Song Xia felt that her son had changed a lot recently. Not only did he know to come and help on his days off, but he also often asked her if she was tired. He bought her a lot of things such as foot bath packs, hot compress bags, and fascia guns. He even gave his daughter, Wei Zhu, jewelry and bags, which made his daughter feel a little overwhelmed.
"Mom, what's wrong with my little brother lately?"
"Finally, he's become sensible. That's a good thing."
"But he probably doesn't have much money left, and the winter break jobs have only just started! The manager can't possibly pay wages in advance."
“Just take what he bought for you. You’ve bought him much more things before.”
Wei Zhu felt like she was living in a dream lately. Not only did her mother dote on her endlessly, but her boyfriend Zhuang Bo was also very considerate. Now even her younger brother had started buying her gifts!
Thinking that she couldn't let her younger brother lose out too much, Wei Zhu went to the mall and bought him the latest sneakers from a brand that young people love. She remembered that her younger brother used to like this brand and hadn't bought any new shoes in a long time.
After thinking about it, Zhuang Bo seemed to be very frugal, always owning only two pairs of shoes and two sets of clothes. So I bought him another set of clothes and a pair of shoes. Zhuang Bo doesn't care about fashion or brands, so the clothes I bought for him weren't the latest styles. The whole set was about the same price as a pair of shoes from Wei Deng.
Even so, buying all of these things took away almost half of her savings. Fortunately, she passed the written test. As long as she passes the interview next year, she will have a formal job and won't have to stay at home and rely on her mother anymore.
She and Zhuang Bo agreed that if they both passed their job interviews next year, they would prepare to get married in the second half of the year. If something went wrong, they would wait another year and save more money. After all, life outside is not as stable as life inside. After getting married, they definitely couldn't live with their mother anymore. Even if their mother gave them money, it was not realistic to buy a house immediately. If she accidentally got pregnant, raising a child and paying the mortgage would be two big problems. So, the result of their discussion was to rent a house near their workplace, which would also save on commuting costs.
Wei Zhu was full of expectations for the future. For some reason, she felt as if she had escaped a huge quagmire and stepped into her dream home.
On the other hand, Song Xia figured Wei Deng was probably out of money, so she generously transferred some to him, wanting the child to know that hard work pays off.
Looking at the payment notification, Wei Deng felt a mix of emotions. This time, he bought things for his mother and sister not because he wanted anything in return, but because he felt guilty for spending so much on Mo Ru while not buying anything for his mother and sister. He didn't expect his mother to be so generous to him this time.
When he got home and saw the sneakers his sister had bought for him, Wei Deng felt a surge of bitterness. He knew that his sister was currently unemployed and refused to accept the allowance his mother gave her, so after buying these shoes, she probably wouldn't have any savings left!
He knew he shouldn't compare his mother, sister, and Mo Ru, but since they started dating, he had spent most of his living expenses and the money he earned from part-time jobs on Mo Ru. Yet Mo Ru never offered to buy him anything, not even a bottle of water. In Mo Ru's view, it was only right that the man should pay for everything after they started dating.
But what is there to expect? Perhaps he was just greedy, wanting to receive even a little bit of return after making an effort.
Seeing Mo Ru asking for a Valentine's Day gift, Wei Deng, unusually, asked, "What are you going to give me?"
Mo Ru frowned as she looked at the message. What did Wei Deng mean? Was he upset that she hadn't bought him a gift? Did he think she had spent too much? He was the one who pursued her first, and her agreeing to be his girlfriend was already an affirmation of him. What more could he want?
However, Wei Deng's attitude has been rather cold lately, so she couldn't directly say that only he should give her a gift. Instead, she first replied with a playful emoji, and then said in a coquettish tone, "What, do you want me to come and keep you company?"
Wei Deng looked at the reply with an expression that said, "I knew it." Mo Ru was the kind of woman who would rather give her body than spend a penny.
He began to reflect: if Mo Ru never changed, could he endure it for the rest of his life?
He thought it was probably impossible because he himself wasn't a very generous or tolerant person. He hoped for mutual understanding and joint efforts, rather than one person making endless sacrifices.
He even planned for the future. If he married Mo Ru, would his salary be enough to pay the mortgage and support a family of three? He wasn't a particularly capable person, and would Mo Ru continue to live a frugal life with him? Would she be able to stay home and take good care of the child?
It was fine before he didn't think about these things, but now that he thinks about it carefully, Wei Deng feels that he probably can't afford to support Mo Ru.
So he asked directly, "Mo Ru, have you thought about the future?"
"I've thought about it!" Surprisingly, Mo Ru quickly gave her answer.
“When Auntie gets old and can’t work anymore, we’ll take over her snack shop. We’ll save the money she gave us to buy a house, live with her, let her take care of our children, and enjoy our retirement. We won’t have to pay a mortgage. Isn’t that great?”
Wei Deng read online that young people nowadays don't want to live with their elders, but Mo Ru is an exception. However, her desire to take care of her mother is probably just a pretense; she really wants to exploit her mother's energy as much as possible!
“Mo Ru, opening a shop is not as easy as you think. We don’t have my mother’s skills, and we can’t endure working from morning till night.”
"Why can't we just let Auntie teach us the skills? And why can't we endure hardship? We even do student jobs, so why are we worried about our little shop not being able to open!"
"Have you forgotten how lazy you were when you were working your summer job?" Wei Deng felt that if it weren't for his mother's connections, Mo Ru might have been criticized by the manager, had her wages docked, or even been fired long ago. He had even helped her with a lot of the work.
"That was my first time doing it, and I wasn't used to it yet."
Seeing that she kept making excuses, Wei Deng simply stated bluntly: "Mo Ru, you can't handle the hardship of running a shop. Not only you, but I can't either. So don't even think about my mom's shop. Besides, it's not realistic to have my mom take care of the children. My mom has worked hard for most of her life. She has clearly told me and my sister that she will not take care of our children."
Mo Ru snorted, "Isn't taking care of children easier than running a shop? Why can't you understand, Auntie? If you don't lighten the burden on your children when you're able, who will have the energy to take care of them when you get old!"
Hearing her speak so matter-of-factly, Wei Deng's heart sank completely: "Are you saying that if my mother doesn't help take care of the child, then I shouldn't support her in the future?"
"Otherwise, I can take care of the child, and you and the nanny can run the shop, but I have to get the profits from the snack shop, otherwise I won't feel secure."
Thus, Wei Deng's illusions were completely shattered: "Mo Ru, let's break up! I may not be able to give you what you want."
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