Family

A: Modern tea shop owner B: Ah-Chu, a tea-leaf sorter
A: I often hear elders say whether female workers could come to work back then depended heavily on “whether their families allowed it.”
Was that the case in your era?
B: If our families didn't object
We could come out to work
But some mothers-in-law would say it wasn't proper for women to earn money outside
And ask, “If you go to work, who will take care of the household?”
A: So whether you could work depended on your family’s opinion
B: Exactly. When we worked, our families would say, “It's only because I allow it that you can earn money.”
So all the credit went to the family
But at least we didn't have to ask for money every time
Having a little pocket money meant we could buy things we wanted
A: So women who married into tea families had it tough?
Helping with tea work without pay
B: Exactly. Ordinary daughters-in-law just manage the household
Those married into tea families have to help with tea production after finishing their chores.
But since it's our husbands' livelihood, we have no choice but to assist
Sometimes when the men are unwell and can't do heavy labor
We have to earn money through tea picking and sorting
To care for the children, the household, and the elders.
A: You carry the responsibility of keeping the whole family going
In modern times, many tea shops are taken over and run by women
You might find it surprising, but we've all learned from the hardships of the previous generation
B: I'm glad to see this change
Our generation worked nonstop on household chores and jobs
not for our own careers, but just to get by