Chapter 156 Interview
Ouyang Cheng and Zhou Hongying returned home and began to get busy preparing to welcome their son's girlfriend. While busy, happily talking bad about people behind their backs.
"That's what I was saying. How can a design company make so much money? If they have all the professionals, they must have eight or nine people. If each person earns 500 yuan per month, how much do you think that is?"
"Four or five thousand! My god, our family would have to go without food or drink for three years to earn this much."
"The teachers in our department are just talking nonsense. They have no brains at all. They are university professors, but they don't even have their own judgment."
"Tao Nanfeng just graduated from graduate school and married a poor soldier. She has three children and they need money to feed and clothe them. You see, she doesn't wear any gold or silver jewelry, nor does she eat delicious food. She also has to rent a house and run a company. Where does she get so much money to pay the salaries? She probably bluffed to fool the layman and tricked people into working for her. Tsk tsk tsk tsk, luckily we didn't fall for it."
After this discussion, the couple immediately became happy.
There is a type of people who are like this, they dislike the poor and hate the rich. Before, everyone was poor and lived on a fixed salary. The Ouyang couple both worked and received salaries, and their two sons also worked in government agencies. Their incomes were much higher than that of Tao Shouxin's family. In contrast, they had a vague sense of happiness.
But later, Tao Nanfeng opened a company and received a design assignment and came to Ouyang Cheng privately to take the work. The task was simple and the time was short, and he could get 80 or 90 yuan a week. The couple immediately became uneasy.
Judging from my own experience, if Ouyang Cheng can earn eighty or ninety, then Tao Nanfeng must earn more than ten times. Is it so profitable to start a company?
But even if Ouyang Cheng was asked to resign and start a company, he wouldn't dare to do so. If you give up your iron rice bowl and go out to make a living in the market, what if you lose money? There is not even a place to live and eat.
After struggling over and over again, the couple felt their life was becoming less and less happy.
Now, after hearing Tao Nanfeng personally denying that he had made money, the two of them felt relieved immediately.
"Opening a company! Humph, opening a company is not that simple. I heard that they have to be self-sufficient. Now they have set the tone so high, with the Kyoto project and Mr. Ye Yintong, and they have a group of senior engineers. Can you imagine how much it would cost to rent such a big building and the water and electricity expenses? I'm just waiting to see them cry."
"If I lose money, it's fine, but I'm afraid I'll fail to pay my employees' wages and mess up the design project. I'm afraid I'll become a laughing stock in the industry, and even Lao Tao... will probably be criticized by the school."
"Just criticize him if you want. Why do you care? When the school gave him a TV as a reward, he didn't ask us to watch it. Don't expect us to speak up for him when he gets criticized in the future."
The couple worked together to mop the house, wiped the tables, chairs and benches spotlessly clean, and went into the kitchen to prepare the meal. When they saw that it was already eleven o'clock, but their son had not yet returned home, they couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
Zhou Hongying took off her apron and hung it behind the kitchen door. She walked to the living room and poured a glass of water. She gulped it down in one gulp and said to herself, "What's going on? Why hasn't the second child come home yet? He went out to pick up his girlfriend early in the morning and has been here until now? The eldest child is also ignorant. He said he would come back today to recognize his relatives, but he hasn't even shown up yet."
She was anxious and stood at the living room window looking out.
Ouyang Cheng comforted her: "The second child may have been delayed on the way, don't worry. The eldest daughter Niuniu is three years old and is very naughty. It is normal for her to go out late."
When talking about her only granddaughter Niuniu, Zhou Hongying became furious.
"An only daughter, an only daughter, she's the only one in the family, and she's spoiled beyond belief! Niu Niu's grandmother wants to play with her every day, and I can't even help her teach her how to read. The eldest is useless, and is controlled by his wife. Niu Niu is close to her grandmother, and half of the responsibility lies with the eldest."
While losing her temper, Zhou Hongying put on her shoes and walked out: "No, I have to go to the school bus stop and wait."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and told Ouyang Cheng, "Remember to keep an eye on the pork rib soup stewing on the gas stove."
Walking out of the small red building and passing by the small garden, Zhou Hongying subconsciously glanced around - Tao Nanfeng was not there, and the children were not there either.
Zhou Hongying rolled her eyes, snorted coldly, and muttered, "You don't take good care of the child, you run around all day long, you don't act like a woman at all!"
At this moment, Tao Nanfeng, who was secretly criticized by Zhou Hongying, was receiving the leaders of the Municipal Construction Department at Nanfeng Company.
Because of the influence of the Kyoto Xicheng District Stadium project, the city also decided to build a 10,000-person stadium in the most prosperous area of Jiangbei, which can host large-scale sports competitions as well as exhibitions, concerts and the like.
The city leaders came to the company specifically to find Tao Nanfeng and gave her the important task of architectural design.
Tao Nanfeng and Fan Yajun happened to have nothing to do, so they happily took on the project. After asking about the design requirements, they took the curious city leaders to visit the studio on the second floor.
Engineers from the structural, plumbing, heating, and landscape groups were working on drawings at their desks, but Ye Chu seemed to have nothing to do.
Seeing someone coming in, Fan Yajun was also busy. Ye Chu didn't ask any more questions and went downstairs.
As soon as I went downstairs, I met Xiangbei.
Xiangbei was holding Yu'er in his arms, while Zhizhi and Taoran were holding his legs on the left and right. They looked at their father pitifully and said, "I want to hold him too."
Xiangbei lowered his head, his attitude calm but firm: "Yu'er won the bunny jumping competition just now, and the reward is to hold her for half an hour. If you want to hold her, there will be another competition in the afternoon, just win it."
As the company commander of the spearhead company, Xiang Bei is well aware of the importance of rules.
I have three children at home, and they are all my flesh and blood. I cannot just pamper and indulge them. I must use military management methods.
Punishment and reward are given equal importance, and through competition, children can learn to follow rules and understand reason.
Yu'er smiled with her lips pursed, hugged her father's neck and looked down at him, feeling very happy. Zhizhi and Tao Ran looked at each other and nodded heavily: "Okay, let's compete again in the afternoon."
Ye Chu looked at Xiang Bei's interaction with the children with a little envy, and sighed: "It's really better to have several children growing up together. We can only have one child now, and it's a precious baby. We are very nervous every day. Last time Jun Jun had diarrhea, Ya Jun stood by the sink and cried, blaming herself for being too busy with work and not taking good care of the child. Sigh..."
Xiangbei glanced at him and said, "The leaders went up to visit, why did you come down?"
Ye Chu spread his hands: "I lost it for more than ten years. What I learned before has been returned to the teacher. Everyone is busy, and I sit alone reading a book. It seems a bit out of place. When the leaders left, I felt even more uncomfortable, so I just came down."
Ye Chu is an introvert and was not active when he was working in the infrastructure department of the towel factory. The reason why I resigned and came to Nanfeng Company was that I felt working in the infrastructure department was boring, and secondly, I was reluctant to be separated from Yajun.
He looked at Xiangbei sheepishly: "I am a useless man. When I was young, I listened to my mother. After my mother passed away, I listened to my sister. Now... I just want to be with Yajun. We have been separated for ten years due to a misunderstanding. I wish I could stick with her every day and make up for the time I lost."
Xiangbei thought of every little detail between himself and Tao Nanfeng and smiled slightly.
Ye Chu felt like he had found someone who resonated with him, and once he started talking he couldn't stop.
"I don't have any big ambitions. I studied structure because of my father's influence. Now that I have wasted more than ten years, it is really stressful to do structural calculations and construction drawings again. I feel that my brain is not enough. It is better for me to retreat to the second line, take care of the children, and manage the logistics.
Well, my sister is a bit annoying. She keeps saying all day long that men cannot be outdone by women and that men must stand up for themselves, otherwise in the future my husband will lose his prestige and be laughed at by others. She doesn't even think about the fact that my brother-in-law has been completely controlled by her for so many years. How can he be so manly?
Now I come to Nanfeng Company, and seeing Yajun busy all the time every day, I feel like I can't help much, and I feel guilty about getting the salary. Why don't you guys arrange something for me to do, otherwise I'd feel bad. ”
Xiangbei thought for a moment and said, "Then you will be responsible for post-sales service and file organization."
The design institute has to constantly deal with owners and construction units. The coordination work, post-service, and data archiving in the middle are extremely cumbersome. Ye Chu is a gentle and meticulous person, so he should be able to do this job.
Ye Chu's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Okay! I can do this job." Finally he was able to find a suitable position in the company, and Ye Chu's slightly panicked heart settled down.
The cry of a baby was heard from the cradle in the children's room. Ye Chu hurriedly ran over, picked up Junjun, and rocked him while coaxing him.
Xiangbei held Yu'er and instructed him: "He was just fed not long ago, so he shouldn't be hungry. Check if his diaper is wet?"
Tao Nanfeng, Fan Yajun and their group walked down the outdoor stairs from the second floor, and their eyes became gentle when they saw this scene. After seeing off the city leaders, the two walked side by side to the office, took out paper and pen, and started discussing the new design task they had just received.
"The stadium is the new landmark of Jiangcheng, a venue that can accommodate 5,000 people. What do you think?"
"How about we try a circular stand?"
"I think it's possible. The Kyoto Gymnasium is a renovation and has limited space. This time the gymnasium covers a large area. In addition to the stadium, there is also a huge outdoor green space. The landscape team has a heavy task."
…
The sunlight shines down, giving the Nanfeng Company's office building a golden edge.
Xiang Bei and Ye Chu were holding their child in front of the door, basking in the sun. Tao Nanfeng and Fan Yajun were chatting in the office, discussing work.
One inside and one outside, one hard and one soft. Everyone does their own thing, but there is a strange sense of harmony.
Zhou Hongying walked out of the west gate and was about to go to the bus stop to pick up her youngest son. She happened to see this scene as she passed by, and her eyes almost popped out of her head.
This, this, this... Men take care of children and women are busy with work, the world is in chaos!
She spat fiercely on the ground: "A man who does women's work will achieve nothing in his life. The yin is stronger than the yang, what a shame!"
“Crack!”
The sound of a camera shutter clicked, startling Xiangbei. His eyes were like lightning as he looked at the young woman walking quickly across the street.
The woman had a ponytail and wore a goose yellow dress. She had lively eyes and looked youthful and pretty. She put down the camera hanging around her neck, took out her ID and handed it to Xiangbei: "Hello, I'm Lv Xue, a reporter from Jiangcheng Daily."
Xiangbei was more alert and looked at Lu Xue: "Were you taking pictures just now? You cannot publish without permission."
Lu Xue explained with a smile: "I only took pictures of your backs, not your fronts. You are Tao Nanfeng's lover, right? Tao Nanfeng opened a design company, participated in the first bidding in the country, and successfully won the design of the Kyoto Stadium. Her success must be inseparable from you..."
As they were talking, Ouyang Minxing hurried over from across the street.
Zhou Hongying saw her son and immediately went over to him and grabbed him: "What are you doing? Where are you? Why are you alone?"
Ouyang Minxing pointed at Lu Xue and said, "Over there."
Zhou Hongying then noticed that Lu Xue had a camera hanging around her neck, and looked suspicious: "She? Why would she bring a camera when she comes to visit?"
Ouyang Minxing shouted: "Lü Xue!"
Lu Xue turned her head and glanced at him, not noticing Zhou Hongying standing next to him. She waved her hand and said, "Wait a moment. I have an interview assignment."
Ouyang Minxing said to his mother helplessly: "Lü Xue is a reporter for Jiangcheng Daily. When she came here today, the editor-in-chief asked her to interview Nanfeng Company. Look... she is busy."
Zhou Hongying rolled her eyes in anger. Is this girl stupid? The first time she visited her future in-laws’ house, she actually did an interview first. It's already eleven o'clock. Can't you hurry up and go to the house first, and then interview him when you go back in the afternoon?
Lu Xue looked at Xiang Bei and clasped her hands together: "Please, can I interview you and Mr. Tao on the spot? I just want to ask a few simple questions."
Xiangbei shook his head: "Nanfeng and I don't like publicity reports."
Lu Xue turned to Ouyang Minxing for help: "Didn't you say that you and Tao Nanfeng's family are neighbors? Please help me say something."
There was so much noise outside that Tao Nanfeng, who had been concentrating on his work, finally looked up. Through the glass door, Tao Nanfeng saw several familiar figures standing at the company's entrance, so he put down his pen and walked out.
Zhizhi and Tao Ran cheered together: "Mom, hug me!"
The two children stared enviously for a long time, and finally saw their mother come out, so they quickly stretched out their arms to let their mother hug them. Tao Nanfeng smiled, bent down, and easily picked up the two children, one in each hand.
Lu Xue looked at Tao Nanfeng with eyes wide open: "You, you really have three children!" Although she had heard Ouyang Minxing talk about Tao Nanfeng giving birth to three babies, the visual impact was still quite great when she saw it with her own eyes.
Before they could say anything, Zhou Hongying came over with a sullen face and said sternly, "You are all waiting for dinner at home, why are you wasting your time here!"
Lu Xue then noticed Zhou Hongying, stepped back half a step and stood beside Ouyang Minxing, holding his arm and asked, "Who is she?"
Ouyang Minxing coughed: "Lü Xue, this is my mother."
Lu Xue's face turned pale, she twisted her hands nervously, and bowed hurriedly: "Hello, Auntie!"
Thinking that her youngest son rarely brought a girl home, Zhou Hongying held back her anger and nodded: "I've been waiting for you two. Don't waste time here, go home."
Lu Xue tugged at Ouyang Minxing's clothes and whispered, "My interview mission..."
Ouyang Minxing had no choice but to say to Tao Nanfeng: "Tao Nanfeng, for my sake, please accept Lu Xue's interview. She was just assigned to the newspaper this year, and this is a task assigned by the editor-in-chief. There is nothing I can do."
Tao Nanfeng couldn't refuse, so he simply answered a few of Lu Xue's questions while holding the child.
Seeing Zhou Hongying's face getting uglier and uglier, Lu Xue put away her notebook and thanked her repeatedly: "You are really the pride and honor of us women. Your lover supports your career and is willing to be the man behind you. This is the best interpretation of women's liberation."
Tao Nanfeng glanced at Xiangbei, worried that he was unhappy. Although Xiangbei was willing to make sacrifices for her, no man would like to be talked about like this.
Xiangbei smiled slightly, raised his hand to look at his watch, put Yu'er down, and then took Tao Ran and Zhizhi from Tao Nanfeng's hands, his movements skillful and gentle.
Tao Nanfeng's eyes met his, and her heart felt as soft as water.
When he turned around again, Tao Nanfeng looked at Lu Xue seriously: "My husband and I started a company together. I am responsible for technology and he is responsible for management. We work together and support each other. This design company is our common business."
Lu Xue seemed to understand something and her eyes moved between Tao Nanfeng and Xiang Bei. She was moved by the respect and tacit understanding between the couple.
Because of this touching moment, Lu Xue discovered many problems the first time she visited the house.
Zhou Hongying was full of malice towards Tao Nanfeng, and kept emphasizing that women should behave like women. It would be too unreasonable if they all learned from Tao Nanfeng, busy with their careers all day long and let men take care of the children and do housework.
Ouyang Cheng and Ouyang Minxing also seemed to be pessimistic about Xiang Bei and Tao Nanfeng, and they looked down on Xiang Bei, a poor soldier, in their words and deeds. They think that he is not doing his job properly, and is willing to degenerate in order to marry into a professor's family. He also makes the two people with the surname Tao forget their ancestors.
Lu Xue was a little hesitant. Could she marry into such a family?
Especially when Zhou Hongying held her granddaughter Niuniu and said that the family planning policy was killing people and that they could only have one child, and asked them to get married early and have a big fat boy to carry on the Ouyang family line, Lu Xue's disgust reached its peak.
What era is this? Why do people still favor boys over girls? The country says it is better to have only one child, but Zhou Hongying still talks about continuing the family line.
There is no harm without comparison. Seeing the Xiangbei family's support and respect for Tao Nanfeng, Lu Xue's attitude towards Ouyang Minxing became cold after her visit this time.
Two days later, Lu Xue developed the photo taken in front of the Nanfeng Company gate. The composition of this black and white photo was very clever.
A three-story square building, bathed in sunlight.
Four adults, three children and a baby, all with their backs to the camera, form a very dynamic picture.
A tall and mighty man was holding a little girl in his arms. The girl had pigtails on her head and was wearing flowery clothes. She stretched out her arms and seemed to be smiling. It was obvious that she was very happy.
There are two dolls standing at the man's feet, one is dressed exactly like the little girl he is holding, and the other is a little boy wearing a striped sailor shirt, which stands out in the black and white photo.
Another thin man of medium build was holding a baby in his arms. He bent his left hand slightly and supported the baby's head with his arm. His movements were skillful and gentle. He looked down at the baby and seemed to be humming a soft and long lullaby.
Behind the glass door of the office building is an office. Two women are bent over the table writing and drawing. Their faces cannot be seen clearly, but it can be vaguely seen that they are discussing work enthusiastically.
Throughout the photo, the man with the child becomes the focus.
In the sunshine, Xiangbei's fierceness and tallness, and Ye Chu's gentleness and meticulousness, fully demonstrated the man's strength and gentleness, making people sigh from the bottom of their hearts -
Such a man makes one feel safe.
Lu Xue quickly took the photo to the editor-in-chief. After the editor-in-chief saw it, he immediately slammed the table and said, "Put it on the front page, and the title should be... "The Man Behind the Successful Woman"
Once the photo was published, it immediately caused heated discussion in society.
[It turns out that behind every successful woman there is a man who is willing to raise children. 】
[Who says raising children is a woman’s job? Men are stronger and it is easier for them to take care of children. 】
[Who is the man with three children in the photo? He is tall and mighty and looks so manly, but I didn't expect that he also has a gentle heart. 】
Insults followed.
How can a man take care of a child? It's such a disgrace to us men! 】
[They look like decent people, but I didn't expect them to be househusbands. They are two useless men. 】
[If women work and men stay at home to take care of the children, China's fine traditions will be lost. Isn't this society going to be in chaos? 】
Letters of abuse, praise, support for women's liberation, and all kinds of remarks from various schools came like snowflakes and were sent to the Jiangcheng Daily.
The editor-in-chief selected some of them and published them in newspapers, and a heated discussion broke out throughout society.
——Should men return to their families? Should women take care of children?
The author has something to say:
Weekend hard work
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