Chapter 126
Director Li grinned and said, "At least your hard work was worth it. The salary is quite good."
"It's all thanks to Director Li's good teaching and vision that I can make this money." Ye Fuyue took the opportunity to flatter Director Li.
After coming out of the furniture factory, Ye Fuyue hummed a tune and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some vegetables, and then prepared to go home.
On the way back, she met Zhong Lan.
It was Zhong Lan who saw her first and greeted her.
Ye Fuyue saw the basket on Zhong Lan's arm was filled with matchboxes and asked in surprise, "You bought so many matches?"
Zhong Lan explained, "I didn't buy these. I took a job pasting matchboxes at home. Now I've finished pasting them and am ready to give them to someone else."
Ye Fuyue nodded in understanding: "So that's how it is. Then go quickly."
Zhong Lan smiled at Ye Fuyue and left first.
When Zhong Lan came back, the basket was empty and there was more than four yuan in her pocket.
There is not much money to be made from pasting matchboxes, but Zhong Lan is quite satisfied to have this temporary job.
As soon as she got home, Aunt Xie asked her, "How much did they pay you for pasting those matchboxes?"
Zhong Lan didn't hide it and said frankly, "Four dollars and thirty-seven cents."
Even if Aunt Xie knew how much money she earned, she would not give the money to Aunt Xie.
Aunt Xie snorted coldly and said nothing. I don't know whether she was dissatisfied that even she could make money, or dissatisfied that she only earned so little.
Zhong Lan didn't ask. Her mother-in-law never had anything good to say anyway, so it was better not to ask.
Zhong Lan prepared all the meals today.
After dinner in the evening, Zhong Lan went to the kitchen to clean up.
Yao Hong just received his salary today, and he gave next month's household expenses to Aunt Xie.
"Mom, this is the household allowance for next month."
Aunt Xie looked at the ten yuan in her hand and felt very unhappy.
"Your wife earned four dollars and thirty-seven cents by making matchboxes. Did she tell you?" Aunt Xie whispered to Yao Hong.
"She hasn't told me yet. She earned more than four dollars, not bad." Yao Hong smiled with satisfaction.
"You have to ask her clearly later. Be careful that she puts the money in her pocket and treats it as her own private money and doesn't take it out. If she uses it to subsidize her parents' family or something, you won't know anything." Aunt Xie said.
Yao Hong disagreed and asked, "Mom, how do you know she earned more than four yuan?"
"I asked her, and she told me."
"She told you how much money she earned, so she definitely wouldn't keep it as her own money," Yao Hong said.
Aunt Xie heard this and realized it was true. But how could she possibly admit it?
She said, "She told me she earned a little over four dollars. Who knows if she really did? What if she's hiding it from me? You'll have to ask her later!"
"Okay, I understand. I'll ask her later."
So, in the evening, after everyone had washed up and returned to their rooms, Yao Hong asked Zhong Lan how much money she had earned by pasting matchboxes.
"It's a total of four dollars, thirty-seven cents, all here. That's what I told my mother when she asked me." Zhong Lan put the four dollars, thirty-seven cents she had just received today on the table.
"Is that all?" Yao Hong asked.
Zhong Lan laughed sarcastically, "What else? How much do you think it should be? I only made so many matchboxes in total, and the price of each one is clear. You can figure it out yourself if you do the math. Or, like Mom, are you worried that I've quoted a low price and am keeping the money for myself?"
Yao Hong covered it up and said, "No one is worried that you're hiding money. I was just asking casually."
Zhong Lan sneered.
She was still unaware of the little thoughts of Yao Hong and Aunt Xie.
She spread her hands and said, "Isn't it payday today? Where's the money?"
Yao Hong counted out eight dollars from his pocket and gave it to Zhong Lan: "I've already given Mom ten dollars for household expenses. I've kept five dollars, and the remaining eight dollars is for you."
Zhong Lan counted the money and then asked, "Have you spent all the five dollars you set aside for yourself every month?"
Yao Hong looked away: "Yes."
"How did you spend it?" Zhong Lan asked.
"That's how I spent it. I had meals with colleagues, bought some food and daily necessities, and that's it," said Yao Hongdao.
"What did you buy?"
"They're just some snacks and treats." Yao Hong said impatiently, "Why are you asking so much?"
"I keep a record of how I spend the eight dollars you give me every month, and you ask me about it, fearing I'm wasting a penny or keeping some for my parents' use. But you never keep a record of how you spend the five dollars you keep for yourself, and you never tell me. I can't even ask you."
"You mostly eat at home, and only occasionally eat out with colleagues. We don't need to use your pocket money to buy anything, and you never buy anything for the family. I'm really curious. Five dollars, only three dollars less than the eight dollars you give me every month. How do you manage to spend it all?"
Yao Hong said unconfidently: "Just use it like that."
Zhong Lan suspected that Yao Hong had not spent all of his five yuan pocket money every month, and he must have some private money.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with Yao Hong having some private money. What she was dissatisfied with was why Yao Hong had to ask her every month how he spent the money he gave her, but he didn't have to explain to her how he spent his five yuan pocket money.
"I won't ask you in detail how you used it. It's just that since you can have pocket money, I want it too," said Zhong Lan.
"What do you want pocket money for?" Yao Hong blurted out.
"You can have pocket money, why can't I have it?"
"I work outside every day, so I inevitably need to buy some things and have some social engagements. You're at home every day, so what do you need to spend money on?"
"When have I been at home every day? Don't I need to go out to buy groceries? When I buy groceries, if I see something I want to eat, can't I buy some? You eat at home every day and buy snacks outside, but I can't buy them?" Zhong Lan asked back.
Yao Hong was speechless.
He quickly added, "If you also need pocket money, then we'll have even less to save each month."
"What does this have to do with our monthly savings?" Zhong Lan said, "Just give me two dollars from your pocket money."
Yao Hong's eyes widened in shock. "Then my monthly allowance is only three yuan. How can it be enough?"
"How could it be not enough?" Zhong Lan retorted, "You don't need to buy groceries and cook for yourself, you don't need to eat out every day, and you don't need to buy fabric for clothes or any daily necessities. Even if you really don't have enough, you can always ask me for more! As long as you spend your money reasonably, I will definitely give it to you."
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