When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 45: Chapter 36: The Cast-off Wife of the 50s

If you could reason your way through love, would it even deserve to be called love?

Besides, what love, no matter how deep, can truly withstand the test of time? So many fairy tales end with a vague ”and they lived happily ever after.” They conveniently gloss over the part where women gain weight in middle age and men become greasy and bald. They certainly don’t mention the tragedy of finding a new ”true love” and trampling your current partner’s worth into the dust.

”I’ve suffered and been taken advantage of too many times before, so I’m definitely going to go up against the Wang Family. Oh, and now it looks like Wu Quanquan and Guo Meiyun from the seventh floor are on that list too,” she reminded him.

”As long as it’s not murder or arson, I’ll help in any way I can,” Chu Shenyu immediately replied.

Zhu Yun’s mood brightened. She gave him a flirtatious look with her sparkling eyes, then lightly kissed the corner of his lips. Before he could react, she laughed and hopped away. ”I’m not planning to do anything big. I just want to live a good life with you and make them burn with envy! And along the way, I’ll get to watch their chaotic, miserable lives.”

Chu Shenyu mumbled helplessly, ”You little troublemaker. All that ice cream I just ate went to waste.”

For the past few days, Zhu Yun had been discussing the wedding banquet menu with several head chefs. She figured that if this collective wedding went well, they would definitely be holding more events like it in the future.

Every head chef had their own specialty, but ninety-nine percent of those specialties were impressive centerpiece dishes—mostly meat—and they were naturally expensive.

Zhu Yun worked with them to come up with a more budget-friendly version. While ensuring the flavor and texture remained excellent, they had to reduce the amount of meat while still making it look prominent. This was where the art of plating came in.

Two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, Wang Xianbing’s mother arrived at the factory’s residential area, laden with bags of all sizes.

She saw that the single machinery factory complex contained offices, residential blocks, a medical clinic, a general store, a post office, and other facilities. It was nearly as large as her entire hometown.

Aunt Wang felt like a baby turtle that had just crawled onto the beach, wishing she could shrink back into her shell. She hunched over, scurrying timidly behind her tall, imposing son.

She started chattering when she got nervous and couldn’t stop herself from whispering, ”Son, this is where you work? Oh my, the roads are so wide and clean! How can the buildings be so tall and huge?”

”Does your company really have this many people? Your wife is from the city... will she look down on me?”

”A lot of the wives back in our town look down on their mothers-in-law from the countryside. They won’t let them in the house without changing into slippers, they make them use separate bowls, chopsticks, and towels for eating and washing, they say you can’t smack your lips when you eat, and they spend money at the cafeteria all day. If their mother-in-law cooks for them, they’re just picky about everything...”

”I’m an old woman with one foot in the grave. I’ve lived my whole life a certain way, so why should my daughter-in-law be the one to set rules for me? How can food taste good if you don’t smack your lips? And who uses separate dishes for family? If that’s not looking down on someone, what is?”

”No matter how much money you two make, you can’t just throw it away, can you? You’ll have kids to raise later, and that costs money at every turn. I offered to help you save it, but you weren’t happy about that...”

”Sigh. It wasn’t easy, raising you all with my own two hands. But what’s the result? One by one, you get married, grow your wings, and start treating me like an old housemaid. I serve the parents, then I serve the children, and I still get scorned for it...”

As she spoke, she worked herself into such a state of self-pity that she began to wipe away tears.

Hearing his mother’s laments, the ever-filial Wang Xianbing quickly reassured her, ”Mom, it won’t be like that. Lin Jin is very understanding. In fact, it was her idea to bring you to the city to live a comfortable life.”

”Once you’re in the city, you’ll just need to help a little with the cooking, laundry, and cleaning. Then you can take some snacks, find the other old ladies, and chat with them in the cool evening air. You won’t have to put up with my sisters-in-law’s attitudes back home, and you won’t have to work from dawn till dusk.”

The old woman was skeptical. ”Are you sure my city-girl daughter-in-law didn’t just call me here to lay down the law?”

Wang Xianbing shook his head again and again. ”Of course not. Filial piety is a noble tradition for all of us here in Xiahua. Lin Jin is a high school graduate from a family with a very strict upbringing. How could she possibly do something like that?”

”Honestly, I’ll be grateful if you don’t try to set rules for *her*.”

At this, he leaned in and added with a low, smiling voice, ”Mom, Lin Jin is a city girl. She’s a bit more delicate. You can’t treat her the same way you treat my sisters-in-law or hold her to the same standards.”

”Even while she’s pregnant and at home, she still draws a salary. If you treat her like your own daughter, do you think she won’t be good to you? As soon as she knew you were coming, she got you a new bed and bought you lots of new clothes and food. Have any of my sisters-in-law ever done that for you?”

The old woman considered this and realized it was true. She had to work back home, too. If her youngest son’s wife was willing to give her money, she wasn’t so foolish as to refuse a good deal.

”Fine. It’s a deal. You’ll give me twenty a month. We’ll call it a salary.”