She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

A few days later, Chen Xianghong left, and it seemed that the absence of one person in the family had no impact.

Grandma Xia repeatedly reminded Old Chen not to tell anyone about Chen Xianghong's relationship. Old Chen scolded her, saying that he was so old and didn't he know what he could and couldn't say?

Three days later, everyone in the compound, including Old Chen's workplace, knew that Xiang Hong from her family was very capable and had found a battalion commander as his girlfriend. This angered Old Lady Xia so much that she almost sharpened her knife to confront him again.

"Why do you have such a foul mouth?" Old Mrs. Xia scolded from inside the house.

Old Chen felt a pang of guilt, then grinned, trying to absolve himself of responsibility, "I didn't tell anyone, I keep my mouth shut."

"If it wasn't you, then who was it? If it weren't for that Xiao Liu from your factory telling me about this, I probably would still be in the dark."

Old Chen: "It must have been that kid Chen Xiangbei who went out to play and let it slip. He's young and easily tricked into talking."

Chen Xiangbei felt utterly wronged and shouted, "It wasn't me! How could I possibly go out and tell people that my sister is dating the battalion commander? My friends wouldn't ask either; they don't care about these things. Who has time to care who in my family is dating!"

Grandma Xia glanced sideways and said, "Even if Xiang Bei let it slip, why did the news come from your factory instead of the school or his friends?"

Old Chen gripped the cup tightly, "How could I not know? Anyway... anyway, it wasn't me. I... I'm going to go outside for a walk."

He grabbed the teacup and ran outside, afraid that Old Lady Xia would beat him to death.

As soon as I opened the gate, I saw my neighbor, Old Lady Wang, coming over for a visit, along with Old Lady Yin. "Oh, where are you going, Battalion Commander? When can we have a feast at Xiang Hong's wedding? You've found such a good son-in-law, you have to host a nice meal in our compound so we can all have some fun."

Old Chen: ...You old women, shut up.

He chuckled casually and ran off. It was all Old Zhao's fault from the next workshop. If he hadn't come over and boasted about how his daughter had married the factory manager's son and looked down on him, saying their family had bad feng shui, he wouldn't have revealed Xiang Hong's affair so quickly.

Old Chen is a real man, how could he be looked down upon by someone like Old Zhao?

I really hope that Xiang Hong will get together with that kid Yu Hongzhen, otherwise what will happen to his reputation?

Grandma Xia poured water for the two who came to visit. "What's going on? Tomorrow is a day off, why are you two here to see me today?"

Aunt Wang, beaming with joy, took her hand and said, "I asked Donghua to come with me. Tomorrow, my husband Dahai's boyfriend is coming to our house, and his parents are coming too. I just wanted you to give me some advice on what to buy, what clothes to wear, and how much money to give in the red envelope tomorrow."

Grandma Xia exclaimed in surprise, "So fast?"

Grandma Wang: "Is that fast? My son Dahai is already so big! In a few more years, he'll be laughed at for being an old bachelor. It's not fast at all!"

Grandma Xia: "Has your husband Dahai told you about the woman's situation?" For example, she wants Dahai to be a live-in son-in-law.

Grandma Wang: "They did mention it, but not in detail. That girl's family is quite powerful. Her father is the deputy director of the Industry and Information Technology Bureau. He used to work in the same unit as my father. What a coincidence! What have we done to deserve having the daughter of a deputy director marry into our family!"

Grandma Xia: ...Well, it seems this kid doesn't have the guts to tell the truth.

She did want to talk to Old Lady Wang, but she was afraid that Wang Dahai and that girl had reached an agreement again, and that he would marry her instead of becoming a live-in son-in-law. Wouldn't saying this now just increase the conflict?

Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. We'll just see how things go tomorrow. If a fight really breaks out, she can always try to break it up!

Grandma Yin was also delighted, saying, "Your Dahai has really struck gold this time! That girl is clearly a good one, so eloquent and charming. She's a perfect match for your Dahai!"

Grandma Wang: "That's right, this must be a match made in heaven. I introduced so many girls to him before, but none of them worked out. Now, out of the blue, he's found me such a wonderful one. I'll definitely be a good mother-in-law from now on."

The three chatted animatedly about their preparations for tomorrow, interspersed with gossip about Xiang Hong from Grandma Xia's family.

Grandma Xia had nothing to hide from the two of them and frankly expressed her concerns.

Grandma Yin comforted her, "What are you worried about? Didn't you say that Xiang Hong has become more assertive now and won't suffer any great losses?"

Grandma Xia: "Look at me. I used to be so fiery when I was a girl. But after I got married, I became a maid for this whole family. Who can see my grievances except you? You all have so many ways to make me suffer in silence."

“When things don’t escalate, they’re all minor issues. If I talk about them, everyone thinks I’m petty and that I, as a mother-in-law and mother, don’t understand my child. But if I don’t say it, I feel so resentful. I’ve given so much, and all I’ve raised is an ungrateful old man and a few ungrateful little ones, who all boss me around.”

"Things after marriage are family matters and don't really matter. Just because someone talks to you about feelings doesn't mean you have to work for them for free. And when someone gives you money, you say they're supporting you. Isn't that disgusting? Does that mean that just because I don't contribute money to the household, I'm the only one who has to work? Does that mean this house is just my house?"

Grandma Yin deeply agreed, “Once we women get married, we start to suffer losses in all sorts of ways. When we talk about some of these losses, people say things like, ‘Don’t other women go through the same thing? Why can’t we endure the hardships that other women can?’ If we think that others can do it but we can’t, it’s like we’re belittling ourselves. But if we actually do it, it’s exhausting, frustrating, and we don’t even get any credit.”

However, Grandma Wang didn't have this problem. Her husband rarely complained and had plenty of energy. "If you ask me," she said, "men are more suited to doing housework. Look at my husband, he treats going to work like it's going to kill him. Forget about taking exams, even getting up for work is a struggle. He often takes sick leave when he has a headache or fever. But when it comes to housework, he's in a great mood. Sometimes when I try to help him, he tells me to put it down. He says it's his job and no one can take it from him."

"Men are strong and energetic, and they don't have to give birth. When we women are pregnant, they should be the ones to take care of us and clean up our messes. When the elderly can't move, they should be the ones to look after them. Isn't that perfect?"

When Grandma Xia and Grandma Yin first heard this, they actually thought it made a lot of sense, as if God created men to do these things by nature.

Old Chen, standing outside the door, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.