Chapter 59: Developing the Habit of Spending Money
As dusk fell, Shen Yuming, carrying his future plans, arrived at Shen Yuzhu's courtyard with a string of children behind him. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled a delicious aroma, and the children ran excitedly toward the kitchen.
"Auntie, what delicious food did you make?"
"Auntie, your cooking smells so good!"
Qiancheng and Zhang Jie didn't speak, but their eyes were also straining to look inside.
Shen Yuming, unable to hold onto his future, simply put him on the ground.
"Yuzhu, a little bit is fine, don't always cook meat and eggs for them, you're spoiling them..."
As soon as Shen Yuzhu lifted the pot lid, Shen Yuming's other words caught in his throat.
"Dumplings, it's dumplings! Mom, Mom, Auntie made dumplings, they smell so good!"
"Sister, don't always say those things. Look how happy the children are."
Looking at the children's hopeful eyes, what could Shen Yuming say? Of course she loved her own children, but her younger sister was already quite flamboyant since coming to the countryside alone. If she continued to live a life of luxury, she was afraid that someone would target her again.
Shen Yuzhu knew what she was thinking without even looking. She scooped out the dumplings and took the dipping sauce out of the cupboard.
The family took their bowls to the main room for dinner.
Before it was completely dark, Shen Yuzhu lit the kerosene lamp. The dim light shone on the children's faces, making them look exceptionally innocent and adorable.
"Try your aunt's dumplings and see if they're delicious. This dipping sauce isn't spicy, so you can eat them even if you're not hungry."
With one promising future after another, he stopped talking and ate happily, making muffled noises. Shen Yuming was afraid he would choke, so he would feed him a spoonful of dumpling soup from time to time.
The family enjoyed dinner to the fullest. Shen Yuming rushed to wash the dishes. When she returned, she saw Shen Yuzhu and the children each drinking malted milk tea from a mug. Her mug was placed where she had just been sitting.
"Sister, drink this. I have something for you."
"What else? We've already eaten dumplings, what else is there to give us?"
Shen Yuzhu smiled but didn't say anything. She turned and went into the room, and came out a moment later with a bankbook in her hand.
"Sister, here is 1,600 yuan. Take it and spend it. I've asked Lü Jianshe to help buy the winter bedding, coal, and other necessities. He'll deliver it to your home once he gets it."
"I don't want it, I really can't have the jade bead."
“This is the Shen family’s money, and you have a share. Sister, don’t be stingy, especially for yourself and the children. For the past twenty years, you haven’t enjoyed the treatment that a young lady of the Shen family should have. For the rest of your life, I will not let you suffer any hardship.”
Shen Yuming was about to say something when Shen Yuzhu interrupted him.
“I’m going to the provincial capital in a couple of days. It will take at least four or five days, and maybe half a month. I won’t be by your side. How can I feel at ease if I don’t leave you some money? Please accept this, sister, as a favor to me.”
Shen Yuming took the passbook with trembling hands, but after a long while, she wanted to return it. She had never seen so much money in her life, and she was scared!
Shen Yuzhu pretended not to see it. What she wanted to do now was to cultivate her sister's spending habits, so that she could be like a normal person and not be so stingy.
Although she is now in charge of her own household, life is still tight. There is no shortage of canned food and eggs for the children, but meat is hard to come by. Ever since the two sisters recognized each other, Zhang Li has been sent to a sanatorium.
Shen Yuzhu saw her take the child to eat meat twice, and each time it was half a catty.
I called her to eat, and most of the meat was still in her bowl.
There's nothing we can do about it; everyone lives like this. She's been subjected to many demands since she was little, so half a pound of meat is just the most she can eat for Shen Yuming.
The following night, Lü Jianshe delivered two sets of gifts to Shen Yuming's house.
"Sister Yuming, this is the bedding, coal, and meat that Shen Zhiqing asked me to buy. The wild game was hunted by Zhou Li and me. We couldn't finish it, so we brought you two pheasants and a rabbit. Hide it well. This...this is from Wanli. There's a quilt, a thermos, a sweater, and cotton shoes. Oh, and six meters of new fabric. He...he said this might be the last time he brings you anything. He's getting married."
Shen Yuming's face turned pale, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. His face was stiff and he couldn't force a smile.
"Okay, okay, congratulations to him. But I can't take these things for free. I'll give you the money, and you can give it to him for me, okay!"
“No need, Sister Yuming, even if you give it to me, he won’t accept it. Let it go. He did this to fulfill Uncle Xie’s last wish. By the way, the ginseng that Shen Zhiqing gave me sold for 580 yuan. It’s all here. We’re going to the county town again in a few days. If you need anything, just let me know.”
As Lü Jianshe was about to leave, Zhou Li and Li Wang were still waiting outside!
“Jianshe, wait a minute. I’ll give you two hundred yuan. You can give one hundred to Wanli. He’s getting married soon, so I can’t just take his things for nothing. Whether it’s too much or too little, I’ll give you one hundred. And with the other one hundred, could you buy me some yellow and pink yarn? Also, get me some floral fabric. I want to knit a sweater and make a cotton-padded jacket for Yuzhu. I want something bright and pretty. She’s beautiful, and bright clothes will look good on her.”
"Okay, then I'll take the money. Sister Yuming, pack your things and go to bed early!"
At the female educated youth settlement, as the weather turned cold, Qiao Wangshu and her friends' village cooking business flourished. Now, some hosts not only provided food and drinks, but some even paid per table. They were busy as bees, and as their wallets gradually bulged, they finally stopped being so stingy with their spending.
Lin Wanwan and Qiao Wangshu both felt that Liang Manxiu was a bit strange. Every time she returned to the educated youth settlement, the first thing she did was to secretly ask Wang Liping about the whereabouts of the female educated youths at the settlement. Liang Manxiu had no choice but to pay attention to what she had seen last time. Her upbringing made her very sensitive to danger, just like when Shen Yucheng had been watching her. No matter where she went, she would pay special attention to the surrounding noise.
Zhang Shujuan and Wang Yanhong have been acting strangely lately. Since it concerns Shen Yuzhu, and she has no evidence, she can only keep a closer eye on them.
Two days later, Shen Yuzhu took a car to the provincial capital with a letter of introduction.
She remembered that around this time in her past life, a batch of foreign language books arrived at the library in Heilongjiang Province, urgently needing translation. She had learned multiple languages since childhood, so translation was a piece of cake for her, not to mention the generous compensation. Senior translators were also talents needed by the country. As long as she got the certificate, even if she stayed at home all day and never went out, no one would question her.
It takes more than three hours to travel from Ningyang County to the provincial capital by car. No sooner had Shen Yuzhu left than people from the village arrived.
After dressing neatly, Zhang Shujuan and Wang Yanhong quickly went out.
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