0092 Calculation
Tantai Qing hadn't expected this question, but he casually put his arm around her and laughed, "It's alright, it's just for good luck during the New Year."
Jiang Jifan pursed her lips and looked at him, saying bluntly, "I know you don't care about this little bit of money, but I just don't want you to spend money on unimportant people."
Those who are close to me are one thing, but what about those strangers? They also have the audacity to come and ask for things.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She turned around and sat down in front of the mirror. With anger in her heart, her hands moved roughly. She accidentally pulled on her earring and her earlobe hurt. She cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.
Tantai Qing quickly stepped forward, gently blew on the earrings a few times, and then personally removed them for her, coaxing her softly, "Don't be angry. Starting tomorrow, no matter who asks me, I won't give them a single penny. Just say what you want and I'll do it, okay?"
He grew up in the city and didn't care much about money. Besides, the New Year's money wasn't much to him, so he didn't pay it any mind.
However, Tantai Qing forgot that this was a rural area, and perhaps what he did would have a bad impact on her family. Upon closer examination, it was no wonder she was angry. Seeing that she didn't speak, he lowered his head and kissed her cheek again.
Then, gently rubbing her reddened earlobe, he whispered, "I know you feel sorry for me..."
Jiang Jifan snorted and interrupted him: "Who cares about you! You can spend the money on whomever you want!"
Tantai Qing knew that she always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and that she couldn't take things seriously. Hearing this, he wasn't angry. He took a tissue and wiped away the physiological tears that had welled up in her eyes. He turned her around, lowered his eyes, and smiled gently, saying, "My money is only for you to spend."
Jiang Jifan looked at him and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Do you think I'm petty?"
"No," Tantai Qing shook her head and said truthfully, "I'm actually quite happy."
The fact that she did this shows that she really cares about herself. If it were someone else, she probably wouldn't even bother to give them a glance.
Jiang Jifan said he was stupid.
"Yes, I did not think things through today."
She wiped her nose with a tissue, saying as she blew her nose, "Do you believe that someone will come asking you for a red envelope again tomorrow?"
Tantai Qing smiled nonchalantly and said, "Then I won't give them to them."
Jiang Jifan glanced at him, threw the tissue into the trash can, and chuckled, "Stingy!"
The next day, their neighbor, Aunt Li, came to visit. They happened to be there too, so they sat down to entertain her.
During this time, the old woman sitting on the sofa cracking sunflower seeds kept winking at the boy next to her. The boy was a bit silly, and when he saw his grandmother signaling him like this, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Aunt Jifan, my grandma said your husband is very rich, and she asked me to ask him for a red envelope."
The scene immediately fell silent.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jifan's face immediately darkened. Looking at the two boys with ruddy complexions and a somewhat silly appearance in front of him, he inwardly cursed them.
How could such a tiny child distinguish between a boyfriend and a husband? It must be because the adults in the family have been instigating them.
"Hey, you silly kid, what nonsense are you talking about!" Aunt Li awkwardly pulled him back and slapped him on the back, then hurriedly apologized to them, saying, "I'm so sorry, kids just like to talk nonsense..."
If it were anyone else, the red envelope would probably have been given out by now. But who is Jiang Jifan? She's a woman whose presence is so powerful it shakes the ground. With a forced smile, she said meaningfully, "Aunt Li, the child may not be able to speak, but the adults have good intentions."
“My boyfriend does have some money, but it didn’t grow on trees. He throws money around yesterday, and another pile today. Does he expect me to come home penniless? No matter how wealthy we are, we can’t afford to let him run around like this…”
"It's one thing for others, but you've been our neighbor for decades. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Aunt Li's face stiffened upon hearing this, and she couldn't utter a single word for a moment. Everyone within hundreds of miles knew that the Jiang family's daughter was a ruthless character.
Back then, someone tried to bully her and her mother while her brother was away, but she, who was still in junior high school at the time, chased them for dozens of miles with a kitchen knife, scaring them so much that they ran away in terror and haven't dared to go this way since.
Aunt Li, relying on being their neighbor, often caused trouble outside using their name. Because she was relatively polite to Yao Man, Jiang Jifan turned a blind eye and pretended not to know anything.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Aunt Li was too embarrassed to say more, so she immediately made an excuse that she had to go back to cook for her family.
Before leaving, Jiang Jifan still slipped them two red envelopes, but Aunt Li nervously declined, saying she didn't want them.
"Aunt Li, I'm just a straightforward person, please don't take it to heart." Jiang Jifan pressed the red envelope into her palm and smiled, "My mother has been well taken care of by you while I was away all these years. Please accept these two red envelopes as a small token of my appreciation..."
Aunt Li felt ashamed and embarrassed to actually take the whole red envelope. She said it was for her daughter as New Year's money, and then took out a few silver dollars from it to give back to her.
Jiang Jifan closed the door, turned around to look at Tantai Qing sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow, and said with a "See? What did I tell you?" look.
“I thought you really weren’t planning to give them any money,” Tantai Qing said, somewhat surprised.
Jiang Jifan ate a piece of corn candy. The sticky, soft candy chewed a few times, sticking to her teeth, before swallowing and saying, "Actually, she's not a bad person, it's just—"
She paused and chuckled, "People in the countryside tend to be a little calculating, especially since we're all neighbors and see each other all the time. I didn't want to embarrass my mother."
She herself has never cared, but her mother is thin-skinned and somewhat timid. When she was young, she was much more arrogant than she is now. She would always confront and expose those people's schemes without mercy, but the consequence was that her mother was criticized by many people.
Country folk are gossipy and always love to gather together and talk about others. When Yao Man was young, she was often disliked because of her family's children. To be honest, Jiang Jifan looked down on her mother for always being timid and often scolded her for it. But as she grew up, she gradually understood that no one likes to be close to someone who is always prickly.
So she wisely toned down her sharp edges and learned to get along well with her neighbors, so that at least when she wasn't home, her mother could be taken care of a little more.
Upon hearing this, Tantai Qing could only sigh and say, "Auntie has had a tough time."
Then she added that she had good intentions.
Jiang Jifan took a sip of water, nudged him with her shoulder, and said with a sly smile, "So you should be nicer to her daughter~"
The man smiled and pulled her into his arms, softly agreeing.
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