Zeng Meng looked at Zhang Jing, who was still sitting at home during working hours, and asked with some confusion, "Sister-in-law, why haven't you been going to work lately?"
Zhang Jing's heart skipped a beat, and she sighed inwardly, "What's coming will come eventually: I'm due to give birth in a few days, and I won't be able to work for several months, so my company found a young girl to cover for me."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Meng was outraged and immediately shouted, "Sister-in-law, didn't we agree before that I would cover for you? What do you mean by finding someone else to cover for you now?"
Zhang Jing was already feeling unwell due to her pregnancy, and having finally resolved a matter weighing on her mind, this shout ignited her anger: "Who said we agreed? I didn't agree!"
"No, sister-in-law, how could you do this?" Zeng Meng was a little stunned by her shout. Hadn't this job been arranged beforehand? She would cover for her sister-in-law's shift first, and then her sister-in-law would stay home to take care of the children. She would start working right after graduation and wouldn't have to go to the countryside anymore.
Because of this, she and her parents haven't looked for other jobs recently. Her mother had heard that a female worker in a chemical plant workshop was selling her job, but they didn't buy it. After all, it's a chemical plant, and it can cause a lot of damage to people. People who work in that chemical plant, regardless of gender, are all bald.
As a result, there are no job opportunities for department store sales clerks now?
"Besides, I said it was the company that found the person, not me." Zhang Jing saw her expression constantly changing, but didn't care what she was thinking. Now that Zhan Chunlan knew Director Hu, it was actually helping her.
"Zhang Jing!" Faced with the crisis of being sent to the countryside, Zeng Meng didn't care about politeness or respect for elders. "Do you think I'm a child? You say you're going to find substitutes for your employees? Who doesn't find their own substitutes?"
"What are you arguing about?" Zhang Jing's mother-in-law, Qiao Yuzhen, heard the argument and ran over from the kitchen. She gently patted Zeng Meng on the back. The force of the pat was not important; it was the gesture that mattered. "Zeng Meng, how can you be so disrespectful? That's your sister-in-law!"
“She’s not my sister-in-law.” Although Qiao Yuzhen’s strength wasn’t great, Zeng Meng still felt wronged. “She would rather give the job to a stranger than give it to me. I don’t want her to be my sister-in-law.”
"What happened?" Upon hearing that it was a work-related issue, Qiao Yuzhen's face immediately darkened. She had already considered this job to be Zeng Meng's, but now it wasn't.
“Director Hu has a relative who is the same age as Zeng Meng and is about to graduate from high school. He has been assigned to the department store.” Zhang Jing directly pushed the matter to Director Hu. Judging from the mother and daughter’s reaction, it shows that her previous worries were not unfounded. It was clearly her job, but now she was treating it as her own.
When Qiao Yuzhen heard that it was arranged by Director Hu, she realized that it was indeed a difficult situation, and the scene immediately quieted down.
She had dreamt that her mother was somewhat defeated, and she panicked. She quickly stepped forward, took Zhang Jing's hand, and pleaded, "Sister-in-law, you're my own sister-in-law. Tomorrow, please go and tell that Director Hu that you don't want the person your unit assigned you, and that you want to give me the job. Okay?"
"No!" Zhang Jing answered decisively. She wasn't stupid. This wasn't just about filling in for someone; it was about who was responsible for the job. Would she dig her own grave?
"He's the director, and he's already been working with his team for several days. Now you want me to kick him out? Where does that leave the host's dignity?"
"Why not? You're pregnant now, what can he do to you?" Zeng Meng wouldn't listen to anything, gripping Zhang Jing's hand tighter and tighter, her eyes bloodshot, her expression somewhat manic.
Seeing her youngest daughter's state, Qiao Yuzhen felt a pang of heartache and worried that refusing would upset her. She stepped forward, freed Zhang Jing's hand, and pulled her to sit on a nearby stool, gently comforting her, "Xiaomeng, don't worry, Mom will think of other ways for you, okay?"
"Mom, I don't want to." When Zeng Meng heard her say that, tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. She looked at Qiao Yuzhen with a sorrowful expression and shook her head in opposition: "I want to be a sales clerk in a department store. I don't want any other job."
"Xiao Jing, look..." Qiao Yuzhen looked at Zhang Jing with some difficulty, hoping that Zhang Jing would take the initiative to say the words she had dreamed of hearing.
Zhang Jing said, "You're trying to steal my job, and I can tolerate this? Am I even human?"
"What do you think I am, someone who can be the manager of a department store? I think you not only want my job, but you also want my life!"
"How could that be, Xiaojing? We're all family. Who doesn't get the job? I was just thinking that it would be too hard for you to take care of the child and go to work at the same time." Qiao Yuzhen looked like she was doing it for your own good. She didn't want to make a scene like Zeng Meng, but she didn't cry or beg. She persuaded people with a concerned tone in her voice, which made people feel an inexplicable anger rising to their heads.
"What do you mean 'it doesn't matter who it's given to'? This job was bought for me by my family. They didn't ask me to return it when I got married. How come it becomes your family's job just because I married into your family? When did jobs become part of a dowry?"
Zhang Jing was utterly astonished by the shamelessness of these two people. How could they have the nerve to say something like, "It doesn't matter who you give the job to?" It's not like they paid for the job. After marriage, everything belongs to the husband's family? Where did they get that idea?
"Zhang Jing! You've married into the Zeng family, why are you still thinking about your own family?" Zeng Meng is no longer just focused on work; she has to refute everything Zhang Jing says!
"Don't you miss your family?" Zhang Jing was disgusted by Zeng Meng's words and said, "Why don't you just get out and find yourself a husband? Don't bother with this family."
"Zhang Jing, this is my home. Are you trying to kick me out?" Zeng Meng stood up abruptly and strode over to Zhang Jing. Her demon-like appearance terrified Zhang Jing.
"Ah~" Zhang Jing felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach. She sat down, holding onto a chair, and tried to take deep breaths.
Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation in her lower body, and her heart leaped into her throat. She gripped the chair tightly, wanting to go to the toilet to check.
Just then, Zeng Jun, who was at work, returned home. Seeing his wife's weak and powerless legs, he immediately rushed over to support her: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"My stomach... hurts a little..." Zhang Jing gripped Zeng Jun's hand tightly, feeling very frightened.
"It's alright, Xiaojing!" Zeng Jun was also a little flustered, but he kept comforting Zhang Jing, telling her over and over that everything would be alright.
Hearing the noise, the neighbors came out to check and, together with Zeng Jun, took Zhang Jing to the hospital.
Zeng Jun and Zhang Jing fell in love on their own. They were classmates before. Zeng Jun worked for a shipping company as a sailor on a passenger ship, responsible for berthing and unberthing, deck cleaning, and assisting with lookout.
He travels by boat, from Jiangcheng to Ancheng, usually taking fifteen to twenty days at a time. Each trip is arduous, constantly on the water, and he needs a day or two to recover before going back to work.
Girls are naturally more empathetic and more tolerant of others.
Previously, Zhang Jing was very considerate, feeling that Zeng Jun had worked very hard. She would not tell him about the things that happened at home, not wanting him to have to worry about these family matters when he finally got home to rest.
Zeng Jun always thought that his family was different from other families that had a small argument every three days and a big argument every five days. His parents were kind, his wife was filial, his sister was lively, and the whole family got along well.
Little did she know that a stranger had come from the home she had lived in since childhood to another home that had nothing to do with her, all because of him. To put his mind at ease, she swallowed all her grievances alone.
Even if several people are related by blood, they will still quarrel constantly when living together, let alone those who are not related by blood.
The family is harmonious entirely because she doesn't hold grudges.
But this time, their family really went too far.
In the past, she tolerated her sister-in-law asking for new clothes or paying for things at the department store, and she never mentioned it to her.
But this job was bought for her by her family, and now her in-laws are actually scheming against her job and even pushed her down. If anything happens to the child, she will never let this go! Before losing consciousness, Zhang Jing secretly made a vow in her heart!
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