Chapter 102: It’s Too Hard for Me
Li Qian calculated the private money in her hand. Although Jiang Hai only sent her ten yuan every month before the separation, the expenses were less at that time. Apart from subsidizing her parents' home, she would buy some delicious food for Jiang Dong or cook for him. The majority of the family expenses were paid by the public, so Li Qian saved a lot of money at that time.
Although expenses increased after the separation, the money Jiang Hai sent also increased, twenty yuan a month, so they didn't have to spend money on food. Jiang Dong would also go to the fields to work and earn work points during holidays. Together with the work points earned by Li Qian herself, the food they exchanged was enough for the mother and son to eat.
Normally, they are self-sufficient in vegetables and eggs, and they spend more money on buying meat, snacks, seasonings, and Jiangdong's school supplies and daily necessities. However, even so, Li Qian can still save a lot of money in a month.
The saved money is Li Qian's private money. Li Qian thought about the private money she counted yesterday, and it was three hundred and fifty-six.
Thinking of this, she smiled even more happily. After thinking for a while, she stretched out five fingers and said to Mrs. Sun, "I'll give my brother fifty yuan when the time comes."
You have to know that these days, when giving gifts or red envelopes, the most people would give to the closest relatives is five yuan. If Li Qian really gave fifty yuan, it would be a huge sum among the nearby villages.
Old Mrs. Sun was also happy to hear what her daughter said. If her daughter really gave her fifty yuan, it would really make her proud. When Old Mrs. Sun thought about the envious eyes of other people in the village when she got married, the more she thought about it, the more beautiful it became. She almost forgot the purpose of coming to find her daughter.
Li Jun was a little impatient when he saw his mother laughing all the time and not talking about business. He reached out and tugged at Old Lady Sun's clothes, and whispered, "Mom, the betrothal gift."
When Old Lady Sun heard the word "bride price", she came back to her senses. She grabbed Li Qian's hand and said with a worried look on her face, "Qian, we'll talk about the fifty yuan later. Now your brother is having trouble getting married, so you have to help us."
Li Qian looked puzzled. "What's going on? Aren't we all discussing the date? What could be so difficult?"
Old Mrs. Sun looked embarrassed. "Your brother's girlfriend's family wants a bicycle, thirty yuan, and one hundred kilograms of grain as a betrothal gift. Your father and I have searched all our savings, but we only have forty-five yuan. We can pay the thirty yuan and the one hundred kilograms of grain, and the remaining fifteen yuan is enough for the wedding."
It's this bicycle. Our family really can't afford it. Qian, as Junzi's only sister, can you help your brother?
In fact, it was not Li Jun's wife who asked for the bicycle. Li Jun's girlfriend asked for two gifts: money and food. The bicycle was what Li Jun wanted, but it was not easy to ask his sister, Li Qian, for such a big item directly. So Li Jun asked Mrs. Sun to come and ask for it under the pretext of marriage.
When Li Qian heard the exorbitant betrothal gift, her impression of her future sister-in-law soured. "Are they marrying off their daughter or selling her? They also want a bicycle. They're crazy! The food is more than enough. I think thirty yuan will be enough."
Old Mrs. Sun also felt that her future daughter-in-law was asking for too much in terms of betrothal gifts. She said that it would be best if she didn't give anything at all, but she couldn't say that for her daughter.
"Qian, there's nothing we can do. Your brother just likes her. Our two families have agreed that the bicycle will be given as a dowry, so our family won't lose out."
When Li Qian heard this, she knew that her mother wanted her to buy her the bicycle.
Even though Li Qian usually spends a little money, or uses food from home to subsidize her parents' home, she is still reluctant to spend such a large amount of money.
In fact, Li Qian would be quite happy to use Jiang Hai's money to buy a bicycle for her brother from her natal family, but if she had to use her own private money, Li Qian would be really unhappy.
Even if she really used her private money to buy a bicycle, Li Qian would rather buy it for her son. After all, her son is the closest to her, and her brother from her mother's side is not just one or two levels away from her.
Li Qian didn't want to spend money, but she also didn't want to get into an argument with her mother. She complained inwardly, pursed her lips and said, "Mom, a bicycle costs 168.5 yuan, and that's assuming you have a bicycle ticket. It would be even more expensive without a bicycle ticket. It would cost at least 245 yuan to buy one. I really don't have that much money."
Li Jun looked at his reluctant sister with a dissatisfied look on his face. "Sister, it's just a bicycle, how could you not afford it? My brother-in-law only earns about 100 yuan a month, plus your family just split up some time ago, you must have divided a lot of money. Are you just unwilling to help me?"
Li Qian was unwilling, but she couldn't say it out loud.
Li Qian could only say with an embarrassed look, "How can that be? Even though your brother-in-law has a high salary, he doesn't give me any money at all. Don't you know the situation in our family? After the family splits up, your brother-in-law will be in charge of the money. When my mother-in-law gets old, she will live with our eldest wife. By then, it will probably be my mother-in-law who will be in charge of the money again. I don't have any chance to manage the money at all."
It's been hard for me, your sister. The money I just mentioned for the red envelope was all saved up by your sister for several years. Junzi, can you see if your elder and second brothers can chip in? The most I can contribute to your car purchase is 46 yuan. I've only saved 96 yuan in total over the years. Excluding the 50 yuan for the red envelope, I really only have 46 yuan left."
When Li Jun heard that the money was in both small and large amounts, he began to believe Li Qian's words a little.
After hearing what her daughter said, Old Lady Sun looked at Li Qian with a look of disappointment. "Look at you, you've been married into the Jiang family for so many years, and your child is almost ten years old, but you still haven't got Jiang Hai under control? You can't even fight your mother-in-law, and the financial power of the family has never been in your hands. You're really useless."
Li Qian listened to what Old Lady Sun said, and thought about how Jiang Hai treated Jiang Hao better than herself, which made her even sadder. She felt that her life was miserable, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she was soaked in bitter water, and her tears could not stop flowing down.
"Mom, my life is so hard. Jiang Hai has never taken me seriously, and I still control him. How is that possible? Now he is controlling me.
You know my mother-in-law, she is the one who always says what she means. Even my father-in-law is afraid of her. I still want to fight her, but I have no hope in this life.
And my brother-in-law, Jiang Hai, and my parents-in-law treat him better than me and Dongzi. This family is really biased. Mom, I have it so hard. "
Li Jun looked down on Li Qian, who didn't seem to be lying. It was enough. She couldn't even beat her own brother-in-law. She was really useless.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
