When she got home, Old Lady Wang and other neighbors came over to ask about her, gossiping. Old Lady Xia smiled politely, saying nothing was wrong, and went back inside. As for what they thought, Old Lady Xia didn't care. Her eldest son and daughter-in-law were no good, anyway. More accurately, none of her sons or daughters-in-law were good.
After all, if there is any humanity in the world, would anyone not allow an old man to come in and drink some hot water in the middle of winter?
That winter was really cold.
As soon as Old Mrs. Xia entered the house, she saw the third brother with a gloomy face.
"Mom, where have you all gone? I'm starving to death." Chen Xiangbei sat on the stool and shouted in dissatisfaction.
"You're all gone. Even my second sister-in-law, who stays at home every day, is gone. There's no one at home. You didn't even leave me any money. Do you want to starve me to death?"
Old Lady Xia: "Didn't I give you money a few days ago? It's only been a few days, you didn't spend it all, did you?"
Chen Xiangbei: "Mom, what do you mean? I'm still growing and I eat a lot, so of course I spend money fast."
Old Lady Xia: "You spent ten dollars in three days?"
Chen Xiangbei said confidently: "Yes, what's wrong?"
Old Mrs. Xia: "Our family's food expenses for a week are only ten yuan, which is enough for us to eat very well. You eat dragon meat, so you spend so much money?"
Chen Xiangbei: "Mom, are you annoying? Give me some money. Our school needs to buy some materials."
Old Lady Xia: "Buy materials? Buy materials again? What kind of materials does your school have so much of?"
Chen Xiangbei kicked the bag away and said, "How should I know? The teacher wants it. Will you give it to me? If not, I won't go to school anymore."
Old Lady Xia: "Give it to me, of course. I'll go to school tomorrow and find your teacher and give it to you in person."
Chen Xiangbei suddenly felt guilty. Where did this information come from? He just wanted money to play. "Mom, if you go to the teacher, how will they look at me in the future? How can I study?"
Old Lady Xia: "Even if I didn't look for you, your grades are terrible. When your sister was in school, she only had a few dollars in tuition and fees per semester, and nothing else, but she still ranked at the top."
Chen Xiangbei yelled, "It doesn't matter how good her grades are. She's still a girl and will get married sooner or later. That's why you sent her to the countryside in such a hurry. Why should she compare with me?"
Old Lady Xia: "I have so many sons, why should I train you?"
Chen Xiangbei: "Ahhh, are you going to give me the money or not?"
Old Lady Xia took a sip of tea and said, "No."
Chen Xiangbei pushed Old Lady Xia away and ran out, "I hate you. I will never go home again."
Old Chen and Old Lady Xia left the Zhu family together, but he returned a little later than her. Old Lady Xia stared at him intently, as if they were about to quarrel again.
Old Chen touched his nose and went to the kitchen to get some water.
"From now on, you must hand over all your salary to me." Old Mrs. Xia suddenly said this as she stood outside the door.
Of course, Old Chen was not happy about it. Why should he give her all the money he earned? "No, I have to spend money too. I've already given you half, and you're still not satisfied?"
Old Lady Xia: "What do you want to spend money on? I buy cloth for your clothes in spring, summer, autumn and winter. I buy groceries for your three meals a day. I pay for the treatment of family members who are sick. I also pay for the social interactions with relatives and friends. Tell me, where did you spend your half of the money?"
Old Chen: "Can't I just keep it?"
Old Lady Xia: "Where is it saved? How much is saved? Let me see."
Old Chen clenched his fists. He didn’t have any money. He had already spent it all.
Old Lady Xia: "Is it in the hands of Widow Huang? She told me a few days ago that she made a Dacron shirt. The pattern and quality are so good, I've never worn it in my life."
Old Chen looked up at her. She was wearing a gray-green suit that had been worn for years, some of it worn white. He had new clothes to wear all year round, but it seemed that Xia Yue'e hadn't made clothes for him in a long time.
Thinking of this, Old Chen felt a little guilty. But Widow Huang was also pitiful. She was raising two children alone, making a living by making matchboxes. How could a widowed mother afford to raise two half-grown children? Old Chen felt that he had done nothing wrong and that he was doing a good deed.
Old Lady Xia pointed at the door and cursed, "If Widow Huang really couldn't make ends meet, would she have the money to buy cloth and make clothes? Her two sons are dressed better than the children of our family with four workers?"
"Do you know how much that Dacron shirt of hers cost? 14 yuan. One for each of her two sons, so three shirts would cost 42 yuan, and you'd need coupons. They could afford three of the clothes you wouldn't even wear. And those little leather shoes she wears are 7.5 yuan. Do you think they can afford them with what she earns and the subsidy you give them?"
Old Chen shook his head stupidly. He had never cared about the prices of fabrics or the goods in the supply and marketing cooperative. Old Mrs. Xia took care of all that. He just wanted to have clothes and food. After this calculation, he also felt that something was wrong.
"Is she so rich?" asked Old Chen.
Old Lady Xia: "She can't make that much money, but if she has a few more suckers like you, wouldn't she have money? Or maybe a few more men who want something from her..."
Old Chen finally understood what Old Lady Xia meant and immediately swore, "I really have nothing to do with him. I'm already a certain age and have grandchildren. Besides, this is a crucial period for my promotion, so I can't mess around."
Old Lady Xia actually believed this. In her previous life, until Old Chen died, she had never noticed him having affairs with other women. However, perhaps she hadn't noticed.
So, Old Mrs. Xia looked at him with more suspicion.
Old Chen: "Who am I? Don't you know who I am after all these years?"
Mrs. Xia: "So, you should hand over all your salary. Anyway, you don't need that little money on yourself or at home, so what do you get the money for?"
Old Chen: "Then I have to treat the people in the factory to a meal or something, right?"
Old Mrs. Xia: "Then tell me in advance and I'll get the money for you."
Seeing that Old Lady Xia wouldn't budge, and fearing she'd suspect him of infidelity or suddenly get angry and hit him, Old Chen had no choice but to agree. Although he sometimes bossed Old Lady Xia around, he never beat his wife. Besides, she was right; he didn't have much to spend.
He gave all his money to Old Lady Xia, and finally, with some perseverance, he had five yuan of pocket money every month to buy cigarettes for his colleagues at the factory. He himself didn't smoke, he preferred a heavy smoker.
After dealing with Old Chen, Old Lady Xia saw that it was getting dark and started cooking. In her previous life, she had been so stingy that all her money ended up in the pockets of those ungrateful people, leaving her with no happiness at all. If she could live her life over again, she would definitely treat herself better.
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