Chapter 623

At nine-thirty in the evening, Liang Min finally dragged her leaden legs home.

Unfortunately, what greeted her was not delicious food, but her mother-in-law's face suppressing anger and a house full of silence.

Her brother-in-law was listening to a program on the radio with his legs crossed, while her father-in-law was puffing on a dry tobacco pipe, his expression unclear amidst the swirling smoke.

Her husband, Tian Great Ming, sat at the doorway with a gloomy face, holding their daughter and feeding the child formula.

"Mom, I'm back. It was really too busy today..." Liang Min explained while panting as she changed her shoes.

"Busy? No matter how busy you are, you have to eat. People are iron, food is steel; if you don't eat for a day, you'll be starving. Our whole family is waiting for you. Look at what time it is now; do you want to starve us to death?"

Old Mother Tian finally couldn't hold it back anymore and slammed her hand heavily on the table, her voice sharp: "Do you still have this family in your eyes? Do you still want to live with my son?"

Liang Min's eyes turned red instantly.

How could she not want to come back earlier?

She also wanted to cook a hot meal for her family and wanted to play with her daughter for a while.

But she is a worker at the food factory, and now orders have increased, and there is a batch of goods that is urgently needed. Even Factory Manager Meng and Deputy Factory Manager Zhou Li are taking the lead in working overtime; how could she act differently?

Glancing at the cold kitchen, Liang Min walked inside helplessly.

Old Mother Tian and Old Man Tian exchanged a look. Tian Lei rubbed his stomach and complained, "Mom, our family eats so late every day. It's been several days now. My stomach hurts from hunger. If this continues, I can't take it."

Afterward, he muttered in a low voice, "Mom, it's not like you don't know how to cook; can't you make dinner? Actually, my sister-in-law has already eaten at the food factory; can't you just cook for the rest of us?"

Old Mother Tian was instantly enraged: "It's enough that I cook for you at noon; you still expect me to cook three meals a day? Do you all want to work me to death?

I worked so hard to marry a wife for my son, not to be a beast of burden serving you people.

Besides, these past few days, I've been the one going to the nursery to pick up Ranran. I pick up the child, and I still have to cook for you? If you want to do it, you do it!"

Tian Lei muttered, "I... I don't know how to cook either."

"If you don't know how to cook, then shut up!"

Old Mother Tian stood at the kitchen door, fuming: "I'm asking you, how much longer do you have to work overtime?"

Liang Min said awkwardly, "Mom, I don't know how much longer it will be needed."

"Then can't you ask Factory Manager Lu Qiao? Always working overtime like this, and ignoring everything at home?

That Lu Qiao is relaxed now without children, but she should also consider the workers below her."

Hearing his wife's voice getting a bit loud, Old Man Tian hurriedly said, "Don't keep mentioning Lu Qiao's name; keep your voice down."

Old Mother Tian didn't know what she thought of, but she immediately shut her mouth, though she glared fiercely at Liang Min, who was busy cooking.

She truly regretted why she married such a woman without a father or mother for her eldest son.

That orphan girl could have had her parents' property, but she had nothing and married into their Tian family empty-handed.

And then she even gave birth to a girl.

She didn't dare to favor boys over girls, as the Xiang Yang Neighborhood Office had been very strict in this regard lately.

But she still felt uncomfortable inside.

Nothing is managed by anyone, everything is expected of her; it's truly annoying.

The next day, Lu Qiao specifically came to the food factory to hold a meeting for several managers, and the topic was the issue of overtime.

Lu Qiao: "Although this batch of goods is urgently needed, the workers working overtime must be arranged properly... For those who have elderly people at home who cannot take care of themselves, or whose children are young and whose spouses are too busy with work to take care of the home, do not schedule them for overtime."

Those sitting here are all people who have followed Lu Qiao all the way.

Lu Qiao's meetings are not long; she usually settles things quickly, as everyone is truly busy now.

Work in this area has always been the responsibility of Zhao Dajie and Deputy Factory Manager Zhou Li.

She and Lin Junan did not go to the capital.

However, a few days ago, Old Lin came here on a business trip and took the child to the capital along the way.

So now, Deputy Factory Manager Zhou Li is even more wholeheartedly devoted to her work.

But she deeply knows how difficult it is for married female comrades to work and take care of their families when they have elderly parents above and young children below.

It's just that this task was too urgent, so she didn't consider that much.

So she immediately said, "Okay, after the meeting, I will hold a meeting with the workshop directors and let them carefully count the employees who have difficulties in this regard, especially some female employees."

No matter the era, it is collectively assumed that women should coax children, cook, and do housework.

Even in dual-income families today, where both husband and wife get off work together, just look: eighty percent of families have the female comrade in the kitchen cooking.

Even if some male comrades don't earn as much as the female comrades, they still wait with peace of mind for their wives to drag their equally exhausted bodies into the kitchen to cook.

Habit becomes nature.

Meng Qingshan also said over there: "Director Zhao is right. Let's focus this on the female comrades; after all, female comrades spend more time cooking at home."

Lu Qiao never worries about their execution.

So after this matter was arranged, she didn't keep it on her mind anymore.

It is impossible for Lu Qiao to stay at the food factory all the time.

After the work here was arranged, she still had to go to the Foreign Trade Hall.

Yesterday, Little Cangcang followed Gu Jiayan to the post office, and Little Cangcang listened to the whole conversation while Gu Jiayan was making the call.

And then it heard the following dialogue.

"You are really too immature. When you left, I gave you repeated instructions: Lu Qiao is not an ordinary girl. Do not look down on her because she is young or because her family background is ordinary. You must learn from her with the most humble attitude; you will learn many things."

This was the voice of Gu Jiayan's mother, which, although gentle, could not help but blame her.

And then it was Gu Jiayan defending herself there.

The main content of the defense was that Lu Qiao didn't teach her at all. She also wanted to learn from Lu Qiao, but Lu Qiao was selfish and always kept things to herself, and she came and went in a hurry, so she couldn't see Lu Qiao's shadow at all.

And then it was Gu Jiayan's mother asking her in a surprised tone: "I remember when you called me a few days ago, it wasn't this tone. Why do you have such great resentment toward Lu Qiao now?"

"Tell me now, who have you been interacting with frequently recently? Who do you chat with the most, and then you must tell me, what is the main content of your chats?"

And then Lu Qiao also knew.

In recent days, besides Deputy Section Chief Fang, who is more concerned about Gu Jiayan, there is also an Elder Sister Kang from the office next door who often finds her to talk.

Judging from the content of their conversation, it seems there is nothing.

But if you analyze it carefully, you can find that this Elder Sister Kang is very capable. She can grasp Gu Jiayan's pain points and magnify her jealousy and resentment toward Lu Qiao, which already existed, and even the contempt hidden very deep.

So, regardless of what others say to her, the root still lies in herself.