The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Bao Ya: "Oh, they're really determined not to give my dad any noodles. Dad, it seems like Grandpa and Grandma really treat us like long-term laborers. I think we should go to the factory tomorrow and ask for work, otherwise we'll be at a huge loss if they don't honor their promise later."

"Yes, my daughter is right..."

"Go get the noodles! What are you waiting for!"

Old Man Lin yelled at Old Woman Lin. He wasn't afraid of others asking at the factory, but he was a little scared of Bao Ya. This girl had never been afraid of anything since she was little. She even dared to sullenly face the commune leaders when they came.

"And eggs too, noodles taste better with eggs."

Bao Ya continued to escalate the situation, aiming to infuriate as many people as possible.

Old Man Lin closed his eyes and said, "Give her the eggs too."

"Two for each person. My dad and second uncle have big appetites, so they need to eat more."

Old Mrs. Lin was about to lose her temper and was about to start cursing when she heard Old Mr. Lin say:

"Two, two for each person."

Grandma Lin took a deep breath, glared at Bao Ya, and went inside to get the eggs. She dawdled and slowly brought out four of the smallest eggs.

Old Man Lin was also annoyed with this old woman. If everyone shared a bite of the steamed buns made from the two kinds of flour, there wouldn't be so much trouble. She had to be so particular about dividing them. Now she had to lose noodles and eggs, and she didn't even get any credit for it.

The job was bought by the family, and everyone knows it. If the brothers have a good relationship, they won't argue about it openly, and the job will go to the eldest grandson. If the brothers don't get along, then even close brothers will settle accounts clearly.

Lin the eldest also had a dark face. He felt that the third brother's family was too unreasonable. They even fought over a bite of food. They were spineless. He originally wanted to come out and teach them a lesson, to show his authority as the older brother. But when he mentioned work, he calmed down. If things really got out of hand, they would have nothing to lose and their own family would definitely suffer.

The meal was almost finished, so Su Ruyi went to the kitchen to cook for Lin Laosan and the others. Zhang Laidi also went over to help.

Seeing that Xiang Chunhua was about to leave again, Bao Ya spoke up again: "Since you've finished eating, sister-in-law, why don't you wash the dishes? After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In this village, no wife has been waited on hand and foot for half a year after entering the family."

"You..." Xiang Chunhua was about to get angry, but she held back and looked at Lin Xiaoquan with a wronged expression.

Receiving his wife's pleading look, Lin Xiaoquan felt confident he could handle things again, so he came over and said, "Baoya, you weren't in the room earlier, so you didn't know, but your sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to protect the pregnancy. She can't overexert herself. Why don't you clear the table for her? Thank you in advance, and your nephew will remember your kindness."

After listening to Lin Xiaoquan's words, Xiang Chunhua straightened her back, one hand supporting her waist and the other hand resting on her flat stomach. Her arrogant expression was as smug as could be.

"Really? My sister-in-law is pregnant so soon! Congratulations to you both! Grandpa and Grandma, you're going to have a great-grandchild! Grandma, let's stew the meat my boyfriend brought over last time tonight, so my sister-in-law can have some nourishment. We don't want it to go bad and end up feeding the dog."

Those present, who were quite happy when they heard the first half of the sentence, immediately turned pale when they heard the second half. Judging from their expressions, Bao Ya knew that the meat had already been fed to the dog.

Regardless of what they thought, Bao Ya continued, "Sister-in-law, this is your first pregnancy, you need to take good care of yourself. The aunties in the village say the first three months are unstable and you need to rest in bed, right?"

Xiang Chunhua was furious, but in order to avoid doing any work, she had to continue to deal with Bao Ya: "Yes, the doctor did say that you should rest for the first three months and not overexert yourself."

Bao Ya didn't care about her expression and continued, "Then why doesn't my sister-in-law stay home to recover? There are many people at home to take care of her. What do you say, Auntie?"

Li Jinxiang didn't want to talk to her, but she couldn't refuse someone who was smiling, and since the question had come to her, she couldn't very well not answer: "That's true, but your sister-in-law still has to go to work, how can she really rest at home?"

"Hey, how can you be so confused, Aunt? Is there anything more important than your grandson? What's the rush to go to work? There are so many people in our Lin family, can't someone go to work for your sister-in-law? Why don't we let Lin Xiaohong work for her for a few months, and then she can go back to work after the baby is born? We're all family, why be so polite?"

When Bao Ya said that, Old Man Lin and the Lin family were enlightened. How come they hadn't thought of that? This girl finally said something sensible.

Lin Xiaohong, who had been keeping a low profile the whole time, was now green with envy. That's right, he had taken over his sister-in-law's job and soon had a job too. It was a temporary one, but if he worked hard, he'd eventually get a permanent position. It was definitely better than farming.

Thinking of this, he couldn't sit still any longer and wished he could go to the factory right now to hand over the reins to his sister-in-law.

Old Man Lin and Lin Dahe also found a new idea. They had been thinking about the 200 yuan dowry for Bao Ya. With the money in hand and their savings, they could probably buy another job. However, finding a way to do it was a problem, as they might not be able to find a job for sale.

If they want the Jiang family's help, they can't offend Bao Ya too much. If they don't offend her, they won't get the betrothal gifts. Even if they do offend her, with the Su family involved, they won't be able to get them all.

Now, as long as Xiaoquan's wife gives up her job, they won't have to spend money to buy a job, and the money can be saved for Xiaowen's use—a win-win situation. They're all their own children and grandchildren; it's like the meat is rotting in the pot (meaning the meat stays with them).

Once everyone understood this, the Lin family—the second and third sons—were just bystanders, offering no opinions and simply watching the show from the sidelines.

The Lin family, along with the elderly couple, all stared intently at Xiang Chunhua, waiting for her to say just one word, and the whole matter would be resolved.

Xiang Chunhua's flushed face turned deathly pale. The shamelessness of the Lin family terrified her. She nervously grabbed Lin Xiaoquan's hand, placing all her hopes on this man.

Lin Xiaoquan also started to feel nervous. He knew that his grandparents favored him, buying him a job and helping him get married, so he happily became a city dweller. He never thought about his younger brothers. He was a permanent employee, while his wife was a temporary worker. Their combined salary was only forty-odd yuan. His grandmother would often bring him some food. They lived in a small house allocated by the factory and lived a carefree life.

He had completely forgotten his promise to hand over his salary to his family after he started working. Now, he was unwilling to let his wife give her job to his younger brother. In his heart, he was the eldest son and grandson in the family, and everything in the family should belong to him.

Seeing the expectant looks in his family's eyes, Lin Xiaoquan panicked a little, but he couldn't stay silent either, so he stammered, "Grandpa, how can we let someone else take over the job? The factory doesn't agree either. How about we look for Xiaohong again? I'll keep an eye out for him."

Hearing this, Old Man Lin couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes. He knew that his grandson only cared about himself and wouldn't appreciate any amount of money the family gave him.

Bao Ya, not one to shy away from stirring things up, continued, "Why can't she take over? The Party Secretary's wife, Sister Zhu, often goes to work in place of pregnant workers. Once they give birth and are able to go back to work, she returns the job to them. You can ask her if you don't believe me."