Qi Anquan saw the jealousy in Wang Fang's eyes.
"Oh, right, Mom, I have something to give you. Aunt Wang is here too, let her take a look and see if it looks good."
The mother asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Wang Fang also looked over.
Qi An pulled a large gold bracelet, about the width of a finger, from his pocket as if by magic. It was carved with a phoenix and was so dazzling that it could almost blind people in the sun.
It's the kind of style that young girls would find incredibly tacky, while middle-aged and older women would find incredibly expensive.
Qi An casually shoved it into Tong's mother's hand: "I bought this while shopping after my blind date yesterday. You can wear it for fun."
Wang Fang's eyes widened. This gold bracelet looked so heavy, how much did it cost?
The mother, weighing the bracelet in her hand and then shaking the thinner gold bracelet on her wrist, cursed:
"You brat, you're wasting money again! Didn't you just buy a bracelet before the New Year? How much did that cost?"
Qi An said casually, "It's not expensive. The jewelry store is having a promotion. It's less than 50,000."
"Fifty thousand?" Wang Fang exclaimed.
Their family of six only has 3,000 yuan a month for living expenses, yet Tong Qian spent 50,000 yuan to buy her mother a bracelet.
Tong's mother's eyes widened: "So expensive, where did you get so much money?"
“The project bonus was just paid out yesterday, it wasn’t much, only 100,000, so I was thinking of giving you a small gift.”
Tong's mother gently slapped her: "You spendthrift, you're so greedy for money, aren't you? Can we return it? If we can, then go and return it."
Qi An pulled her wrist, took the bracelet, and put it on her wrist.
"No refund. You can wear it for fun. Gold is a hard currency that won't depreciate. It's both jewelry and money. So, tell me if you like it or not?"
The mother stroked the new bracelet on her wrist with obvious delight, her smile almost reaching her ears, yet she said, somewhat contradicting her true feelings:
"What do I like about it? It's so wide and heavy that it weighs down my wrists so much I can't lift them. It's also inconvenient for me to work and just adds to my troubles."
Even as she said that, she unconsciously rolled up her sleeves a bit, as if afraid that no one would notice her bracelet.
Wang Fang's eyes hadn't left the gold bracelet since the beginning of the ordeal; her heart and eyes were filled with jealousy and envy.
No woman doesn't love jewelry, especially gold; she dreams of owning a gold bracelet.
A gold bracelet with even a little weight would cost tens of thousands of yuan. Given her family's current financial situation, only a madman would spend so much money to buy her a bracelet.
Qi An chuckled inwardly. Jealous, aren't you? Envious? Want it?
Then you can keep thinking about it, just wait and see how jealous I am.
Qi An said to Wang Fang, "I don't really understand your elders' aesthetic sense, so I just picked one randomly. I feel it's a bit outdated. Aunt Wang, do you think my mom looks good in it?"
Wang Fang forced a smile: "It looks good, not tacky, and it's suitable for people our age to wear."
That's 50,000 yuan worth of gold! Who would think it's tacky?
The clueless mother of the child simply held out her two wrists, showing Wang Fang a pair of gold bracelets, and complained:
“What’s so pretty about it, Fangjie? You know, this child just bought me a gold bracelet before the New Year, and now she’s bought me another one. Who wears a pair of gold bracelets? It looks like handcuffs.”
Wang Fang smiled stiffly: "It's a good thing that the child is filial."
Tong's mother continued to "complain": "What's so good about it? It's just a waste of money. Last year she even bought me a necklace, a ring, and earrings, and she buys me new clothes every few days."
"We're all so old, and you're still dressing like an old hag. Aren't you just making a fool of yourself?"
Wang Fang's smile grew increasingly stiff; she was on the verge of losing control of her facial expressions.
She wanted to yell and then pounce on Li Shuhui's happy old face, so that she could never smile again.
Wang Fang's mouth was practically watering with sarcasm as she said insincerely, "Your Qianqian is so filial. You've been getting younger and younger these past two years, you don't look old at all."
Unlike her, who is only three years older than Li Shuhui, she looks like she is thirteen years older.
Why should Li Shuhui be able to live such a good life?
She used to be the lead dancer when we did square dancing in the neighborhood, and all the old men would come up to chat with her.
In recent years, she has been tied down by housework and her grandson, looking old and haggard. Li Shuhui has become the new lead dancer in the last two years.
She's so old, yet she dresses so provocatively, and all those old men are fawning over her. She must be very proud of herself.
Qi An was almost dying of laughter at Tong's mother, this naive old woman, who was so ungrateful without even realizing it. Wang Fang probably really wanted to hit her.
"Grandma, since you don't like it so much, give it back to me and I'll return it."
As Qi An spoke, he made a gesture as if to take off Tong Mu's gold bracelet.
The mother slapped her hand away, then covered the gold bracelet and laughed, "You've already given it to me, and you still want it back? No way."
"Which woman doesn't love gold jewelry? Mom loves it to bits, but I feel sorry for you working so hard to earn money."
Qi An grinned: "My Aunt Wang doesn't like it, does she? I've never seen her wear gold jewelry, right, Aunt Wang?"
Wang Fang forced a smile: "Yes, Auntie doesn't like gold. Wearing silver is better; it's simple and good for your health."
Tong's mother said, "You should change it up every now and then. Didn't you say that Dacheng bought you several pieces of gold jewelry? Wear them more often, and the child will be happy to see them."
Wang Fang gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I'll wear it next time."
Wang Fang couldn't stand it any longer and was about to find an excuse to leave when her old, worn-out secondhand mobile phone rang.
The phone rang, and her daughter-in-law's cold voice came through: "What time is it and you're still not home cooking? Are you waiting for me to carry you in a sedan chair?"
Wang Fang quickly covered the microphone and said, "I know, I'll be right back."
After hanging up the phone, she forced a smile and said to Tong's mother, "My daughter-in-law has prepared dinner and is calling me to come home for dinner, so I'll be leaving now."
Before Tong's mother could speak, Qi An interjected, "My Aunt Wang's phone is an antique, it looks quite unique."
Wang Fang: "...My aunt is getting old and her eyesight isn't good. The font on her old-fashioned mobile phone is large, which makes it easier for her to use."
"That's right, I also think that old-fashioned phones are good. The text is big, the sound is loud, and they are easy to use."
As she spoke, Tong's mother pulled out her new smartphone and complained with a troubled expression:
"Qianqian insisted on buying me such a fancy phone with so many complicated functions. I don't know how to use it. It's a complete waste of money."
This time, the mother's complaint was genuine and not at all boastful.
Learning to use a smartphone has been incredibly difficult for her; so far, she only knows a few of the most basic functions.
Tong Qian had to teach him countless times before he finally learned it little by little.
Tong's mother considered switching back to an old-fashioned phone several times, but in the end she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Because she found that smartphones take great photos.
Her photo album contains three categories of photos.
First, there are various blue skies, white clouds, and little flowers, as well as the food she cooks.
Secondly, there are unflattering photos of Tong Qian from various angles, which can be considered her dark history, but she thinks they are very well taken and often posts them on her WeChat Moments.
Thirdly, there are photos of everyone wearing silk scarves, with dozens of different poses created with just one scarf.
However, when Tong's mother spoke of her rare, genuine distress, Wang Fang perceived it as deliberate mockery.
They mocked her for not being able to afford a new phone and for having to use a worn-out, secondhand old-fashioned phone.
Jealousy was burning Wang Fang so intense that she couldn't even utter a perfunctory word, only hurriedly saying:
"I'm going home for dinner now, let's talk next time."
Turning around, Wang Fang's face was contorted with jealousy, her features instantly twisted.
Qi An called out to the back of the person with a cheeky grin, "Aunt Wang, don't forget to introduce me to someone! I'm really anxious."
Wang Fang didn't even turn her head: "Don't worry, Auntie remembers."
Wang Fang hardened her heart. She had been hesitant about introducing that person to Tong Qian, but after what had just happened, she had made up her mind.
He's the one!
Li Shuhui, keep laughing all you want. Let's see how long you can keep up your smugness.
Qi An watched Wang Fang's retreating figure, a flash of malice passing through his eyes.
She turned around, took Tong's mother's arm, and said with a smile, "Come on, old lady, let's go home and have some oil-splashed noodles."
"Okay, let's go home, Mom will make it for you."
"I wonder if that person, who's wearing two gold bracelets today, will still be kneading dough later? Maybe they should give them back to me."
"You brat, don't even think about taking my bracelet. I'll give you plenty of oil-splashed noodles."
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