Lin Shu wanted her sister to check Brother-in-law’s test results, but when Lin Xia searched with a flashlight, she couldn’t find them.

“I’ve seen it; it was the city hospital’s report, no doubt about it,” Lin Xia said, not minding her sister’s concern.

This completely reassured Lin Shu.

Since her brother-in-law was fine, that was even better.

Her sister’s problem wasn’t too serious, and as long as it could be treated, everything would be okay.

Lin Shu had learned from the original host’s memories and the story that Lin Xia wasn’t the type to mind her sister being overly concerned, so she dared to speak up.

If her sister were entirely focused on her husband and in-laws, and unhappy about her meddling in brother-in-law’s affairs, Lin Shu wouldn’t have insisted.

Because Lin Shu cared about her, Lin Xia felt closer to her sister and also felt that she had a fallback, a pillar of support, in case anything unexpected happened.

The next morning, Lin Shu got up to help with breakfast, but Qian Lisheng took the initiative to go to the cafeteria and bought steamed buns, dumplings, and porridge.

Lin Xia, still curious, couldn’t find Qian Lisheng’s report in the drawer outside and wondered about it.

She wanted to ask him, but Lin Shu pulled her back.

Since her sister had seen the report and confirmed it was from the city hospital and everything was normal, there was no need to press further.

Asking more could upset her brother-in-law.

After all, it wasn’t just a minor ailment like a cold; it concerned a man’s privacy, something most men are very sensitive about.

In her previous life, she had heard plenty of gossip.

There was a man in her hometown who was infertile and, to avoid being laughed at, he preferred that his wife have children with someone else.

There was another couple who, during the one-child policy era, had three daughters.

Desperate for a son, they gave away their third daughter, and the wife had two sons by different men.

For them, not having a son was worse than the shame of infidelity.

This shows how seriously men take this issue; they are sensitive and avoid having their masculinity questioned.

After breakfast, Lin Shu and Sister-in-law Lu Da bid farewell to their sister, not wanting to delay their work.

Lin Xia wanted to help them pack and insisted they take things like soy sauce with them.

However,

Lin Shu noticed that most of the sesame oil she had given to her second sister was taken by Mother Qian, along with a bottle of vinegar.

Lin Xia said, “Forget it. I won’t hold it against her. After all, it was her who got me this job.”

The fact that her mother-in-law gave her the job was enough to let her be controlled for a lifetime.

Her mother-in-law gave her the job, was happy that she was earning more than before, but also saw herself as a benefactor, always trying to control her.

To appease her mother-in-law, Lin Xia used to give her one-third of her salary as respect.

Initially, her mother-in-law refused, but later started complaining it was too little and seemed to expect half.

Lin Xia refused to give half, as she needed to manage her own household, buy supplements for her parents, and help her sisters.

Life was manageable and comfortable without children, but with kids, that salary might not even be enough.

Lin Shu asked, “Sister, does your brother-in-law’s father give the younger son one-third of his salary too?”

Lin Xia replied, “No. The old man still subsidizes their living expenses, saying it’s expensive to raise a family with two kids.”

Lin Shu said, “Sister, they gave you this job opportunity, but you earned it through your own efforts. If you couldn’t do it, you’d be earning only about twenty yuan a month, distributing newspapers and cleaning toilets, not working as an electrician. Besides, you and my brother-in-law are a team. If you work hard and earn well, they’ll be at ease and you’ll be able to support them in their old age.”

If Mother Qian saved that money to support the older son’s family, that would be one thing.

But now, taking it to support the younger son’s family is unreasonable.

Even if she hadn’t given you the job, with your hard work and capability, you’d still find something to do.

Diligent and smart people don’t stay idle.

In the future, when the second sister has children, raising them will be costly.

Does Mother Qian expect to take her second sister’s salary to support the younger son?

Wasn’t the arrangement initially based on the old man having a good job with a high pension?

They’ve already gained benefits; why take advantage of the daughter-in-law through the old lady?

Lin Xia thought about it and said, “For this month’s expenses, I’ll say I need to save money for medical treatment and future children, so I won’t give her as much.”

Lin Shu agreed, saying, “Yes, you should also be more flattering and sweet to her since it doesn’t cost you anything.”

She then reminded Lin Xia to avoid those dubious remedies and not to take any strange medicines from Mother Qian.

Lin Xia agreed.

Lin Xia sent Lin Shu and Sister Lu to catch the bus and happened to run into Yao Naiwen driving by.

He said, “I was just thinking…”

“You’re almost ready to head back, aren’t you? Let’s go, I’ll take you home,” said Yao Naiwen.

Lin Shu and Sister-in-law Lu Da were very pleased, continuously praising and thanking him.

Sister-in-law Lu Da said, “Comrade Yao, you almost sacrificed yourself heroically the day before yesterday, and today you’re still thinking about us. You’re truly a good comrade.”

Yao Naiwen: “…”

Big Sister, there’s really no need to exaggerate like that.

As Lin Xia was passing by the cadre’s building on her way to the workshop, she overheard Mrs. Jiang scolding her son.

She was crying as she wiped her tears, “My grandson, your nephew, is not even a month old yet and suddenly fell ill. I asked you to drive them to the hospital, but you refused. How can you be so heartless? You’re all alone and want to be a lifelong bachelor, but you can’t just abandon us…”

Lin Xia couldn’t bear to listen any longer and asked, “Auntie Jiang, what’s going on?”

Jiang Weidong quickly replied, “Master Lin, it’s nothing. You should get back to work.”

He whispered to Mrs. Jiang, “Mom, I’m the factory director, after all. Can’t you save me a bit of face?”

Mrs. Jiang, still wiping her tears, retorted, “What face do you need? I ask to use the car, and you say no, so where’s your face?”

Seeing Lin Xia walking away but still glancing back, Jiang Weidong quickly picked up the old lady and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll arrange a car for you.”

He couldn’t use the factory’s car for personal matters but also couldn’t refuse his mother.

Since he had an old ailment, he decided to get it checked at the hospital while they were there.

He first asked a doctor he knew to arrange outpatient check-ups for his little nephew and sister-in-law, and then went to see Doctor Sui to check his back injury.

Doctor Sui examined him and said, “No worries, this won’t affect your male function or fertility. It just hurts when it’s damp and rainy, right?”

Jiang Weidong replied, “Yeah, it hurts, but it’s manageable.”

Doctor Sui advised, “You should listen to your mother and remarry. A warm household will make you feel better.”

The two of them had been childhood friends and classmates, so even in their thirties, they still joked around since they weren’t strangers.

Since Doctor Sui wasn’t busy, Jiang Weidong sat and chatted while waiting for his mother.

Doctor Sui mentioned, “By the way, there’s someone in your factory who’s quite remarkable. I need to find a chance to have a good talk with him.”

Jiang Weidong asked, “What’s so remarkable about him?”

Doctor Sui explained, “A worker came to have his male health checked. Everything was functioning normally, but there was an issue with his sperm quality. He said he might have been too tired those days, so he quickly got tested again, and this time everything was normal. Isn’t that amazing?”

Even though Jiang Weidong didn’t know who it was, he didn’t appreciate his old friend making fun of his workers. “Maybe it really was just a matter of his condition at the time.”

Doctor Sui snorted, “I’m a graduate of medical school! Do you think I’m…”

Jiang Weidong asked, “What do you mean?”

Dr. Sui replied, “The first test showed poor sperm quality, extremely weak. Do you really think another test will show a healthy result? It’s obvious that the sperm didn’t belong to the man. He must be trying to deceive his wife by using someone else’s sperm. He probably doesn’t want his wife to know the truth and end up blaming her for not being able to conceive.”

Jiang Weidong’s expression became serious. “Can you tell me the name?”

Dr. Sui said, “Sorry, I can’t reveal that. We doctors have professional ethics and can’t disclose patient information.”

Jiang Weidong asked, “Then can you at least tell me the time?”

Dr. Sui responded, “I’m only sharing this gossip, not the specifics. It doesn’t violate my conscience.”

Jiang Weidong said, “So you can share the timing?”

He wasn’t concerned about whether the person could have children.

What troubled him was the deceit and manipulation within the family.

If people deceive each other like this in their personal lives, how could one trust them in their work?

He had a candidate in mind.

The couple had been childless for a while, and his mother had mentioned it at home. Plus, the couple had indeed taken leave.

Dr. Sui provided the testing dates.

Jiang Weidong checked the dates in his mind and matched them with the leave taken by Qian Lisheng and Lin Xia.

He had previously favored Qian Lisheng for the promotion to deputy workshop director, but now he immediately crossed him off his list.