade Lin Yuanshu to be my wife. You forced me to get married back then, and now you want to force me to get a divorce. I have my own ideas. I am not a person without feelings."
Seeing Zhou Xiangyang's breakdown, Zhou's mother quickly comforted him, "It's okay if you don't get a divorce. Just make your wife be a dutiful daughter-in-law, just like your sister-in-law."
Zhou Xiangyang still refused, saying, "I don't want to. I have no right to tell her how she should live her life. I really like Comrade Lin Yuanshu. She will discuss 'How the Steel Was Tempered' with me with a smile, support all my decisions, and won't undermine my confidence..."
Aunt Zhou waved her hand dismissively and advised, "This won't do, that won't do either, what exactly do you want to do! Liking something won't put food on the table. Liking is liking, but living life is living life. At worst, I'll help you find a woman who works at a steel mill. She'll definitely know how steel is made."
Hearing this, Zhou Xiangyang became even more determined. He said firmly, "I'll do anything you ask, but not divorce. I will not get a divorce."
Zhou's mother took a deep breath, determined to force her to use her ultimate move. While crying, she shouted, "This is outrageous! I raised a son with my wife, and he's not filial at all. Since that's the case, there's no point in me living. I might as well jump off here and die. That way, I won't have so many troubles anymore."
As she spoke, Zhou's mother walked towards the window, glancing at Zhou Xiangyang with her eyes.
Zhou Xiangyang quickly grabbed his mother and argued, "Mom, we won't die if we jump from the third floor, but we'll be half-dead and paralyzed in bed. Why don't we jump from the roof? I, your unfilial son, will go with you and give you back your life. Then Dad can marry a young and beautiful wife, and my wife can happily get married..."
Zhou Ma's movements slowed down immediately. She was just saying it; she wasn't really going to die.
Zhou Xiangyang pulled his mother upstairs without a second thought. Fortunately, his wife had talked to him beforehand about how he should deal with his mother if she threatened to kill herself.
Seeing Zhou Xiangyang's serious expression, Zhou's mother quickly shook off his hand and cursed, "Have you lost your conscience?!"
“No, I’m just expressing my thoughts. I’d rather die than get a divorce,” Zhou Xiangyang said firmly.
At this moment, Zhou's mother was genuinely heartbroken, and she shed heartfelt tears. "Are you really going to treat your mother like this for a woman?"
Zhou Xiangyang asked, puzzled, "I don't understand, why are you targeting my wife? She hasn't done anything wrong, why are you always picking on her?"
Without hesitation, Zhou Ma said, "She's wrong for not listening to me."
Zhou Xiangyang looked at his mother and said seriously, "Then in Grandma's eyes, you are wrong too."
For some reason, Zhou Xiangyang felt a kind of inexplicable sadness.
Zhou's mother wiped away her tears and couldn't help but sigh. She was truly isolated and helpless in this family now.
"Get away from me, I hate seeing you," Zhou Ma cursed.
Having a son is worse than not having any at all!
Zhou Ma went to Li Xiaohua's house in a huff. When Li Xiaohua saw Zhou Ma's appearance, she knew that Zhou Ma was not having a good time. She comforted her, "Just pretend that Xiao Er's wife doesn't exist. Anyway, you still have your eldest daughter-in-law. If it really doesn't work, you can be nicer to Xiao Er's wife's child in the future and make him side with you. Even if you don't care about the child, you can still be nice to him. For the sake of the child, she won't dare to yell at you."
“You’re right, I should broaden my perspective,” Zhou Ma said, overjoyed.
Yes, she also has a grandson. It's one thing for her son and daughter-in-law to be unfilial, but her grandson will definitely be filial to her. After all, her son and daughter-in-law are at work every day, and she spends the most time with her grandson. If she cultivates their relationship well, she can "use the emperor to command the princes".
Lin Yuanshu returned to the living room to pour water and saw Zhou Ma speaking to her in a gentle voice.
"Did you spit into the thermos?" Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but ask.
Zhou's mother said speechlessly, "No, I was just wondering why you're not pregnant yet!"
Lin Yuanshu spouted nonsense with a straight face, "If you had made me less angry, I wouldn't have been unable to get pregnant for so long. The root of all evil is you; you're the one who made it so you don't have a grandson..."
Zhou's mother said thoughtfully, "If I make you happy every day, will you really get pregnant sooner?"
Lin Yuanshu said with absolute certainty, "Of course."
Aunt Zhou nodded. "I know what to do."
Lin Yuanshu pursed her lips. Her mother-in-law saw the neighbor's child and wanted to have a grandson.
She doesn't want to have a baby now! Having a baby means being weak, and being weak means being manipulated by Aunt Zhou. She's not that stupid.
When Zhou Dafu returned home, Lin Yuanshu and the others had already finished washing up and returned to their rooms.
Zhou Ma hurriedly went to the communal kitchen, brought out the food that was still warm in the pot, and busied herself serving Zhou Dafu. Although she liked to be lazy, she knew what she could be lazy about and what she couldn't be lazy about.
Chow Tai Fook chuckled and joked, "You guys had quite a good meal tonight."
Zhou's mother muttered under her breath, "You're allowed to treat your friends to dinner, but I'm not allowed to?"
“That’s not what I meant. Never mind, let’s not talk about that. I’ve already chosen the bicycle, and it’s still at the store. Tomorrow I’ll take the documents to the bicycle management department to register it. Once that’s done, I can take the bicycle home,” Zhou Dafu said enthusiastically.
Aunt Zhou whispered, "When you pick up the bicycle, make sure you check it carefully. See if there's any damage, and whether it's a new bike..."
"Don't worry! I won't let you down on such an important life event." Zhou Dafu said while picking up some food.
Although Zhou Ma was happy that the family could buy a bicycle, she was also saddened by the fact that the bicycle ticket was obtained by Lin Yuanshu.
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