deltrittennovels Chapter 119 Wife, a hug will make you feel less wronged
Chapter 119 Wife, a hug will make you feel less wronged
"I heard you've been wronged." Bai Si'an hung up the shirt and picked up another one.
Lin Weiwei's nose stung with tears, and she turned her face away: "I'm not wronged, I'm just angry."
"Mm," Bai Si'an responded, continuing to hang the clothes to dry.
The two of them, one handing it over and the other letting it air dry, neither of them said a word.
After hanging up the clothes, Lin Weiwei wanted to sweep the floor, but Bai Si'an stopped her.
"Don't sweep anymore, the floor is clean enough," he said.
"I can't stay idle." Lin Weiwei pulled her hand away from his. "Whenever I'm idle, I think about those things, and the more I think about them, the angrier I get."
Bai Si'an looked at her and suddenly reached out to pull her into his arms.
Lin Weiwei froze for a moment, then went limp and buried her face in his chest.
"Bai Si'an," her voice trembled with tears, "I just wanted to do good deeds, why is it so difficult..."
"I know," Bai Si'an patted her back. "You did a good thing."
"Then why did they say those things about me?" Lin Weiwei raised her head, her eyes red. "I didn't spend public money; I used our own things. I just wanted to help girls like Anar, to help those sisters who suffer in dirty rags and rotten straw... How did I become a capitalist?"
Bai Si'an didn't say anything, but simply hugged her even tighter.
After a while, he finally spoke: "I'm going to report to my supervisor."
Lin Weiwei was taken aback: "Report what?"
"I reported that I made the sanitary napkins," Baisian said. "I told him it was my technical project and had nothing to do with you."
"Are you stupid!" Lin Weiwei exclaimed anxiously. "They're already bringing up my background; if you get involved, won't things get even more complicated?"
"If it's hard to explain, then it's hard to explain." Bai Si'an said calmly. "Anyway, I made the product, so if anyone's going to be criticized, it'll be me."
Lin Weiwei looked at him, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
This time, he wasn't angry; he was moved by Bai Si'an.
She reached out and hugged his waist, nuzzling her face against his chest: "Bai Si'an, why are you so silly..."
"I'm not stupid." Bai Si'an lowered his head and rubbed his chin against the top of her head. "You're my wife. If I don't protect you when you're wronged, who will?"
The two embraced in the yard, neither of them noticing the people coming from outside the gate.
Su Wanwan was rehearsing with the performing arts troupe in the afternoon when she heard about the propaganda department's situation during a break, and she became extremely anxious.
I asked Zhou Min for leave, left work early, and jogged back home.
Just as I reached the vicinity of the family compound, I saw Bai Rongbei walking towards me from the direction of the regimental headquarters.
"Wanwan?" Bai Rongbei called out to her, "Why are you running so fast?"
"I heard Weiwei was harassed by someone in the publicity department," Su Wanwan said breathlessly. "I have to go back and check on her."
Bai Rongbei frowned: "What's going on?"
Su Wanwan said a few words briefly, and Bai Rongbei's face darkened: "Let's go, I'll go back with you."
The two walked quickly to the courtyard gate, and just as they were about to push the door open, they saw the scene inside.
Lin Weiwei was held in Bai Si'an's arms, her face buried in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Bai Si'an had one arm around her waist and the other hand gently patting her back, whispering something in her ear.
Su Wanwan stopped in her tracks.
She looked at the couple embracing in the courtyard, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile.
"Looks like we don't need to comfort her anymore," she whispered to Bai Rongbei.
Bai Rongbei saw it too, and the worry on his face disappeared, replaced by a relaxed expression.
The two stood outside the door for a while, waiting for the two inside to separate before pushing the door open and going in.
Lin Weiwei's eyes were still red. When she saw Su Wanwan come in, she quickly wiped her face and said, "Wanwan? Why are you back so early?"
"I heard about it." Su Wanwan walked over and took her hand. "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing!" Lin Weiwei retorted stubbornly. "What could be wrong with me? I'm just so angry!"
She pulled Su Wanwan into the house, and Bai Rongbei and Bai Si'an followed.
The four sat down around the table, and Lin Weiwei recounted the events of the day from beginning to end. When she got to the point, her voice rose again: "Those aunties, they're women themselves, how could they say such things? What's wrong with sanitary napkins? What's wrong with using clean things? Does it have to be tattered rags and wood ash to be considered frugal? That's called ignorance!"
Su Wanwan poured her a glass of water: "Calm down. This isn't really the fault of those aunties."
"Who else is to blame but them?" Lin Weiwei glared.
"Strange ideas," Su Wanwan said softly. "Don't many people still feel ashamed of menstruation in modern times? They think it's dirty and shouldn't be mentioned. If women themselves feel this way, let alone men. It's already difficult enough to suddenly get them to accept sanitary napkins."
She paused for a moment: "And now this matter has been dragged into the issue of petty-bourgeoisie and bourgeois behavior, which changes its nature. If it is really classified as an ideological problem, then it's not about whether or not to use sanitary napkins, it's about whether you are qualified to work in the military."
Lin Weiwei understood, her face paling slightly: "Then what should we do?"
"We need to find a way to link sanitary napkins with 'women's health' and 'thrift,' and not let them be associated with 'pleasure' or 'special treatment,'" Su Wanwan said. "We need to make the leaders feel that this is a good thing, a way to solve practical difficulties, not just a gimmick."
Bai Si'an said, "I've already spoken to the leadership. The materials are all old, so there's no waste."
"That's not enough," Su Wanwan shook her head. "We need to let someone with more influence speak."
She thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow I'll go see Captain Zhou and see if the cultural troupe can put on a short program with the theme of 'Caring for Women's Health' to subtly promote this message. Weiwei, you can also make your drawings lean towards this direction. Don't just draw sanitary napkins directly; instead, draw women taking care of their bodies and practicing good hygiene."
Lin Weiwei nodded: "Okay! I'll draw it!"
Bai Rongbei hadn't spoken until now, then said, "The division commander's wife is currently helping out at the military hospital; she's in charge of women's health."
Several people looked at him.
Bai Rongbei continued, "She's a very reasonable and pragmatic person. If this thing is really useful, she might be interested."
Su Wanwan's eyes lit up: "That's right! If we can get the approval of our teachers and our loved ones, then this matter will be much easier to handle."
Lin Weiwei perked up as well: "Then we need to quickly improve it further, make it even better, and make it presentable!"
Bai Si'an pushed up his glasses: "I'll adjust the elastic band tonight; it's still a bit tight right now."
The matter indeed escalated significantly.
The next day, the entire residential compound was abuzz with discussion.
Some say Lin Weiwei is shameless, while others say she meant well; the debate continues without a conclusion.
The publicity department didn't notify Lin Weiwei to come to work again. When the department head saw her, he just nodded and didn't say anything more.
Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin, on the other hand, looked refreshed and even walked with their backs straighter.
On the afternoon of the third day, Su Wanwan returned from the cultural troupe with a smile on her face.
"Captain Zhou agreed!" she said as soon as she entered the room. "She said she could put together a short program about 'women's health,' in the form of a fast-paced storytelling performance, catchy and easy to remember. The content will be about paying attention to hygiene and preventing diseases, without mentioning specific things, but the message will be conveyed."
Lin Weiwei happily grabbed her hand: "That's great!"
"Also," Su Wanwan lowered her voice, "Captain Zhou said that the division commander's wife is organizing a women's health lecture at the military hospital these past two days, and that we can go and listen when we have time."
Lin Weiwei's heart skipped a beat.
She glanced at Bai Si'an.
Bai Si'an nodded: "Everything has been changed. It's softer than before, and the elastic band has been replaced. It's not constricting anymore."
"Then let's go tomorrow!" Lin Weiwei made up her mind. "Bring your things, go listen to the lecture, and see what happens."
The lecture at the military hospital was held in the afternoon, and quite a few people attended, mostly women from the family compound and villagers from nearby villages.
The classroom was packed, and a female cadre in her fifties was speaking on the podium at the front.
She wore a faded Lenin suit, her hair was neatly combed, and she spoke in a clear, strong, and unhurried voice.
This is our teacher's wife, surnamed Zhao, and everyone calls her Director Zhao.
"We women bear the heavy responsibility of production and family care, so we need to pay even more attention to our health," Director Zhao said, writing "Prevention of Gynecological Diseases" on the blackboard. "Many diseases start with neglecting hygiene. Especially during menstruation, we must use clean clothes, change them frequently, and not be careless..."
Someone in the audience muttered quietly, "Clean things? Where did they get so many clean cloths..."
Director Zhao heard this and looked in the direction of the speaker: "This comrade is right. Resources are limited right now, but we can find a way. Old clothes can be washed clean, scalded with boiling water, and dried in the sun. That's better than using wood ash."
Lin Weiwei sat in the back row, her heart beating a little fast.
She was clutching a cloth bag in her hand, which contained improved sanitary napkins.
Su Wanwan nudged her arm and whispered, "After we're done, let's go ask Director Zhao."
The lecture lasted for more than an hour, and when it ended, many people surrounded Director Zhao to ask questions.
Lin Weiwei, Su Wanwan, and the others had almost all left before they went over.
"Director Zhao," Su Wanwan spoke first, her voice gentle, "we have something we'd like you to take a look at."
Director Zhao looked at them, his gaze lingering on Lin Weiwei's face for a moment: "You are... Technician Bai's wife, right? I've heard of you; you're a very good painter."
Lin Weiwei was a little surprised and quickly nodded: "It's me, Director Zhao."
She took out an oil paper packet from the cloth bag, carefully opened it, and handed it over.
Director Zhao took it, picked up a sanitary napkin, examined it carefully, and then touched it.
"This is……"
"My partner and I made this together," Lin Weiwei said, trying to keep her voice steady. "We used sterilized cotton and old cotton cloth, which are absorbent and breathable. We thought that if women could use this, they might get sick less often."
Director Zhao didn't say anything, but looked at it over and over for a while, and even tugged at the elastic band with his hand.
"It's a good idea." She finally spoke, looking at Lin Weiwei. "Are all the materials old?"
"They're all old," Lin Weiwei quickly said. "The cotton is leftover from the clinic, and the cloth is made from old clothes, so nothing was wasted."
Director Zhao nodded and put the sanitary napkin back: "The product is well-made. However, it won't be easy to promote. Many people can't change their mindset."
Su Wanwan chimed in, "Yes, that's why we wanted to ask you to take a look. If we can get your approval, maybe everyone will gradually accept it."
Director Zhao pondered for a moment.
"Okay," she said, "I'll keep the things for now, and later I'll discuss with the doctors at the hospital how to promote this from a health perspective. Don't rush, this needs to be done gradually."
……
[This part of the story might be a bit boring, but I still wanted to write it. I watched a documentary before that showed just how difficult it was to popularize sanitary napkins. So, from my perspective as the female protagonist, I want to tell all you girls, don't be ashamed of your period...]