“Mom, you want me to take over the post at the Rolling Mill?”
Qin Huairu looked at Jia Zhangshi in disbelief.
Just now, Jia Zhangshi actually told her to pack up and go to work at the Rolling Mill.
Qin Huairu was on the verge of a breakdown.
She was still pregnant; how could she possibly go to work!
“What, you won’t take over the post, so you want me to take over the post?”
“What do you mean by that? What’s wrong with me telling you to take over the post?”
Jia Zhangshi looked even more baffled.
There was no such logic in the world where a daughter-in-law wouldn’t work and instead made her mother-in-law work to support the family.
“Mom, I’m pregnant!”
Qin Huairu shouted loudly.
“So what if you’re pregnant? When I was pregnant with Dongxu, I worked in the fields, and I wasn’t any worse than anyone else!”
“You’ve enjoyed so much comfort in my Jia for so long, what’s wrong with doing some work?”
Jia Zhangshi stood up angrily and reprimanded loudly.
It was outrageous.
“Mom, you, you didn’t say you wanted me to take over the post at first.”
Qin Huairu found it hard to accept.
When she was negotiating with the Leader of the Security Section, she subconsciously assumed it was Jia Zhangshi who was going to take over the post at the Rolling Mill.
She never thought it would be her.
Moreover, what Jia Zhangshi said was too infuriating.
She was busy giving birth and doing housework in the Jia, yet in Jia Zhangshi’s mouth, it became her enjoying comfort.
“No, does that even need to be said? If you, a young person, don’t work, do you expect me, an old woman, to do it?”
“Qin Huairu, you are too selfish.”
Jia Zhangshi had a look of ‘you are actually this kind of person’ on her face.
She had never considered taking over the post herself.
Before marriage, she relied on her maiden family; after marriage, she relied on her husband; after her husband died, she relied on her son.
Now that her son was also gone, of course, she would make her daughter-in-law work to support the family.
Did that even need to be asked?
The two argued fiercely over who should take over the post at the Rolling Mill.
Chen Jianye listened for a while, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth, then picked up his enamel basin and left.
He had an idea.
But there was no rush to do it now; he would wait until everyone went to the Jia before he caused some trouble.
Chen Jianye remembered that in the original plot, after Jia Dongxu’s death, Jia Zhangshi made Qin Huairu take over the post at the Rolling Mill.
But now, because of his interference, Jia Dongxu’s death happened half a year earlier.
Chen Jianye certainly couldn’t let Granny Jia have an easy time.
The Jia Family’s quarrel quickly became known to all the Courtyard residents.
Several old sisters-in-law gathered at the Jia’s doorstep, discussing animatedly.
“How can Qin Huairu go to the Rolling Mill to take over the post? She’s pregnant; she should be resting.”
“Granny Jia is truly black-hearted. She ate Lao Jia to death, then Jia Dongxu to death, and now she wants to eat Qin Huairu.”
“We can’t just stand by; we need to find someone to uphold justice for Qin Huairu.”
The Courtyard women’s group generally sided with Qin Huairu.
After all, Qin Huairu was pregnant, and her belly was already showing. If she went to work at the factory, what if she suffered a miscarriage?
In ancient times, women giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell.
After the founding of New China, great efforts were made to develop obstetric medicine and reduce maternal mortality.
But if a woman suffered a miscarriage, it caused too much damage to her body.
The old sisters-in-law in the Courtyard were all experienced, so they naturally leaned more towards the pregnant Qin Huairu.
Yi Zhonghai, with a look of ‘boredom,’ came to the Jia’s doorstep.
To be honest, he didn’t want to come.
But he couldn’t resist the Courtyard women’s group asking him.
Even First Aunt told him to persuade Jia Zhangshi, saying that people’s actions are seen by heaven, and being too selfish was not good.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui also arrived.
Both looked desolate, unwilling to meddle in the Jia’s affairs, but compelled to come due to their status.
“Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, stop arguing.”
“The Courtyard’s Three Great Masters are all here; it’s best to let them discuss your family matters.”
An old sister-in-law stood at the Jia’s doorway, shouting inside.
“Alright, alright, I’d like to see whose reasoning is better.”
“There’s no such thing in the world as young people resting at home while elders earn money to support the family.”
Jia Zhangshi walked out of the house angrily, loudly proclaiming her theory.
Qin Huairu, meanwhile, wiped her tears, standing on the other side.
“Granny Jia, say less. Your Dongxu just passed away, and you’re treating his wife like this.”
“Qin Huairu still has a Jia child in her belly; can you bear to see this child gone?”
“In my opinion, Jia Zhangshi should go to the factory to work.”
The Courtyard sisters-in-law said one after another.
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi’s face, with its flabby cheeks, trembled with anger: “You are all mothers-in-law too. If you were told to go out and work while your daughters-in-law rested at home, would you be happy?”
“If my daughter-in-law were pregnant, I would certainly be happy.”
“Exactly, a girl marrying into our family is our own daughter; I wouldn’t bear to let her suffer.”
“For the sake of our grandchild, we can’t let a heavily pregnant daughter-in-law go to work at the factory.”
The Courtyard’s old sisters-in-law said one after another.
Jia Zhangshi’s chest heaved violently with anger: “All of you talk better than you sing. Just wait and see, you will also have times when your sons die. Then I’ll see how many of you can work.”
“You’re the one whose son died.”
“Bah, bah bah bah bah!”
“Old man, slap her!”
The Courtyard’s old sisters-in-law screamed in anger, and some even urged their husbands to give Jia Zhangshi a good beating.
“Alright, everyone, stop arguing for now.”
“Someone from the Jia needs to go to the Rolling Mill to take over the post. Originally, this should be your family matter; you two just need to discuss it and agree.”
“If you can’t agree, then I’ll give you advice.”
Yi Zhonghai raised both hands, calming the crowd’s anger.
“I’m not going. I don’t know any work; I’d just be a burden at the Rolling Mill.”
Jia Zhangshi said, head held high.
“I’m pregnant; I really can’t go to the factory to work.”
Qin Huairu wiped her tears.
“When I was pregnant…”
Jia Zhangshi got annoyed listening and was about to repeat her story of being pregnant with Jia Dongxu back then.
“Why didn’t you die for Lao Jia back then, living to torment the Jia Family!”
Chen Jianye returned after washing the dishes, seized the opportunity, and forcefully interjected.
“Who, who said that!”
Jia Zhangshi screamed in anger.
“Some people, at fifty-something, can be model pioneers and receive awards on stage, while others make their heavily pregnant daughter-in-law work to support themselves.”
“Absolutely shameless!”
Chen Jianye continued.
“Chen Jianye, you scoundrel, you little bastard!”
Jia Zhangshi was fuming with anger.
“I see everyone is here, so let’s have a full Courtyard vote to decide who from the Jia will take over the post at the factory.”
“One household counts as one vote, with the head of the household voting. What do you all say?”
Chen Jianye shouted loudly.
“Yes!”
“Jianye’s idea is good.”
“I see no problem.”
The Courtyard residents responded one after another.
Yi Zhonghai’s expression subtly changed.
Damn it, Chen Jianye was trying to usurp his position.
Who was the Courtyard’s First Master after all?
“I’ll state my opinion first: I support Jia Zhangshi going to work at the factory.”
“Qin Huairu is heavily pregnant; she can’t do physical labor at the factory, and no one would dare make her do physical labor.”
“If she goes to the factory, it means the factory would be supporting an idle person. To put it broadly, it would affect the Rolling Mill’s efficiency; to put it narrowly, it would affect her health.”
“Granny Jia should go, and it wouldn’t be too late for Qin Huairu to take over the post at the Rolling Mill after she finishes breastfeeding the child.”
“Everyone who agrees to let Granny Jia go to the factory to take over the post, raise your hands with me.”
After saying that, Chen Jianye was the first to raise his right hand high.
Everyone responded one after another.
Yi Zhonghai saw Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui on the side also raise their hands, so he reluctantly raised his hand.
He also thought that Jia Zhangshi should go to work at the factory.
But this matter was proposed by Chen Jianye, and Chen Jianye was organizing the Courtyard residents to vote, directly sidelining him, the Courtyard’s First Master.
So Yi Zhonghai was very displeased.