Zhao Guihua led her whole family to go fishing, but it didn't start well.
As expected, she didn't catch a single fish. On their way home, everyone was feeling a bit dejected, except for Zhao Guihua who kept chattering non-stop: "It's not that I couldn't catch any fish, it's just that today is like a holiday, and I couldn't bear to turn them into a meal right away."
What a boast that was.
Old Man Zhuang played along, smiling as he said: "I know you're capable. There's nothing in this world you can't learn. Fishing is just a small matter, isn't it? You just didn't want to catch them, not that you couldn't."
Zhao Guihua nodded slightly and said: "You're the only one who truly understands me, old man."
Old Man Zhuang gave a simple smile and said: "Of course I do, you're my wife. We've shared decades of love together."
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "..."
His brother was quite like their father, wasn't he?
This talent for flattery clearly ran in the family.
Though his father only flattered his mother, his brother was an equal-opportunity flatterer.
Although they hadn't caught any fish, it was already noon, and Zhao Guihua chose to take the bus home. Despite her bragging, she was secretly sighing inside, thinking this trip had been a loss. When the family arrived home, they saw Madam Zhou Li and Aunt Su sitting in front of their respective doors.
Seeing their empty-handed return, Madam Zhou Li burst into laughter that sounded like a wild duck's quack, while Aunt Su just gave a slight smile without saying anything. Zhao Guihua knew exactly what these two were thinking.
She snorted, carrying her fishing rod and striding straight home. Even if they hadn't caught any fish, they still had fish at home.
For lunch today, they would eat fish.
Two of them!
Hmph!
After Zhao Guihua returned home unhappily, Madam Zhou Li finally went back to her house "relieved." She had just wanted to see if that old woman Zhao Guihua could really catch any fish, and as she expected, she couldn't.
Madam Zhou Li felt two words in her heart: delighted!
She felt happy when others weren't doing well. She hummed a tune as she entered her house, but upon seeing her daughter-in-law, her previously cheerful face immediately dropped. She said, "You useless thing. You're not even pregnant and you wasted three mao on examination fees."
Jiang Lu's nausea had indeed been a false alarm - she still wasn't pregnant.
Jiang Lu prepared lunch with a bitter expression, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted. She had taken all kinds of medicine, so why wasn't anything working? Could it be that she was truly infertile? Jiang Lu's mind was in chaos, feeling deeply that she had let Zhou Qun down.
"That folk remedy I told you about last time, you can't refuse it anymore. If you can't give birth, then make way for someone else."
Jiang Lu suddenly looked up and quickly said, "Mom, I'll have a baby, I'll definitely give Zhou Qun a son, trust me. I'll take the folk remedy, I'll take anything."
She paused and said, "I just drank black dog blood at dawn yesterday. Let's see if that works first. If it does, we won't need the folk remedy, right? The black dog blood won't show results in just one day, don't you think?"
Madam Zhou Li glared at her and said, "You dare to talk back to me!"
She scolded, "Who do you think you are to bargain with me? Women who can't have children have always been useless waste. My Zhou Qun is talented, he's a pillar of the factory. He's been so patient with you, not saying a single bad word despite having no children. Now when you need to do just a little thing for him, you make all these excuses? What? You find children's urine disgusting? Don't you know that drinking urine is the smallest thing in the world when it comes to having a child?"
Jiang Lu's eyes reddened as she said softly, "I know, Mom, I know. I know Zhou Qun is a hundred and twenty percent good to me, and I'm letting him down. I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say..."
Madam Zhou Li: "That's more like it!"
She continued, "You think children's urine is easy to get? I still need to arrange it with the children in the courtyard. I can't even speak about it directly - if people knew you were drinking urine, wouldn't I lose face? It's fortunate we have many boys in our courtyard."
Zhou Qun chose this moment to come out from the inner room and said, "Mom, Jiang Lu has already agreed, so stop talking about this. It makes her feel bad too. She doesn't want things to be this way either."
Madam Zhou Li snorted, "There you go protecting her again."
Zhou Qun righteously declared, "She's my wife. If I don't protect her, am I supposed to watch her suffer? Mom, don't push Jiang Lu too hard."
Madam Zhou Li became even more displeased, waving her hand as she said, "I'm going to the latrine."
She walked straight out.
Unable to bear the bitterness anymore, Jiang Lu suddenly threw herself into Zhou Qun's arms, saying softly, "Qun, you're so good to me, you really are. I know it."
Zhou Qun gently patted her back and said, "If I'm not good to you, who else would I be good to?"
He said quietly, "Mom's getting old, she's anxious to hold a grandson. You understand, right?"
Jiang Lu nodded vigorously, "I do, I really do. I want a son too."
Zhou Qun: "Then just listen to her. She might be old and a bit ignorant, but she means well for us, and we don't have any better solutions. Just try it, think of it as just giving it a try, okay?"
Jiang Lu: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Meanwhile, while Zhou Qun was convincing Jiang Lu to comply completely, Madam Zhou Li was grumbling as she went to the public toilet. At her age, she needed to use the toilet more frequently, though this time she wasn't really going to use it - she just wanted to give her son some space.
She muttered under her breath, "If this little tramp can't bear children, I'll just have my little Qun have some outside."
As she was mumbling to herself, she happened to meet Ming Mei coming out of the toilet. She looked Ming Mei up and down - she wasn't particularly thin, but she didn't look like the fertile type like Wang Xiangxiu either. This young daughter-in-law had been married for some time now.
She stopped and asked, "Hey, Old Zhuang's wife, let me ask you something - are you pregnant yet? You don't look like someone who'd be good at bearing children."
Ming Mei: "???"
She looked bewildered at the old woman, not understanding what she was going on about, though this wasn't the first time. On her first day after marriage, this stranger had jumped out to lecture her just to make her presence known, showing she was clearly a foolish person.
Both wicked and poisonous.
Ming Mei blinked, finally understanding what the old woman was asking, and said crisply, "That's none of your business. Why don't you mind your own affairs?"
She turned and left, refusing to exchange pleasantries with someone like Madam Zhou Li.
Madam Zhou Li trembled with anger: "You, you, you - how dare you speak to me like that, you little tramp! You're so vicious!"
Ming Mei stopped in her tracks and turned around: "I'm vicious? I think the person who says such things is the vicious one. If you have mental problems, you should go to a mental hospital instead of trying to make yourself noticed in the courtyard. Let me tell you, I, Ming Mei, won't put up with your nonsense. Who do you think you are? Calling me a little tramp? I think you're the old tramp! Your age doesn't excuse your shamelessness, what kind of trash are you! If your brain isn't working right, take some medicine. Don't come out here causing trouble thinking I'm afraid of you! Pah!"
Ming Mei looked around, and seeing no one else nearby, she unleashed her thoughts without restraint. Really, this woman dared to argue with her? She had dealt with more troublemakers on her bus route than this old woman had fought with in her entire life, and she dared to act up in front of her?
If she hadn't just gotten married and needed to maintain some image, she would have told this old woman off long ago. She really had no sense of propriety.
"If you have nothing better to do, go get your mental illness checked. What's wrong? Not enough drama in your own home that you have to come play queen bee with the neighbors? Get lost, you garbage, you nutcase, you shameless old thing!" Ming Mei rattled off a string of insults, then gave a heavy snort and said, "Stay far away from me in the future, or I won't be so nice!"
After Ming Mei finished her fierce tirade, she turned around to see her husband, Zhuang Zhixi, leaning against the main gate, thoroughly amused and giving her a thumbs up.
Ming Mei... Ming Mei's face immediately turned red. She bit her lip and ran over coquettishly, holding onto Zhuang Zhixi's arm saying, "Come on, let's go home."
She said coyly, "You didn't see anything just now, right?"
Zhuang Zhixi didn't play along at all, laughing as he said, "No, I didn't miss a thing."
Ming Mei shook him slightly and said, "You definitely didn't see anything. I'm still the gentle me, right?"
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled and let out a long "oh," not elaborating further. Ming Mei pinched him, and Zhuang Zhixi laughed even harder, dodging and saying, "Yes, yes, I saw and heard nothing."
Ming Mei nodded, "I'm still the gentle and lovely me."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Pfft."
Ming Mei: "What do you mean by that? Are you laughing at me?"
Zhuang Zhixi raised an eyebrow, "How could I? I wouldn't dare."
He pinched Ming Mei's cheek and said, "I think you're great this way, at least I don't have to worry about you getting bullied."
Ming Mei: "..."
Bullied?
By her?
From childhood to adulthood, she was never the one to be bullied.
Ming Mei blinked at Zhuang Zhixi, who laughed and leaned in mysteriously, "Guess if Old Witch Zhou will come to make trouble?"
Ming Mei shrugged, "How would I know? I don't know her, but I'm not afraid of her."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Want to bet?"
Ming Mei blinked again, pushing Zhuang Zhixi away to wash her hands in the yard. She quickly figured out that he was probably using the bet to gamble on something trivial. She knew him well.
She immediately understood, finished washing her hands, and splashed water at his face, crisp and clear, "No bet!"
"Hey, don't splash water, it's cold," he said.
Ming Mei smiled sweetly, "Hmph, trying to trick me."
The two entered the house together, Ming Mei approached, "Mom, is there anything I can help with?"
Zhao Guihua glanced at her, "No."
Ming Mei "oh"ed, happily sitting down, not having to work was great.
Zhao Guihua: "What were you two playing outside?"
She asked casually, and Liang Meifen perked up, thinking: Let them show off their love, let them show off. Mother-in-law, scold her, scold her hard! Liang Meifen was eager to see the drama.
Ming Mei: "We were betting whether Madam Zhou would come knocking. She blocked me at the toilet earlier, and I gave her a good scolding. So Zhixi wanted to bet with me if she'd come to make trouble. But I didn't take the bet, hehe."
Zhao Guihua: "She definitely won't come."
Ming Mei's eyes lit up, "Why?"
Zhao Guihua looked at her deeply, "Because I'm home."
Ming Mei immediately understood, "I see, because she can't out-argue you, and she can't start a fight."
Zhao Guihua nodded, "That's the point."
She said, "Everyone in our courtyard knows this tacit understanding, arguing is one thing, but no one really starts a fight. If it gets physical, it's just not good."
Ming Mei heard this and shook her head, "That's not right, Madam Zhou did hit Bai Fendou."
"That's because it's an elder hitting a younger one. Besides, everyone has a weak spot. Zhou Qun is Madam Zhou's life. And Bai Fendou started it first, so Madam Zhou was just defending herself."
Ming Mei softly "oh"ed, indicating she understood, and mused, "What if she hits me, should I fight back?"
Zhao Guihua: "..."
She said slowly, "Can't you push her away and give her a subtle lesson? You're skilled, can't you do that?"
Ming Mei: "..."
She pursed her lips, not saying anything.
There was no way to respond to that.
Liang Meifen was shocked looking at her mother-in-law, who was clearly advising her sister-in-law to hit someone.
Liang Meifen quickly became a turtle, afraid her mother-in-law would make her do something, she was really ruthless.
"Alright, the fish is almost done, get ready to eat."
Zhao Guihua stuck cornmeal cakes on the side of the pot. Although these cakes couldn't compare to big steamed buns, when paired with fish stew, they were excellent. The family quickly enjoyed the meal.
The Su family smelled the fish stew, and Tonglai immediately put down his chopsticks, unhappy, "I want to eat fish, I want to eat fish, why do they have fish and we don't?"
Wang Xiangxiu: "Mom, didn't you say they didn't catch any fish?"
Aunt Su sat by the door, unlike Madam Zhou who wanted to see a lively scene, she was looking for opportunities to get something for free. In the past, she could sweet-talk and complain a bit, and get some benefits from Zhao Guihua.
But recently, there were no such chances, Zhao Guihua was always busy.
She didn't have any opportunities, so today she thought about trying to get some fish, but Zhao Guihua came back clearly without any fish. She didn't mention anything. But now... they were stewing fish?
Aunt Su: "Who knows, maybe they had some already, or maybe they caught some today."
She had seen everyone without any catch, so it was probably the former.
"I want to eat, I want to eat..."
Tonglai, using his age as an advantage, lay on the ground and started kicking, "I want to eat, I want to eat!"
Jinlai and Yinlai also looked at their mother with longing, Wang Xiangxiu sighed, "I'll try."
She got up and went to the Zhuang's door, knocking. Zhuang Zhixi opened the door, but kept one hand on it and the other on the doorframe, not giving anyone a chance to enter, even peeking inside was difficult with Zhuang Zhixi's height.
Seeing the visitor, he asked puzzled, "Sister-in-law Su, is something wrong?"
Wang Xiangxiu put on a pitiful expression, "Little Zhuang, you're having dinner, right?"
She looked at him with a tender gaze, "Your fish smells so good, my Tonglai is howling and rolling on the ground. Could you spare a bit? The kids are really pitiful, it's my fault for not being able to provide better nutrition. Just a little, we just want to taste it. Next time I get fish, I'll definitely return the favor."
Zhuang Zhixi raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Sister-in-law Su, what are you talking about, a little fish, why mention returning favors?"
Wang Xiangxiu was delighted, ready to thank him, when Zhuang Zhixi said, "But you know, my family has eight people, not even fish soup is left, we're dipping the cakes in it, I'm even gnawing on fish bones, there's nothing to spare."
Wang Xiangxiu's face turned ugly, dissatisfied with Zhuang Zhixi's refusal. She had come to ask, how could he not give anything? Wasn't this how neighbors should be? Not understanding the hardships of the poor.
She frowned, forcing a smile, "You're joking with your sister-in-law, right? The kids are still crying at home..."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled, "Actually, I think Sister-in-law Su shouldn't worry, kids cry because they're not beaten enough, just beat them a few more times."
Wang Xiangxiu's face turned completely dark, very displeased.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Anything else, sister-in-law? No, I'll continue gnawing on fish bones."
Wang Xiangxiu suppressed her urge to curse, forcing a smile, "Then, forget it."
She turned, and the door clicked shut, not leaving any room. Wang Xiangxiu's face was as dark as night, walking back heavily. The Su kids were waiting for the fish, seeing her return immediately stood up, "Eat fish!"
But saw nothing.
Tonglai: "Waa... waa, I want to eat, I want to eat fish..."
Aunt Su: "Didn't she get it?"
Wang Xiangxiu sighed, "No, Zhuang Zhixi didn't fall for my act."
The kids were still crying, she shouted, "Enough, do you have to? Our family is poor, we can't afford fish. Even if you cry to death, no one will pity you! Cry, cry, cry! Want to eat so much, go be someone else's child! Am I not a good enough mother for you? I'm always worrying for you, you never let me rest. Think about it, is it something we can afford? Is it?"
Her voice was loud, Bai Fendou quickly came over, knocking, "Sister-in-law Xiangxiu, what's wrong?"
Wang Xiangxiu opened the door, rubbed her eyes, which immediately turned red, "The kids are just craving, I scolded them."
White Fendou looked at the three children and then at Wang Xiangxiu, his heart softening to the point of breaking. He said, "Look at you, it's natural for the kids to want something nice to eat. What's the big deal? You scolding them like this, doesn't it hurt you more?"
He softly comforted Wang Xiangxiu, wishing he could immediately step into her home.
Wang Xiangxiu wiped away her tears and said, "I know that, but our family is in such a situation, what can I do?"
White Fendou gritted his teeth: "Alright, I'll go to the river this afternoon to see if I can catch some fish. I don't believe I can't catch any."
Jinlai immediately chimed in: "I want to go too."
White Fendou: "Okay, okay, I'll take all three of you. Uncle Fendou will take you fishing."
Wang Xiangxiu bit her lip; she had actually hoped that White Fendou would give her money or buy fish directly for her. But seeing him say this, she thought about how he had recently lost fifteen yuan twice, once for the New Year and once for buying a bike. She figured he probably didn't have much money left.
She sighed inwardly and said, "Then, be careful."
"Don't worry about that," White Fendou reassured the Su family. But he didn't know that others were peeking out from their windows, secretly watching the drama unfold. Jiang Lu was at her door, whispering sarcastically, "Serves you right for scheming against my husband Zhou Qun. You deserve to be swindled by that widow."
As for the Zhuang family, Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei were peeking out the window, watching the commotion. Ming Mei exclaimed, "I've never seen someone so devoted, thinking only of other people's children. What kind of spirit is that?"
Zhao Guihua: "What spirit? Lack of spirit. He's as stupid as a donkey."
Zhao Guihua: "You two, come back for dinner."
Ming Mei: "Okay, okay."
She quickly grabbed a piece of fish with her chopsticks and said, "So fragrant."
Zhuang Zhiyuan, however, was moved: "Luckily, it was my younger brother who went to handle the situation. If it had been me, I wouldn't have been able to refuse."
Liang Meifen immediately gave Zhuang Zhiyuan a wary look. Zhuang Zhiyuan: "What are you doing?"
Liang Meifen earnestly: "Stay away from Wang Xiangxiu!"
With such a charming widow as a neighbor, Liang Meifen was very vigilant about her husband. But it wasn't just her; every woman in the neighborhood was the same, except for White Fendou. Jiang Lu was also keeping a close eye on Zhou Qun.
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "What do you take me for? Besides, Sister Su hasn't done anything. Don't tarnish her reputation."
"Heh."
"Heh."
"Heh."
With just that one sentence, he drew several "hehs" from the women in the room. Zhuang Zhiyuan: "..."
It seemed the female comrades didn't share his views.
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled, not getting involved in the matter. But if anyone thought they could take advantage of him, they were sorely mistaken. Just ask around, Zhuang Zhixi wasn't someone who let others take advantage of him.
Zhao Guihua: "Tomorrow, when you go back to your parents' house, I'll prepare a fish and a pound of meat for each of you. If you want more, use your own private money. If not, that's fine too."
Ming Mei: "Got it."
Liang Meifen wanted to say something but seeing that Ming Mei didn't object, she didn't dare either, closing her mouth with a sigh.
Zhao Guihua: "Ming Mei, are you going back to work soon?"
Ming Mei: "On the fourth day of the New Year, I'll be back to work."
Zhao Guihua nodded and said, "You're starting earlier than the others. Will you come back for lunch?"
Ming Mei shook her head: "No need, it's too much trouble. I'll eat at the unit cafeteria."
Zhao Guihua: "Alright."
She instructed: "Since Ming Mei will be at work and not eating at home, Elder Daughter-in-law, you'll be in charge of cooking. I'll still be fishing these days."
Liang Meifen: "..."
With your terrible fishing skills?
It's a waste of bus fare just going out.
But despite thinking this, Liang Meifen didn't dare say it out loud, nodding and saying, "Okay."
When it came to doing chores, she didn't compare, doing as much as needed without complaint. Zhao Guihua knew this was Liang Meifen's strength. If you asked Ming Mei to do more work, she would definitely try to shirk it. But Ming Mei wasn't so calculating with money and had a cheerful personality, which were her strengths.
Both daughters-in-law had their own strengths and weaknesses.
Zhao Guihua didn't pay much attention. In her previous life, she wanted to manage but couldn't. In this life, she didn't want to manage anymore. After all, she had her own flaws. As long as Zhao Guihua didn't lose her temper at home, the harmony level in the family soared.
In the afternoon, the family gathered to play small cards. These weren't poker cards but a game somewhat similar to mahjong. It was a pastime in old teahouses and inns, not something respectable people played. Wealthy families played mahjong, but now with strict regulations, neither mahjong nor these small cards were played anymore. If caught, one would be reprimanded. While it was a bit like gambling, playing as a family without money was just for fun, done quietly without anyone bothering.
This wasn't as problematic as mahjong, which could be burned in a stove if needed, disappearing instantly. So ordinary families sometimes played secretly.
Like their family, two kids ran around outside while the adults played cards indoors for amusement. Despite being just for fun, it was addictive, delaying dinner.
If not for the next day when the two daughters-in-law had to visit their parents, they might have played all night.
Ming Mei lost miserably, looking pitiful. She whispered softly, "Luckily, we're not playing for money, or I'd be bankrupt."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Don't worry, your husband is great at this. I can win it all back."
Ming Mei giggled coquettishly, making Zhuang Zhixi's heart melt.
But because they stayed up late, the next morning the couple was still groggy, returning to their parents' home in a bit of a daze. This led to Ming Mei's mother hinting at the couple not to be too wild just because they were young, reminding them to be "moderate," making Ming Mei blush furiously.
For the record, she stayed up late not because of that.
But her explanation was ignored by her mother, who firmly didn't believe her. Ming Mei felt so wronged.
Ming Mei's mother didn't care what her daughter thought. She checked the gifts her daughter brought and nodded in approval.
She asked, "Did your mother-in-law prepare these?"
Ming Mei shook her head, being very honest with her mother: "My mother-in-law prepared the fish and meat. The other two snacks I bought myself. You know, our family is like a divided one. My mother-in-law wouldn't prepare more."
Ming Mei mentioned the two items her mother-in-law prepared and added two more she bought herself, as she had her own money.
Ming Mei's mother nodded: "That makes sense."
She understood the situation. The young couple paid ten yuan a month, and the food was decent, thanks to the old couple's subsidy. Ming Mei's mother couldn't be bad at math. After all, the urban poverty line was five yuan per person.
They paid ten yuan, which wasn't much.
She said, "Your dad got a few pounds of big pears before the New Year. Take some back to eat secretly."
The mother whispered, "Don't give it to your mother-in-law; eat it yourself. Otherwise, she'll give it all to the kids, and what will you eat?"
Ming Mei laughed, hugging her mother's arm: "I know, Mom. I know you love me the most."
"Who else would I love if not you? You're my own flesh and blood."
Ming Mei: "Hehe."
She happily snuck a snack in the kitchen, remembering something and said, "Mom, can you give me some broken tea? My in-laws don't have any tickets and haven't been able to buy any."
Ming Mei's mother's mouth twitched: "Are you already digging into your parents' home to subsidize your in-laws?"
Ming Mei shook her head: "Of course not. I know we have extra at home. Besides, I get something in return. My in-laws have been eating really well lately, and I don't have to do any work, hehe."
She detailed the recent meals to her mother and added, "My sister-in-law handles all the work."
Ming Mei's mother nodded: "You're just a lazybones."
Ming Mei smiled innocently at her mother. Ming Mei's mother: "Alright, I get it. I'll pack some for you when you leave. Luckily, we have extra."
Ming Mei smiled happily.
This tea is indeed hard to come by; the quota is strict, and what you usually get is tea dust, and without the right tickets, you can't get it either. But this isn't something particularly rare in Ming Mei's household. Ming Mei has an uncle who works at a tea plantation.
Being in the business means you benefit from it, so it's only natural.
Ming Mei's father works for a transportation company and often travels to the south to deliver goods, so he can usually bring back some tea. Like the tea tickets at their home, they always end up being traded secretly to others because they don't need them.
"I'll give you some tea dust and a bit of good tea. Keep the good tea to yourself, don't give it to others. We don't have much of it at home," the supply currently only includes tea dust. This is something that's hard to buy even with money.
Ming Mei: "I understand, Uncle Zhang is doing well over there, right? Are they considered workers at the tea plantation?"
Ming Mei's mother: "Of course, they are skilled workers, their wages are quite good."
Ming Mei mused: "A martial arts master going to grow tea, it feels a bit strange when you think about it."
Ming Mei's mother: "Don't spout nonsense. What martial arts master? Don't say such things, everyone is a working person."
Ming Mei: "Alright, alright."
Uncle Zhang is the senior martial brother of Ming Mei's uncle, and his skills are even better than her uncle's.
"By the way, mom, I think I might have done something good again, but I don't know if it will increase my salary. It was the first day of the New Year, and I went to the movies with Zhixi..." She spoke animatedly, but her mother's face grew darker and darker. She gave her daughter a hard slap and said, "Stay out of trouble from now on!"
Ming Mei: "???"
Innocent, wronged.
Ming Mei's mother: "How can you not know the danger? And if you dare to transfer to another unit without my permission, I'll break your legs!"
Ming Mei muttered softly: "You said you wouldn't care about me once I get married."
Ming Mei's mother: "Are you not my daughter after you get married? You're my daughter, I can always manage you. If you mess up, I'll break your legs even if you're married."
Ming Mei's mother remembered that last time her daughter caught a thief, the authorities were impressed by her skills and wanted to transfer her. Ming Mei's mother was vehemently against it; it was too dangerous. A young girl like her was better off as a ticket seller, with good benefits and a decent job.
If she worked in law enforcement, it would be tough and dangerous. Her mother was adamantly against it.
She pulled Ming Mei's ear and said, "Remember this, if you dare to play tricks, I won't be lenient with you."
Ming Mei: "Ouch, ouch, I know, I know. I don't want to go, really, believe me."
Ming Mei's mother looked into Ming Mei's eyes and said, "I'll trust you for now."
Ming Mei: "Phew!"
She really didn't want to transfer. Mainly because she thought she was good at nothing but her skills. Those brainy units weren't for her. She was just a reckless girl.
Equivalent to a reckless man.
She could handle physical tasks and argue with impolite passengers, but she couldn't be a cop.
Besides, they mentioned it last time, not this time. She rubbed her ear and complained to Zhuang Zhixi: "Didn't you hear me calling? Why didn't you come to save me?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "I can't afford to offend your mom, where would I dare to provoke my mother-in-law? Offending her is worse than offending my wife."
Ming Mei: "Heh."
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'll give you a good massage when we get home, okay?"
Ming Mei: "Hmph, too late."
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'll serve you a hundred times as punishment."
Ming Mei's face instantly turned red, she muttered: "Zhuang Zhixi, have some self-respect. Serve me a hundred times? Are you sure I'm the one benefiting? You're clearly the one benefiting. What kind of person are you?"
Zhuang Zhixi suppressed a laugh and said innocently: "You see, you misunderstood me, didn't you? I meant serving you by pouring tea and water. Where did you think I meant?"
He said with a wicked smile: "Or did you think of those unspeakable scenes?"
Ming Mei didn't hesitate, she kicked out!
Ming Mei's father saw from a distance and smiled: My daughter doesn't get taken advantage of, good!
Ming Cheng also smiled: My sister doesn't get taken advantage of, good.
Ming Mei's mother saw from the kitchen and still smiled: A little scuffle means affection, the couple's relationship is good, happy.
Probably because Zhuang Zhixi got kicked, today both the father-in-law and mother-in-law had good expressions, Zhuang Zhixi had a pleasant time at his in-laws' place. When leaving, Zhuang Zhixi saw the bulging bag Ming Mei was carrying and said: "You're going back to your parents' home, why the big haul?"
Ming Mei looked up: "Then don't eat it."
Zhuang Zhixi immediately straightened up: "I was wrong, scold me."
Ming Mei lifted the corner of her mouth, the young couple rode back home. Ming Mei hummed a little tune, Zhuang Zhixi: "Wife, your parents are the least gender-biased I've ever seen."
Ming Mei: "Your mom isn't either? I see her treating Huttou and Xiaoyanzi the same."
Zhuang Zhixi shook his head: "My mom used to be a bit gender-biased, we have three kids, my second sister didn't get the same treatment as my brother and me. But as we grew up, my mom changed a lot, not so gender-biased anymore. Especially after you came into the family, before my older brother had two kids, Huttou was much more favored than Xiaoyanzi. But I see recently my mom treats Xiaoyanzi well too. Maybe people's views change as they get older. Although my parents were gender-biased, it wasn't as obvious as others. My sister insisted on marrying that soldier and going to the island with him, my mom was very unhappy, but still felt sorry for my sister and prepared some money for her."
Ming Mei probably knew the reason, her mother-in-law changed because she had been influenced by over fifty years of social changes, she wasn't like traditional old people anymore, she had seen more, her horizons were different, her thoughts were different.
But Ming Mei wouldn't say it out loud, she said: "It's good that they can change."
She was curious: "But wait, in your courtyard, doesn't Li the Cook only have one daughter? They must treat their daughter well."
Zhuang Zhixi: "I said the least gender-biased, Li the Cook and Aunt Wang still want a son, they just can't have one. If they had a son, they would treat Li Fang differently. Aunt Wang, I know a bit, probably like my mom before. Li the Cook... definitely prefers sons. You can see it from how he treats his grandson. They're not gender-biased, they just don't have the chance to be."
This further showed how good Ming Mei's parents were.
Zhuang Zhixi: "You're a lucky girl."
Ming Mei smiled proudly, saying: "Of course, I've always been lucky, my parents said I was a lucky child since I was little."
Zhuang Zhixi: "You really take it for granted."
Ming Mei: "Hmph."
She reached out to pinch Zhuang Zhixi, who said: "Ow, I'm riding the bike, don't pinch me~"
Ming Mei laughed, hugged his waist, and pressed her cheek against his back, saying: "You have to keep me lucky, okay?"
Zhuang Zhixi lifted the corner of his mouth: "Of course!"
He felt his wife's warmth and pedaled with extra vigor. The young couple returned home, and upon entering the courtyard, oh, there was another meeting!
How frequent are the meetings in this courtyard?
Ming Mei was deeply puzzled.
Everyone from each household was there.
Aunt Wang was presiding over the meeting, seeing them return, she didn't say much, just continued the previous topic, saying: "During the New Year, the city's security has been a bit lax, some petty thieves have taken advantage of the relaxed vigilance to break into homes. However, due to limited manpower, it's impossible to cover every area, so the neighborhood committee hopes we can organize a joint defense team, with one person from each household, divided into two shifts, to patrol at night to ensure our own safety."
"How long will the patrol last?" someone asked.
Aunt Wang: "It depends on the situation, but if there are no incidents, it will last until after the Lantern Festival."
"That long!"
"Yes, we're going back to work in a couple of days, so staying up late for patrols is going to be tough. What time do we have to patrol until?"
Aunt Wang: "Two in the morning. Initially, it's set for 9 PM to 2 AM, five hours."
This announcement sparked a flurry of discussion. Everyone was unhappy with the long duration, whether in terms of patrol time or the overall length. While they could manage during the holidays, what about when they were back at work?
Wang Xiangxiu exclaimed, "My house doesn't even have a man. How am I supposed to patrol?"
"You can get the Bai family to send two people. That would cover for you."
"Hahaha..."
Everyone laughed knowingly. Wang Xiangxiu retorted, "Nonsense! You're all so mean."
"How is that mean? You two families are practically one anyway."
"Exactly!"
Wang Xiangxiu: "You're all picking on me, a woman."
Aunt Wang: "Alright, let's get back to business."
"The time is too long, we can't handle it, Aunt Wang. Can you talk to the neighborhood committee again? If we patrol like this, it will definitely interfere with our work at the factory. If anything goes wrong, it could lead to big problems. We can't let this interfere with our main job."
"Exactly!"
Everyone seemed reluctant. No one wanted to patrol in the cold.
Zhuang Zhixi also wasn't happy and chimed in, "Aunt Wang, not only do we need to patrol every day, but even if it's every other day, we can't handle it. Can you think of a better solution?"
His family, of course, meant him.
His father was old, and his brother Zhuang Zhiyuan was always on business trips. It couldn't be left to the women, could it?
The most suitable person was him, so he was trying to negotiate a more reasonable arrangement: "We're not saying we can't do it, but we also need to consider the reality. Everyone has to work. It's not that we don't want to maintain security, but work comes first. What if we make mistakes at work due to lack of sleep from patrolling?"
"Exactly!"
Seeing everyone's resistance, Aunt Wang knew this would be difficult to implement. She sighed and said, "I'll go talk to the neighborhood committee again."
What a headache!
Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei exchanged glances. Ming Mei blinked: Could this be related to her catching a thief?
