“Chef Ge, Lifang, Sister Guihua… my mother and I are heading out first!” Xu Ying called out cheerfully as she and her mother left.
Watching the mother-daughter duo walk away, Gao Guihua sighed deeply. Her mother-in-law had already met Xu’s mother, yet the old woman still wouldn’t give up.
Fine, let her suffer the consequences. She was done trying to stop her.
Xu Ying’s Aunt Xu had married into a family in the county town. Both she and her husband had jobs, but Aunt Xu was only a temporary worker with a meager salary—and with two children at home, life was anything but easy.
The streets twisted and turned as Xu’s mother pushed their bicycle cart, eventually stopping in front of an old courtyard.
This wasn’t Aunt Xu’s private residence—several families lived cramped together in this yard, all factory workers struggling with the same tight living conditions. Many had to squeeze multiple families into one room.
Aunt Xu’s family was no exception. The two children shared a single room, while she and her husband shared another. Her mother-in-law lived next door, separated only by a thin wall.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, a strange, unpleasant smell wafted through the air, making Xu Ying wrinkle her nose. Still, she silently followed her mother to Aunt Xu’s door.
“Rulan, are you home? It’s your sister-in-law,” Xu’s mother called out.
The door creaked open almost immediately. Aunt Xu’s younger son, Zheng Hongxing, peeked out, eyes lighting up in surprise. “Auntie! Why are you here?”
Aunt Xu quickly followed her son to the door. Her eyes widened with joy when she saw Xu’s mother and Xu Ying. “Sister-in-law! Yingying! Come in, come in! Sit down!”
“Have you eaten yet? Come, let’s eat together!”
Xu’s mother shook her head, waving her hand. Though her sister-in-law lived in the city, it wasn’t like she had much to spare either. “No need. Yingying and I already ate.”
She began untying the sacks from the bicycle cart. “These were sent by our parents, the usual things. Just take a look.”
Aunt Xu didn’t bother looking. She darted back inside, rummaged through a drawer, and quickly returned with a thick wad of bills. “Sister-in-law, please give this to our parents and tell them thank you for me.”
Without their help, she had no idea how she would’ve made it this far.
Her children were growing fast. Schooling and food cost money, and she and her husband’s wages were barely enough to cover necessities. If not for her parents sending food regularly, she would’ve been forced to buy it on the black market—which wasn’t cheap.
Xu’s mother patted the money and said with a straight face, “Actually, I came to tell you some good news too. Yingying’s working in a restaurant now. If you get the chance, let Hongxing visit her there. She can treat him to a nice meal or two.”
Her tone was casual, but her meaning was clear: Yingying had a job now, and while she could show some goodwill, free food wasn’t on the menu.
Aunt Xu’s eyes widened in delight. “Really? I’ll definitely visit her when I can. It’s a blessing, truly.”
Of course, she understood the message loud and clear. She wasn’t the kind to shamelessly expect handouts, and she wasn’t naive. Still, the news came as a surprise. That spoiled niece of hers had actually landed a job at a state-run restaurant?
That kind of position wasn’t easy to come by.
“My daughter’s cooking is delicious,” Xu’s mother said proudly. “These days, people line up just to eat her food.”
Now Aunt Xu was truly stunned.
She had assumed Yingying would be serving tables at best—but to find out she was actually cooking?
“Sister-in-law… Yingying can cook?” she asked, struggling to hide her disbelief.
“Why couldn’t she?” Xu’s mother frowned. “Do you think a state-owned restaurant would hire someone who couldn’t cook?”
“And she’s earning a chef’s salary,” she added. “Thirty-eight yuan a month to start, and it’ll go up from there.”
“Regular worker?” Aunt Xu blurted out, unable to keep her composure.
She had been breaking her back at the textile factory for five, nearly six years—and still hadn’t been granted a regular position. The difference between a temp and a regular worker wasn’t just in name; it was in wages, benefits, and dignity.
Hearing that Yingying—a girl raised like a pampered princess—was already a full-fledged employee stung more than she cared to admit.
“She’s amazing,” Aunt Xu managed, forcing a smile. Deep down, she was sure this had to be her elder brother’s doing. Yingying, cook? She’d never even heard of the girl boiling noodles before.
Xu’s mother remained calm, relishing Aunt Xu’s reaction. “My second son also works now—he teaches reading at a commune school. The pay is a bit less than Yingying’s, but it’s a steady job.”
Aunt Xu’s expression cracked.
Her smile faltered as she realized her nephews and nieces had already surpassed her own children—and even herself.
Still, she kept her tone warm. “Sister-in-law, you must be hungry. Come, eat something more. You’ve come all the way here.”
Xu’s mother glanced disdainfully at the dry steamed buns and a few sour pickles laid out on the table. “No need. Yingying and I aren’t hungry.”
“We’ve brought the food, and you have work soon. You should eat before your shift. We’ll be heading back.”
She paused at the door, then added in a pointed tone, “Father’s birthday is coming soon. Make sure you come home. He’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”
Aunt Xu gave a bitter nod. She didn’t want to go—between work and money, she could barely manage—but this time, she’d grit her teeth and make the trip. “I’ll come. This time for sure.”
As they stepped out of the courtyard, Xu’s mother said meaningfully, “When you marry in the future, make sure you know the kind of family you’re marrying into. Look at your aunt—she married into a city household, and everyone thought she struck gold. A job, a house… what more could you want, right?”
Xu Ying nodded, her expression serious.
“But just look at her now. Her mother-in-law spoiled the eldest son, and Aunt Xu got stuck with the scraps.”
Her uncle barely earned thirty or forty yuan a month. Her aunt made ten. And every month, the mother-in-law would demand food and money. Even during the holidays, she’d find excuses to bleed them dry.
How could anyone survive like that?
“Don’t worry, Mom. With you and Dad around, no one would dare bully me,” Xu Ying said with a grin.
Xu’s mother chuckled darkly. “If anyone dares, your father and your brothers will storm their house and beat them up.”
Xu Ying laughed, her hands steady on the bicycle handlebars. “Of course! You and Dad love me the most.”
When they finally returned home, Xu’s mother took the money straight to the old house.
Grandma Xu counted the bills with shaking hands, her heart aching. Both her daughters had hard lives—one with a terrible mother-in-law, the other with no mother-in-law at all but endless poverty.
“Mom, the food went to Rulan. The money’s for you,” Xu’s mother said, turning to leave.
But Grandma Xu stopped her. “I heard that Shengcai and Qiuye are together now? Has Qiuye’s father agreed?”
“He has. Otherwise, how could the two be dating openly?”
Grandma Xu nodded, the lines on her forehead softening. “That’s good then. I remember Qiuye’s father used to insist that his daughter would only marry someone from the city. I was worried he wouldn’t accept it.”