Chapter 55 When will the female lead, Lin Xiuqin, arrive?
Qin Xiangxiang had no idea that this was blatant overspending.
But Li Jianzhi's words also make sense. Since we'll have to buy it in four months anyway, we might as well buy it now and pay for it later.
You can save up for four months before buying it, and maybe then you won't want to buy it anymore.
Li Jianzhi: "I think a camera is still very important. After buying one, you only need one roll of film a month. If you save some money, you can take sixteen photos. With your own camera, you can take a picture anytime, anywhere at home."
Qin Xiangxiang said blankly, "Taking a picture anytime, anywhere, you... that's too extravagant."
Meeting such a man, Qin Xiangxiang almost felt like she had become a "simple" person.
"Buy it. Think about it, you're very photogenic, and I really want to take your picture myself."
Qin Xiangxiang rolled her eyes and lay down on the bed. She covered her ears, not wanting to hear Li Jianzhi speak at all.
If her mother, Zhou Aodong, were here at that moment, she would have given them a good scolding instead of being subtly tempted like she was.
"Wife? Think about it?" Li Jianzhi couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her lying flat on her back.
His wife is so virtuous and lovely! She's a great homemaker!
"The more you act like this, the more it breaks my heart." Li Jianzhi reached out and wiped her cheek. "Why is my wife so reluctant to buy things?"
"Think about it, you don't have to be so considerate, you can be a little willful."
Qin Xiangxiang felt a headache coming on after hearing his words. Her goal was simply to be "fond of eating and lazy." If she wanted to buy other things, she would have to find a way to get money. Either she would be stingy and frugal, which would contradict her "fond of eating"; or she would try to earn some extra money, or she could go to the Mingzhou Textile Factory, where she could earn an extra hundred yuan a month... But that would contradict her "lazy".
Now that we have food, drink, and shelter, why make ourselves so tired?
"Is a camera absolutely necessary? You bastard." Qin Xiangxiang lightly slapped the man's face twice more, trying to bring him to his senses.
"I want to make your life more comfortable."
Qin Xiangxiang thought sadly: You want to make me even more tired.
Her mother said that even the idea of her being recognized as an outstanding cadre couldn't shake her determination to be a lazy bum, but when Li Jianzhi said he wanted to buy a camera, she broke through her defenses.
"You still need to save your money. Save it up to buy me a piano later... I get 110 yuan a month here, and after expenses I can save 40 yuan a month. Sigh, it's going to get hot soon, do you remember that Comrade Li doesn't have an electric fan?"
"I only brought an old table fan with me. Although Aunt Huang next door said that it's not too hot on the island in the summer and there's a sea breeze at night, the afternoons are still unbearable." Qin Xiangxiang remembered the year she came to the island in her dream, which was 1971. That year, the island experienced a scorching heat, with the highest temperature reaching 38 degrees Celsius, close to 40 degrees Celsius, which was enough to melt people.
Even without extreme heat on the island, the 30-degree weather feels a bit humid and hot. It's hard to stand without an electric fan, but wouldn't it be better to have one to prevent the children from getting heat rash?
And she wanted a standing fan.
Li Jianzhi frowned: "You're right to remind me. It's true, we're missing an electric fan at home."
Even if it's cool at night, it's hot during the day, especially when you have to cook over a fire in the kitchen. Having a fan blowing on you is always more comfortable.
And home appliances in that era were... ridiculously expensive. A floor fan cost over two hundred yuan, more than his monthly salary—the prices were truly outrageous. Fifty years later, a floor fan could be bought for a little over one hundred yuan, while the average person's salary was several thousand yuan. By then, fewer people used electric fans, and every household used air conditioning.
Li Jianzhi put his arm around his wife's shoulder and felt that the young couple really needed to be frugal. "Why don't we call Dad and ask him to help us buy enough parts at the Central Department Store when he has time, so we can assemble a standing fan ourselves?"
Qin Xiangxiang looked at him in surprise.
The Central Department Store in Shanghai is a special place. It sells all kinds of industrial products without any industrial ration coupons. Defective products from various factories in Shanghai are all sold here at discounted prices to the public. In particular, unpackaged batteries are very cheap. Many people wait at the door, just waiting to come in and grab batteries when it opens.
In addition, since the 1950s, Central Department Store has also been a large repair center. Many imported products need repair, and since there are no repair shops elsewhere, people can only try their luck at Central Department Store. As a result, a large number of repairmen have been concentrated here to this day.
Residents come here to repair radios, electric fans, and bicycles. As a result, this place is a hub for all kinds of repair parts. Many old parts that have been replaced are still usable and are sold at a discount to citizens who are willing to accept old parts.
Many people from poor families come to the Central Market to hunt for bargains, buying used parts and assembling their own radios for only a dozen yuan. Those who can't afford bicycles come here and wait for a few months to buy bicycle parts and assemble their own for only a few dozen yuan.
Li Jianzhi thought that if his father-in-law in Shanghai had a lot of free time, he could go to the Central Department Store a few more times to help buy all the parts for the floor fan, and he would assemble it himself.
Qin Xiangxiang: "Can you pretend on your own?"
“I can assemble it if I have the parts.” Li Jianzhi thought that a floor fan was a very simple thing, and he could also repair and assemble bicycles. Even if he was not familiar with the machine parts of this era, he could just look them up in a book.
In the 1970s and 80s, while other things were scarce, self-study books were plentiful. These books were very detailed and even included illustrations. Li Jianzhi even saw a self-study book on shaving, which included various hairstyles, how to cut them, and which hairstyles suited different face shapes. This self-study book on shaving had detailed operating steps.
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Then I'll ask my dad to keep an eye on it."
"If that's the case, buying more parts is fine. My parents also need a floor fan, so we can assemble another one."
Assembling one yourself costs at most a few dozen yuan, while buying a brand new one costs two or three hundred yuan. For the price of a new floor fan, you can assemble four or five floor fans.
Qin Xiangxiang: "Li Jianzhi, could you assemble the camera too?"
Li Jianzhi thought to himself, "I can't be Doraemon. As for cameras, the accessories are expensive and hard to find. The most basic thing I can do is make a cardboard pinhole camera—but taking that out to take pictures is just ridiculous."
Assembling a decent camera requires precision instruments for adjustment and calibration, which can only be found in certain factories. Ordinary electric fans, on the other hand, do not require fine calibration. Once they are properly assembled, they can be used, and even if there is some noise, it doesn't matter.
"Think about it, we buy a camera, assemble a floor fan ourselves, and if we have extra parts, we can install a table fan... We can install another table fan, so we need at least three fans in the house."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Huh?"
"Isn't it enough for my husband and me to take one, and for Little Fatty to take one?"
"We need one more in the living room."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Huh?!?!?!"
Qin Xiangxiang originally thought that it was already excessive for her to ask for a standing fan, but this man in front of her actually wanted to put one in the living room. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?
"I'll ask my father-in-law to buy some more parts. I also want to install an exhaust fan in the kitchen." Li Jianzhi knew that the living room fan was optional, but the kitchen exhaust fan was essential. The kitchen fumes were harmful to health, so he wanted to install a simple exhaust fan.
Qin Xiangxiang turned over, closed her eyes, and didn't want to talk to him. Oh no, now she also felt that the kitchen needed a special electric fan to blow away the cooking fumes.
I closed my eyes and felt that I died peacefully.
She clearly came here to live a life of leisure and comfort, and she was indeed living a little better than before. However, after living this kind of life, she developed other needs.
"I promised Sister-in-law Xiaoyun that I would do some handicrafts for the teachers at their school, such as making a false collar, half a pound of brown sugar, and three pounds of noodles."
Qin Xiangxiang sighed sadly and looked at Li Jianzhi with resentment. She wondered if this guy would ask her to go to work or do some sewing and mending to supplement the family income.
If he dares to say those things, I'll slap him a few times and tell him to keep dreaming.
Li Jianzhi: "This... don't overwork yourself."
“I won’t tire myself out. I told her I’ll only take three jobs a month at most, just to earn some extra money for food, not much.”
Li Jianzhi: "Then I'll ask my father-in-law to buy more parts. If we assemble a lot of things, we can ask our relatives and friends in Shanghai if they need any. We should be able to earn a dozen or so yuan in labor fees."
This method can only occasionally supplement household income. Unless the individual economy emerges after 1979, it is not very safe. Charging a friend a small fee for assembling parts is reasonable. Many repairmen do this, but it is not allowed to do it too often.
"The best way to earn extra money is through writing. Let me see if I can write something to make money." Li Jianzhi's father was a professor of Chinese literature. Influenced by his father, Li Jianzhi's writing skills are not too bad. In addition, with the influence of exam essay writing, it should not be a problem for him to produce a number of beautiful essays.
Qin Xiangxiang: "???"
"Actually... I can also earn some money for my family by drawing." Qin Xiangxiang had studied piano since elementary school, and naturally she had also studied painting, otherwise she wouldn't know any art students. But she felt that studying art was too boring and she was too lazy to practice. Some friends also asked her to take on some drawing jobs.
A friend said that people like Qin Xiangxiang, who don't have the time or energy for art, can actually supplement their family income through painting because they don't pursue self-improvement and don't need to practice much in their daily lives. However, painting supplies are very "expensive".
Actually... if you have a camera at home, you can rent it out. People who use the camera will give you a gift in return, which is at least a subsidy.
“It’s too hard to earn this money. I’ll do it first. You can try it when you’re really short of money.” Li Jianzhi decided to write some articles to supplement the family income. Writing articles was easier than other things.
Qin Xiangxiang nodded. If that was the case, then she would happily lie down.
"Li Jianzhi, we need to buy a camera!"
"We need to install a fan!"
...
Qin Xiangxiang rubbed her chin like a little otter. Life is getting better and better. There's a camera at home, and three fans, plus an exhaust fan in the kitchen!
This is so awesome!
When will the female lead, Lin Xiuqin, arrive? The female lead hasn't even arrived yet, and the spoiled supporting character, Qin Xiangxiang, is already living such a good life. That's too good!
The little devil stretched out her foot and kicked the man's waist hard, "Li Jianzhi, give me a shoulder massage."
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