Chapter 10 Thoughts on Changing the Window

Yao Fanghua worked on the two safes until almost midnight before finally fixing them.

The only downside is that the safe with the keyhole doesn't have a key; it can only be opened with a wire.

She put her books, toolbox, wooden crafts, and a few pieces of wood into the safe below.

The safe on top contained the bag I carried today. Inside was a bankbook, some cash receipts, two watches, and the US dollars I received today.

As for the safe that was given to her, it was basically useless, and the lock was completely broken. However, there was a layer of cowhide inside the safe. With something on her mind, she couldn't sleep soundly, so no matter how late it was, she started to remove the cowhide. Halfway through, she felt something was off about the cowhide. Glancing at the bed, and seeing that Yao Fangyuan was fast asleep, she turned back and carefully peeled the cowhide off.

A piece of paper was pasted on the back of the leather, with a house drawn on it in just a few strokes.

The average person might not notice the subtlety, but Yao Fanghua, a mechanical design student, frequently draws. She even studied drawing specifically to improve her hand-drawn sketches and is extremely sensitive to patterns. This drawing is a simple sketch, but Yao Fanghua immediately recognized its uniqueness in the courtyard gate and the ancient trees in the small yard, as the shadows in these two areas were noticeably darker. It was likely drawn to mark these two points.

Yao Fanghua memorized the picture and then put it in the safe.

The next morning, Li Chunying prepared the filling and dough, ready to bake the pancakes, and waited for Yao Fanghua to get up.

Yao Fangyuan: "Mom, make one for me first."

"Five cents each, how many do you want?"

"Mom! I'm your own daughter!"

“Don’t think I don’t know your eldest sister gave you three yuan yesterday. There are steamed buns and porridge in the pot; go eat if you’re hungry. If you want something better, pay up. It’s not like we don’t have money.” If she gave it to the younger one for free, what if the eldest daughter didn’t pay? Besides, it wouldn’t be right to only charge the eldest daughter and let the other two children eat for free. So Li Chunying decided to treat everyone equally; if Yao Deyi wanted something better, he would have to pay too.

"Then this is too expensive."

"Why is it expensive? Look at the meat inside!"

Yao Fangyuan had only received three yuan, and reluctant to part with it, she snorted and turned away.

Yao Fanghua didn't get up until almost noon.

Li Chunying waited all morning and finally got the person up. Luckily it was a holiday and everyone was staying in bed, otherwise she would have started complaining long ago.

Amidst Li Chunying's expectant gaze, Yao Fanghua glanced at the filling in the bowl: cabbage and pork. Although it wasn't chives and eggs, it was alright, this would do.

Yao Fanghua and Yao Weimin ate a total of six pies.

Yao Fanghua wiped her mouth. "Thick crust, little filling, and too much salt. I'll be more careful next time." It's not unreasonable to make some demands after paying such a high price.

Li Chunying froze for a moment, then looked at the remaining filling, her face full of anticipation, "How about we eat it again tonight?"

"Let's make dumplings tonight. They should have thin wrappers and lots of filling."

"Okay, Mom will make you a big bowl of dumplings tonight, and this amount of filling will be just right."

Yao Fangyuan had been drooling for a long time, and when she heard that she wouldn't get any dumplings for dinner, she suddenly felt like her biological mother had become her stepmother.

After finishing her meal, Yao Fanghua asked Yao Weimin to take her to the bank on his bicycle.

She exchanged the US dollars for RMB, then counted out another 500 from her bag and deposited it into her savings account. Looking at the extra 9,000 RMB in her account, Yao Fanghua felt a sense of relief; she was one step closer to buying a house.

Yao Deyi left early in the morning and returned in the afternoon with several workers, window frames and glass, and even a door.

The Yao family's windows have individual wooden frames, so if they want to replace the glass, they have to replace the entire frame. This immediately increases the cost.

He figured his eldest daughter had dared to spend 150 yuan on two shabby cabinets, so why couldn't they spend money on installing windows? When relatives came, seeing the bright windows would make them look good, and they'd have to offer him an extra drink. So, without consulting Li Chunying, he simply brought the things and people over. After all, Li Chunying would have to pay anyway, and if she threw a tantrum, his eldest daughter was there—she was sure to have money. And if all else failed, their watches could be used as payment. Yao Fanghua and Yao Weimin each wore a watch.

He calculated it quite well, but unfortunately when he returned, he found that Yao Fanghua was not at home.

Seeing that Yao Deyi had pulled this stunt without consulting her, bringing people and things to her house, Li Chunying was furious. With a roar, she pounced on Yao Deyi.

The two started fighting in the yard.

With everyone watching, Yao Deyi couldn't retaliate, and within a few breaths, Li Chunying scratched him several times, leaving bloody marks on his face and neck.

The people in the yard quickly went to break up the fight.

"I can't live like this anymore," Li Chunying cried, sitting on the ground. "The money I earn isn't even enough for his drinking. All he does is drink all day. Where do we get any money? And he still pressures me like this. He's so obsessed with saving face. Go and earn some money! If you can't earn money, where does your face come from? Is face given by others? You don't even have any face yourself, so what face do you want?"

Yao Deyi squatted silently at his doorstep, not saying a word, feeling utterly ashamed.

The workers carrying the doors and windows looked at each other and huddled in a corner, waiting for the outcome.

Yao Deyi's sister-in-law advised, "Chunying, since you've already brought the things back, why not just change them? You can't be too frugal when it comes to living." This sister-in-law of yours is too stingy, she's reluctant to use oil when cooking and too stingy with fabric when wearing clothes. She and Sister-in-law Yu often complain about it in private, but to put it bluntly, she's still poor.

"Sister-in-law, it's easy for you to say that when you're not in my shoes. Why don't you lend me some money?"

"Look at what you're saying, why would you need to borrow money from my family? Didn't your Hua Hua spend 150 yuan to buy two metal cabinets?"

Yao Deyi: "That's right, if you don't give it to Hua Hua, she'll definitely pay for it when she comes back."

Li Chunying, enraged, grabbed a brick from one of her men and hurled it at Yao Deyi. Fortunately, it didn't hit his head, but it still gave Yao Deyi quite a fright.

“My daughter’s money is my daughter’s money! You old geezer, you don’t earn any money yourself but you’re eyeing your daughter’s money! Why should my daughter pay for your window replacement? What are you going to do with this house and give it to my daughter in the future?” Yao Fanghua is Li Chunying’s biological daughter. She can covet her daughter’s money, but no one else can, not even Yao Deyi!

"No way," Yao Deyi said, "I know exactly how to separate my daughter from my son. The property, especially the house, will definitely be inherited by my son."

"Dad, couldn't you have discussed this with Mom before you did something? It's such a big deal." Yao Fangyuan was definitely on her mother's side. She knew her father was old-fashioned and favored sons over daughters when it came to important matters.

“You drink without restraint, you get so drunk you can’t do anything reassuring. Is the worker you found reliable? Is he expensive? Did you even ask about the price before bringing him home?” Yao Fangyuan scolded him without any respect for his elders.

"If it doesn't work out, we'll return it first. If we really want to change it, I'll have my mom buy the windows and find someone to install them." Anyway, her mom is reliable and won't let anyone suffer a loss. Her dad is different; he's unreliable and makes people feel uneasy.

"It's all because of your mother, always nagging about the leaky windows! I'm not going to care anymore, I'm not going to care about anything." Yao Deyi scurried into the house, thinking, whatever, he's definitely not going to care anymore. He'll just eat and drink as he pleases, having a little wine and humming a tune every day is better than nothing.

Although Li Chunying won decisively, she also became a laughing stock in the courtyard. The eldest sister-in-law's family, the Yu family, and the Zhong family would have plenty to talk about after dinner. She had heard the man surnamed Yu mutter about her to her eldest sister-in-law more than once, calling her a "good at managing money," his tone full of sarcasm.

Li Chunying wiped her face, went to the inner room to get the money, and after haggling, reluctantly paid the money.

She had only earned three yuan from her daughter that morning, and this afternoon she had spent 130 yuan. How many pancakes would she have to make? She didn't know if her daughter would stay in the dormitory after the New Year. Even if she didn't, the factory had a canteen, so she wouldn't still be eating at home. She figured she could only use her cooking skills on weekends. Li Chunying decided to pick up her cooking skills again and try to win over her daughter's stomach during this period.

Li Chunying's biological mother was a skilled cook, and Li Chunying inherited some of her skills. But these days, she's just trying to avoid starvation, so she doesn't care about being picky. She works and raises her children, and she's used to being frugal. Anyway, the food is getting better and better, as long as it's edible, that's fine.