At this time, the gap between the rich and poor wasn't yet severe. Many people in the work unit were from the countryside, and most had also married people from the countryside.
In this family compound, the majority of the wives were from rural areas, and many were illiterate.
The narrow-eyed woman and the other wives with her considered themselves cultured city folk. They didn't associate much with the other rural wives and often called them unsophisticated behind their backs.
Of course, they were talked about behind their backs just as much.
Few of these wives had proper jobs. Other than raising children and tending the vegetable plots in the courtyard, they had nothing to do all day but visit each other and gossip. The constant back-and-forth, talking about one another's family business, was a common occurrence.
The men didn't concern themselves with these matters, and Yu Le, who wasn't even married yet, had even less reason to get involved.
