1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Xiuyun's parents lived in the factory's dormitory building, a standard tenement building.

After the partition wall that separated the three sisters from their unmarried days was removed, the room was restored to its original layout of one bedroom, one living room, and one kitchen.

Although the bedroom is small, the living room is quite spacious, with enough room for a sofa for guests and a large dining table.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the whole family was already sitting neatly at the dining table.

On the dining table were the fruits of Xiuyun's labor, the result of her eldest sister Zhou Xiulan and second sister Zhou Xiuqing's afternoon's work.

The head of the household glanced at the clock on the wall, his face showing displeasure:

"Forget it, let's not wait any longer, let's eat first!"

"Dad, should we wait a little longer?" The eldest sister, Zhou Xiulan, felt it wasn't right to leave her younger sister and brother-in-law waiting, and gently advised.

Worried that the portion wouldn't be enough for one person, she nudged her man's leg under the table.

Brother-in-law Tong Ziang nodded and took his pager from his waist: "Yeah, it would be great if Xiao Dong had a pager too. I could go downstairs and call him so I can call back and urge him."

"Brother-in-law, that's impressive! A Motorola, it must cost several thousand, right?"

"It's not that bad, it's just a number, only a little over 1,600, a cheap one. I didn't really want to buy it, but I have a lot of work to do at the office, so it's convenient to have someone to call me."

The elder brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, smiled smugly. After his brother-in-law had seen enough, he put the pager away.

Then he stood up, holding his wine glass:

"Since Dad says he won't wait any longer, then I, as the eldest son-in-law, will say a few words first."

Happy birthday, Mother-in-law!

"You've done so much for our family your whole life, thank you for everything. Now that the children are all grown up, it's time for you to enjoy your retirement. May every day of your life be filled with happiness and joy, and may our family always be harmonious and happy with you, year after year!"

"Mom, on behalf of Xiulan, Yaoyao, and me, I would like to propose a toast to you!"

Having said that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

My brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, works at the Education Bureau and was recently promoted to section chief. He's riding high on his success, and his words brought a smile to the face of today's birthday girl, Cao Wenli.

Seeing this, the second son-in-law, Zhang Jinlong, quickly raised his glass and followed suit.

"Well done, brother-in-law, you truly live up to your reputation as an educator! Your words are eloquent and your writing is superb! My brother-in-law and I can't compare. On behalf of our whole family, we wish you a happy birthday, and we also wish you and Dad good health and a long life! May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain pine!"

"Good, good, good, you are all good children!" Mother-in-law Cao Wenli nodded repeatedly with a smile.

The second son-in-law worked in the security department of the First Machine Tool Factory. Although he did not hold any official position, he was very shrewd and tactful, and his words and actions were always watertight, which won the old lady's favor.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an awkward silence at the dinner table.

Fortunately, her brother-in-law continued his efforts: "Mom, let's not rush to eat. Xiulan and I will bring you some small gifts..."

He then handed over a stack of shopping vouchers worth 50 yuan each:

"Mom, these are employee benefit vouchers from my company. There are six in total, and they're all shopping vouchers valid at the department store. Xiulan and I were thinking of giving them something else, but Xiulan said in the end that these were the most practical, as Mom and Dad could buy whatever they wanted, so I thought I'd give them to them..."

These vouchers are a mainstream form that has continued from the early 1980s and 1990s. They are welfare vouchers issued by companies/organizations to their employees, mostly in paper form, and are designated for use in partner supermarkets, grocery stores, and department stores.

It used to be quite common, but with changes in the economic situation, only state-owned enterprises, government agencies and public institutions at that time had the ability to provide such benefits to their employees.

Being able to use such a voucher was undoubtedly a symbol of social status.

"Okay, okay..." Mother-in-law Cao Wenli smiled and took the shopping voucher, putting it in her pocket.

On the other side, Zhou Xiuqing gave her husband a nudge. Her brother-in-law smiled awkwardly, took out his wallet, pulled out two 100-yuan bills, and handed them to his mother-in-law.

"Mom, the factory hasn't been doing well lately. This two hundred is a small token of our appreciation from Xiuqing and me, a token of our respect for you and Dad. It's not as much as what my brother-in-law and eldest sister gave us, but please don't mind."

"Sigh, it would be good enough if you could think of us old bones, why bother sending money!"

The mother-in-law, Cao Wenli, accepted the money with a smile, without complaining about the small amount.

However, Zhou Xiuqing, the second daughter, felt that she was being overshadowed by her eldest sister's family, and her expression was somewhat embarrassed.

If my sister's family were here too, then our family wouldn't be at the bottom of the social ladder...

Seeing that both sons-in-law had finished speaking, Zhou Yuejin waved his hand:

"Ahem, don't just stand there, eat it while it's hot, or it'll get cold!"

"Oh, dinner's ready!"

The two children at the table were the happiest, reaching directly with their chopsticks to grab the meat from the table.

"Clang! Clang!"

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and Zhou Xiulan, the eldest sister who was sitting by the door, got up to open it:

Seeing Dong Jianguo and Zhou Xiuyun standing outside the door carrying large and small bags, she couldn't help but complain:

"Hey, Jian Guo and Xiu Yun, why are you only arriving now?!"

"It's all Jianguo's fault! He's so picky and choosy, it's driving me crazy!" Xiuyun complained with a smile, but there was no blame in her tone.

Upon hearing Xiuyun's words, her brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, perked up his ears: "What are you picking out? Eggs?"

"What eggs?" Zhou Yuejin was taken aback and looked at his eldest son-in-law suspiciously.

Tong Ziang smiled slightly and said to the two curious elders:

"Mom and Dad, you don't know yet, do you? I only found out when Xiulan went to Jianguo and the others to tell them it was Mom's birthday that Xiuyun had already started dealing with eggs at home with Jianguo!"

"Selling eggs? That's ridiculous! Why would anyone do that?!"

Zhou Yuejin glared at him, and immediately felt like he was about to explode.

"Dad, you can't say that. Times have changed. The planned economy has to give way to the market economy. I think it's great that the young couple is doing this business. They're earning their own living!" Tong Ziang said with a smile.

"Nonsense! Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants! Merchants who prioritize profit over morality are always at the bottom; they're the petty bourgeoisie!"

Of the three sons-in-law, Zhou Yuejin was the most dissatisfied with himself.

She's young, looks too frivolous, and has an mediocre job.

If it weren't for his youngest daughter, Xiuyun, being so determined to marry him, he would never have agreed to the marriage under any circumstances.

Now, upon hearing that Dong Jianguo had given up his good working job to run some kind of business with his daughter, he was immediately furious.

Cao Wenli, the mother-in-law, whose face was originally full of smiles, also fell into a gloom.

Xiuyun frowned.

She wasn't stupid; she could tell that although her brother-in-law's words sounded fine, there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Coupled with the parents' stern faces, even a fool would know that the brother-in-law was stirring up trouble.

"Mom, it's not what you think. Jian Guo is really amazing..."

The second sister, Zhou Xiuqing, interrupted her younger sister:

"Oh dear, little sister, let's not talk about that now. Everyone has just finished wishing Mom a happy birthday, now it's your turn!"

"Brother-in-law, hurry up and give us one! Everyone's waiting!"