Lijuan watched coldly, thinking, "Such a huge project, there's no time to watch TV. Even if I quit my job to be a full-time housewife, I couldn't finish it. Are you really sacrificing thousands a month just to save a few dollars on gas? So petty and narrow-minded."
Finally, Grandma put down the broom, rubbed her back, and looked around with satisfaction: "That's a wrap!"
Lijuan felt like she had been released from a cage. Although she hadn't done any work, she felt even more tired than if she had. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard her mother-in-law say from behind, "Wait, Lijuan, since you're here today, I want to tidy up the overhead cabinets and put in the things that aren't used often. I'm too short to reach that height."
Lijuan immediately replied, "I have other things to do. I haven't finished my work at the office. Yaping is taller than me, so you can ask Yaping to help you."
Yaping's mother replied, "Go ahead and do what you need to do! We'll get it done on Sunday when you're free."
Lijuan entered the study and said to Yaping, who was playing games on the computer, "Young Master, I've talked to your mother as you asked. It's the first and last time, I can't stand it, it's a waste of my life. Your mother is telling you about your childhood, and she's already reached the age of four. Based on your current age, there are at least seven more chapters to go, and if there are any flashbacks or digressions, it's hard to say. Also, your mother treats me like a bought maid to vent her anger, but why does she act like it's her life to do chores? Go pour me a cup of tea, we're even." "Thank you, thank you, I'll go right now," Yaping agreed and ran off.
"You're pouring tea for your wife again? That's how life goes, I serve you, you serve her." Ya Ping's mother's tone had a sour, fermented quality to it.
“What? I’ll drink it myself,” Yaping said.
"Add a few goji berries I brought; they're good for the kidneys." Yaping's mother quickly took a few goji berries out of the jar. "And add two white chrysanthemums; they're good for reducing internal heat." She then added two more white chrysanthemums to the hot water.
Lijuan called her parents to invite them over for dinner on Sunday. Lijuan's mother answered and immediately said, "No way! I don't care for their pork stew with cabbage! They can't even cook it properly, and they're trying to save money. I'm a grown woman being given away to them for free, and they have a place to live in Shanghai without lifting a finger, yet they don't even have the guts to invite me out for a meal. Tell them, forget it." Lijuan snapped on the phone, "Don't try to be polite! If you don't come, I'll tell my in-laws directly that you look down on them and that we shouldn't associate with them anymore."
“I have no intention of associating with them. What’s the point of getting involved with such poor relatives? We’re already doing well as long as they don’t rip us off. If it weren’t for you, who would I even know about them? I’m not going.”
“Fine, I’m part of their family now, so we shouldn’t have any contact anymore.” Just as Lijuan was about to hang up, her father’s voice came from the other end: “Don’t listen to your mother. Tell your in-laws we’ll see each other on Sunday. Do you need any valves?”
"Just bring him. His dad seems to drink, so bring a good bottle of wine!"
Lijuan's father hung up the phone and said, "What are you doing? The parents are reasonable and invited us. No matter where they are, we should go. If we don't go, wouldn't it show that we don't value our daughter? What if they bully Lijuan later?"
Lijuan's mother suddenly realized what was happening and immediately said firmly, "You're right! I must go. I'll take this opportunity to teach them a lesson, to show them they shouldn't think they have no one to rely on."
On Sunday, Lijuan's mother dressed up in gold and silver, wearing all her jewelry, including the gold-plated pieces, and set off in a grand manner. Before leaving, she said with some regret, "It's a pity there's no diamond. Nowadays, no amount of jewelry can compare to a diamond. Only something of that weight can impress them."
“Diamonds are easy to find. You can buy a fake diamond at any shop on Xiangyang Road for a little over 100 yuan, which is enough to scare the country folk. What kind of wine should we bring?” Lijuan’s father asked.
"Didn't you say you wanted some wine, girl? Bring a bottle of good Shaoxing rice wine, the most expensive one won't cost more than 20 yuan. I heard from Lijuan that Yaping's parents are extremely frugal, they definitely won't buy good food. I think 20 yuan worth of wine is enough for that table. They won't be able to tell the difference if it's too high-end. Moutai is expensive, right? I guess they've only seen it on TV. They wouldn't even know if it was filled with Erguotou."
Lijuan's parents brought a bottle of Shaoxing rice wine and a bunch of Panamanian bananas to their daughter's house.
"Oh! Mother-in-law! I've wanted to visit you for so long! I just couldn't find the time until today!" Lijuan's mother used her unique, effortless charm to warmly greet Yaping's mother. "Mother-in-law, you look so healthy, unlike me, sickly and unable to do any work. Look at this house, it's sparkling clean since you came! It's all thanks to you! The capable should do more! You've really worked so hard!" Lijuan's mother held Yaping's mother's hand and affectionately strolled around the house.
"Oh no! My health isn't good either! I'm forcing myself to do more so the kids can do less. I have high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, so I can't rush things or get angry. I just wanted to teach Lijuan while I'm here so that she can manage on her own after we're gone."
“Oh dear, my dear mother-in-law, my daughter Lijuan was spoiled rotten at home since she was little. She never does any housework, and I’m partly to blame for that! When she got married, we found out she couldn’t do anything. It was too late; we couldn’t teach her anymore. So when we got married, I entrusted Lijuan to Yaping and asked him to take good care of her.”
"It's not too late, no one is born knowing how to do this. You'll naturally learn by doing it more. Women usually have this talent; they can pick it up as soon as you teach them."
"Kids these days are so busy with work, unlike when we were young. We could just report to our workplace and go home. Now, layoffs and job losses happen all the time. It's like a sword hanging over our heads. We have to work our butts off. It's a new era, and men and women are equal. We don't talk about who does more or less work. Whoever has time does it, right?"
“Yaping is busy with work! He wants to do more, but he’s afraid he won’t be able to manage it all. Besides, men are generally less capable and can’t do many things, such as sewing or tidying up. The division of labor between men and women is different. Naturally, men should do the heavy lifting. I’m not favoring my son in this regard, but for the small things, I’ll have to ask Lijuan to take on more responsibility.”
“Mother-in-law, what are you saying! What kind of heavy work is there now? Gas cylinders don't need to be made anymore, and we don't need to make coal briquettes. The furniture is all ready-made, so we don't need to make any. A household is basically just about washing and cleaning, isn't it? As for sewing, who sews quilts and embroiders pillows at home these days? A quilt cover only costs 18 yuan at the processing factory at the end of the alley, and that's enough. I threw away my sewing machine a long time ago. I think Yaping is quite diligent. When you're not around, he's very willing to work, and sometimes he even comes to my place to help! Don't worry too much about the younger generation! Let them be! When you're here, they can do what they want if they want, and if they don't want to, we can hire a part-time worker. It's only 5 yuan an hour, so everyone can save effort.”
Upon hearing this, Yaping's mother nearly choked on her breath. Like mother, like daughter—so this is what Lijuan's mother is like!
The two mothers, though seemingly gentle, were locked in a fierce battle of wits, their subtle maneuvering and underhanded tactics evident throughout the banquet. However, being more experienced, neither mother felt uncomfortable, and the two children remained silent, only able to eat.
Fathers are mostly taciturn; aside from toasting each other, they spend most of their time watching their wives perform.
Lijuan and Yaping saw their parents off at the station. Yaping's father pointed to the empty wine bottle and said, "When you visit someone's home, you either don't bring anything to show hospitality, or you bring good wine. A bottle of horse urine and three rotten bananas—I feel embarrassed for them. I can't even drink a drop of this, but I insisted on keeping her father company. He, on the other hand, didn't care about anyone and just finished it all by himself. He even claimed it was for me. Did you notice how much she ate with her father? Her chopsticks were like raindrops. No wonder Lijuan doesn't know how to share; she learned that from her father."
Yaping's mother sighed, "Lijuan's mother is so unreasonable. She tells her father to get her chopsticks in front of us, but she drops her own chopsticks and doesn't even bother to get them. What kind of behavior is that? If her mother treats her father like that, how can Lijuan not treat our son like that? When it comes to marriage, you must meet your future mother-in-law before the wedding. Your future wife will resemble her mother. I haven't even asked Lijuan to do any chores yet! Look how protective her mother is! She's considered a burden if she does even a little work? Her own man, her own home—shouldn't she? A woman should support her family after marriage. Her own daughter..." "The girl's married now, how can she still be raised like a little maid? And look at her mother's clothes, she looks like a petty bourgeois. Even Indians don't wear as much gold as she does; you'd think she was a brothel madam. She doesn't act like a mother at all. She loves to dress up so much, and she dresses so terribly. No wonder Lijuan spends hundreds or even thousands on clothes. I've discovered that Lijuan has inherited all the bad qualities of her parents—lazy, gluttonous, and utterly without any redeeming qualities. I don't know what Yaping saw in her; this marriage is a complete disaster!"
As soon as Lijuan's mother got into the car, she said to Lijuan's father, "I gave Yaping's mother a good talking-to today. That old hag tried to act tough in my house, making my daughter her servant. She's all sweet talk and daggers, saying she loves both children and treats them equally, but why doesn't she let her son Yaping do any work, only training my daughter? She kept saying her son should do the heavy lifting, but what does 'heavy lifting' even mean? These days, besides using his strength in bed, what else is he doing? I gave her a piece of my mind. Look at the clothes she's wearing! The ones I donated during last year's East China floods were better than what she was wearing." Okay. She does have a job, but she's deliberately putting on this "bitter past" act for us, and I haven't seen her make any money! She's definitely stuffed all the money into her daughter's pocket. She only gave 20,000 yuan for the wedding! In a place like Shanghai, 20,000 yuan is barely enough to feed a beggar. Her son is practically a son-in-law, shouldn't he do some work? That old hag will definitely try to make her son treat my daughter badly; just you wait, they'll have a fight sooner or later. The young couple was living happily, and she had to come and interfere. She'd better go back home as soon as possible.”
Lijuan's father chimed in, "You're absolutely right. It seems their custom is that men enjoy the women's work. When her father drinks, her mother stands by pouring it for him. When her father eats, he just shoves the bowl into her hands, and she runs over to fill it. You really can't marry a Northerner; they're too feudal and don't know how to cherish women. Women are meant to be cherished, but they treat women like animals. Yaping, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be as macho as her father. Lijuan once said he even poured her water to wash her feet."
"That's because his parents aren't around. If they were, they would have influenced him and instilled in him a lot of ideas, and he would have followed suit sooner or later."
Lijuan and Yaping were walking home.
"This meal was really unpleasant. Your mother kept nagging, 'This cabbage only costs one yuan a pound, right?' 'Your family must be struggling financially.' 'Is this braised pork or stir-fried diced pork? Why is it cut into such small pieces?' My mother was busy all day when I invited her over, and she just sat there waiting to be eaten, without saying a single nice thing." Yaping imitated his mother-in-law's tone perfectly.
"Your mom is so easygoing? My dad brought his own wine, and look how heartbroken she is! What's wrong with her? Is she trying to save it for your dad? Besides, has your mom ever hosted a dinner party before? Look at those dishes! Peanuts, dried tofu, and braised duck—there's a place downstairs that sells them. Why is she so stingy? I gave her 200 yuan yesterday, just so she wouldn't be stingy, so I treated her. As her daughter-in-law, I'm treating my own parents to a meal, what's wrong with that? And yet, she still wants to skimp on the bill. I suspect she spent at least 50 yuan on food today."
What should have been a joyous reunion turned into a gathering where no one felt happy. When Yaping returned home and saw his parents' gloomy faces, he dared not utter a sound, at least outwardly matching their somber demeanor and feigning disdain for Lijuan. Lijuan, meanwhile, was feeling deeply distressed because her parents had been treated with such disrespect.
"Lijuan, come wash the dishes! I'll tidy up the house." Yaping's mother abruptly switched from her previous encouraging approach to a command. With a daughter-in-law so ill-mannered, sweet talk and coaxing were simply not enough. She had to be gently guided, like a candle being lit to keep the flame burning.
Lijuan turned to look at Yaping, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV. He didn't react at all, as if he hadn't heard his mother's words. Lijuan stood at the kitchen doorway, staring intently at Yaping, wondering how long it would take for him to react. Yaping withstood the power of the flamethrower, remaining as steady as a mountain.
"Yaping! I'll wash the dishes, come help me, otherwise they won't get clean." Lijuan suppressed her anger, trying to sound coquettish. "You're all grown up, it's just a few bowls, what's there to not wash clean? If you can't wash them clean, you have to learn, wash them more and they'll be clean. I'll stand here with you, we women can chat, let the men do their work." Yaping's mother started tying an apron around Lijuan's waist. Yaping remained unmoved, oblivious to everything around him.
"No need to come with me, I can wash it myself, it'll be faster." Lijuan looked around for rubber gloves, put them on, and started rinsing the dishes clean by turning on the tap. "Just turn the water halfway, otherwise you'll get splashed." Yaping's mother hurriedly turned the tap down behind her.
"You can't just pour dish soap into the sink like that! Half a bottle for each dish! You should take a rag, pour the soap onto it, and wipe each dish one by one. That way you won't waste any." Yaping's mother snatched the bottle of dish soap, carefully squeezed a little onto a rag, and handed it to Lijuan. "The plates still have foam clinging to the bottom! You're only washing one side of the dishes? Like you're putting on makeup, only applying it to half your face? You have to rinse both sides!"
If you were to measure it with calipers, Lijuan's apple-shaped face, which used to have the tip of her nose as the center and her cheeks as the radius, has now changed significantly and is moving closer to a banana shape.
Lijuan piled the bowls haphazardly on the shelf, took off her gloves, and walked out of the kitchen, ignoring Yaping's mother calling after her: "Washing the dishes but not the pot? Not wiping the stove? This doesn't look like you're doing any work! You're not being sincere! Lijuan, there's still a pot here!"
Lijuan turned and went into the kitchen, saying to her mother-in-law, "If you want me to do the work, you have to do it my way. If you don't like it, do it yourself. I deliberately didn't wash this pot. I used to wash it when I cooked, but now that you're cooking, I've decided not to. Based on how frugal you are, I think there are still two drops of oil left at the bottom of this pot, enough to stir-fry a large dish." After saying that, she pounded upstairs, almost stomping through the floorboards.
Lijuan's mother-in-law actually took the pot, rinsed it, and examined it thoroughly. She ran her finger along the edge of the pot with great force, then carefully scraped her finger clean from the edge of the bowl containing the remaining oil. She said, "Isn't it done now?"
Yaping was in front of the television, but his mind was in his study upstairs. He appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was like a cat on a hot tin roof. He wanted to go upstairs and appease his wife, but his mother was listening intently from the kitchen; he wanted to stay downstairs with his mother, but he feared he'd be her bedside table again that night. Torn between two conflicting emotions, he felt utterly tormented. The most difficult job in the world is to wear many hats. You can be a good husband, or a good son, but you can't be both. Yaping finally understood why Baoyu, Shunzhi, Haiteng, and many others ultimately chose the path of monasticism. Mainly, having a home was less comfortable than not having one. If it made his mother and wife happy, Yaping wouldn't mind doing extra chores; his current suffering far outweighed the work itself. Yaping felt like a spoonful of egg, being squeezed between two hot iron plates, painfully becoming a delicious omelet.
Yaping lay on the bed waiting for Lijuan. As soon as Lijuan lay down, Yaping grabbed her with both hands to prevent her from escaping, and kissed his wife, saying, "My dear wife, I beg you, could you please not put me in a difficult position? You know my mother doesn't want me to work, but you insist on making me do this, isn't that embarrassing me? I'll do anything for you in private, I'll carry you around this room until dawn if you're willing, can you please give me some face in front of my mother?"
Lijuan kept her eyes closed, refusing to open them, and said coldly, "Get lost. Don't touch me. Your mother dotes on you, but who does? Am I a motherless child? Li Yaping, let me tell you, I've already given your mother a lot of face today. If she dares to call me by my name again and ask me to do chores, I'll take her bag outside and kick her out. She can do the chores around the house if she wants, no one's asking her to. Don't come here every day when you see me come home, clutching your chest and bowing your back like a saint. You're almost sixty, are you trying to act like a beauty? This is my house, she can't call the shots. She either doesn't do anything, or I can leave it there and do it whenever I want. I can wash the clothes once a week if I want. Ask her..." "Shut up, don't tell me this needs hand washing and that needs soaking. My method of doing chores is to put everything in the washing machine and wring it out. I work 9 hours a day at work, 3 hours commuting, and then I have to work overtime writing articles to earn extra money. Is she trying to drive me to my death? Besides, every penny I buy is earned with my own blood and sweat. I haven't taken a single cent from her pocket. What right does she have to complain about the price? It's only right that I, as her wife, spend the money her son earns. What's there for her to be upset about? She hasn't considered that if her son didn't have a wife, he could spend hundreds of dollars on a single encounter with a prostitute. She's upset that no one invited her to come and see the place." Lijuan's volcano erupted, and she glared fiercely at Yaping, saying: "For the past six months or so before your mother came, you lived with me. I kept you warm and well-fed. I did the housework once a week, the furniture didn't collapse, and the clothes didn't get moth-eaten. Even if they did get moth-eaten and damaged as she predicted, I was willing. I had the money; I would buy new ones. Before she came, we never argued. But after she came, the whole house felt suffocating. Even though I bought the house, now I have nowhere to go. The thought of going home makes me nauseous. I told your mother I would go without food or drink, even sell myself, or borrow money to pay her back the 20,000 yuan, and beg her not to come again. When is she finally leaving?"