"How could it have cost so much?"
Upon hearing this number, Dong Lihua's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Sister-in-law, are you sure you haven't made a mistake? Don't count the money given to the other families as Tingtao's."
Mrs. Huo had anticipated this, and she took out all the receipts that were hidden behind the notebook.
"When the eldest and second eldest sons got married, the custom of 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a watch, a radio, and a bicycle) was not yet common. Back then, they were all given a uniform gift of 200 yuan plus a piece of furniture with 36 legs."
“When my fourth son got married this year, I gave them 688 yuan for each room, and I also gave them the money and receipts for the ‘three turns and one sound’ (referring to a radio, a sewing machine, and a watch).
“The old man and people from his other branches were there at the time. You can ask them if you don’t believe me.”
But facing the old man and Huo's father's murderous gaze, Dong Lihua dared not say another word.
Seeing that she had nothing to say, Mrs. Huo continued, "These are the receipts for the milk we order each month, and these are the monthly food expenses for the family."
"These are the receipts for the fabrics these children have bought to make clothes from when they were little to now."
"This is the tuition and book fees for these children each semester."
"These are nutritional supplements she bought when she had a miscarriage."
"..."
Don't underestimate the small amount of money in each transaction; over ten years, it adds up to a considerable sum!
Speaking of this, Mrs. Huo remembered something.
Because the primary school these children attended had always implemented a two-part system, they only attended classes for half a day and rested for half a day throughout their primary school years.
"The couple were too busy to pick him up and drop him off, so they entrusted this task to the old man's orderly, Xiao Ding."
"Xiao Ding originally only needed to be responsible for three meals a day at home, but because of this, his workload has increased significantly every day."
"Sisi, write this down and give them ten yuan every month. This money should be paid by the two of them."
Jiang Si happily agreed, and while taking notes, she asked a question out of curiosity.
"Mom, what is a two-part system? I've never heard of it."
Mrs. Huo was also quite surprised, "Doesn't the Shanghai Stock Exchange implement a two-part system?"
Jiang Si shook her head and thought for a moment that it might be related to the fact that she had attended an all-girls school since she was a child.
At that time, there hadn't been any major political movements in China yet, and their school had always been a blend of Chinese and Western education, somewhat similar to the aristocratic private schools of later generations.
Seeing her curiosity, Huo's mother briefly mentioned it.
"Back then, there were too many people coming to Beijing from other places, and the schools in Beijing didn't have enough teachers."
"Therefore, starting in 1953, most primary and junior high schools in Beijing implemented a 'two-part system'."
The so-called two-part system means that all students only attend classes for half a day, and arrange the remaining half day as they wish.
So that's how it is.
Jiang Si nodded knowingly.
However, she felt that her mother-in-law's sudden mention of this was definitely not just to educate her.
Sure enough, the idea had barely formed in my mind when I first thought it.
Mother Huo then said, "It's not good for these children to rest at home for half a day every day. The couple only cares about having children but not about raising them. In the end, they had no choice but to send these children to the Beijing Children's Palace."
The concept of the Children's Palace originated from the Soviet Union and aims to cultivate children's interests and talents.
Learning these things all comes at a price, and the cost is much higher than tuition and book fees!
After all, the teachers who taught them were basically leading figures in the industry.
I've heard a bit about Jiang Si; the news of the opening of the Beijing Children's Palace even made it into the National Daily.
I heard that they have set up quite a few interest groups there.
There are painting, embroidery, shooting, dance, choir, national band, harmonica team, accordion, metalworking group, fitter group, drama performance...
Jiang Si wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't read the newspaper.
Surprisingly, children's palaces in China have had table football and table hockey programs since the 1950s.
[Important note: This is authentic historical material. Images will be added later once we are qualified to do so.]
Seeing this, Jiang Si immediately asked considerately, "Mom, learning all this must have cost a lot of money!"
"Of course!"
His eldest son studied at the Children's Palace for three and a half years, his second son for two and a half years, and his youngest son for a little over a year.
Putting aside how well the three of them are learning, the tuition fees alone for their studies over the past few years have exceeded one thousand.
This doesn't even include the usual purchases of writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, or musical instruments.
After doing the math, Mrs. Huo said, "It's definitely worth 1300 yuan."
After listening to the conversation between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Dong Lihua was dumbfounded. How could the debt keep getting bigger and bigger!
Su Shanshan's expression also turned ugly.
Even she herself didn't realize that her eyes were now filled with resentment as she looked at the Huo family!
Yes, she just hates.
They've called him "Mom" and "Dad" for so many years, is it really because Tingtao isn't their biological child?
Should we take back what we've given away?
No, she absolutely disagreed!
The money was already in her pocket, and there was no way she would ever take it out again.
To be honest, the couple has saved quite a bit of money on the side over the years.
Huo Tingtao was a college graduate and in his first year of work, his monthly salary was 46.95 yuan plus a 3 yuan subsidy.
After becoming a full-time employee in the second year, my salary increased to 56 yuan.
In his fifth year of work, he was promoted to section-level cadre, with a monthly salary of 87.5 yuan.
Her own salary isn't much; it's a fixed 35.5 yuan every month without fail.
Since things had already turned ugly, Su Shanshan resorted to shameless tactics.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
