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

The comrades below, who had been assigned by the deputy factory director to cause trouble, immediately started shouting.

"Are you playing dumb? Out of the three of you, aren't you the only one who has to take care of your grandson?"

"Can't you just be content with your lot? Why do you have to compete with young people?"

"You've ruined someone else's family so badly, and you still have the nerve to be the women's director?"

The dense, repetitive words reached Old Mrs. Xia's ears, growing increasingly unpleasant. Director Yuan tried to interrupt and defend Old Mrs. Xia, and she even gave her several worried glances.

But Old Mrs. Xia didn't give her that chance at all. She knew this situation would arise a few days ago, and she even knew which people belonged to which factions. She knew that her previous actions would definitely displease many people, so the fierce opposition today was within her expectations.

"Comrade, you need to provide evidence before you speak. Who have I harmed so badly? How badly? Tell me!"

Seeing that Grandma Xia responded, the other party became even more aggressive, "What do you think? Manager Sun used to have a happy and fulfilling family life. Ever since she got divorced, her family has fallen apart. Not only is her home in a mess, but her husband was so distracted at the factory because of family matters that he almost had his finger cut off. You ruined someone's family!"

Grandma Xia: "Did I ruin it or did he ruin it himself? If he hadn't been beating and scolding Manager Sun all the time, if his family hadn't been waiting for Manager Sun to serve them every day, if they hadn't been ungrateful to Manager Sun and thought it was only right for her to pay them, wanting to suck her dry and eat her flesh, then Manager Sun wouldn't have been influenced by this social atmosphere and insisted on getting a divorce despite their insults and misunderstandings, right?"

I ask all the women here, if your partner or future partner treats you well, wouldn't you want a divorce?

Most of the women present shouted that they wouldn't, and only a very few voices of opposition were drowned out.

Grandma Xia continued, "We're no longer in a feudal society. Men and women are equal. Why do married women have to shoulder so many responsibilities? Taking care of their parents-in-law, raising children, and handling all the housework—why is it taken for granted that women should do these things? Why doesn't anyone say anything when married men don't do anything? Why is it only women who are called lazy women?"

The person who just objected shouted, "Since ancient times, men have been responsible for external affairs and women for internal affairs. Men have bigger careers to strive for!"

Grandma Xia: "What career are you pursuing? The traditional saying is that men should work outside the home and women should stay at home. Do you expect your wife to not earn any money and just rely on you to support her? I remember you, wasn't your wife a worker too? Are you saying you want your wife to quit her job and stay home to take care of your whole family?"

The man retorted, "How could that be? Jobs are in high demand these days, how could my wife possibly quit her job?"

Grandma Xia: "Then what did you just say about men being in charge of external affairs and women being in charge of internal affairs? She works, and you work. Who is more noble than whom? Is your job more noble than hers, or is your character more noble than hers, or do you think your status as a man is more noble than hers?"

The man said, "Virtue and gentleness are the most important qualities a woman should possess! This has been the prevailing view since ancient times. Women should have these virtues, and what is passed down is certainly good. People only praise women for being virtuous, but no one praises how successful a woman is in her career."

Even when praising a woman's abilities, it's mostly about how she manages to balance work and family. How can a woman abandon her family? That would be condemned by everyone.

Grandma Xia: "Our lives are so good now, but you have a problem with your thinking. You actually think the old feudal system was good. I think the person who should be arrested is someone like you."

The man said, "Don't try to label me like that. We're not talking about anything at all!"

Grandma Xia: "Then don't put that bullshit label of 'virtuous and gentle' on women. And what about the idea that men should be out there building their careers? Can't women also build their careers? Are they supposed to be stuck at home with this label, having all their ambition crushed by your family, and ultimately forced to live a life of suppression, not daring to break free? Is that what you call a virtuous and gentle woman?"

The man said, "I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

Grandma Xia: "Then tell me, why do you think Manager Sun shouldn't get a divorce? Is she really going to endure her ex-husband's beatings and scoldings for the rest of her life just to maintain this reputation of being 'virtuous and kind'? If you were her, would you be willing to put up with that?"

The man was stunned. If it were him, would he have been willing to do that? He probably wouldn't have, and might have even fought back the first time the other man hit him. He himself wouldn't have tolerated it, so why did he think that Supervisor Sun should endure it?

Seeing that he remained silent, Grandma Xia continued to ask, "Which comrade just said that people like me should stay at home and take care of their grandchildren instead of arguing with young people?"

Not a single person present stood up. The old lady Xia's argument about men and women had made them hesitate. Didn't they see how the previous person had been made to turn red in the face and lose face?

Grandma Xia didn't care whether anyone argued with her or not, and said to herself, "At my age, in your eyes I should be obedient and well-behaved. When you say 'be obedient and well-behaved,' do you mean to let me wait to die?"

You all probably think that at my age, my physical strength, energy, and mind can't keep up with the younger generation, and that I'm a worker who should be phased out. So stop dreaming about promotions and making money, and it would be best to retire soon and give up my position to the younger workers, right?

There was no sound from below. Although many people thought the same thing, no one dared to say something like telling someone to just wait to die. Just thinking about it felt very impolite, let alone saying it out loud.

But when Deputy Factory Director Tian turned around and glared in a certain direction, several young workers hurriedly lowered their heads and shouted, "Yes, you...you're at that age. Although you're not at that level yet, there's no need for you to make this kind of effort, is there?"

Just as Grandma Xia was about to retort, she saw the young woman sitting in front of the man angrily say, "There's no need to make such an effort. What do you want comrades of their age to do? To work hard for their families?"

Older men can still climb the ranks; no one would tell them to just sit back and wait to die. How can you think that a good comrade like Comrade Xia is old enough to go home and take care of his grandchildren? Why don't you let the factory director go home and take care of his children? Why don't you let the deputy factory director go home and take care of his grandchildren? At their age, they don't need to work hard anymore; they can just sit back and wait to die.

You only ever think about yourselves, never about the lives we lead. In the factory, you're suppressed if you want a promotion; after marriage, you're pressured to work harder so your in-laws will like you; and after having children, it's like you live only for the kids. Aren't we human? Can't we have our own ideals? Speak up!