Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 121 Zhou Jie Gets into Work Mode

He Zhicheng thought there was no problem, but he had been guided by his younger brother over the past few days and had become more and more sensible. He turned to Zhou Jie and asked for her opinion.

Zhou Jie was already flattered by this small gesture and quickly nodded, "I'll listen to Zhicheng."

Although Cui Hongru was not satisfied with Zhou Jie's reaction, she was quite pleased with her eldest son's change. She beckoned to He Chaoli, and the little boy ran over happily, sweetly calling out, "Grandma."

Cui Hongru stroked his head and gently instructed, "When you get to your aunt's, you have to be good. An'an is still young, so don't be too noisy, but don't be too reserved either. It's your uncle's house. If you want anything or want to eat anything, just ask your great-grandmother or aunt."

Don't make them guess what you're thinking. Keeping everything bottled up inside is foolish; it only brings you trouble and annoys others. You're a man; you need to be decisive and efficient, not indecisive. Do you know what Grandma meant?

He Chaoli nodded solemnly with a serious little face: "Xiaoli understands. I'll be staying with Auntie. If I need anything, I'll just tell her directly. Whether she can give me something, and how much, is up to her to decide."

But if I need something and don't tell you, Auntie might not know. If she doesn't give it to me, I'll feel bad after a while. That would make me feel bad, and Auntie might not feel good either. Grandma, don't worry, I like Auntie very much and won't overthink things."

Cui Hongru smiled and ruffled his hair: "My little Li is so smart."

He Zhicheng and his wife returned home with their child. Zhou Jie was very uneasy: "Zhicheng, do you think I will be able to adapt to work? I am both happy and scared. I am afraid that I will not do well."

He Zhicheng gently comforted her: "It's okay. If you feel unhappy or uncomfortable there, we can come home. It's only two hundred yuan. Our family can afford it. Just think of it as losing a bicycle. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Zhou Jie looked up at him in surprise: "If I had said that before, you wouldn't have comforted me, you would have just impatiently said that I was making a fuss. Zhicheng, you have really changed a lot since Zhijun and his wife came back. Did Zhijun teach you to do that?"

He Zhicheng patted her hand with a smile: "Well, my former colleagues were all in charge at home, and they all had that kind of domineering style of making decisions on their own. My dad actually has those traits too, but I never thought there was anything wrong with it before."

But ever since Zhijun returned from his studies, I've noticed that he doesn't boss his younger siblings around. In fact, they usually make the decisions. At first, I even mocked him for being a weak husband at home.

But he told me that marriage is about living your own lives behind closed doors, and that your own happiness is the most important thing. Only a fool would mistreat his wife just to save face.

If a wife and children feel oppressed at home, the whole family will be uncomfortable. There's an old saying that goes, "A virtuous wife brings blessings to three generations," which means that treating your wife well is essential for a harmonious and prosperous family.

At first, I didn't take it to heart, but later, after they went to Haishi, the letters Zhijun sent back mostly talked about what his younger brother and sister-in-law had been doing lately, how capable and hardworking they were, and so on.

At first, I thought my sister-in-law was just naturally capable to have achieved this. Later, I gradually realized that while she is indeed capable, it was also because Zhijun had always supported her.

I think if I were Zhijun, even if I married a girl like my sister-in-law, I probably wouldn't have a better life than Zhijun. There would be at most two outcomes: either my sister-in-law would slowly become a second you, always listening to me, unable to have her own opinions, and turning into a boring woman in my eyes, or...

Another issue is that my sister-in-law's personality remained unchanged, and afterwards, the family argued constantly over various trivial matters, causing unrest in the home. So, ultimately, it's not about what kind of wife we ​​married, but rather what kind of person we could tolerate in our wives.

Our relationship has always been lukewarm. You have your problems, but mine are bigger. I'm reflecting on them now and trying to change, listening to your opinions, and accepting your decisions instead of trying to control you from the inside out. Right now, I'm doing better than what Zhijun is doing, but I promise I'll continue to try.

Zhou Jie's eyes welled up with tears: "You've always been a good person. I've never felt that you were strict with me. It's always been my own insecurity. If I could be as bold as my sister-in-law in expressing my needs, I believe you might not be so unwilling."

Just like what Mom said to Xiaoli today, I tend to keep my thoughts to myself. If I don't express them, expecting someone as carefree as you to guess is just asking for trouble. I understand this now, and from now on, I'll be more open with you about my thoughts, and we can discuss things together as a couple.

"Does the decision to send Xiaoli to your younger brother and sister-in-law make you uncomfortable? You raised Xiaoli from a young age, and you've put in a lot of effort. Sending him away now feels like a denial of all your hard work. I want to know your true thoughts," He Zhicheng asked earnestly.

"My sister-in-law is decisive and has a cheerful and generous personality. I poured all my feelings into Xiaoli, but I've raised him to be more like a girl than a boy. I didn't realize it at first; I just thought our child was quiet."

But last time, Xiaoli told his younger siblings that he had no friends to play with at school. That's when I realized that I had been too protective of him, which also prevented him from interacting with children his own age. If he continues to be raised by me, I'm worried that he will become withdrawn in the future.

Although I would be reluctant to send him to Shanghai, parents love their children and plan far ahead for them. The deeper their love, the more thorough their care. He should be able to become more independent by staying with his younger siblings. After all, his younger siblings are not the type to pamper their children.

Look at how she takes care of An'an; she lets go without hesitation at all. Grandma usually takes care of her most of the time. Maybe this kind of personality will help raise a more independent child. It's perfect, since our Xiao Li is older, his wife can let our child practice with her. Later, when An'an is older and more aware, his wife will have experience.”

He Zhicheng… “Okay, I finally believe you’re making changes too.”

The couple looked at each other and smiled.

He Zhicheng personally escorted Zhou Jie to her first day of work at the state-run restaurant. He greeted everyone, exchanged a few polite words, and distributed cigarettes (by the stick) to the male staff and candy (by the piece) to the female staff. Everyone was very friendly. After settling Zhou Jie in, He Zhicheng left.

The staff at the state-run restaurant had certainly broadened their horizons. After He Zhicheng left, before any work was assigned, they started discussing it animatedly, many of them expressing envy:

“Your husband is so good to you. I’ve been working here for so long, and there are so many people coming and going. This is the first time I’ve heard of a husband bringing his wife home on her first day of work out of concern.”

Zhou Jie smiled shyly, "I... I've never worked before. I've always stayed at home to be a wife and mother. I'm not very good at interacting with people. I hesitated for a long time before making this decision to go out and work. He was worried about me, so he brought me here. He won't bring me here anymore."

I'm slow-witted and not very perceptive. My mother-in-law told me that all I need to do here is work, so if there's anything to do, just let me know.

The head chef in the kitchen casually tucked the cigarette He Zhicheng had given him behind his ear: "From now on, your job will be washing the pots and pans after you've cooked all the food."

The rest of the work will be assigned to you when you have free time. If you don't have time, someone else will do it. Don't worry, as long as you are hardworking and reliable, we will get along well.

Zhou Jie nodded obediently, and then everyone started to get to work, each doing their own job in an orderly manner.

After a long day of work, Zhou Jie happily returned to the old house. As soon as she entered, she saw her whole family there. Upon seeing her, Cui Hongru quickly greeted her and asked her to tell her about her work that day.

This was the first time Zhou Jie had received so much attention from her family. She was nervous but also very happy. "It's all washing and cleaning work, which I often do at home. Our head chef even praised me, saying I'm quick and efficient."

He Zhicheng was somewhat relieved: "Aren't you tired after doing so much work today? Let me see your hands. Have you been soaking them in a basin of water all day? Did you use warm water? Cold water in the middle of winter can cause frostbite." After saying that, he took her hand and examined it carefully.

Zhou Jie withdrew her hand somewhat embarrassedly: "The kitchen has no shortage of hot water. There are more than ten thermos flasks alone, and I filled them all today. I add some hot water when washing dishes."

However, the woman in charge of washing the vegetables had a much harder time than me. Those greens couldn't be washed with warm water; I saw her hands were red and swollen. I had a spare moment and wanted to help her wash some, but she wouldn't let me. She just let me peel some garlic cloves and such, and wouldn't let me touch the cold water. I think they were all quite easy to get along with.

When Zhou Jie said this, everyone finally felt relieved. She wasn't being ostracized, and no one was making her do extra work. It was indeed a great start. Looking at her smile, everyone knew that Zhou Jie rarely smiled so brightly throughout the year. On her first day of work, she was already in such a good mood. This decision was definitely the right one.

After that, everyone's lives were quite uneventful. Of course, Zhou Jie always had various insights to share, making her a frequent topic of conversation in the family.

They found a cashier, a young girl, well-dressed and seemingly from a well-off family. She was apparently a high school student, though she hadn't gotten into university. However, when she arrived, another woman was also interested in the job, so they ultimately chose this young woman.

However, the woman who got stuck seemed to be a relative of the restaurant supervisor or something. The young girl got the job, and the supervisor would always make sarcastic remarks, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Even Zhou Jie, a straightforward person, could tell that something was off about her tone, let alone the young girl who was quite educated.

But this girl wasn't one to back down. When the supervisor made a sarcastic remark, she immediately snapped back. In just a few days, she'd made a name for herself as "Little Chili Pepper"—not only did the restaurant staff know about her, but even the regular customers were aware of her.

Zhou Jie was terrified. Luckily, she hadn't chosen that position back then; otherwise, given her mental fortitude, she probably would have come back crying long ago.

He Zhicheng found this quite normal and comforted her, saying, "There's bound to be competition in the workplace. Some people get along well, while others can't stand each other. Take me for example, I'm the battalion commander of the second battalion, and I don't get along with the battalion commander of the third battalion."

Every time there was a military competition, that good-for-nothing from the Third Battalion couldn't beat me. Afterwards, he was always the most resentful, constantly bringing up seniority. Doesn't he realize that being five years older than me but at the same rank proves his incompetence? How dare he compete with me?

"So how do you do it? You just end up glaring at each other every time you meet?" Zhou Jie asked, amused.

"Not really. On the surface, things have to be alright. If the leaders knew we didn't get along, it would be detrimental to unity. We'll still greet each other with smiles and exchange pleasantries when we meet. That's the hypocritical peace in the adult world," He Zhicheng replied.

Zhou Jie pondered: "So, even if you don't like someone, you still have to pretend to get along peacefully until they completely break off relations with you? That's so difficult. If I don't like someone, I don't want to deal with them."

"Your work environment is relatively simple. As long as you do your job well, you won't have many worries. Don't worry. I'm telling you this to let you know that no matter how good a job seems to outsiders, it will actually have its own difficulties. We just need to keep a positive attitude."

"Look at you, it's only been less than half a month, and you've been smiling so much more. But Xiaoli will be on winter break in another week. Do you want to take a few days off and we can take him to Haishi?" He Zhicheng asked.

"Then I'll ask the head chef tomorrow if he can schedule my leave for that day. That way I won't have to ask for leave. We get three days off every month, instead of the regular holidays. It's not worth it to lose money by asking for leave." Zhou Jie is quite shrewd now, she has indeed improved a lot.

On the second day of He Chaoli's winter vacation, He Zhicheng took Zhou Jie and her son, packed He Chaoli's books and clothes, and drove directly to Shanghai. Jingyan and her grandmother originally thought they would come during the Chinese New Year, but they didn't expect them to come so early. Fortunately, there was always someone at home, otherwise they might have been locked out.

Grandma was the only one at home looking after An'an. Jingyan and Sister Wang went to the slaughterhouse to buy meat. After New Year's Day, they tried selling the sausages they made at home, and surprisingly, quite a few people were willing to eat them. In fact, they hadn't made enough to meet demand.

Today, the slaughterhouse slaughtered an extra pig. Zhang Xiaofen sent word that the meat from the extra whole pig could be bought for free as a benefit for the workers. Jingyan was afraid that if she went late, she wouldn't be able to find good meat, so she took Sister Wang to grab some. Unexpectedly, He Zhicheng's family also arrived at that time, which caused them to miss each other.

The two pushed a handcart piled high with meat, rice, flour, cooking oil, and other groceries. Jingyan was in charge of pushing, while Sister Wang helped her. They weren't too tired, but they looked a bit disheveled.