Chapter 283 - 281: Every Family Has Its Own Troubles

Chapter 283: Chapter 281: Every Family Has Its Own Troubles

After some thought, Zhou Lian said softly, "Well, when I’m at home, I spend time with the children whenever they’re free. Otherwise, I’m usually in my study."

"Oh? So you don’t have to do any chores?" Teacher Fan asked, curious. When she got home, she had to do the laundry, cook, and look after her kids, leaving her with almost no time for herself.

Lowering her head, looking a little embarrassed, Zhou Lian said in a quiet voice, "I’ve... I’ve never done any housework. In the beginning, my husband did everything. Later, when our family was better off, I had to teach and we had two children, so my husband hired a helper. Now, all the chores are done by my husband and the helper." ℴ

The two female teachers glanced at Zhou Lian with a hint of envy. Their eyes then settled on her hands—they were exquisitely beautiful, slender and elegant, with fair, delicate skin. Her nails had a soft, pearlescent sheen, a clear sign of meticulous care. She was the very picture of a woman whose fingers had never touched dishwater.

"Doesn’t your husband have to work, then?" Mr. Xie asked, looking at Zhou Lian with curiosity. "Aren’t men supposed to earn money and support the family? He comes home and does chores on top of that—isn’t he exhausted?"

Looking up at her three colleagues, who had all once been her teachers, Zhou Lian said gently, "Of course he does. When we first got married, we were living in our hometown. That was before the household responsibility system, so we all worked for the production team. He would get up very early every day to do the laundry and cook. It was the same when we later moved to the Capital City. But now he runs his own company, so his schedule is more flexible."

"Your husband must really dote on you," Mr. Xie said with a sigh. "It’s hard work for a man out there. After coming home, most of us don’t want to lift a finger. My wife is always getting angry with me over it!"

Zhou Lian looked at Mr. Xie and retorted softly, "But it’s not just you who works, Mr. Xie. Doesn’t Mrs. Xie work as well?"

"Of course she does! With parents to support and children to raise, how could my salary alone feed the whole family!"

Hearing Mr. Xie’s matter-of-fact tone, Zhou Lian pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. "So you’re tired after a day of work, but Mrs. Xie isn’t? My husband says there’s a huge difference in physical constitution between men and women. If you’ve both worked a full day, shouldn’t the man shoulder a bit more of the burden? Anyway, my husband would never let me work that hard!"

"Besides," Zhou Lian said, indignant on behalf of women everywhere, "women are already at a physical disadvantage. Then after getting married, they have to go through pregnancy and childbirth—that’s a life-or-death struggle, risking their own life for their child’s. The children take the man’s last name, and she still has to work for a living. At home, she has to be filial to her in-laws, care for the children, and on top of all that, serve her husband. Why should she have to do all that?!"

Mr. Xie opened his mouth, but no words came out. He had no idea how to refute what Zhou Lian had said. If he argued that’s just how it’s always been, the ’women’s army’ in the office would tear him to shreds. ’Better to just keep my mouth shut.’

"Isn’t that the truth!" Teacher Fan said, fuming. "Why should it be that way? We’re all born of a mother and father; who’s to say one is nobler than the other? Why is it that when both earn money, the woman has to rush around doing everything at home while the man gets to act like a king the second he’s off the clock?"

Mr. Zhang looked at Zhou Lian with envy. "Did you and your husband get married for love? Has he always cherished you this much?"

"No, we didn’t. Back then in our hometown, the separation of men and women was still very strict. We met through a matchmaker—a classic arranged marriage, by our parents’ order. My husband once said that you marry a wife to pamper her. Otherwise, you might as well just hire a housekeeper. What’s the point of getting a wife?" Zhou Lian said softly.

"That’s so nice," Teacher Fan said softly. In truth, beyond those three words, she didn’t know what else to say. What good was envy? Someone else’s life would always be their own; it could never become hers.

Mr. Zhang looked from Zhou Lian’s hands—the kind that had never known a day of hard labor—to her delicate features. If she didn’t say her age, who would believe she was thirty? Her face, her eyes... she looked to be in her early twenties at most. ’This girl is truly blessed by heaven,’ he used to think. But now, he realized that wasn’t it at all. ’There’s no such thing as being blessed by heaven; there’s only being truly loved and cherished by someone who keeps you in their heart.’

Seeing the complicated expressions on her three colleagues’ faces, Zhou Lian swallowed and asked softly, "Are all marriages like that, then? After a while, does it all just become a mess of trivial problems? Does that happen even to people who are deeply in love?"

"Well, I’ve never seen a couple like you and your husband before!" Mr. Xie said, sounding dejected. "Marriage is just... what it is. Let’s not even talk about it. I mean, who doesn’t want good things in life, whatever they may be!"

Zhou Lian glanced at Mr. Xie. She tried to hold her tongue, but couldn’t. "Mr. Xie," she asked curiously, "when it comes to chores, have you never thought about going home and helping Mrs. Xie out? She works a full day too, so she must be tired. Plus, she’s a woman. Doesn’t it pain you to see her work so hard? Aren’t you supposed to support each other for the rest of your lives?"

Zhou Lian’s words left Mr. Xie completely stunned. ’That’s right,’ he thought. ’Why can’t I help out?’ They came home from work around the same time. He’d read a book or the newspaper and wait for dinner. At most, he might help the kids with their homework. And then... that was it. He’d wake up the next morning, wash up, eat breakfast, and start a new day. It was an endless cycle. He barely spoke a few words to his wife all day, and they were always bickering over trivial, petty things. ’Whose fault is that...’

"Honestly, chores are tedious and draining, but they’re predictable. It’s the same stuff every day. If two people do it, it’ll definitely get done much faster than if one person does it alone. Then you can use the time you’ve saved to talk to each other, have a heart-to-heart, and nurture your relationship. Wouldn’t that be much better?"

Seeing the shocked looks on her three colleagues’ faces, Zhou Lian pursed her lips and continued, "My husband doesn’t let me do any of this, but while he’s working, I’ll stay nearby. I’ll talk with him, chat about our day, or sometimes read him a poem. Just to let him know, ’I’m here. I’m right beside you!’"

"A husband and wife are two separate individuals. Marriage brings two people with no blood ties together to build a life, raise children, and grow old with each other. So you should try your best to be happy! A person’s life is very short. You can live that life happily, or you can live it unhappily. So why not try to live a little more happily?"

"You know, a person lives for about thirty thousand days, at most. Every day that passes is one day less. Since you decided to get married, you should try to make it a good life. Talk to each other. Talk more. Say what’s really on your mind. This is the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with; there shouldn’t be anything you can’t say, right? Listen to what they have to say. When two people are together, they have to compromise together, change together, and make an effort together. It’s like a scale—it’s only balanced when both sides are equal. If either side gives too much or too little, the scale will tip, and the marriage could be in jeopardy."