Chapter 113: Bound to the Childbearing System and Became a Winner in Life Chapter 114: Seventies Courtyard Daily Life (12)

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Seeing this, Shen Yao didn't idle either; she first put the things she had carried back into the next-door room, then took out some of the eggs she had bought this morning and sent them to the Main House to give to Tian Na, rolling up her sleeves with a grin as she said she wanted to help out together.

Tian Na: ……

"Go back to your room and rest; this little bit of work doesn't need you. How much did the eggs and those vegetables cost? I'll reimburse you later.

Don't refuse for now; you two both pay meal money to the household, so buying extra things would make it look like your Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master are taking too much advantage."

Tian Na wasn't the type who liked to clutch a whole extended family in her hand and manipulate them at will.

Besides, she and Xie Shangjin could earn money now, so subsidizing a few sons was no problem.

Hearing Tian Na put it that way, Shen Yao also felt it wouldn't be right to refuse the grocery money.

Forget it; later on, during holidays and festivals, she'd just buy the two elders more food, supplements, or fabric and such.

In money matters, Shen Yao didn't quibble much; how much could she chip in anyway?

As long as everyone's days passed comfortably, Shen Yao didn't care about this bit of small change.

"Mom, then I'll head back; I'll come over in a bit to help you light the fire."

Finished speaking, Shen Yao bared a mouthful of big white teeth and walked off cheerfully and briskly.

After all, at the Shen Family she didn't do much cooking or helping, and after marrying into the Xie Family she could even less.

Shen Yao herself was just lazy.

Returning to the Ear Room, she changed into everyday clothes and was lovey-dovey with Xie Ci'an for a good long while before Shen Yao reluctantly went back to the Main House.

"Tell An Zi to come light the fire; Yao Yao, you just watch and add water."

Tian Na ordered her several sons without the slightest hesitation; it wasn't just special treatment for Shen Yao — Wu Zhaodi and Wang Yanyan, the two daughters-in-law, received the exact same treatment.

In the Xie Family, the work was all shouldered by the several men up front; if not for the fact that Xie Shangjin and his brothers' cooking skills were truly subpar, even the cooking would probably have been assigned out by Tian Na.

"Mom, Xie Ci'an is busy drawing blueprints, so this time I'll come help you light the fire."

Unconsciously telling a small lie, Shen Yao felt this was only human nature.

Spring warmth and blooming flowers meant the clothes on one's body should also be swapped for new.

Shen Yao looked down on the new clothing styles at Baihua Building, so she simply had the ingenious Xie Ci'an draw her some modern clothing designs; when the time came, she would use the sewing machine she had bought to make a few sets for herself to wear out beautifully.

A stack of chopped firewood lay at the stove mouth; Shen Yao picked up a stick and placed it under the pot.

Tian Na had already kneaded the dough, planning to take advantage of the elm seeds' fresh tenderness to steam some steamed buns and pan-fry some spring pancakes.

Moreover, elm seeds could be stir-fried, stewed into soup, or cooked and mixed with pickled vegetables.

Tian Na had already decided that for these two days their Xie Family would have an elm seed feast.

Hard-won things must not be wasted.

"Mom, today Xie Ci'an and I saw in the park that in the courtyard the Cheng Family and the Zhao Family……"

The fire beside the stove flickered bright and dim, dyeing half of Shen Yao's face red.

She recounted the gossip she had seen in leisurely detail, Shen Yao looking at Tian Na with a face full of excitement.

Tian Na's reaction was very much like Xie Ci'an's, or rather, truly worthy of being mother and son.

"It won't work; neither the Cheng Family nor the Zhao Family would be willing.

I reckon Cheng Bing graduates this year and will have to go down to the countryside as a sent-down youth."

Tian Na stuck the kneaded spring pancakes onto the pot wall, oiling them at the same time to keep them from sticking.

"Xie Ci'an said the same thing, but what if Cheng Bing persuades Zhao Yinbao, and the two insist — can the several parents still forcibly break up this marriage?"

Shen Yao felt it probably wouldn't happen; whether the Cheng Family or the Zhao Family, there were minor squabbles, but no life-and-death enmity.

Tian Na wasn't optimistic, not because what Shen Yao said was wrong, but because this child Zhao Yinbao was unreliable.

"Cheng Bing choosing Zhao Jinbao would be better than Zhao Yinbao; Zhao Yinbao has a ghost of a mind full of schemes; if Cheng Bing ends up with him, she'll have plenty of suffering to eat later.

In our big courtyard there are so many households; among the younger generation, the only one with a decent temperament is Qian Laoge er.

The other people"

Tian Na shook her head, the corners of her mouth curling to her ears, clearly looking down on them.

Shen Yao couldn't help laughing out loud, and at the same time the sycophant in her possessed her as she praised the Old Xie Family as the best, all thanks to Mother-in-law's proper upbringing.

Tian Na: ……

"Don't say it; our Xie Family really are all top-notch honest people."

Tian Na simply boasted shamelessly; anyway, she felt her family's several children were good in every way, especially compared to other families' various worrisome matters.

Shen Yao instantly laughed even more joyfully, covering her mouth, unable to stop.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cooperated cooking for the first time and achieved great success; the various elm seed dishes that evening received unanimous praise from the whole family.

The wedding guests returning from work seemed like hungry ghosts reincarnated; a full basin of steamed buns and spring pancakes was eaten clean.

Tian Na clutched her chest, heart aching for the household's grain; fortunately this time the white flour had quite a bit of sorghum flour (corn flour) mixed in, otherwise it wouldn't have been enough to eat.

After eating, they returned to their rooms to rest; Shen Yao turned on the radio to listen to the broadcast inside.

Xie Ci'an lit the lamp and handed the sketchbook to Shen Yao.

"All drawn by you? This many?" Shen Yao looked at the patterns and color matches on every page of paper, simply too beautiful for words.

Wow～

What kind of little angel is Xie Ci'an? She only briefly described a few sentences, yet he could actually draw so many different matching clothing styles.

Happily stretching out her hand to touch, Shen Yao sat up from the bed and pounced into Xie Ci'an's embrace.

Xie Ci'an looked at his beautiful wife right before his eyes, his eyes widening.

"What's wrong?" One hand encircled Shen Yao's waist, afraid she might fall and bump herself.

Shen Yao nodded and then shook her head, and before Xie Ci'an could react, she directly pressed him down and kissed and caressed him all over.

Mmph

It was still a bit early; they didn't need to rush to sleep.

Simply rewarding Xie Ci'an (?), Shen Yao touched her reddened mouth corner and went to rummage through the fabrics.

For their wedding, some gave gift money and some gave gifts; Shen Yao's newly made wardrobe held a thick stack.

Whoosh—

Neatly and efficiently, she pulled them all out and placed them on the tabletop; Shen Yao searched through them, and finally narrowed her eyes in happiness.

"You have to go to work daily; coming back and making clothes yourself is really too tiring."

Xie Ci'an straightened his loosened shirt, buttoning it up unhurriedly.

"I plan to ask Grandma for help; not for free — Grandma can use all these fabrics."

And she would also give Grandma handiwork fees and nutritional supplements (canned food).

Grandmother-in-law Zhou is retired, after all; she doesn't have much to do in the Tongzilou day to day.

Shen Yao felt that if the clothes were made well, Grandmother-in-law Zhou could also find suitable orders to take on privately.

Although this era forbids such private buying and selling, the top has policies and the bottom has countermeasures.

Besides, it's just making clothes, not some crime like murder; being a bit careful and attentive normally, there generally won't be a big problem.

Smiling, she beckoned to Xie Ci'an; Shen Yao chattered her thoughts to him.

Xie Ci'an nodded, "If Grandma likes it, it's indeed feasible.

Like the canning factory you're in — so many female comrades, there's definitely demand."

Shen Yao let out a "Hmph," her hand unconsciously touching Xie Ci'an's cheek, "The male comrades at the machinery factory are the same; with our An'an's looks, wouldn't they be bewitched into wanting the same style?"

Xie Ci'an said with a straight face, "Comrade Shen, you must pay more attention to influence."

Shen Yao played along, "Comrade Xie, many thanks for the verbal reminder."

The two finished speaking, looked at each other, and both couldn't help laughing out loud.

In the main courtyard separated from their room by a single wall, Tian Na was mending clothes for Xie Shangjin by the lamplight.

Hearing the laughter from the other side of the wall, she muttered to Xie Shangjin that the young couple's relationship was good.

Xie Shangjin chimed in, "Our relationship is better than theirs."

After half a lifetime, never quarreled, never bickered, never even blushed.

Tian Na patted Xie Shangjin, "What Hu Qin, the kids are all this old," acting all lovey-dovey as elders here, truly shameless for their age.

Xie Shangjin's expression was very serious; though he didn't say it aloud, he still felt he hadn't spoken wrongly.

If Shen Yao could see at this moment, she would surely associate it with Xie Ci'an's appearance — it was learned from his birth father.

……

For the wedding, the two took three days off; in those three days, aside from half a day going to the City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Tongzilou to find Grandmother-in-law Zhou, the rest of the time was spent playing around everywhere.

However, with the first day's gossip scene, the following times the two were extra careful, and didn't run into anything they shouldn't see again.

Three days passed, and Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an each pushed their bicycles to the factory for work.

Shen Yao, in her newlywed joy, was met with everyone's good-natured teasing the moment she entered.

Shen Yao wasn't shy either; she generously showed off her ring and didn't forget to tease back those who weren't married yet.

Aiyo

"Little Shen ah, getting married really is different; your spirit and energy have all changed."

Zhou Shujuan looked her up and down in a circle, discovering Shen Yao's mental state was extraordinarily good, and couldn't help clicking her tongue in wonder.

Could marriage be some spirit pill miracle drug? Truly eye-opening.

"Sister Zhou, if I could also find a good partner like Shen Yao, I'd be happy and delighted too."

"Yes yes, Shen Yao's partner looks pretty good, truly enviable."

"Go go go, what's to envy? You've got to measure whether you're worthy too.

Disperse, disperse, all hurry up and work, don't forget today's work hours."

Seeing the talk drifting further off track, Zhou Shujuan couldn't help interrupting the topic, waving them away.

The crowd dispersed in response; seeing this, Zhou Shujuan hurriedly pulled Shen Yao to a corner.

Didn't say much, just simply chatted about some situations in the factory.

"Perform well; heard from above they want to promote newcomers; you're the one who works best in here, go for it."

Zhou Shujuan truly hoped Shen Yao could take her place after she left.

Not only does Shen Yao work well, there's also Zhou Shujuan's selfish motive.

Who wouldn't want their incoming colleagues to be people close and familiar to themselves.

That way, if anything comes up in the future, with a good relationship a word makes things convenient to handle.

"Sister Zhou, rest assured, I understand it all."

Shen Yao turned back to her work station, pondering that if she could fight for Zhou Shujuan's Group Leader position, her salary would rise by a few yuan.

Although not much, it's still a promotion and raise; above Group Leader is Senior Group Leader, Workshop Director.

Shen Yao cannot be a little screw in the canning factory for a lifetime.

Now that there's this opportunity, for her it truly counts as a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

In the evening, off work and home, Shen Yao parked her bicycle in the corner and locked it, then turned and entered the main house to greet Tian Na.

This time, the one busy with Tian Na was Wu Zhaodi; the canteen work — say it's relaxed, it's not; say it's hard, it's not much either.

The Machinery Factory is a major factory; it only provides lunch for workers and part of dinner.

Wu Zhaodi is a Temporary Worker at the Machinery Factory; dinner duty basically only falls to her when the roster reaches the end.

So each month, the time that falls to Wu Zhaodi is only those three or five days.

"Staying in the canteen to handle dinner isn't overtime?" How come listening to Wu Zhaodi's meaning, she sounds a bit unhappy.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, the leftover rice and dishes in the canteen at night can be packed and taken home.

The cooks there make extra every meal; if it weren't for someone reporting them before the New Year, it would be even more rampant."

Wu Zhaodi chatted idly with Shen Yao, who was tending the fire, while chopping vegetable stalks.

Hearing this, Shen Yao instantly understood where Wu Zhaodi's displeasure lay — it turned out her own family hadn't gotten any advantage.

"Does Old Sun still dare to make extra food nowadays? He was chased to his home and beaten before the New Year; I'd say he has a terrible memory."

Tian Na lifted her head and added a sentence, holding the two catties of rice to be steamed in a moment.

Purely eating polished rice definitely won't do; the Xie Family allocates by ratio of coarse grain and fine grain every month.

Now it's month-end, the family doesn't have much grain; usually it's more coarse grain, less fine grain; wait a few days until the start of the month, and they'll definitely eat a few more meals of fine grain to satisfy the craving.

"Mom, Chef Sun only swindled a few dozen yuan in nutrition fees from someone; he wouldn't properly dare."

Wu Zhaodi's eyes turned, and she secretly complained to Shen Yao and Tian Na about the canteen's rotten affairs.

"Now Cheng Shen is simply a universally hated person, and with the Zhao Family and Zhou Family two big mouths, her reputation is even worse than when Miao Dama was around."

Tian Na listened but didn't respond; Shen Yao instead asked who in the big courtyard nowadays is Wu Zhaodi's colleague.

"Originally it was Cheng Shen and Miao Dama; Miao Dama gave her job to Qian Jian'guo back then; now the back kitchen only has the two of us left."

As for Zhao Meizhi and Zhou Dama (Zhou Family Grandmother), they are in Machinery Factory logistics responsible for cleaning.

Zhou Dama is old; she should have retired but insists on clinging to the job and won't let go.

The Machinery Factory doesn't care who goes to persuade her — she just lies on the ground; to this day she still goes to work daily and takes the money.

Shen Yao:... ah?

"This doesn't comply with regulations, right?" Shen Yao thought, how can there be such unreasonable behavior.

Wu Zhaodi muttered quietly, "Reported it, useless; if you speak slightly too harshly she goes and lies in the hospital.

Come and go, the factory leaders just let her keep working; retirement pay is five yuan less than working pay; I'd say the Zhou Family is reluctant to part with it."

In this era five yuan is quite valuable; after all, a hundred catties of rice costs only fifteen or sixteen yuan; five yuan spent sparingly is enough for a teenager's monthly grain.

Nowadays every household takes their grain booklets to buy each month's grain.

Want to eat more? Then take the risk and go to the Black Market yourself.

Fortunately the Xie Family has many workers; even with a large population no one has gone hungry.

But like other families — the Zhou Family, Qian Family, Cheng Family types — their days are more or less tight.

As Xie Ci'an said, Shen Yao had only been married in a few days and had already heard far more gossip than before.

Wow, truly lively enough~

The family gathered together and ate dinner, then each dispersed to return to their rooms and sleep.

Shen Yao, because the promotion matter weighed on her mind, couldn't help pulling Xie Ci'an to scheme: whether she ought to make an effort.

Xie Ci'an raised an eyebrow, "How do you want to make an effort?"

Shen Yao gave a soft snort, "Of course cater to his preferences, deliver right to the heart."

On the premise of not violating laws and morals, whatever others lack she'll provide; she doesn't believe she can't get what she wants under such an offensive.

Back when she entered the Canning Factory she relied on these; now promotion and getting rich will certainly also rely on these.

"Comrade Shen, I suggest you first wait and see; who knows, you might not need so much trouble.

The old saying goes, good things must be used on the blade's edge; right now it's just a promotion within the group, not yet the time to exert effort."

Shen Yao:... hiss, seems to make a lot of sense