TGDS Chapter 79.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 79.2: A Patriarchal Family (8)

“What kind?” Wu Guizhi was somewhat tempted, but then waved her hand. “But I have to stay home to take care of my grandson.” She subconsciously ignored her granddaughter, who was already five or six years old and didn’t need anyone to take care of her. If it were a few years ago, she would have already started helping with chores around the house.

“That’s alright, we have piecework here.” Old Huang immediately reacted. “But you have to pay a deposit. It’s a few cents or even a few dimes per piece. The more you do, the more you earn, and the less you do, the less you earn.”

“That’s not bad…” Wu Guizhi thought to herself. She was a little surprised. The city was completely different from the village. Although the women in the village were also efficient at work, they were still somewhat inferior to the men when it came to farming or heavy labor.

“Old Huang, then I’d like to ask you to find Zhao Di a job. My mother can’t do it for now. We just arrived and haven’t gotten familiar with the surroundings yet. We need to take care of the child first.” Pei Naochun interjected with a smile. It wasn’t that he was short of money for Tang Zhao Di’s part-time job, but rather that he wanted Tang Zhao Di to see another world. As an open port, S City had reduced discrimination considerably compared to their hometown. The slogan that women can hold up half the sky was truly real here. At least when she got to the factory, Tang Zhao Di would be able to genuinely feel her own abilities. After all, in the past, her extra job was purely because of her husband’s influence; she earned little and didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment.

“Okay.” Having made two deals in one go, Old Huang smiled broadly. Seeing the house right in front of him, he began to introduce it, “Old Pei, this is the house I found exactly as you requested, absolutely no mistakes.”

Before him was a courtyard that wasn’t small, square in shape, with many potted plants around the perimeter. Instead of pretty flowers and greenery, they were mostly onions, garlic, and vegetable scraps… Several long ropes stretched across the middle, presumably for drying clothes. Near the door was a water tap with a large basin underneath, presumably used for fetching water to wash vegetables or clothes.

“Old Huang, you brought people?” An old woman came out of the house. Her expression brightened when she saw Old Huang. She was the landlord of this house; only one small unit remained in the courtyard, and if she rented it out, she could earn a considerable income each month from the rent alone.

“Yes, as you requested.” Old Huang immediately leaned over. “This is a family. The children are all young. The woman goes to work in a garment factory, and the elderly stay at home to take care of the children.”

“Alright, come in and have a look.” The old woman walked ahead and led the group up to the third floor. The top-floor apartment was difficult to rent because it was hot and spacious. Unless it was a family of five like this, it would be hard to rent it. It was called a suite, but it was actually partitioned off later. There were two and a half rooms in total. The half room was separated by a wardrobe. Inside, there was only a bed and a curtain, nothing else.

“Why does it have to be so big?” Wu Guizhi had already decided to move in, and couldn’t help but fuss over the price. Zihao was still young and didn’t need a single room. Xiaoping could squeeze in with her. Two rooms would be the limit, and adding a half room would cost a lot more. “Xiaoping doesn’t need a single room.”

“Mom, I specially chose this place.” Pei Naochun lowered his voice and leaned closer. “This old lady’s daughter is the manager of this section of the clothing factory. If she rents this place, Zhaodi can go there. If she makes a mistake, they’ll take care of her.”

“…Alright then.” Wu Guizhi couldn’t refuse and nodded in agreement. She understood the power dynamics of this society.

After finalizing the deal, Pei Naochun immediately went over and paid the deposit to the old lady. These days, contracts were rare; everyone relied on their word. Once it was agreed upon, it was agreed upon. There were no complicated thoughts. Old Huang left happily, only saying he would come back tomorrow. It was a win-win situation.

In fact, Pei Naochun chose this house not because of the old woman’s daughter, but because of the tenants. His requirements for Lao Huang were simple: he wanted to find some female factory worker families like theirs to live with. You see, factories have their own territories, and the female workers here mostly earn high wages and have good family status. Surrounding them from all sides, through constant exposure, would inevitably lead to a thorough “re-brainwashing.”

Furthermore, the environment would be simpler with only female workers. His two children were still young, and his wife and mother were from the village; he couldn’t risk them getting into trouble in a mixed environment.

…

Anyone who has worked in a factory knows that time flies by. After all, on the assembly line, most of the work is repetitive; before you know it, a day has passed.

Tang Zhaodi was introduced by Lao Huang, so she didn’t have to hold onto her salary for a month. When the time came, she went to the finance department, lined up, signed, and received her wages. She was new to the trade and it took her several days to get the hang of it. Even though she’d only been there a month, she’d already earned a full 260 yuan, more than her husband had earned working before. When she received the money, she was somewhat dazed. She had never imagined that someone as slow-witted as her could ever earn money.

“Zhaodi, are you going home? I’ll go with you.” Recently, the factory had a large order, and the rest days had been changed to two per month. Li Laidi, who shared a room with Tang Zhaodi with the old lady, was very enthusiastic and joined her.

Tang Zhaodi was very nervous, folding the money into a ball, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking around anxiously, as if afraid people wouldn’t know she had money in her pocket: “Okay, Sister Li, let’s go together, I’m scared!”

During their first week in S City, her husband took her and her mother on a tour of the city, buying them many things. It was then that Tang Zhaodi first saw what a big city was like. She knew that the tallest building in their county town, the government building, was only three and a half stories high, complete with a water tower. But in S City, the tallest buildings were countless, and the streets were bustling with people, a far cry from the drab, gray landscape they had seen on their first day. Instead, it was vibrant and colorful.

On the first day, Tang Zhaodi found it novel and fun, but by the second day, she felt a pang of heartache. Her husband would buy anything that interested them, and he was very particular about fairness, insisting on buying everything in five parts. Watching the money flow away like water, Tang Zhaodi and Wu Guizhi were frantic. In the last two days, they forced her husband to stop their tour of S City and send her to work in the factory. They wondered if he had bought anything else while she was away for the past month.

Tang Zhaodi always felt that her husband’s extravagant spending habit must have been picked up while he was alone in S City. It seemed a man always needed a woman by his side; if she hadn’t come, he might have squandered all their money! When she first entered the factory, she was extremely cautious, afraid of being fired, since she knew nothing. But unexpectedly, she gradually became proficient. The foreman said that next month she wouldn’t be considered a newbie anymore and could receive the salary of a skilled worker!

But how should she allocate the 260 yuan she would take home? Tang Zhaodi pondered in her mind, without any intention of keeping anything for herself: “Sister Li, how are you going to spend the money?” she couldn’t help but ask for advice.

“Buy yourself two new outfits first,” Li Laidi replied quickly. “We can buy the defective garments at the factory at a cheaper internal price, but unfortunately, they only have adult sizes. Then, I’ll treat the family to a meal, and save the rest for building a house when we get back.” Coming to S City, her spending habits would change somewhat.

Tang Zhaodi was somewhat surprised: “We’re in the factory every day, where would we get so many clothes? Don’t you buy some for your husband?” They would chat when they were bored in the workshop. She knew that Sister Li’s husband was also working, while her children were at home. Her thinking was still traditional. Back in the village, whether it was the Tang family or the Pei family, everything was given to the men first, especially clothes. The reason was simple: men work and go out every day, and they couldn’t possibly wear tattered clothes when they were out, could they? How unsightly!

“Why would I buy him anything?” Li Laidi rolled her eyes. “It’s not like he doesn’t have clothes to wear. I work so hard to earn this money, of course I should save it for myself. Don’t be silly, a woman shouldn’t neglect herself if she doesn’t dress herself up nicely.”

“…Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Li Laidi saw right through Tang Zhaodi’s thoughts. “Of course, this family works together to earn money, but what’s wrong with saving some for ourselves? Do you think men don’t spend money just because they’re out earning it? They smoke, they drink, they all have those things. People should save some for themselves, but you don’t know how? Do you really think you’re stupid?”

Li Laidi continued, “Besides, once you’ve been in S City for a while, you’ll understand that we all work hard, all for the same thing, to save money for a house in the future. But we don’t need to be so harsh on ourselves. We should spend some when necessary. The worst thing in life is saving money but not having the life to enjoy it! Of course, I’m not telling you to spend all your money.”

“Then I’ll just buy one for my son.” Tang Zhaodi wasn’t persuaded to go. She couldn’t understand Li Laidi’s idea. She was thinking about the children’s clothes she had seen last time. In the village, swaddling clothes and children’s clothes were passed down from generation to generation. The older ones would wear the younger ones. It was good if they could make two new sets. She didn’t expect that there were clothes made specifically for children outside. They were so beautiful. They would definitely fit her son Zihao perfectly.

“What about your daughter?” Li Laidi frowned. She still didn’t have a son. She had only come to the countryside with her husband because she couldn’t stand the gossip and judgment back home. She hadn’t expected Tang Zhaodi, who looked like a pretty and dignified young woman, to have the same ideas as those people from her hometown. “Don’t be sexist. Have you forgotten what our Women’s Federation chairwoman said? Women hold up half the sky!”

Almost all the workers in the garment factory were women. The Women’s Federation chairwoman was very prestigious there and would organize meetings from time to time, chanting slogans. Of course, employees like them didn’t quite understand the good intentions behind the slogans. Ultimately, this was a crude method that the port city boss had come up with.

She discussed the policy with the Women’s Federation chairperson about 1,800 times before finally deciding on it. Essentially, it was a counter-indoctrination effort—”Comrades, listen up! You women are very strong, you hold up half the sky, you earn a lot of money, and you need equal status in the family. Don’t be swayed by rumors and underestimate yourselves!”—So, unmarried women, don’t let your families drag you back to get married! Married women, don’t just have a child and pack up and go home. Remember, you can earn more here than men!

This slogan-shouting had some effect; the resignation rate in the past two years was much lower than before. Women like Li Laidi, who had been there longer, could even throw out several slogans when arguing with their husbands.