Chapter 215 My mother-in-law is here. My husband and I are a model family...
Li Jianzhi pulled his wife back into the house, locked the door, and dragged her into their bedroom, hands on her hips, saying, "Why did you tell everyone that I'm a hardworking and devoted ox?"
"How am I like an ox? How am I hardworking and conscientious?"
Li Jianzhi had lived for nearly forty years and had never associated himself with the old yellow ox in the field.
When he got back, he heard his wife say that he was like a cow.
Qin Xiangxiang squinted at him: "If I can be the virtuous Qin Xiangxiang, why can't you be a cow?"
Li Jianzhi: "..."
“Okay.” Li Jianzhi nodded: “I am a hardworking and devoted husband, and you are the most virtuous wife in the world. Our family is a model of a good family.”
His wife deliberately ruined his reputation.
“My mom is coming soon. She’ll be so happy to see us.”
Qin Xiangxiang: "My mother-in-law is coming over? Where will she stay?"
“Let’s stay in Xiaopang Suisui’s room. We’ll see if we can stay with the kids… or maybe go to your textile factory’s house? Mom said she wants to come and take a pig-raising class.”
"Either is fine, it's up to Mom to choose."
Li Jianzhi: "What were you guys talking about just now? Did you mention that I'm a cow?"
"Speaking of those four talented men, Sister-in-law Zhong Li said that none of them are as good as you. They still can't find a wife. She also said that Zhao Rui is a bit like you, both of you are spirited steeds."
Li Jianzhi: "What my sister-in-law said makes some sense."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "That's why I said you guys don't look alike. You're the hardworking ox."
Li Jianzhi: "..."
"My wife is the most hardworking, virtuous, and family-oriented woman!!!"
"My husband is a stubborn ox!"
"Childish or not!"
Qin Xiangxiang made a face: "You're the childish one, a thirty-year-old old man!"
"Don't run around at night, this old ox of mine needs to plow the fields."
Wu Xueyan arrived on the island by boat. She brought some nuts and other local specialties such as walnuts and sunflower seeds. Soldiers picked her up and drove her to the family compound. It was Wu Xueyan's first time on the island, and everything was new and exciting.
"The blue sky and white clouds are so beautiful, everything is green, and the air is so fresh."
"It's that unpleasant seafood smell. What place was that when I just passed by? It smelled like salted fish."
Are fish expensive on the island?
Upon entering the residential compound, the couple had not yet returned. Wu Xueyan waited outside, while her neighbor, Sister Zhong Li, brought out tea to greet the guest and chatted with her about everyday matters.
Wu Xueyan: "How is my son and daughter-in-law's family life on a daily basis?"
“Great.” Zhong Li smiled and said, “The couple both speak highly of each other.”
Wu Xueyan: "This is what it means to live a good life."
After chatting for a while, Wu Xueyan borrowed a small wok from Zhong Li and roasted sunflower seeds in the corridor. After roasting the seeds, the two continued chatting while eating them. Zhong Li praised, "Thinking of her mother-in-law, your roasted sunflower seeds are so delicious!"
Not long after, Little Fatty returned, and the three of them ate sunflower seeds. Then Qin Xiangxiang and her husband returned with their little daughter, Sui Sui.
Little Fatty: "Mom, I ate all the sunflower seeds that Grandma roasted!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "Mom made a cream cake, I'm sure you can't eat it all, so Grandma and Sui Sui will have it."
Li Jianzhi: "Dad bought some fried small yellow croakers."
Fatty: "??!!! I want it! I can still eat!"
After opening the door and entering the house, Wu Xueyan looked around her son and daughter-in-law's living quarters and nodded: "The house is quite big, but the living room is a bit small. There's not enough room to seat guests, and there's no heated kang bed in winter. Isn't it cold?"
Little Fatty: "Grandma, I'm tough and can handle it."
"As long as we eat and drink well, nothing else will be a problem."
Sui Sui: "My mom can make beautiful clothes."
...
To welcome his mother-in-law back, Li Jianzhi personally cooked a table full of dishes. Qin Xiangxiang reminded him, "After rinsing the seafood, be sure to dry it completely, otherwise I can't stand the salty fish smell."
"I can't stand it even without you telling me."
At night, a pot of large yellow croaker, braised pork, stir-fried clams, dried fish, pork belly, and steamed eggs were served... Qin Xiangxiang took out some bayberry wine, and the two kids, Xiaopang and Suisui, frowned and endured the bitterness of the wine to eat two large bayberries.
"Sweet and spicy!"
"It's huge."
Wu Xueyan ate her meal with a smile on her face. Seeing the harmonious family in front of her made her happier than anything else. "Thinking back, I received the sausages you sent me during the Spring Festival. They were especially delicious and fragrant. Everyone in our village praised your pork!"
"If it weren't for the cured pork you sent, we wouldn't have been able to eat any good pork at home this year."
Qin Xiangxiang asked curiously, "What happened? Did they get swine fever?"
Wu Xueyan shook her head: "They slaughtered the pig; it was pork from rice."
Little Fatty: "What is pork with rice?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "I've never heard of pork with rice."
Li Jianzhi: "You wouldn't want to know, it's disgusting, Mom, there's been pork with rice, there must be something wrong with what you're feeding it."
Talking about this while eating is really... disgusting.
Measly pork is just as disgusting as swine fever, but I reckon swine fever isn't as disgusting as measly pork. Measly pork is... pork that's teeming with parasites. When you cut into it, you can see rice-like things on the pork, and if you look closely, you can even see wriggling worms. It's as disgusting as it gets.
This kind of pork is inedible; it's just too disgusting.
Some people are reluctant to part with meat, and regardless of whether it contains parasites or not, they will still eat it after it is cooked.
Wu Xueyan: "There's probably a problem. Don't you have a professor of pig farming here? Come and ask him how to prevent and treat this kind of 'measly pork'?"
Li Jianzhi: "The food for pigs is the same as the food for humans; it all has to be cooked thoroughly, especially swill, which must be boiled to disinfect it... Also, avoid contact with human feces."
Qin Xiangxiang was completely exasperated: "Let's not talk about this anymore, let's eat!"
It was quite awkward to talk about this after dinner. Qin Xiangxiang had never raised pigs before, and when she heard them talking about pork with swine fever, she almost threw up. She said with great relief, "Luckily, when I was running a pig farm last year... I managed to snag a chemistry professor."
"Fortunately, there was a typhoon last year, and you designed a new pigsty. Many people came to praise it, and Dr. Ye said that the pigsty is convenient for disinfection."
"There's nothing wrong with the pigs in our factory. If there were a swine fever outbreak or some kind of 'measly' pork, I'd be furious!"
The next day, Qin Xiangxiang went to see Dr. Ye and Professor Shen to ask them to help her figure out a suitable way to prevent swine fever and "rice-fed pork" in her hometown in Northeast China. She also wanted to give her mother-in-law, Wu Xueyan, a class on pig feed.
Wu Xueyan then said that she had been living at Feiyan Textile Factory during this period, staying there to study and attend classes.
"Think about it, Jianzhi also mentioned that you're learning embroidery from a master. Why don't I learn it too?"
Qin Xiangxiang was at her wit's end: "Mom, if you want to learn, then just follow along."
Why is she surrounded by ambitious and studious students, even though she's a lazy bum?
"Mom, there's a TV in the factory canteen! If you have time, you can watch TV there. There are lots of great song and dance shows, and our factory shows movies every week."
"Think about it, you've managed this textile factory really well!"
"My daughter-in-law is a capable and excellent factory manager!"
When Lu Suxin learned that Qin Xiangxiang's mother-in-law, Wu Xueyan, also wanted to learn embroidery, she was delighted to welcome her, saying, "Qin Xiangxiang is the most talented student I have ever seen; she has a real talent."
Wu Xueyan: "My son is really lucky to have married such a wonderful wife!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
When Chen Ruifeng heard that someone had come to Li Jianzhi's house downstairs, he couldn't help but feel a little smug. "Qin Xiangxiang's mother-in-law is here? A mother-in-law from the countryside and a daughter-in-law from the city... and she's the factory director, I hope they won't have any conflicts?"
Chen Ruifeng could guess at a glance that this was bound to cause a conflict!
Chen Ruifeng used to like comparing himself to Li Jianzhi. He couldn't compete with Li Jianzhi in terms of wife's abilities, but now he could compare their "mothers." His mother, Old Mrs. Chen, was no pushover, and he felt that Li Jianzhi's mother must also be a difficult person.
Chen Ruifeng: "This Li Jianzhi is also a phoenix that flew out of the mountains. His mother probably dotes on him and thinks that men should be served by women at home. What kind of logic is it for men to serve women?"
"Qin Xiangxiang also said that Li Jianzhi is like an old ox at home... Her mother-in-law would probably be furious if she heard that."
Zhao Yangyang: "Chen Ruifeng, what are you saying? Don't you want to be a hardworking ox at home?"
Chen Ruifeng was stunned: "???"
"You should learn from Comrade Li and learn from the spirit of the old ox! As a man, you should be hardworking and conscientious, and you should not be afraid of hardship or fatigue."
Zhao Yangyang: "A man like you, who has no sense of responsibility, is not worthy of carrying Comrade Li's shoes."
"Wait, wait—I feel like something's not right..." Chen Ruifeng was scolded by his wife and suddenly felt that something was very wrong. "Where is Li Jianzhi like an old ox? I think he's living a very comfortable life. His wife buys him watches, bakes him cakes, and has given birth to a son and a daughter."
Zhao Yangyang: "His wife says he's a hard-working ox, and he really is a hard-working ox. That's official certification! That's what his wife said herself."
Chen Ruifeng: "..."
"You should learn something from Li Jianzhi!"
Chen Ruifeng, who was originally waiting to see a good show, was now extremely frustrated. He couldn't sleep well all night because of this. The next day, he went to Li Jianzhi and said, "Your wife says you are a hardworking and conscientious old ox, and it's spread throughout the whole hospital. Aren't you going to say a word in rebuttal?"
Li Jianzhi said coldly and expressionlessly, "I will face a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, and bow my head to serve the people like an ox."
Chen Ruifeng: "..."
Wu Xueyan stayed at Feiyan Textile Factory and attended several pig farming classes. She praised Professor Shen highly. In addition to learning about pig farming, she also learned about disease prevention and control, especially about disinfection to prevent swine fever and "measly pork".
Seeing that her mother-in-law was doing very well at the textile factory, Qin Xiangxiang suggested that she stay and go to the Guangzhou Spring Trade Fair to broaden her horizons before returning home.
Wu Xueyan said happily, "That's great! I'll have something to brag about when we get back!"
As the Canton Fair approached, Qin Xiangxiang was even more looking forward to the end of the three-month agreement she had made with Lu Suxin.
Qin Xiangxiang: "This is what they call the emancipated serfs singing songs!"
"The sky in the liberated area is a clear blue sky."
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