Chapter 21 Expectations
With meat to eat with it, even the cornbread made from mixed grains tastes incredibly delicious.
The meal was plentiful today, and Song Lubai was able to eat her fill, which was a rare treat.
Glancing at Lin Jinyao, who was sitting obediently, Song Lubai asked, "How is your mother?"
Ever since having that strange dream, Song Lubai has deliberately distanced herself from Lin Jinyao.
Before, when she wasn't working, she had to take this girl with her. These past few days, she's been leaving early and coming back late. After dinner, the girl goes to sleep, and the two of them haven't exchanged more than a few words.
Lin Jinyao let out a burp, blinked her eyes, and said in a cheerful tone, "I'll be discharged in two more days, and I can go home!"
Looking into her clear eyes, Song Lubai felt a complex mix of emotions.
Liu Xingchun was kicked out by her mother. Although what was said that day was directed at Liu Xingchun, Lin Jinyao, as an "outsider" in the family, should have felt uncomfortable. But she didn't seem to have any troubles about being a dependent.
Is she too young to understand? Or unable to feel it?
Zhang Cui chimed in, "It's good that you're discharged. You need to take good care of yourself at home. Given your mother's condition, she'll need to rest and recover after childbirth."
Lin Jinyao said, "Mom said she'll go back to Grandma's house to recuperate, but Dad has to go to work, and there's no one to take care of him at home."
Lin Dahai frowned. "Isn't this ridiculous? Who goes back to their parents' home to recuperate after childbirth?"
Zhang Cui interrupted him: "His own mother is willing to take care of him, and his family doesn't say anything. What's your problem?"
What? You think you can bring someone back and take care of them? You're really meddling.
Returning to her parents' home for postpartum care is only a problem for Liu Mei's family. They have no objections, but he's causing all sorts of trouble.
Song Lubai didn't understand, "Mom, why can't my sister-in-law go back to her parents' home?"
What are the problems with going back to your parents' home for postpartum care?
Lin Dahai quickly answered, "How can a married woman return to her parents' home to have her postpartum confinement? It's bad for her parents' home to have her postpartum confinement there, so it's not customary to do so."
Song Lubai pouted.
I have no idea where this nonsense came from.
She remembered that when she was six years old, her mother took her back to her maternal grandparents' house before the Lantern Festival after the New Year. Her mother only had two days off, and they went back on the 14th. The two of them only stayed for one night. On the 15th, her maternal grandparents insisted that they not stay any longer.
There was nothing her mother could do but take her away before dark.
Her grandmother said that married women shouldn't stay at home on the fifteenth of the month, as it would affect the family's fortune.
Song Lubai found such unfounded claims utterly ridiculous.
Seeing that the twins were ready to go out and play after eating and drinking their fill, Song Lubai called out to them, "Wash the pots and pans before you go."
Lin Dahai glared instinctively, but then held back and didn't lash out.
Lin Jinyao quickly said, "I'll pay, let them go have fun."
Upon hearing this, the two little rascals ran off with a "little little little" sound.
Song Lubai looked at Lin Jinyao, her tone unfriendly: "What? So you think you're capable of doing chores?"
Lin Jinyao looked flustered and at a loss, and whispered, "If I wash the pots and pans, I'm not doing this for free."
Song Lubai: "You were the one who swiped it this morning, right? You should each take turns once, that's fair, you don't need to do anything extra."
Lin Dahai coughed softly, "Why should a boy wash pots and pans? Will he amount to anything when he grows up?"
Song Lubai: "Washing dishes and scrubbing pots is considered unambitious? Only spoiled children are unambitious. Ma Xiaohe's father can wash dishes, and he's a factory manager. Look at him, isn't he successful?"
After saying goodbye, Lin Dahai took out a cigarette from his pocket, ignored her, and went out to chat with others.
Song Lubai snorted inwardly.
Song Lubai returned with a basin of water and was about to close the door when Zhang Cui came in with the finished shoes.
"When do you take a break? I'll take you to buy fabric to make clothes. If there are any nice ready-made clothes, we can buy one too."
The aroma of meat is still lingering in my mouth, and I can already buy clothes again. What a wonderful day this is!
Song Lubai's eyes lit up. "I want to buy a white shirt so I can wear it directly when it gets warmer in a few days."
"I was supposed to have a day off tomorrow, but I swapped shifts with someone else, so I'll work an extra day tomorrow and then have three days off."
There are many miscellaneous tasks in the street office, and there is never a moment of rest. But the good thing is that it is not physical labor, unlike her mother, who is a front-line worker in a factory and is so tired from work every day that she doesn't even have time to catch her breath.
After clarifying the details, Zhang Cui decided that if she bought the fabric, she would wait until the clothes were finished before sending a message to the other party. If she bought the ready-made clothes, she could do it a little earlier. Once the date for the viewing was set, she would have to make sure to free up her time in advance, either by changing shifts or by taking leave.
“I’m off the day after tomorrow too. Let’s go to the department store and buy some more food while we’re at it.”
Song Lubai shamelessly eagerly awaited that day, because she had been eyeing the white shirt for a long time.
Director Wang from the neighborhood office hadn't had a moment's peace before assigning her another task that required a lot of writing.
She clearly deserved a break, but the deadline she set for the task was her first day back at work.
This means she has to work even during her holidays, making her holidays practically nonexistent.
It was uncomfortable, but I couldn't refuse.
However, this couldn't go on; she had to find a way to stop Director Wang from bothering her.
I already have an idea in mind, but I need to rest soon and calm down before I can do it, so there's no rush.
She glanced at the clock on the wall; there were less than two hours left before she could get off work. The thought of sleeping until eight or nine o'clock tomorrow made her feel incredibly happy.
Her job today is to greet residents and take notes.
"This is my third time here, and the hole in the public toilet still hasn't been fixed. When will it be repaired? There are men peeping from there, and we're always on edge when we use the toilet..."
Song Lubai took notes and said, "If we catch someone, we'll take them directly to the police station."
The woman slammed her fist on the table in agitation: "If we don't fix this hole, it'll just be letting those hooligans see us. How can we catch them all? Are we supposed to run into the men's restroom to catch them?"
Song Lubai reassured her for a while, promising to handle it as soon as possible.
After calming the person down and leaving, she turned to Director Wang and said, "Director, why hasn't anyone gone to fix that man's body yet? The residents have complained about it several times."
She had seen this woman twice since she came to the office.
She knew it was because the neighborhood was short of money, but she couldn't just leave it like this forever.
Try to get some bricks and have someone build it up. If all else fails, you can use a board to block the hole, as long as it blocks the view from the other side.
Director Wang didn't even look up. "If we had the money, we'd fix it right away. We don't have the money now."
Zhao Lei interjected, "That toilet has a hole in it before. We've repaired it more than once, but it gets smashed up again after a short time. We've wasted a lot of money on that toilet."
Another woman said, "I don't know which despicable person did this, but in my opinion, men's and women's public restrooms shouldn't be connected..."
Before he could finish speaking, a woman with a bruised and swollen face walked in.
This person looked familiar to Song Lubai; it was Shen Lingyu, whom she had met once before.
She softened her voice, "Comrade, what's the matter?"
How come he was discharged from the hospital after only a few days?
"Give me a certificate; I want a divorce."
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