“Daughter, the food factory just recived another order and want us to complete it !” Xu’s mother exclaimed with delight , her eyes now gleaming with excitement as if she could already see money from that order fluttering in the air. “They want 5,000 yuan worth of braised duck products and another 5,000 yuan of fried goods, all within five days!” While informing the details to XuYing she herself was practically dancing with joy. “Oh, and guess what? Director Sun even installed a phone for our workshop!” This is the first phone around all the viallages near them .She was so thrilled by this that she even called her third son at his work to share this very news.
Just then, Xu Ying’s Eldest sister-in-law, now a month pregnant with her belly a bit rounded, walked over towards them . Seeing her moving a worried frown appear on XuYing’s face as her heart skipped a beat by her every movement so she said hurriedly . “Sister-in-law, don’t move! I’ll come to you.”
“Little sister,” Sister-in-law Xu began as she XuYing approch her , her voice tinged with anxiety, “we only have ten people in our workshop to work . Right now, Aunt Lanhua, Aunt Meilan, and Mom are making the final products, and the rest of us are busy washing and cutting meat. But this new 10,000 yuan order, to be completed in just five days… that might be a bit difficult for us alone ! Should we hire more people?”
Xu Ying, ever the pragmatist, nodded decisively. “Yes, we need to recruit more people for this ! Sister-in-law, from now on, you’ll be in charge of recruitment of new workers and also handle finances on the side . Mom, you’ll be responsible for supervising everyone’s work at the forefront . If anything goes wrong during any step , you must correct it quickly.”
Xu’s mother hearing XuYing’s arrangements nodded earnestly, and thumped her chest while saying . “Daughter, don’t you worry about anything! Your mom won’t hold you back. I’ll definitely do my job well and won’t embarrass you in front of the factory director.” Eldest Sister-in-law Xu also looked determined. “Little sister, I’ll also work seriously and earn alot of money for you.”
Hearing her solemn oath, Xu Ying responded gently but firmly,”Eldest Sister-in-law, I’ll put up a recruitment notice at the workshop later. Tomorrow, you’ll be in charge of hiring workers for the factory. Just like before, make sure to choose carefully—look for capable, reliable people, and don’t be swayed by empty words or appearances.”. And also don’t overwork yourself; work in moderation. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere , tell Mom immediately.” Your health is more important than work . Sister-in-law Xu looked genuinely touched by Xu Ying’s thoughtfull words .
No sooner had they finished discussing recruitment for the factory and within half an hour, someone was already at their door asking about jobs. “Sister-in-law, are you looking for more people right now ? See if I seem fit for the job ,” Zhang Dacao offered, rolling up her sleeves and flexing her muscels to demonstrate her strength. “I can endure any hardships, and I have immensible strength even at this age.”
Seeing Zhang Dacao’s haggard appearance, Xu’s mother felt deeply puzzled.
“Dacao, I haven’t seen you for a few days. What happened? Why do you look like this? Isn’t your son’s wedding with Chen Zhiqing next week? Why haven’t I heard anything about the preparations from anyone?”
In any normal family, a wedding was a major event, with arrangements starting weeks in advance. But her son’s wedding was fast approaching, and Zhang Dacao seemed to be doing nothing at all to prepare for it.
At the mention of her son, Zhang Dacao’s face contorted with extreme anger. She gasped, “If he gets married, he gets married! I don’t care about it at all . My daughter-in-law hasn’t even entered my house yet , and she’s already urging him to fight against me! If they get married, will I still have a good life with them ? His father passed away early, and I raised him all by myself, through all the mess created by his relative , only for him to grow into such a heartless person. I never expected him to be filial to me, I now just want him not to drag down my life along wtih his . Now that I’m separated from him, I no longer think of him as my son.”
Zhang Dacao had always been broad-minded. A quality very rare for the woman in this era . When her son was obedient, she had hoped he would care for her until her last breath, doting on him. But seeing him treat her worse and worse, how could she continue to be good to him who fight his own mother for a woman who dared to yell at her and say hurtful things without batting an eye ? With all that free time after seprating , she figured she might as well work hard and save money till she can in order to support herself in her old age. As relying on that “bastard” was useless.
After hearing about her situation Xu’s mother couldn’t help but feel pity for her. Zhang Dacao was indeed a hard worker, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to raise her son alone. “Okay,” Xu’s mother said kindly, “our eldest daughter-in-law will start recruitment procedure from tomorrow. You can go to her to sign up then.”
Listening to these words Zhang Dacao nodded gratefully, the corners of her eyes now a little red. She was always a strong woman her whole life, but she hadn’t expected to falter in her old age because of her only son.
After Zhang Dacao left than Liu Yuefen also arrived with her daughter, followed by her two daughters-in-law in a tow . Liu Yuefen’s face was plastered with a fawning smile which honestly felt creepy to anyone who saw it upclose . as she addressed Xu’s mother. “Sister-in-law, I heard your workshop is recruiting again. Last time you didn’t recruit anyone from our family. This time, can you recruit my daughter-in-laws and daughter in this batch of workers?”
As Xu’s mother was about to responde, Xu Ying subtly stopped her. She had entrusted the recruitment procedure to her sister-in-law, and she wanted to see her handle it. “My sister-in-law is in charge of recruitment this time ,” Xu Ying stated.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuefen immediately turned her creepy smile to Eldest Sister-in-law Xu. “Lingzi, as you can see, we’re all family. Please do me a favor and recurit them in your factory for my sake .”
Eldest Sister-in-law Xu looked extremely conflicted, glancing at Xu’s mother and Xu Ying again and again as she has a submissive personality otherwise she can’t tolerate XuYing’s and her mother-in-law’s oppresive behaviour for so many years . Xu’s mother seeing her seeking for help rolled her eyes dramatically and said . “Don’t look at us for anything ! You’re doing professional work, you have to make this decision yourself. But remember, we work under someone else. If you don’t do well in recruitment , the factory director can directly remove you from your job!” Her words, though harsh, were meant to empower her towards her task.
Xu Ying on the side also said “Sister-in-law, if you have any opinion about any candidate you can , just say it. Mom and I are both here,” Xu Ying comforted her wtih this sentence , walking closer to Sister-in-law Xu. Bolstered by newfound support, Eldest Sister-in-law Xu also straightened her shoulders and, after a moment’s thought, declared, “Our factory has a strict system. You can come to sign up with me tomorrow. At that time, we will start a selection mode, and only those with outstanding work ability can stay.”
Sister-in-law Xu’s clever reply immediately confused Liu Yuefen. “What, what other ‘selection mode’ is there to be done ?”
“ldest Sister-in-law, you handeled it very well!” Xu Ying whispered, with a hint of admiration in her voice.
Inspired, Sister-in-law Xu’s confidence soared. Even Eldest Brother Xu, standing nearby, gave her a thumbs-up. Xu’s mother looked even more satisfied; her eldest daughter-in-law was truly proving her worth.As expected of a daughter-in-law personally trained by her.
Eldest Sister-in-law Xu explained with a smile, “It just means we’ll see who works fast and cleanly at that time . You don’t get paid for free when you come to work. If you’re slow, messy, and can’t perform the assigned tasks, than we’ll be paying you for nothing! right”
“That’s right!” Xu’s mother chimed in with a sniff of disgust. “You think jobs are easy to find. If you don’t work hard, who will hire you?”
Liu Yuefen chuckled awkwardly. “What are the tasks that needs to be fulfilled in order to get hired ?”
“Washing and cutting the vagetables and meat ,” Xu’s mother said plainly.
At the mention of these tasks , Xu Qingqing, Liu Yuefen’s daughter, looked utterly disgusted. Isn’t that just handyman work? She looked now more anxious. “Auntie, doesn’t our workshop need quality inspectors and financial accountants right now ? Are wages paid by the factory not enough to hire them?”
Xu Ying glanced at Xu Qingqing playfully. She’s quite something, isn’t she? “The wages in our workshop are allocated by the factory and paid from their own finance departement . However, those positions you just mentioned are already filled, so they’re no longer needed any more workers in that department.”
Xu Qingqing hearing this bit her lip, looking aggrieved, a few tears also welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill any moment but not quite falling.
Xu Ying, a little taken aback by her action , remarked, “You don’t want to cry just becasue of this , do you? We didn’t provoke you any way.”
The tears in Xu Qingqing’s eyes spun around, refusing to drop.
“Yingying,” Liu Yuefen interjected quickly, “Qingqing can’t do the amnual labour , but I can!”
“Yes, I can do it too!” Xu Qingqing’s two sisters-in-laws eagerly added.
It’s great to have a job in this time , but she’s so picky about that .Did she thinks she’s some kind of a wealthy lady.