"Okay."
Gu Xingping agreed and returned to the house to get clothes.
Chen Lishu went to the kitchen to put things away. Suddenly, she heard a "meow" from the windowsill. She turned her head and saw the Cat King, who had disappeared early in the morning.
"Meow." Seeing her look over, the King stared at her and meowed again.
Chen Lishu followed its gaze to the small fish in her hand and immediately chuckled, "Your cat's nose is really sharp. But don't worry, let me cook them for you before we eat."
The Cat King seemed to understand her words perfectly, obediently lying on the windowsill, waiting for her to cook the small fish for it.
Chen Lishu washed the small fish and put them in the pot. After they were quickly cooked, she took them out, placed two in the Cat King's bowl, and spread the rest on a drying rack on the windowsill to air out.
"Third sister-in-law, I've prepared hot water for you. You should go wash up quickly too." Gu Xingping came to call her after coming out of the bathroom.
"Alright, I'll go right away." Chen Lishu responded, put down what she was doing, and returned to her room to get a towel before heading to the bathroom.
Soon, she also finished washing up and came out. Gu Xingping had already finished preparing the vegetables and was washing the rice.
...
At the Wu family's house, Lin Xiaoyue saw Lin Xiaohui entering and quickly stopped her work to ask, "Xiaohui, how was your first day at work?"
"It's pretty good." Lin Xiaohui said happily and sat down, "Sister, you know what? I inquired today, and our current salary of twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents is only temporary. There will be opportunities to get raises in the future."
"Really? That's wonderful news." Lin Xiaoyue was also happy for her.
The sisters chatted for a few more words, and then Lin Xiaoyue said, "Your sister-in-law Gu has come over and said she's treating everyone to dinner tonight."
Upon hearing that Chen Lishu had arrived, Lin Xiaohui's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer to Lin Xiaoyue, "Sister, can I go?"
Lin Xiaoyue had originally intended for her to make something to eat at home by herself. Hearing her question, she felt a bit conflicted.
"Sister, don't you and brother-in-law always praise Sister Lishu for her cooking? Take me along to try it too. Besides, it's so boring to leave me alone at home."
Lin Xiaoyue couldn't resist her plea and said with a smile, "You can go if you want, but we need to go early and help with some chores."
"No problem." Lin Xiaohui said, turned, and quickly went back to her room. She changed into the double-breasted dress she had specifically asked Lin Xiaoyue for money to buy some time ago. She also secretly dabbed her lips red with a red paper.
Seeing her dressed up, Lin Xiaoyue couldn't help but frown slightly. However, since she was a guest at someone else's house, dressing up a bit wasn't wrong.
She tidied up the paper boxes and glue on the table, got up to wash her hands in the bathroom, and then took Lin Xiaohui out.
As they opened the door, they saw Wang Yufen leading Wei Xiaoya out. The few of them happened to be going to the Gu family's house together.
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping had already done most of the dinner preparations and were washing their hands. The door was knocked, and Chen Lishu hurried to open it. Seeing Lin Xiaoyue and Wang Yufen, she smiled and invited them inside.
"This must be Commander Gu's sister, right? She's so beautiful." Lin Xiaoyue saw Gu Xingping and praised her with a smile.
The Gu family's children were all very good at inheriting traits. Regardless of whether they were boys or girls, they inherited the strengths of Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufou.
"Thank you for the compliment, sister-in-law." Gu Xingping smiled generously at Lin Xiaoyue and then turned to move stools to invite them to sit down.
"Sister-in-law, what have you been busy with at home? Why did you only come now after a whole day?" Chen Lishu asked with a smile after they were seated.
"The team found work for us accompanying families. We paste paper boxes. I can earn several jiao a day with nothing else to do." Lin Xiaoyue felt a sense of pride in being able to add some income to the family.
"It's just that the price is a bit low," Wang Yufen said in a soft voice. "Unlike Xiaohui, who graduated from junior high and can be a kindergarten teacher, earning tens of yuan a month." She had wanted to go too, but they required a middle school diploma, and she hadn't even graduated from elementary school, so it was impossible.
Hearing her words, Lin Xiaohui seized the opportunity and looked at Chen Lishu, "Sister Lishu, what is your educational background? If there's an opening later, I can help you tell the higher-ups."
Chen Lishu glanced at her and smiled, "I haven't even graduated from elementary school, so I'm afraid I don't meet the requirements. Thank you for your kindness."
"Ah?"
Lin Xiaohui exclaimed dramatically, "Sister Lishu, you haven't even graduated from elementary school? You really don't seem like it. I always thought someone like Brother Gu would find someone who graduated from junior high. Is it because your family's financial situation isn't good?"
Before Chen Lishu could even open her mouth, Gu Xingping, who had heard enough, retorted, "My third sister-in-law indeed hasn't graduated from elementary school, but she has consistently studied and knows no less than you, a junior high graduate. Besides, my third brother is not a superficial person. What can a diploma explain? He values my third sister-in-law as a person, and our whole family likes my third sister-in-law."
Lin Xiaohui was cut off by Gu Xingping and felt a bit annoyed. Considering she was Gu Xingdong's sister, she held back for a moment but still said, "If I didn't have a junior high diploma, I wouldn't be able to be a kindergarten teacher. It's clear that diplomas are still quite important."
Ever since she had entered the house, Gu Xingping had seen that she was targeting Chen Lishu. She replied impolitely, "Is being a kindergarten teacher that great? How much is the salary per month? Is it a stable job with a good status?"
Her third sister-in-law could easily earn a month's salary by selling a few clothes, so what was there to show off about.
"What do you mean by 'good status'?" Gu Xingdong and Wu Zheng entered the room and happened to catch the tail end of Gu Xingping's sentence, asking, "What are you talking about?"
"Sister Lin's younger sister said that since Third Sister-in-law doesn't have a middle school diploma, she can't be a kindergarten teacher, so I was just curious and asked," Gu Xingping summarized, omitting the beginning.
Upon hearing Gu Xingping's words, Gu Xingdong frowned and his gaze fell on Chen Lishu. Seeing her smiling at him, he knew she wasn't taking the matter to heart, so he didn't say anything.
"Why are you all back so early today? I haven't had time to prepare two more dishes yet." Chen Lishu said, getting up, "You all sit down for a while, I'll stir-fry the dishes, and it will be ready soon."
"Third sister-in-law, I'll help you."
"Sister-in-law, let me help you."
Seeing Chen Lishu heading to the kitchen, Gu Xingping and Lin Xiaoyue both stood up. Wang Yufen hesitated for a moment before following, but the kitchen was so small that once more people entered, there wasn't enough room to move.
"Sister-in-law Wei, it's just two dishes, you really don't need to help. Go keep Xiaoya company," Chen Lishu said with a smile. She then turned to Gu Xingping and said, "Xingping, go set the table and get the bowls and chopsticks."
"Okay." Gu Xingping responded and turned to go out.
"Xiaohui speaks rather poorly. Sister-in-law, please don't take it to heart." After everyone else had gone out, Lin Xiaoyue apologized to Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu had sent everyone out because she knew Lin Xiaoyue had something to say. Seeing her speak now, she said with a smile, "If you don't mind me saying, Sister-in-law, none of us are three-year-old children, aren't we?"
The smile on Lin Xiaoyue's face was a little forced. She knew her younger sister's character very well. However, even though she had a bit of a temper, her usual speech and actions were fine. What puzzled Lin Xiaoyue was why Lin Xiaohui had specifically targeted Chen Lishu in her words several times.