Chapter 65 My sister-in-law, I'm out of money, so I had Zhou Lu borrow some. ...
Li Jianzhi went on a mission and hadn't been home for several days. He was desperate to go home and see his wife, so he took a shower, washed his clothes, and changed into a clean white military uniform before going back.
After serving in the army for eighteen years, this time he wasn't going back to his single dormitory alone, but to see his wife. When he arrived at the family compound, Li Jianzhi paused for a moment and first went to check on the vegetables and chicken coop in his own vegetable garden.
The three chicks are over two months old and weigh a little over a pound each. They look quite delicate. On the other side of the vegetable garden, many plants have started to bear fruit and are growing well.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be able to enjoy homegrown cucumber salad in the summer, which should be a relief.
When it's time to harvest, the family of three must take a commemorative photo by the vegetable patch.
After inspecting the vegetable garden, Li Jianzhi climbed up to the second floor. Just as he knocked on the door, Qin Xiangxiang opened it and pulled him in, sharing the latest gossip that had happened in the past few days.
This is Li Jianzhi's favorite part: he picks up his wife around the waist and the couple goes to the bedroom to chat.
“Zhou Lu paid back the money she owed Zhuang Xiaoman, and she even made a big fuss about it everywhere. Zhuang Xiaoman came to our house and gave us two pieces of chocolate, saying that you should make egg tarts for them. I accepted them for you.”
Li Jianzhi: "It just so happens that I can rest for half a day tomorrow. I'll make twelve for others and twelve for our family tomorrow."
Qin Xiangxiang nodded.
Li Jianzhi inwardly praised and admired his own culinary skills, as someone actually came to his door asking him to cook for them.
"Zhuang Xiaoman used the 500 yuan that Zhou Lu gave her, plus some money, to buy a camera that cost more than 600 yuan. It can hold 135 film, and she said she could rent it to us for free."
Li Jianzhi nodded.
"Let me tell you quietly, Zhou Lu and Zhao Yangyang on the third floor are getting very close. I wonder if she has the ability to borrow money."
Li Jianzhi: "Put a stool down."
Qin Xiangxiang: "?"
"What I mean is, I'll put a stool here and wait for the end." Li Jianzhi smiled and pulled her into his arms, rubbing his forehead with his brow.
The little drama queen said smugly, "You just wait, hehe."
"When the weather gets a little warmer, a lot of family members will gather around the well, and we'll hear more interesting stories then."
Since ancient times, wells have been a gathering place for people to gossip, especially in summer. Even though every household in the residential compound has access to tap water, many people still choose to drink well water in the summer.
Water from tap pipes is often warm after being exposed to the sun all day, which can be uncomfortable. Well water, on the other hand, is cool and refreshing, and tastes sweet. It's also excellent for soaking watermelons.
Qin Xiangxiang had wanted to work the long-day shift at the textile factory before, because she could hear a lot of gossip about everyday life. Now that summer is here, the well is cool and refreshing, and she can also eat watermelon.
"Then I'll have to rely on you, Political Commissar, for all my news from now on." Comrade Li said quietly, enjoying the show.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I've got it covered."
On the other hand, Li Jianzhi stared at his wife's flat belly, wondering if it was a son or a daughter. He wondered if this was a bad form of prenatal education, since the baby was already eating melons and watching the fun with his mother.
"If you're pregnant, it's best to avoid crowded places."
Li Jianzhi hugged and comforted his wife, mentioning that he had called both sets of parents when he returned to inform them of Qin Xiangxiang's pregnancy. Qin Wutong and his wife were very happy and said they would send Qin Xiangxiang nutritional supplements.
Back in his hometown, he had a widowed mother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His older brother was a teacher, his younger brother was a farmer, and his younger sister had previously married someone from the same village, but her husband died unexpectedly. His mother then said she would send his younger sister over to take care of his pregnant sister-in-law and find her another home here.
Because her brother-in-law died not long after she married into the village, his family spread rumors in the village that his sister was a jinx and that her mother didn't want her daughter to stay in the village.
Li Jianzhi felt extremely awkward when contacting his family. Before he transmigrated, he was his only son. Later, his parents remarried, which led to him having half-siblings. Now, he suddenly had three more siblings... This was...
Putting aside everything else, there's also his mother, Ms. Wu Xueyan, who went from a luxurious and sophisticated old lady in Shanghai to a widow in Northeast China.
When Li Jianzhi made the call, he felt a cold sweat break out, but his mother seemed to be quite reasonable.
Qin Xiangxiang: "When is my sister-in-law coming over?"
Li Jianzhi: "?"
"I refused."
Qin Xiangxiang: "????!!"
In her dream, she experienced a similar situation during her pregnancy. Her sister-in-law, Li Jinling, came to take care of her and help discipline her mischievous children. The young woman, Li Jinling, was a nice person, quite diligent and hardworking. Her only flaw was that she spoiled the children too much and was rather doting.
Li Jinling fell in love with a young, handsome, and refined male lead in the local drama troupe. Li Jinling was particularly infatuated with him. However, the young lead was in love with the troupe's star performer, who in turn loved another young man. After his advances were rejected, the young lead accepted Li Jinling, and the two married. Li Jinling devoted herself to serving this man. Later, when the man's first love divorced, he eagerly went back to her, wanting to divorce Li Jinling. Li Jinling refused... You love me, I love him, he loves her—this group of people were in love to the point of obsession. Qin Xiangxiang, her quirky sister-in-law, watched from the sidelines, utterly bewildered.
For some reason, Li Jinling couldn't conceive after marriage, so she treated Qin Xiangxiang's children as her own.
Qin Xiangxiang suspected that the man had a physical problem and couldn't have children, and Li Jinling was obsessed with this guy. In the end, this damned beast wanted his first love again. What a slut.
To avoid her sister-in-law running into a scumbag, it would actually be better for her to stay in her hometown. However, it's not ideal for her to stay there as a widow. It would be better for her to come to the south to find a partner.
Her sister-in-law, Li Jinling, is 1.7 meters tall, and the man she's obsessed with is also only about 1.7 meters tall and has rather delicate features. In Qin Xiangxiang's opinion, her sister-in-law looks better dressed as a man than the man.
Given her sister-in-law's preferences for a partner, she'd probably have a hard time finding one back in her hometown; she prefers clean-cut, fair-skinned men.
"You...you refused?"
Li Jianzhi nodded.
Before transmigrating, Li Jianzhi had seen many heated discussions on social media platforms like Zhihu and Xiaodigua about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts, as well as sister-in-law and sister-in-law conflicts. These included arguments such as the sister-in-law thinking her sister-in-law was too lazy, the sister-in-law wanting to kick her sister-in-law out of the house, and not wanting her husband to pay for her sister-in-law's tuition.
Li Jianzhi also felt that it was better to maintain an appropriate distance from relatives.
"Why don't you ask your sister-in-law to come over for a while? I'm pregnant now, and I feel a little scared to be alone. It would be better if someone else was around."
The news of Aunt Huang next door dying along with her unborn child terrified Qin Xiangxiang. If only someone had been by her side at the time, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Qin Xiangxiang, being a lazy bum, cherishes her life and is afraid of death.
Qin Xiangxiang didn't dislike her sister-in-law. Li Jinling's arrival made it convenient for her to find a partner here. She could ask Liu Xiaoyun to introduce her to a refined male teacher.
Li Jianzhi hesitated: "Really call them over?"
"Yes, she's here and will be sleeping in the same room with Little Fatty for now."
Li Jianzhi nodded and said gently, "Alright, I'll call my sister over. If you two are having a disagreement, don't argue with her, let me argue with her instead."
Every time he watched those mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battles, he despised the spineless, invisible men among them. What's the point of letting the women in the family argue? He'll take over.
Qin Xiangxiang: "???"
"I'll also tell her not to interfere in the children's education. I'll take care of Xiaopang's education." Li Jianzhi revealed a confident smile. He thought it was good that his sister-in-law was here. The two of them could do math problems together, discuss them, and even take the college entrance exam together in the future.
"Hmm." Qin Xiangxiang didn't want to take care of the child. She just wanted to lie down, eat well, drink well, and sleep well every day. However, she felt that Xiao Pang had become more and more obedient recently, and her husband was doing a good job managing him.
Zhou Lu successfully borrowed 300 yuan from Zhao Yangyang, almost taking away all of Zhao Yangyang's savings. 300 yuan was the bottom line that Zhou Lu had subtly obtained from Zhao Yangyang. What a little fat sheep!
After getting the money, Zhou Lu sighed to her husband, "These glamorous city ladies are really not as good as Zhuang Xiaoman, who lives on rice bran. That couple is really good at saving money."
"To avoid any unforeseen problems, I quickly went to buy an electric fan so we can have a good summer this year."
"We've set a date for the housewarming dinner. Yangyang, how much money do you have left?" Chen Ruifeng wanted to show off by hosting a banquet for his wedding and move, and to buy more cigarettes and alcohol to surpass Li Jianzhi's previous extravagance.
But he sends a lot of money home. He recently got married and bought a lot of furniture, and even bought four big items at once: a watch, a sewing machine, a radio, and a bicycle... Of course, these are not the most important things.
Chen Ruifeng bought Zhao Yangyang a Shanghai watch for 120 yuan; but he had previously bought himself an imported Omega watch for nearly 700 yuan. This was a second-class first-class watch, a very rare and high-end item. He was just short of money and foreign exchange certificates, otherwise he would have gotten a Rolex watch to show off.
A high-end watch is a man's status symbol. On a ship, there's nothing else to show off except for the military uniform he's wearing, which makes a group of men envious.
Zhao Yangyang knew he had such an imported watch, which made her even more enthusiastic towards him. When it came time for the family dinner, she would subtly show off the watch, as it was a precious heirloom.
Zhao Yangyang: "Why are you asking me this?"
“Cigarettes and alcohol are quite expensive, so I might not have enough. Could you contribute some?” Chen Ruifeng calculated that he might not have enough money, but he knew that Zhao Yangyang had some.
Let his wife pay for some cigarettes and alcohol.
Zhao Yangyang said calmly, "I'm out of money, so Sister Zhou Lu lent me some."
Chen Ruifeng: "?!"
"You really lent out the money?"
"Yes, I lent it all to her. Zhou Lu's family is so wealthy and she's such a good person. If she had an emergency at home, how could I not lend it to her?" Zhao Yangyang was a little smug. She didn't want to pay for cigarettes and alcohol. She didn't smoke or drink, so she wouldn't get any benefit from it. She would wait for Zhou Lu to pay her back slowly in the future. That three hundred yuan would be her private savings.
Chen Ruifeng was dumbfounded: "No... are you serious?"
He barely has enough money to support his family now, and he's already showing off his wealth.
If that's the case, how are they going to survive until the next paycheck?!
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