TGDS Chapter 80.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 80.1: A Patriarchal Family (10)

The sunlight at sunset is the most gentle; even if it fills the entire room, it doesn’t feel hot. The suite on the third floor is usually so hot it makes you sweat, only cooling down at night. The apartment the Pei family rented wasn’t large; the living room and dining room were combined. A small three-bladed fan hung from the ceiling in the middle, sending out gentle breezes that slightly ruffled the hair of those below.

Tang Zhaodi, though sitting in the center of the living room, looked somewhat lost. She hadn’t been home for only a few days, and even her rented apartment had changed drastically.

The wooden bench in the living room was filled with various dolls and cushions, and with the chair covers, it looked especially cozy. There were also many other children’s items scattered around, like little ducks and toy cars. The small corner that had been partitioned off as Pei Xiaoping’s room had been renovated, fitted with a cartoon bear four-piece bedding set from Pei Naochun’s company. The outer curtains had been replaced with a double-layered one: a thin gauze with yellow star sequins and a thick, dark blue gradient fabric, creating a starry sky effect. Above, several star and moon-shaped lamps had been installed, hanging from somewhere. Although the space wasn’t large, it was quite exquisite.

“Naochun, I’ll go help,” Tang Zhaodi said, glancing frequently towards the narrow kitchen, unsure what to do with her hands and feet.

The kitchen in the house was also simple, not very spacious, more like a small corridor. Whenever you turned on the stove, it was so hot that you’d feel dizzy. Right now, Pei Naochun was inside, skillfully and calmly tossing a wok up and down. It didn’t seem like he was a novice.

“Just sit there and relax!” Wu Guizhi smiled and patted her daughter-in-law. “Come on, look at Zihao, isn’t he adorable?”

In front of her was a simple “cradle” that Pei Naochun had welded himself. In his previous life, he had worked away from home and was truly skilled in many things, almost every kind of trade he could earn money with. While he wasn’t an expert, making small things was no problem for him.

The cradle was specially sourced from a wholesale factory, with several bolts of extremely fine cotton cloth layered upon each other. The bottom was constructed of welded iron bars, mimicking the shape of a bird’s nest, making it very stable. Several support strips of cloth for hanging mosquito netting were placed on top. In the center hung a rotating toy disc, which Pei Zihao reached out and played with, laughing happily—he was incredibly adorable.

Since moving to the city, Pei Zihao had become a bit plumper than before. It wasn’t that life in the village was bad, but S City had a warmer climate and abundant resources. For example, the milk powder they used to have to use sparingly was now readily available, not to mention the nutritional supplements they learned to make from the locals—things Wu Guizhi had never even considered before.

“My little brother is so cute,” Pei Xiaoping said, standing on a small stool, her hands behind her back, peering inside. Her father had taught her not to put her hands on her brother’s cradle, lest he fall.

“You’re adorable too.” Wu Guizhi couldn’t resist leaning over and kissing Pei Xiaoping. After all, they were both her grandchildren. Even if there was a difference in their importance, if circumstances allowed, there was no need to be harsh on either of them. Besides, the longer they spent together, the more understanding they became, and the more caring and affectionate they were—the more they would earn more attention.

Tang Zhaodi remained silent, happy to see her son’s beaming face. However, everything she had witnessed that day was hard for her to process. Had her mother ever been so loving towards Xiaoping before? This seemed quite different from what she remembered.

“Mom, should I go help out with the spring festival?” After thinking it over, Tang Zhaodi still couldn’t sit still. She was about to get up when Pei Xiaoping suddenly grabbed her and hugged her. Tang Zhaodi instinctively hugged her daughter back, frowning and looking a little confused. “Xiaoping, what are you doing?”

Over the past month, Pei Xiaoping had been spoiled by her father and had gradually become bolder. She was still a child after all, and she was forgetful. After being coaxed by her father, she dared to speak up. She said in a childish voice, “Mom, you’ve worked hard since you came back from work. Dad told me that Mom should rest today! Mom, sit down and don’t move!” She habitually raised her little face and looked at her mother with exceptional cuteness.

For a moment, Tang Zhaodi was stunned. From childhood to adulthood, before and after marriage, everyone had an unspoken agreement on what to do for work. No matter how hard or tiring it was, no one would say anything about how hard it was or how tired you were. They just took it for granted. Even when she returned to her parents’ home with bags and packages, her mother would just smile and take them, looking through them to see what was inside. Hearing this, she felt particularly awkward: “What hardship is there? It’s not hard at all.”

She had been taught since childhood that women should do more work. A woman who wasn’t diligent would be disliked after marriage. How could she sit here and let her husband do all the work? But what did her daughter say that she had already talked to her husband?

“I told you to sit down, so sit down. You’ve worked hard for a month, and you only get to rest for a day or two. It’s good that your husband is so affectionate. A man should cherish his wife!” Wu Guizhi said without hesitation, completely disregarding how she and her son had argued and fought over things a few days ago, and how Pei Xiaoping had dragged her out of the kitchen.

At that time, Pei Naochun launched into a long, rambling lecture, explaining countless reasons why his mother had always been so busy at home since he was a child, even after he got married, she still worked tirelessly. Now, she had traveled all the way to S City for him, even bringing Xiaoping to help at the stall. He went on to give examples, saying how much his previous female employees cost and how little they earned, while after Wu Guizhi arrived, the business profit doubled. Finally, he shrugged and said, “Doesn’t all that my mother has done for me deserve a meal from me, her son?”

After a few rounds of moralizing, Wu Guizhi, still somewhat dazed, sat down with Pei Zihao in her arms, enjoying the attentive service from her son and granddaughter. Yes, this care also included Pei Xiaoping’s five-star service, watching the little one tiptoe to bring her bowl and food, leaning against her side, saying, “Grandma, you’ve worked hard, eat more.” Her heart was filled with indescribable emotions. In the end, her son even stuffed a large red envelope into her hand, saying it was some kind of shop commission, the more you work, the more you earn. She, a fifty-year-old woman, had managed the family’s finances all her life, but had never thought that she could earn money herself.

Of course, she still did most of the housework. Her son’s boutique shop was reportedly opening another branch, and he had been busy with it, unable to come home for meals several times. As his mother, she could still do some logistical work, but since her son rarely wanted to serve the family, she couldn’t refuse.

“Okay.” Tang Zhaodi listened to her mother-in-law and sat down immediately. She could see her daughter just by looking down; the bow in her hair swayed gently, making her feel a surge of tenderness, which she gently stroked.

“Xiaoping, Daddy’s done cooking, come help!” Pei Naochun finished his work in the kitchen. Another reason he hadn’t let anyone help was that the kitchen was too small; having another person in would only get in the way, making it difficult to even turn around.

“Coming!” Pei Xiaoping immediately responded, running over with unusual focus to take the bowls and chopsticks from her father and distribute them at the table. “Grandma’s, Daddy’s, Mommy’s, Xiaoping’s…” She was completely unaware of the extra work she was doing, distributing bowls, chopsticks, and spoons in the predetermined order, looking adorably silly, which made Wu Guizhi laugh. Before she could even reach out, Xiaoping ran off again. This time, she received food prepared by her father. The family used insulated bowls, the unbreakable kind, and Pei Naochun didn’t want to turn a good thing into a bad one and hurt his daughter.

“Grandma needs to eat her fill so she can stay healthy.” Pei Xiaoping was the first to step onto a small stool and place her rice bowl in front of her grandmother. Then she turned back and brought her mother’s food. She looked at Tang Zhaodi with bright, sparkling eyes, “Mom, eat more, and all your hard work will disappear!” These were things her father often said to her, like, “If Xiaoping praises Dad, or gives Dad a back massage, I won’t feel so tired.” She imitated him, just like a little sweet bean.

“Okay, Grandma understands.” Wu Guizhi smiled so broadly her eyes were almost invisible. She hadn’t even started eating yet, but her heart was already filled with sweetness. Tang Zhaodi hesitated for a long time before finally saying, “Xiaoping is so good.” Then, looking at her daughter’s silly, wrinkled face from smiling, she smiled too.

“Alright, alright, dinner’s ready.” Pei Naochun took care of the rest of the meal. He put the remaining food and soup in the pot, then sat down at his seat. None of the family members had the habit of drinking alcohol, so they jokingly used the soup as wine, raising their bowls. “Zhaodi worked hard at the garment factory this month. Today, I’ll serve her for once.”

Tang Zhaodi felt particularly awkward, looking to her mother-in-law for help. What was there to praise her for? In the past, when she worked at the factory, she still had to do all the housework after work. Now, although she earned more, she had left all the housework to her mother-in-law. If her family heard this, they might scold her for not knowing her place and not doing what a daughter-in-law should do.

“Zhao Di, you’ve worked so hard.” Wu Guizhi considered herself a very knowledgeable old lady now, a pioneer in the whole courtyard. Many people on the market street would greet her politely every day, hoping to get a discount on their goods. She had also broadened her horizons. She only realized after coming to S City that there were many dual-income families there, and some even had the husband stay home to take care of the children while the wife went out to work. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of things at home.”

She had thought about having Zhao Di come back, since selling things could earn a good amount. But then she heard from her son that he sent his daughter-in-law to the factory to learn about the production principles of garment factories. If she could open her own factory in the future, he would make her the deputy factory manager. Anyway, she didn’t understand it, she only knew that her daughter-in-law was going to do something big.

“Mom, I earned 260 yuan this month.” Tang Zhao Di took out all the money in her pocket. She didn’t keep any for herself. The factory provided room and board, so she didn’t have to spend any money.

“Keep it for yourself,” Wu Guizhi decided. Knowing her daughter-in-law was timid, she added, “Keep the first month’s salary for yourself. We’ll give each other half from now on. We’ll save it to build a house back in our hometown. I also gave half of the wages Naochun gave me.” She didn’t intend to take advantage of her daughter-in-law, but she was still very determined to go home and always thought about the future, wanting to build a house.

“I…” Before, although she and her husband worked at the factory, they only kept enough for living expenses and handed over the rest to their employers. Now, suddenly she had to keep it herself, and she felt a little lost. She counted out 130 and tried to stuff it into her mother-in-law’s arms.

“Keep your first month’s wages for yourself.” Wu Guizhi saw the women on the street, all dressed beautifully, spending money on anything they liked. Having also learned from her son’s teachings, she understood the importance of spending money wisely. “Zhao Di, you’ve suffered at home before. Spend money on things you like, and dress yourself up!”