Chapter 59 Conflict So your wife is the pots and pans of the house,...
The popular science lecture on menstruation knowledge was held perfectly, and Director Xie approved Jiang Xueyi's bonus with a stroke of his pen.
No more, no less, exactly fifty yuan.
When Jiang Xueyi received the bonus, the first thing she did was to treat Section Chief You and Xu Shanshan to a meal, which she had promised them a long time ago.
They picked a Wednesday when there were just the right number of people, and after work in the morning, at noon, the three of them went to the state-owned restaurant together.
These days, money is tight for everyone, so eating out is a rare pleasure.
Chief You had a smile on his face.
Xu Shanshan chattered even more, "It's so nice to eat out! I'm tired of eating in the cafeteria." She added, "If I had money, I would eat out every day."
Section Chief You: "If you buy fewer skirts and makeup products, you won't have any problem eating out every now and then, let alone every day."
Xu Shanshan pouted and said coquettishly, "Sister You, I'd rather skip a few meals than buy a skirt. Seeing a beautiful skirt hanging in the window, but not being able to touch or wear it, makes my heart itch." She added, "Besides, skipping a few meals will help me maintain my figure, and I'll look prettier in a skirt."
Sister You didn't even want to criticize her petty-bourgeois mentality, so she just said, "Look at Xiao Jiang. She dresses simply, but whoever sees her at the Women's Federation doesn't praise her?" She smiled and said, "She's almost become the face of our department. She's only been here a while, and even people from the town committee are asking me if there's a pretty woman in the Women's Federation. They even asked me if Xiao Jiang is single."
Xu Shanshan laughed: "And then, Sister You, what did you say?"
Chief You said, "Of course I told the truth. If I said Xiao Jiang was single, Deputy Brigade Commander He would come to my house to settle the score."
Jiang Xueyi thought of He Chengze's jealous look and thought that he might really do this, so she smiled.
Section Chief You said earnestly, "So, you should learn from Xiao Jiang. You blindly pile on all sorts of things and dress up in a flashy way. It's not beautiful at all. Simple and elegant is the right way."
Xu Shanshan yelled, "If I were as pretty as Xiao Jiang, I wouldn't even need to wear a skirt. I'd just put on a sack and go out. Everyone would definitely say I looked good."
She couldn't help but touch Jiang Xueyi's face: "How do you maintain your skin? It's so white, tender, and smooth, like tofu."
And when you look at it under the sun, even the nose, which is most prone to blackheads, has no pores at all.
Jiang Xueyi thought about it and didn’t do much maintenance. She just washed her face with a handful of water every morning and then applied a thin layer of cold cream. She thought she was done.
If you really want to say that she has good skin, it can only be attributed to genes.
As soon as she told this method, Xu Shanshan accused her of being secretive and pestered her, insisting that she tell her everything about skin care.
The two of them played and laughed.
Jiang Xueyi laughed heartily for the first time in a long time. It must be said that Xu Shanshan's youthful vitality was extremely contagious. This was the most beautiful thing about her. Why bother pursuing something invisible and intangible like "simple and generous".
After hearing what Xu Shanshan said, Section Chief You glanced at Jiang Xueyi.
She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and black wide-leg pants today. Her shiny black hair was combed into two big braids that fell steadily on her shoulders.
This kind of outfit is so common that if you look at the street, you will see five out of ten girls wearing it.
Even Jiang Xueyi dressed like this three days a week when she was at the Women's Federation.
But this simple dress looks different on her. She can be spotted at a glance in the crowd. This seems to be due to something called temperament.
Section Chief You was puzzled until she entered the state-owned restaurant and sat down, then she understood what was going on.
She slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "I know what's so good about Xiao Jiang."
Jiang Xueyi and Xu Shanshan were both startled. Xu Shanshan's eyes lit up and she urged, "Sister You, hurry up and tell me!"
Section Chief You raised his chin and gestured for Xu Shanshan to look at him. "Look at Xiao Jiang. You have a proper posture when you stand and a proper posture when you sit. Xiao Xu, you're fine when you walk, but as soon as you sit on a stool, you start hunching over. No matter how nice the clothes are, how can they look good on you when you're hunched over and hunched over?"
When Xu Shanshan heard this, she realized that this was the truth.
She glanced at Jiang Xueyi and found that she always sat upright, as if she had been measured with a ruler.
As for herself, when she sat on the stool, not only was her back hunched, but her shoulders were also uneven, which looked very ugly.
Xu Shanshan couldn't help but imitate Jiang Xueyi and began to hold her head high and chest out.
But after just a moment, she lost her temper and started complaining about being tired: "Xiao Jiang, how did you manage to hold on? It's so tiring sitting like this." She added, "We sit down to rest, but if you keep your head and chest puffed out like this, you'll be exhausted."
Jiang Xueyi blinked: "I didn't insist on it."
She herself noticed that Yu Ke was a little taller than her.
This is thanks to He Chengze. When He Chengze was in the army, he had to do strict queue training every day, keeping his head up, chest out, abdomen in, back straight, body leaning forward, and eyes looking forward.
Over time, he formed a habit in his daily life and would unconsciously keep his head and chest out, appearing energetic.
Jiang Xueyi lived with him and was influenced by him. She also unconsciously started to raise her head, straighten her chest, and tighten her stomach. How could she not look good?
Not to mention Jiang Xueyi, even the little Baozi started to be infected.
He is in the stage of imitating adults and learning whatever he sees.
Xu Shanshan tried again and almost fell on the table: "I'm so tired."
Jiang Xueyi patted her waist and advised her, "If you force yourself like this, you'll definitely get tired." She added, "Actually, this is a natural process. Keeping your head up, chest out, and stomach in is the right posture for your body. Bending over and slouching will actually put a strain on your body."
Xu Shanshan followed Jiang Xueyi's instructions and slowly sat up straight. Her eyes lit up: "Oh, really, it's much more comfortable than before."
But she persisted for a while, then gave up and pouted: "Xiao Jiang, you are lying."
"I didn't lie to you." Jiang Xueyi glanced at her. In order to be beautiful, Xu Shanshan deliberately controlled her diet, so that she was thinner than girls of the same age. She could even be said to be skin and bones. This was actually contrary to the healthy and positive aesthetic of this era. However, every era has people who pursue different aesthetics.
Jiang Xueyi said: "There is another reason why you can't hold on, and that is because you are too thin."
"Thin?" Xu Shanshan was stunned for a moment, looked at her arms, and muttered, "I think it's okay."
Section Chief You responded, "I agree with that. Xiao Xu, you're really too thin. If a strong wind blows down the street one day, I'm afraid you'll be blown away."
Jiang Xueyi: "If you're thin, your back and abdomen won't be strong enough, which can easily lead to a hunchback. Over time, the space in your chest cavity will decrease. Once you try to lift your head and chest, the compressed chest cavity will suddenly expand, putting pressure on your lungs and making breathing difficult."
Xu Shanshan was stunned when she heard this: "It's true. As soon as I raised my head and straightened my chest, I felt like I couldn't breathe."
She asked, “What should I do then?”
Jiang Xueyi said concisely: "Eat more meat and fatten yourself up. Health is the most beautiful thing."
Xu Shanshan sighed, "I've learned a lot." She couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Jiang, where do you know so much?"
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "From a book."
Section Chief You said, "No wonder I always see you reading a book in the office."
Jiang Xueyi: "There is a golden house in books."
She laughed and said, "Alright, spit can't be eaten. I'm hungry, let's order some food." She added, "Order more. Don't be polite to me. You two have praised me to bits today. It would be a bit unreasonable if I don't give some blood."
Xu Shanshan said cheerfully, "Of course. You told me to get fatter, and I'm going to eat you out of money today."
Section Chief You laughed and jokingly said, "Xiao Jiang's bonus is a full fifty yuan. If you were to eat at a state-owned restaurant from day to night, you wouldn't be able to make her broke."
Finally, I ordered a plate of braised fish fillets, a plate of dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and spicy and sour duck intestines.
I originally planned to order dishes according to the number of people minus one, so as to avoid waste.
Jiang Xueyi thought that it was a rare occasion for them to go out for a meal, so she might as well just order one more person.
The portions of food in this state-owned restaurant are not big to begin with. If you order more, you can pack up the leftovers to avoid the embarrassing situation of not having enough food.
The dumplings are stuffed with pork and cabbage, and served with aged vinegar. They are so delicious that you can swallow your tongue with them.
Xu Shanshan couldn't stop eating and said with emotion: "It's not a festival, but I'm eating dumplings."
This is a compliment. She means that things are getting better and better.
But when other guests at the state-owned hotel heard this, it felt a bit unpleasant.
The three women dared to order four dishes, while there was a table with three grown men sitting there, drinking bulk white wine with just a plate of peanuts.
Seeing the unfriendly look, Section Chief You quickly put a chopstick of hot and sour duck intestines into Xu Shanshan's bowl and said, "Shut your mouth now."
Xu Shanshan shrank her neck and put the spicy and sour duck intestines into her mouth. Unexpectedly, she couldn't eat spicy food, so she started coughing.
Jiang Xueyi quickly said, "I'll get you some water."
She walked to the ordering booth and saw a woman wearing a patched blue shirt. She lingered in front of the booth for a long time, making the waiter at the state-owned restaurant impatient: "How long have you been standing here? Are you going to order something or not? If not, get out of the way of other customers."
The woman shrank back, fear in her eyes, and after a long while she whispered, "I...I wanted to, but I can't read..."
Jiang Xueyi's heart ached, and she stepped forward and said, "Let me read the menu to you, what would you like to order?"
She pointed at the blackboard and said, "This is sweet and sour pork, and this is fried liver tips..."
The woman had never eaten these dishes. Judging from her clothes, you could tell that her family was not well off.
She tried hard to prepare herself mentally before mustering up the courage to say, "Can you tell me what these dishes taste like? I...well, my family likes sweet food."
Jiang Xueyi thought about it and simply pointed to a dish on the blackboard: "Then I recommend you order this candied sweet potato. It's sweet potato coated with syrup, and it's very sweet."
The woman's eyes lit up: "This is good, let's order this."
The waitress at the stall snorted coldly, turned around and went to find the chef to take the order.
As soon as she left, the woman hurriedly thanked Jiang Xueyi: "Thank you, thank you, comrade, you are so kind."
Jiang Xueyi smiled: "You're welcome."
The woman said, "Well, actually, today is my son's birthday. He's been clamoring to eat at a state-owned restaurant for a long time. I earned some money doing odd jobs, so I decided to fulfill his wish and bring him a dish from a state-owned restaurant so he can try it." She clutched the corner of her clothes and said embarrassedly, "I didn't expect to have to look at the menu to order here. I can't read..."
Jiang Xueyi felt quite unhappy and said, "You can actually try to take a literacy class and learn some words."
The woman smiled and said, "I don't have the time."
She took the candied sweet potato from the waitress and disappeared in the crowd.
Jiang Xueyi had just returned to her seat with the boiled water when she saw Xu Shanshan slamming the table and arguing with someone.
She looked carefully and saw that the man who was arguing with Xu Shanshan was one of the three men who were drinking bulk white wine with a plate of peanuts. He was shirtless and had a beard.
Xu Shanshan's eyes turned red with anger. She pointed at the shirtless man and said, "What did you just say? Say it again if you have the guts!"
The shirtless man smacked his lips and slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Just say it, I'm not afraid of you." He added, "Women nowadays are really capable. They treat eating out like they're at home, ordering so many dishes and not worrying about wasting them."
"You!" Xu Shanshan was about to rush over to argue with him, but Jiang Xueyi handed her the cold liquor and said, "Drink some water first."
Jiang Xueyi glanced at him and said calmly, "Comrade, what do you mean by that? We use our own food coupons and money to eat out. Who are we bothering?"
The shirtless man tutted, "It's true that you can eat with food coupons, but you three women ordered four dishes, and they're all meat. Isn't that extravagant and wasteful? We three grown men only had a plate of peanuts and couldn't even bear to order meat!"
A man wearing a hat at the same table with him chimed in, "That's right, why would a woman eat so much? The stove at home is waiting for you to go back and light it, why are you showing off here?"
Another man in a washed-out gray Mao suit chimed in, "Exactly. It's not certain whether you earned this money or not. Those who don't earn money don't know how hard it is to earn it. When it comes to spending men's money, you're just extravagant."
Jiang Xueyi continued eating the braised fish without looking up. After chewing carefully, she said, "Every penny of this, every grain coupon, is my salary and bonus." She added, "I earned this money through my own ability. How can it be considered a waste if I use it to have a good meal?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit looked her up and down, and seeing that Jiang Xueyi was dressed very decently and looked neat and tidy, he really looked like a cadre, so he swallowed his bad words.
Chief You: "Exactly. What's the matter? Only you men are allowed to eat out, but we women are not allowed to?"
Jiang Xueyi put a dumpling into Section Chief You's bowl and said, "Besides, what does the size of a meal have to do with gender? You three drank two kilograms of baijiu, and we didn't drink a drop and just ate the food we ordered. How is that bothering you?" She added, "Why are you so nosy? Do you live by the sea?"
The guests in the state-owned restaurant burst into laughter.
The shirtless man choked. He didn't expect that Jiang Xueyi, who looked so delicate and pretty, could scold people so well.
Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Times have changed. Women couldn't go to school before, but now we can. Women couldn't work before, but now we can get promoted. Why can men eat out but women can't?"
The shirtless man couldn't argue with Jiang Xueyi, so he could only use other people as examples: "Don't use the 'times have changed' excuse. What are women's responsibilities? They're to bear children, sew, and keep men comfortable. Our workshop director's wife, even if she becomes a team leader, still brings footbath water to her husband when she gets home. You guys, on the other hand, have to let us men watch you envious when you go to a restaurant. How can that be called advanced?"
Finally, I got to the point. It turns out that they were feeling unbalanced when they saw the three women ordering four meat dishes, while the three men could only drink white wine with a small plate of peanuts, so they came to find fault.
The shirtless man hadn't finished yet: "I just got off work after a hard day's get off work, and I couldn't bear to order any meat dishes, thinking I'd save some food coupons for my kids. But you, with your delicate skin and flesh, are eating so much meat, how can you digest it? I think you've never experienced hardship, so you don't know how precious food is!"
He picked up the glass and took a gulp, the wine dripping down the corner of his mouth. "Anyway, it just feels awkward to me! Women should be at home cooking, not going out to eat and drink."
The man in the hat saw Xu Shanshan with sweet and sour pork on her chopsticks and several dumplings in her bowl. The jealousy in his eyes almost turned into reality. He pointed at her and shouted angrily, "You are a little girl, and it's not enough for you to eat dumplings. You also want to eat sweet and sour pork. When you get married in the future, which man can afford to support you? There was a woman in our village who wanted to eat fine noodles for every meal. She was divorced by her in-laws within half a year. Women who are too greedy will not end well!" He added, "If she were my wife, I would beat her three times a day."
Xu Shanshan was almost mad with anger, but she was tongue-tied and her eyes were red, so she couldn't utter a word.
The shirtless man nodded in agreement and said, "That's how it should be. My wife ate a piece of peach cake because she was greedy, so I slapped her three times. She was so scared that she didn't dare talk to me for three days. This is how women should be managed, otherwise they will be so arrogant!"
Jiang Xueyi put down her chopsticks, smiling, but a hint of coldness flashed across her eyes: "That's really surprising. Does that mean your wife is just the pots and pans in the house, someone you can throw and hit whenever you're unhappy?"
The other guests in the state-owned restaurant couldn't stand it any longer and started talking at once:
"That's right, how can you hit someone?"
"A grown man hitting a woman, tut tut tut."
"This is my own daughter-in-law. How can I bear to give her three slaps in the face?"
The shirtless man's face turned the color of liver. "I beat up my own wife, what's it to you? A wife married into the family must obey the man! If she dares to be extravagant, I dare to discipline her. This is the rule passed down by our ancestors!"
"Our ancestors said hitting someone is against the law." Jiang Xueyi picked up the vinegar bottle on the table and poured some into a dish, filling the table with a sour aroma. "Your wife was slapped for just eating two pieces of peach cake. If she dared to eat out like us, I'm afraid you'd break her legs? So, your wife wasn't married to be loved, but bought to be beaten like an animal?"
She shook her head and sighed, "It's so pitiful to be your wife."
Section Chief You smiled and said, "As the old saying goes, a woman is a man's face."
She raised her voice and said, "Some people think they're impressive by beating their wives, but they don't realize that everyone else is just making fun of them." She added, "If your wife wears rags, people won't say she's shabby. They'll just say you're incompetent and can't even afford new clothes. If your wife eats tree roots for every meal, people won't say she's frugal and knows how to live. They'll just say you earn too little to even support your wife."
Xu Shanshan nodded in agreement: "It can be seen that this man's reputation is not earned by himself, but by his wife."
The shirtless man blushed and said, "Nonsense!" He added, "A man's dignity is earned through strength and money. What does it have to do with women?"
"Why doesn't it matter?" Jiang Xueyi laughed. "Even if you're an advanced worker in the workshop and receive a certificate of merit, and others praise your ability, when you turn around and see your wife holding a crying baby in her cotton-padded jacket with the cotton floss showing, they'll say behind your back, 'What's the point of this man earning a lot of money? He can't even support his family.' Reputation is like this cotton-padded jacket. You earn it in front while your wife sews the lining. If the lining is rotten, no matter how bright the outside is, it will be chilled to the bone when the wind blows."
She looked at the shirtless man and the man in the hat. "You two always say 'you have to control your wife,' but when you slap her, no one says she deserves it, they just say you're ruthless. You even hit your wife. You make her eat steamed bread every day, and no one says she's frugal, they just say you're mean. You think you're setting rules, but you're actually smearing yourselves. How can you hit your wife and still be praised for being 'dignified'?"
The shirtless man choked and couldn't say a word for a long time.
The three men looked at each other and made looks that meant, you say it, no, you say it.
As a result, the three of them remained silent, obviously at a loss for words.
Xu Shanshan leaned close to Jiang Xueyi's ear and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Can they listen to you if you say that?"
"It's up to him whether to listen or not, and it's up to me whether to speak or not." Jiang Xueyi added a spoonful of free egg drop soup to her bowl. "Have you ever heard that the two hardest things in the world are to put other people's money into your own pocket and to put your own thoughts into other people's heads?"
She pursed her lips and said, "What we are doing is obviously the latter."
In her opinion, it was extremely unlikely that these three men would wake up. They kept silent only because they were defeated by her argument, not because they really agreed with what she said.
After all, how could a person's ideas formed by decades of experience be changed by just a few words from her?
I just hope the wives of these three men can wake up and stop being hardworking and uncomplaining punching bags.
However, with the development of the times, there will definitely be more and more independent and self-reliant women like Hao Fang.
Seeing the unwilling and sour looks of the three men, Jiang Xueyi and the others ate even more happily.
Jiang Xueyi picked up a piece of braised fish for Section Chief You and said in a clear voice, "Don't worry about them, let's eat our own food. The food earned through hard work is delicious!"
The sunlight from outside the window shone in obliquely, falling on the shiny table, making the four hot dishes look like warm clouds.
Xu Shanshan laughed while biting the sweet and sour pork, while Section Chief You and Jiang Xueyi chatted happily. Three pairs of chopsticks danced lightly on the plate, chewing all the sour words into the delicious food.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
