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

The factory manager couldn't win an argument with Old Lady Xia and Jiang Wenhua, but he believed he had some confidence in Old Yuan.

He talked until he was hoarse, but Director Yuan's expression never changed. In the end, she simply ignored him, letting his words go in one ear and out the other, treating them as nonsense.

The factory manager was suffering.

On the way back, Jiang Wenhua kept talking, "Old Xia, I think we can really cooperate. Look, we've already made money from two people in just a few days. This money is so clean. It can help others, and it's clean money. It's a profitable and harmless business."

"Old Xia, what do you think? Should we ask around the factory if anyone needs help? We can just charge them a little money and build up our reputation. That way, we can reap both fame and fortune."

"Old Xia, did you see the factory manager's face? It's so sour, but he can't bring himself to yell at him."

"You know, it's strange how Director Yuan seems like a completely different person."

"Old Xia, did you hear what I said? Do you think we should go and help Director Yuan? She's sure to be generous."

They soon arrived at Grandma Xia's workshop. She stopped and asked, "Xiao Jiang, why are you so obsessed with money?"

Jiang Wenhua was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Who would complain about having too much money?"

Grandma Xia: "Yes, I admit that very few people dislike money, but they like money because it can bring them a better life or they can use it to do what they want. But you, as far as I know, there are only two people in your family, you and your mother, both of you are healthy, and your salary is more than enough to support both of you. Yet, under such circumstances, you still spare no effort to save money and make money in such an extreme way, which makes me feel very strange."

Jiang Wenhua lowered his head. He had just been excitedly discussing future plans, but now his mood was clearly down. However, he was unwilling to tell Grandma Xia this, and he only said, "Because my money... is useful."

After saying that, he left.

Now it was Grandma Xia's turn to be confused. Was his money useful? Then whose money was useless?

However, since the other person was unwilling to talk about it, and Grandma Xia wasn't the kind of person who would bother people by asking questions, many images flashed through her mind, but the image that finally settled on was the workshop director calling her to hurry up and get to work.

As soon as Grandma Xia got home after work, she saw Zheng Qianlan sitting in the open space in front of her house, drinking tea with her sister. There were some candies and melon seeds on the small stools, and the two were chatting happily. Yu Yan was flipping through the book she had borrowed, "The Complete Book of Cursing," and was reading it with great interest.

Both of them wore new clothes and looked much more energetic.

However, Grandma Xia was still a little embarrassed. Recently, she had borrowed a lot of books, including the previous "The Art of Cursing", "The Logic of Cursing", and now the book "The Complete Book of Cursing", which she had read through.

To be fair, the person who wrote these books is quite capable. In the past, she would curse at people as she pleased, but after studying these books, her approach to cursing became much clearer. Although she can't be invincible, she can win most of the time.

However, everyone else was studying good books, and she, an old lady nearing retirement, kept borrowing these kinds of books. The young man who looked after the factory's reading room always gave her strange looks, and she felt a little embarrassed.

"Ahem, Comrade Zheng, you didn't go to work today?"

Upon hearing Grandma Xia's voice, Zheng Qianlan and Yu Yan stood up and said with smiles, "Today is a joyous day. To celebrate, Xiao Yan and I went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought clothes. We bought ready-made clothes. Do they look good?"

This was the first time in so many years that Zheng Qianlan spoke to someone in such a relaxed tone. The heavy weight in her heart was lifted, and she felt more at ease spending her money. This time, she spent a lot of money to buy herself clothes and put them on right away. However, she was still a little nervous when showing them to Grandma Xia.

Was it inappropriate? Would people think she was showing off? Would they think it was improper for someone her age to wear such a color? Zheng Qianlan's emotions were like a rollercoaster, and she felt that what she had just said was really inappropriate.

Seeing that Zheng Qianlan was becoming more and more reserved as she spoke, Grandma Xia immediately gave her a thumbs up, "It looks great, as expected of a ready-made garment. The fabric is comfortable and fits you perfectly. The color suits you too. You look radiant and beautiful."

Zheng Qianlan's eyes lit up. It was the first time she had been praised like this, and she was overjoyed. "Really? I was worried I wouldn't be able to wear it out. I was afraid people would say something about me."

Grandma Xia: "What am I saying to you? I think you and your daughter should dress like this. Before, you wore work clothes every day, suppressing your energy and spirit inside the clothes. Now you are completely different. I think you are especially beautiful. You two should stand up straight and be generous, so that others will feel happy when they see you."

Yu Yan: "Mom, I also think you're beautiful."

Zheng Qianlan was overjoyed. "I should have figured it out sooner and divorced him sooner. Maybe I would have been living a good life by now."

Grandma Xia: "It's not too late now, it's never too late. If someone speaks ill of you, if that person is a man, then he must be petty and mistreated his family, so he wants to suppress you and his wife at the same time; if a woman speaks ill of you, then she must be jealous that you can live such a good life. So, don't listen to what others say, just see if you are living your own lives comfortably."

Zheng Qianlan nodded emphatically: "Sister Xia, you're right. I know exactly what kind of life I'm living. There's no need to make things difficult for myself because of what outsiders say. Thank you."

Director Yuan arrived by bicycle and heard what Grandma Xia said as soon as he entered the compound, and silently made a mental note of it.

When Grandma Xia saw her, she stood up as well. "Director Yuan, what brings you here today?"

Director Yuan: "Comrade Xia, I have something I'd like to say to you. Could you come with me for a moment? Let's find a place."

The two entered the house, and Grandma Xia poured water for them. "Director Yuan, what's the matter that's so serious?"

Director Yuan: "Comrade Xia, I spoke with the factory leaders this afternoon and hope that you can be transferred to the factory's labor union."

Grandma Xia: "Huh? Me? Why?"

Director Yuan: "Comrade Xia, I have witnessed what you have done recently. At the same time, what you said has made me and other female comrades reflect on our relationships with our spouses and our families. The more I think about it, the more I feel that the female comrades here need your kind of advice, including myself."

Nowadays, most of us women, whether we're daughters, wives, or mothers, put ourselves last, leaving all the responsibilities that should be shared with men on our shoulders. It's as if we're not good women, not good comrades, if we can't shoulder these responsibilities alone. But I think that's unfair.