It is well known that when two people get married and form a family, there will be housework. So, who should do the housework? I remember attending a colleague's wedding once, where the witty and humorous master of ceremonies asked the newlyweds: "After getting married, who will do the housework at home?" The groom quickly said he would do it. "Who will take care of the children?" The bride quickly said her mother-in-law would do it. "Who will manage the finances?" The groom still said his wife would manage them. At that moment, I admired this bride so much; she had found such a great husband who could make her never have to do housework for life!
In reality, in life, no matter how good a man is, they rarely do housework. It’s usually women who do it, and it seems like it's naturally their responsibility. When men do housework, people often mock them.
In my household, I almost do all the housework. It's not that I willingly want to take on all the housework, but rather I married a man who doesn't want to do it.
Whenever I delay washing clothes a bit, he'll say, "Why haven't you washed the clothes yet? Leaving them there is so embarrassing." I ask him why he doesn’t wash them, and he says he's too busy. When I put the clothes in the washing machine and finish washing them, if I ask him to hang them out to dry, he refuses. Sometimes even if he does hang them, he hangs them crookedly. And in the evening, if I don't bring the clothes back inside, he absolutely won't do it. If I pretend to forget, he'll let the clothes stay on the balcony, even if he has nothing to wear, he'll only bring back the piece he needs and leave the rest forgotten on the balcony.
When the floor gets dirty at home, he won't do anything about it. He'll just complain that the house is so dirty and hasn't been swept. Don't look so clean and neat outside while your house looks like a chicken coop, how embarrassing! Thus, I not only feel upset inside but also have to work hard to clean up. Cleaning the room is relatively easy, but cleaning the kitchen and bathroom requires more carefulness and attention, and it must be done frequently.
Once a family is formed, there is a lot of housework: washing clothes, airing quilts, sweeping rooms, cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, buying groceries, cooking meals, washing dishes and vegetables. All these tasks keep women extremely busy. Moreover, women are expected to accompany their children in studying as well. Sometimes, I really don't want to do it anymore and feel how exhausting it is to be a woman. Even though we work together with our husbands, men can sit back and relax, reading books, watching TV, or playing games, while women have to rush into the kitchen and keep busy. Sometimes, when I'm tired and frustrated from the chores, I complain to him. He actually tells me that I don't do much anyway; there's a washing machine for laundry, the floor only needs sweeping once a week, and dinner is only cooked once in the evening, and he even bought the groceries, so how tiring can it be? Ugh, it's so easy for someone who isn't doing the work to talk. So I mutter to myself, how unlucky am I to have married such a man?
Life is tough; one has to work hard and excel at work... manage the household and raise children. No one wants to live worse than others, and no one wants their children to be worse off than others. For the endless housework, we've argued countless times, got angry countless times, and went on strike countless times. Sometimes, I even think it would be better if I lived alone; at least the cleanliness would last for a month, and I wouldn't have to wash clothes or clean the kitchen and bathroom every day. But upon reflection, despite all the arguments, life must go on. Time flows through our fingers and vanishes in our fatigue. Perhaps life is just like this, filled with unsolvable conflicts, yet there are things that make us unwilling to give up.
Even with endless housework, it's still good to have a family! There's a razor for the man in the room, a few pieces of his clothes drying on the balcony, and a faint scent of him by the pillow, giving a sense of security. When he comes back late or is on a business trip, knowing someone is missing you, worrying about you, and waiting for you makes your heart sweet, even if the house is messy.
Sometimes I also think, if I were to foolishly stay at home alone, with no one to argue with, it would be lonely and desolate. If there weren't so many household chores every day, maybe I wouldn't maintain such good health, gaining excess weight and falling ill, which would be sad!
Every time I think about these things, I calm down a lot. In short, as a housewife, since I can't bear loneliness and want a family, having a family means having housework. Moreover, we're not wealthy enough to hire a part-time worker to do the housework. Therefore, I only hope he takes more responsibility and shares some of the housework, so let's continue arguing and doing housework together!