Chapter 9: First Mention of Going to the Factory

***

Liu Xiujian had endured her in-laws for a long time, and now she couldn't stand her younger brother-in-law anymore. Today, she decided not to tolerate it any longer. She said, "Today, your big brother is back from the factory, and Mom said that everyone should eat a little less. So, you should eat a little less."

Tang Erlong slammed his chopsticks on the table and retorted, "Big brother is your husband. Even if someone has to eat less, it should be you guys. Why should I eat less?" He then reached for Love Poem's bowl.

Liu Xiujian calmly pulled Love Poem behind her and explained, "The canteen serves fixed portions. Laborers get three bowls, and non-laborers get two. You're not a laborer, and you've already eaten two bowls, which is equivalent to three bowls. You've exceeded your share."

Erlong was not pleased and slammed his bowl down, saying, "Hmph, even if I have to eat less, it should be all of you who eat less, not me." He then tried to take Love Poem's bowl again.

Although Liu Xiujian wanted to reprimand Love Poem for talking back, she remained silent today.

Tang Laotai was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by 'eating less'? How does that work?"

Tang Erlong explained, "It means that Xiujian, my mother, and my children will move to the factory with me. We'll change our household registration, and they will study at the factory. In the future, our children will have better prospects, and they won't have to come back to compete for food with Erlong's family. Even our family's assets will belong to Erlong and Xiaoyue."

Hearing this, Tang Ailian was excited. If they could really move to the factory, would they no longer be bullied by Erlong's family? Moreover, if they moved to the factory immediately, maybe they could avoid the upcoming food crisis.

But could their family really succeed in moving to the factory? In her previous life, Tang Ailian had heard her mother say that her grandmother had prevented them from moving to the factory. Later, when her father was transferred to the city, he wanted to change their family's household registration to the city, but her grandmother stopped him.

In the countryside, having an urban household registration was highly sought after. Some even said that in China, those with urban household registrations were like nobility. Having an urban household registration allowed one to enjoy various benefits, so entering the city and obtaining a non-agricultural household registration was extremely difficult.

Their family, due to her grandmother's obstruction, could not change their household registration. Her mother and her siblings were bound to the land. Now that her father wanted to move them to the factory, would her grandmother allow it this time?

Tang Erlong, upon hearing that their family's assets would belong to him and Xiaoyue in the future, started to think. Their house had two rooms on the upper floor and three on the lower floor, totaling only five rooms. When divided among three brothers, each would get less than two rooms. Furthermore, two of them were not main rooms. But if the eldest brother didn't want the assets, he and Xiaoyue could each get one and a half main rooms, as well as one upper room.

In the countryside, having spacious housing was considered important. With a house, it would be easier to find a spouse in the future. However, he also thought about his eldest brother's salary. If his wife and children moved to the factory with him, his brother's salary would certainly not be brought back to the family for use. The family would no longer have such financial security in the future, and he felt that it would be a loss.

(End of Chapter 9)