Chapter 34: The Biased Grandparents
"This is quite good. From morning till night, if I don't work overtime, my standard wage is only twenty-seven yuan. Her having around thirty yuan is no small amount. I'll go talk to them tomorrow," Xie Xinlian said hurriedly. Her second brother was honest and diligent in her work. Moreover, she was getting older and on the verge of marriage; without a stable job, she would be looked down upon. Although this position was technically temporary, it was at least fixed and reliable, which was a good thing.
The night passed uneventfully. The next day, Xie Xinlian escorted Zhu Yanyi to Xie Zhong's house and mentioned the matter along the way. As expected, it didn't take much persuasion for the Xie family to agree. Seeing that they had consented, Xie Xinlian instructed Xie Chengyu to go to the food factory and find Zhu Shunyao on her own, then hurried off to work. Although she was pregnant, the family's circumstances left no room for rest, so working while pregnant was considered quite normal.
Zhu Yanyi continued studying with Xie Zhong. Half a month passed by at a leisurely pace. This particular day was a Thursday. Originally, Zhu Yanyi wasn't scheduled to return home, but it happened to be her grandmother, Gan Juhua's, sixtieth birthday. Although life had improved slightly in this era, hosting a grand birthday celebration was still unlikely. However, they did call the descendants back for a family reunion dinner. Naturally, Zhu Shunyao had to bring her family along, so she picked up Zhu Yanyi and headed home.
Zhu Yanyi couldn't remember how her grandmother's birthday had gone in her previous life, but she vaguely recalled Xie Xinlian mentioning it during an occasional squabble with Zhu Shunyao. That meal hadn't been pleasant at all; in fact, it had ended on a sour note.
When Zhu Shunyao arrived with Xie Xinlian, Zhu Yanli, and Zhu Yanyi, making a family of four, everyone else hadn't arrived yet except for Zhu Xiangyao's wife, Zhang Qiaolian. Zhu Xiangyao had not yet been discharged from the military, so she was still stationed at the barracks.
"Dad, Mom, Xinlian and I have brought An'an and Anni," Zhu Shunyao greeted Zhu Guifu and Gan Juhua upon entering the house.
Zhu Guifu seemed to be in a good mood. She merely nodded. "It's good that you're here. Anlian, go help your mother in the kitchen."
"Alright," Xie Xinlian replied.
Gan Juhua spoke from the side, "We're out of water. Anlian, go fetch a bucket of water."
"This…" Xie Xinlian frowned slightly. She was only in the early stages of pregnancy. While she could still do some work, carrying heavy loads like water buckets was strictly off-limits.
Seeing Xie Xinlian's dilemma, Zhu Yanyi's eyes twinkled as she figured out a solution. "Grandma, you have a little brother on the way, right? Grandma said that when you're carrying a little brother, you can't carry water. Tell Grandpa you won't carry water this time, and wait until the little brother is born to do it."
Hearing this, Zhu Guifu remarked from the side, "Pregnant again?"
Zhu Shunyao quickly seized the opportunity to explain, "Yes, it hasn't even been two months, so we didn't mention it."
Gan Juhua retorted, "The family doesn't have much wealth to begin with, and now you're adding another mouth to feed. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to support her? Fine, fine. Qiaolian, you go fetch the water." Gan Juhua had never liked her eldest daughter-in-law, nor did she care for the children she bore. However, she knew that if she forced Xie Xinlian to carry water at this stage, word would get out, and she would be labeled a wicked mother-in-law. Regardless of her feelings, her reputation was still important.
"Mom, I need to look after Nanhong," Zhang Qiaolian said. She loved to take shortcuts and never considered doing any work if she could avoid it.
"Second Aunt, Sister and I are here. We'll take care of Nanhong," Zhu Yanyi said with an obedient expression. Zhu Nanhong was already three years old; she could walk and wasn't a baby who needed constant feeding. Besides, fetching water would only take a few minutes round trip. What could possibly go wrong? Zhu Yanyi delivered the line directly.