Chapter 77: Improper

The steel mill is in the courtyard.

Although everyone lives upstairs, they like to wash clothes in the pool in the courtyard. Anyway, the water bill is almost equally shared.

There is a tap here, and a cement table. It is convenient to put the washboard in to wash while standing.

Qian's mother has been at her eldest son's house these days. She has to watch her eldest daughter-in-law Lin Xia take medicine for treatment.

Her eldest daughter-in-law is good in every way, but she doesn't listen to her.

It's not that he doesn't respect her, but he doesn't respect her mother-in-law enough when it comes to taking medicine.

I am doing this for the good of them, so would I hurt her?

Tong Ailian's mother was also here washing diapers for her grandson. She looked like she sympathized with and understood Qian's mother, but she was actually very happy in her heart. "Children are a matter of fate. If you have one, you have one. If you don't, it's not a big deal. In fact, it's good to adopt one."

She was applying soap to the diaper while complaining, "Look, we have so many children, but what's the use? I'm taking care of my grandson, my granddaughter, this one and that one, and I'm almost dying of exhaustion."

Qian's mother: "This kind of exhaustion is a happy exhaustion. I'm not afraid. Give me more exhaustion."

Seeing Qian's mother's envy, Tong's mother felt happy in her heart, but she still complained, "You, you don't know how lucky you are. I wish I had no children. The couple earns money to spend on themselves, and can also show more filial piety to you. If you have a headache or a fever, there are people to take care of you. If there are too many children, she can't take care of them herself, so how can she take care of you? I fell down last winter, who had time to take care of me?"

Qian's mother thought of her broken leg, and Lin Xia took care of her very attentively.

As she was talking, someone next to her talked about the new workshop director in the factory, "I heard that we have to choose a deputy director."

"Sister-in-law Qian, your Lisheng is a popular candidate."

Qian's mother was happy in her heart but said modestly, "It's impossible. There are so many team leaders competing for the election. Our Lisheng is still young and needs a few years of experience."

Tong's mother thought that her eldest son was about the same age as Qian Lisheng, and a few years older. Shouldn't he be the deputy workshop director?

She couldn't say openly that her son was suitable, so she kept asking people about it.

At this time, an old lady with a bun on her head, wearing an old-fashioned jacket with a large collar, and bound feet and trousers came over.

The old women immediately greeted her: "Auntie Jiang, Auntie Jiang..."

Old lady Jiang's feet were bound and unbound that year, so they were not that small, but it was still affected and it was not that convenient for her to walk.

She stood by the pool and started to brush her son's shoes.

Tong's mother immediately came over to get close to her and asked about the deputy director of the factory.

More old women asked about how Old Lady Jiang was selecting a daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Jiang's eldest son is the deputy director of the steel mill and the director of the factory's revolutionary committee. He is the next director, and has a lot of say in the selection of the deputy director or director.

Director Jiang is a retired military officer, only 32 years old this year. His wife died of dystocia more than ten years ago, but he has never remarried.

He is a hot candidate for marriage among young women in the factory. He is tall and handsome, and he is a senior leader in the factory with a high salary. He is not very old, so even young women of 18 or 19 years old are vying for him.

Unfortunately, he has always refused to remarry and rejected many young and beautiful women, which makes people hate him.

Old Mrs. Jiang said angrily: "Don't worry about him, let him be a bachelor forever."

Mother Qian: "Sister-in-law, that can't be the case. As a mother, we still have to worry about our children."

If the son has no offspring, wouldn't that mean the family line is cut off? As a mother, can she watch her son cut off the family line?

That's impossible.

This factory manager Jiang's wife died, and he never remarried. He has neither a wife nor children.

Now you are young and you are an official, don't you think so? What about when you are old?

When you retire? As a mother, don't you worry about it?

He said he didn't want it, maybe it's because the old lady is too difficult to deal with, so he hasn't been able to get a woman.

Old Mrs. Jiang: "So what? If he doesn't want to marry, can I still tie a bunch of people to him and force him into the bridal chamber?"

The idiot really pissed her off.

Not only did he not listen to her on such an important matter as finding a wife, he even refused to help

her buy a comfrey paste! She even brushed his shoes!

Humph, brush them yourself.

Old Mrs. Jiang got angry, threw her son's big toe shoes beside the pool, and walked away.

Everyone looked at each other. This old lady was really interesting. She said she was from the countryside, but she looked like she came from a foreign country.

At this time, a tall, dark and strong woman came with a little goblin like a snowball.

Several women were stunned for a moment.

"Whose new family member is

this?" "Look at her, she's like a vixen. Her husband must have been sucked dry by her, right?"

Lin Shu looked at Qian Mu who was washing clothes. The original owner had seen her before, and Lin Shu recognized her.

She stepped forward and greeted, "Auntie, are you washing clothes?"

When everyone saw that it was a relative of Qian's mother, they immediately shut up and were very embarrassed.

Qian's mother took a look at Lin Shu and saw that she was wearing a well-made light green shirt, a navy blue jacket on the outside, indigo pants underneath, and a pair of well-made cloth shoes.

This outfit would not be out of fashion in the city.

Qian's mother subconsciously thought that this was given to her sister Lin Shu by her daughter-in-law Lin Xia.

She felt that Lin Shu was here to ask for money, and she showed her disgust on her face.

Lin Shu didn't care and chatted with her warmly.

Tong's mother deliberately asked, "Sister Lin Xia, are you from the country? Did you come here by ox cart?"

The other women laughed.

Mrs. Lu said in a loud voice, "We came here in the jeep from the tractor factory, what's the matter?"

Tong's mother hurriedly said, "I'm just concerned. Riding a horse or ox cart is too slow. It will take a long time to get here, right?"

Lin Shu took out a bottle of sesame oil and said to Qian's mother, "Auntie, my sister has been taking medicine and has a bitter taste in her mouth recently. I brought her a bottle of sesame oil and soy sauce so that she can stew sesame oil eggs."

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Qian's mother liked to hear this and let the other neighbors hear that she was stewing sesame oil eggs for her daughter-in-law!

Humph!

She said, "Wait for me, I'll squeeze out the water."

Sister Lu put down her bag: "Auntie, I'll help you."

She took it over and squeezed the clothes dry in a few clicks.

Qian's mother was a little confused, such strength!

The other women were also surprised and praised Sister Lu for her strength.

Sister Lu went over to squeeze their clothes.

Tong's mother wanted her to help, but Sister Lu went upstairs with Qian's mother and Lin Shu carrying the bag.

You have so many diapers, can't you squeeze them by yourself? Where is your waste?

Upstairs, Lin Shu chatted casually with Qian's mother and told her about Sister Lu being a tractor operator and asking them to take pictures for the tractor promotional pictorial.

Relatives are supposed to help each other to gain face, otherwise everyone likes to say "my aunt..., my neighbor..., my relative..., my classmate..." and so on to increase their own face?

Lin Xia and her elder sister married to the city, which brought a lot of face to the Lin family, but her parents' family may not have brought much face to the two elder sisters, but they often dragged their feet in front of their parents-in-law and husbands.

Now that Lin Shu has something good, she naturally wants to show it off to Qian's mother, whether it is to bring face to her elder sister or to let Qian's mother say "my daughter-in-law's sister", it is a chip to gain face.

After all, the concept of relatives and friends is still very deep in this era, and everyone pays attention to this.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Qian's mother also felt proud and couldn't help laughing, and her previous dislike disappeared.

Lin Shu was not stingy, so she left all the benefits given to her by the tractor factory to her second sister. In the past, her second sister gave her so many good things, and she would give more to her second sister in the future. She

took the share of her eldest sister-in-law back.

Qian's mother still refused her, "Why don't you keep the sesame oil? It's convenient for us to buy soy sauce and vinegar in the city, so you can take it back."

Lin Shu: "My eldest sister-in-law still has some, so I'll give this to my sister."

Qian's mother did not refuse.

It's not cheap to buy a small bucket of soy sauce these days. It must be at least 60 cents with the bucket, right?

She was happy and made sugar water for Lin Shu and Lu's eldest sister-in-law.

"Sister-in-law and sister-in-law, please stay at home for a while. I'll go talk to my daughter-in-law and buy some food."

Lin Shu immediately said, "It's boring at home. Let's go out for a walk with my aunt."

In order to make her sister's family life more harmonious, she was willing to flatter Qian's mother.

At least she had to instill in Qian's mother that she shouldn't take random folk remedies, and her sister would be cured if she saw a doctor and followed the doctor's instructions.

Qian's mother didn't refuse.

Sister-in-law Lu helped them get the basket, and the three of them went down together.

When people saw her on the street, they curiously asked Qian's mother, "Are there any relatives coming home?"

"Oh, this girl is so pretty, have you talked about her in-laws?"

Qian's mother felt proud, "It's my daughter-in-law's sister, she got married a long time ago."

On the way, Lin Shu found an opportunity to tell her how good it was for Old Man Lu to be a doctor. Doctor Yan from the county hospital and Doctor Shen from the municipal hospital knew him and praised him for making good ointments.

She also picked out some stories about Old Man Lu treating members and curing their chronic diseases and told Qian's mother about them.

Finally, she got to the point, "Doctor Shen said that my sister's problem is not a big deal, it's just a little inflammation, and she will be fine after taking anti-inflammatory drugs for a while. The doctor warned her not to take random folk remedies. Auntie, my sister is very carefree, and sometimes she gets busy and confused, so you have to supervise her to take medicine on time and not take random folk remedies, okay? She was disobedient before and always took random folk remedies, and Doctor Shen criticized her for that."

Mother Qian felt a little guilty suddenly, because she was the one who found the folk remedy.

She said, "Don't worry, I'm very concerned about it. I don't let her eat anything she wants and she takes medicine on time."

Lin Shu smiled and said, "People say that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not easy to get along with, but I think it's very good. As long as we are sincere for each other and the family, how can we not get along? Look at me and my eldest sister-in-law, and me and my mother-in-law, we have a very good relationship. My aunt is also very good to my sister."

Qian's mother smiled and said, "Of course, your sister is also a good daughter-in-law, motivated, hardworking, earning money, and taking care of the family."

Although I gave the job to her, I only earned 25 yuan a month at the beginning, and now my daughter-in-law earns 35 yuan a month. I

gave one-third of my daughter-in-law's salary to her, saying that it was for her retirement money.

Although she doesn't earn as much as I did before, my expenses are also small now.

Of course, she didn't waste it, she saved it and gave it back to her grandchildren.

When the old man gave the job to the second son, she gave it to the eldest daughter-in-law, which was fair.

They didn't go to the state-owned vegetable market, but farmers from nearby carried their vegetables here and sold them secretly. The vegetables were fresh, juicy and cheap.

You could buy a basket for one dime.

While buying food, Mrs. Jiang saw Lin Shu and waved, "My dear, what a coincidence! I looked at you for several times but didn't recognize you. It's really you!"

Lin Shu was also surprised, "Aunt Jiang, you live in the steel rolling factory?"

Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "Yes, my unfilial eldest son works here."

She pulled Lin Shu to chat warmly, "I heard that your hospital has made that Sanhuang ointment again? The one that specifically treats burns? My dear, can you buy some for me?"

Lin Shu: "... Auntie, you are well-informed. I don't know anything about it."

Old Mrs. Jiang smiled, "That's all I can do. Young lady, please help me."

Lin Shu said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, I'll tell my father-in-law later and buy you a can."

Old Mrs. Jiang was very satisfied. "Good young lady, I know you are kind and beautiful. Good young lady, please go to your aunt's house for dinner." Mother Qian was stunned.

When did her daughter-in-law's sister become so familiar with the factory director's mother?

People said that Factory Director Jiang had a bad temper, but he was very filial. He was afraid that his daughter-in-law would treat her mother-in-law badly, so he would rather not marry a daughter-in-law.

This statement may not be true, but Factory Director Jiang's filial piety to his mother is true. Everyone is watching.

Director Jiang himself was very simple, wearing a patchwork of old military uniforms, but he spent all day buying cloth for the old woman to make clothes, buying snacks and grain for her, and raising her like a child.

Ask the people in this courtyard, who wouldn't be jealous?

Although her son was filial, Qian's mother was also jealous.

Seeing that Lin Shu and Old Lady Jiang had such a good relationship, Qian's mother was moved. If she asked Old Lady Jiang to help talk to her son, wouldn't Lisheng's position as the workshop director be secure?

Knowing that Lin Shu was Lin Xia's sister, Old Lady Jiang became even more enthusiastic. She held Lin Shu's hand and was very fond of her. She insisted that she go to her house for dinner, "Your sister is a very good lady, and you are also very good. Auntie loves you."

Lin Xia is a woman who studies electrician, and she is very good. Even

her eldest son praised her.

Lin Shu walked with Old Lady Jiang arm in arm.

When they returned to the factory, they happened to meet Lin Xia.

"Third sister!" Lin Xia was very happy to see Lin Shu, and was also surprised to see her buying vegetables with her mother-in-law and Old Lady Jiang.

After chatting for a while, they went home separately.

When Mrs. Jiang returned home, she saw her eldest son, Jiang Weidong, reading a newspaper at home. On the table was a plate with a fragrant and brown roasted chicken.

Mrs. Jiang was really angry. This son was obviously her own son and she had raised him. How come she could not figure out his temper?

You can say you are lazy or greedy, but at least you are like a human being. You are sitting there with a roasted chicken but don't eat a bite. It is not normal and not serious for a man in his thirties to not want a wife and children to warm the bed!

If she hadn't been watching her son every day and knew that he lived a decent life, Mrs. Jiang would have suspected that he had the habit of having a love affair with men like the ones in the opera.

She couldn't help but think of Lin Shu again. That girl was so pretty and had given birth to two children. She looked like a good match for her son.

The old lady was well-informed, and she always found unexpected ways to get news.

She happened to know that Lin Shu's husband was "gone", and she felt sorry for Lin Shu, but she also felt that she and her son would be a good match.

At this time, Jiang Weidong happened to be reading a newspaper. He was a retired military officer and had deep feelings for the army. He might not read the People's Daily every day, but he read the People's Liberation Army Daily every day.

Of course, it is impossible to read a new newspaper every day, and it is good to have two new ones a week.

This issue happened to introduce several military wives. One of them had a unique name, Lin Shu.

He was also moved by the dedication of this military wife and mother-in-law to their family and country, and he was very moved. He wanted to see if there was a contact address attached so that he could donate some money quietly later.

Old Mrs. Jiang had already started nagging at him, "You are a noble person, you think you are clean and innocent, but I, your mother, am dark and ugly, I am not afraid. Humph, I asked you to buy me some comfrey paste, and you said something like, you can't use the back door, bah, buying Sanhuang paste is using the back door? Who pays for people using the back door? They just want a job and a permit! Did I ask you for it? Did I ask you for a sack to sell? Tsk tsk, look at you, you look like a dog, reading newspapers all day long, but you are actually looking into a dog's stomach!"

She swept the floor with a broom in a bad mood, sweeping wherever her eldest son stepped.

Jiang Weidong was confused, "Mom, what are you going to do?"

Old Lady Jiang: "The daughter-in-law of the Qian family in your factory is called Lin..."

Jiang Weidong: "Lin Xia, what's wrong?"

Old Lady Jiang: "Yes, it's Lin Xia. She has a sister who is in her twenties this year and has twins, four or five years old."

Jiang Weidong: "What did they do to you? Haven't you fought for food before? I won't fight for you."

Old Lady Jiang: "Her sister is called Lin Shu, she is one in a million. I'm not kidding you, you are so tall for nothing, you have never seen such a handsome person in your life."

Jiang Weidong: "..."

Old Lady Jiang began to nag, with only one core purpose: to let Jiang Weidong go on a blind date with Lin Shu.

Jiang Weidong immediately refused.

Old Lady Jiang started throwing things around and wiping her tears, "Why am I so miserable? You said you were like other people's sons, honest and simple, and you are nothing, so I won't say anything. You are a factory director with a fake appearance, and you can talk nonsense in meetings, but why can't you find me a daughter-in-law?"

Jiang Weidong's face turned green.

"Mom, you had a daughter-in-law, but she passed away, so you don't have one anymore."

Old Lady Jiang was so angry that she started to chase him with a broom, "Don't run, stand there!"

Jiang Weidong stood there and let her hit him.

Old Mrs. Jiang knocked off a seedling from the broom and cried out in pain, "My broom, you are so pitiful."

Jiang Weidong: "... Mom, you eat the roast chicken."

Old Mrs. Jiang: "I'll give it to my daughter-in-law."

She took the roast chicken and left.

Lin Shu and Lin Xia were helping Qian's mother cook when they saw Old Mrs. Jiang coming over with a roast chicken.

Lin Shu was surprised and asked, "Aunt Jiang?"

Old Mrs. Jiang stuffed the roast chicken into her hands and said, "My dear, you come to the steel mill. This is my territory. I must entertain you."

Lin Shu hurriedly declined. Old Mrs. Jiang immediately winked at her, as if to say that we have a secret and you must not refuse it or others will hear it and arouse suspicion.

Lin Shu was intimidated by her and thought that she was bribing herself in order to buy more ointment.

Lin Xia gave money to Aunt Jiang. In this day and age

, you can’t buy roast chicken even if you have money, so you have to accept the favor when you give money. Aunt Jiang had no choice but to accept it, and she invited Lin Shu to her home again and again.

Seeing that Lin Shu and Aunt Jiang had such a good relationship, Qian’s mother became more and more enthusiastic towards her and Aunt Lu.

Soon Qian Lisheng came back and was very happy to see Lin Shu and Aunt Lu. He greeted them warmly, “Mom, is there no meat at home? I’ll go outside to find some meat.”

Qian’s mother immediately said, “No need. Factory Director Jiang’s mother just sent a roast chicken.”