Chapter 191 Income and Expenditure
Nan Zhiyi smiled, her anxiety dissipating.
He always managed to see through her concerns.
Halfway through her meal, she put down her chopsticks and said, "I saw there's an empty space next to the grape trellis. I'm thinking of building a climbing frame and slide for Xiaoman so he can play safely in the yard."
Gu Xiao replied without hesitation, "Okay. I'll have Sister Zhang ask the carpentry team when she goes grocery shopping, and ask them to come and take a look."
"You won't think I'm just making a fuss, will you?" Nan Zhiyi blinked. "We'll have to tear it down when the child gets a little older."
Gu Xiao reached out and wiped the rice grains off his son's chin: "It's worth it as long as he has fun."
He added, "But since we've hired a carpenter, why not also make a large wardrobe for the bedroom next door, for the child to use later? And that bed should be reinforced too..."
Nan Zhiyi's face flushed, and she lowered her head to eat her rice: "Then...then I'll have them come to our house to take measurements."
A smile appeared in Gu Xiao's eyes as he gently touched her knee under the table: "Okay."
Xiaoman suddenly mimicked, "Roar!" in a childish voice, which made both of them laugh.
At night, the soft light shines on the bedroom table.
Xiaoman had finished her bath and was being held in Gu Xiao's arms, who was gently patting her. Soon, her eyelids began to droop, and she began to breathe evenly.
Nan Zhiyi spread out the ledger and laid out Gu Xiao's allowance book and various vouchers one by one.
His basic monthly salary is 146 yuan, his position allowance is 60 yuan, and he also has a subsidy of 35 yuan. This month, he received an extra 10 yuan bonus. He said it was the bonus he received after the General Staff approved the plan for the last exercise.
In addition, there were various other coupons, such as 45 jin of grain coupons, 1 jin of oil coupons, and 4 jin of meat coupons.
Nan Zhiyi made a note on the paper, took out a kraft paper envelope, and poured out a stack of royalty slips.
People's Literature magazine sends out the royalty statement on time on the 16th of each month: 7 yuan per thousand words. With a monthly serialization of 16,000 words, that's 112 yuan. Editor Lin mentioned last time that the standalone edition is expected to be published in June, and the royalty income will depend on sales figures.
She lowered her head and began to calculate.
Grains, oil, meat, and eggs cost about 40 yuan per month, which was enough with cloth coupons and industrial vouchers. Since April, we've been ordering milk every day, which has added another 9 yuan to our expenses.
Zhang Jie's salary was originally 30 yuan, but Nan Zhiyi saw that she took good care of Xiaoman and made the baby food meticulously, so she took the initiative to increase it to 35 yuan.
The cost of coal and water/electricity is about 8 yuan per month.
Other miscellaneous daily necessities, such as soap, toothpaste, paper, and ink, amounted to approximately 10 tons.
Nan Zhiyi wrote down the balance in the ledger, a slight smile playing on her lips.
This doesn't include Gu Xiao's occasional bonuses and extra income, nor the royalties she's about to receive.
Gu Xiao gently placed the sleeping Xiaoman into the crib, walked over and hugged her from behind: "Has Madam Gu finished sorting out the accounts?"
"Monthly expenses are about 120 yuan." She then calculated her income, "Our net monthly income is over 200 yuan."
He gently brushed his chin against the top of her head: "You've worked so hard. Writing is tiring enough, and you still have to worry about these things."
"I'm not tired," Nan Zhiyi said, closing the ledger. "Being able to watch Xiaoman grow up, and having you too..."
Before she could finish speaking, his touch turned her ears red.
Gu Xiao chuckled and turned her to face him.
Under the light, her slightly flushed cheeks looked as if they were smeared with rouge.
He recalled the way she looked when she was seriously doing the accounting, her eyelashes lowered, the pen scratching on the paper, occasionally frowning in thought. That look softened his heart.
“I’m going to Shanghai on a business trip next week,” he suddenly said. “I’ll bring you some new ink and lambskin notebooks. I’ve heard the stationery there is good.”
Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "Don't waste money, I have enough manuscript paper."
“Buying stationery for my great writer is not wasteful of money.” He said seriously, his fingers gently kneading her earlobe.
The moonlight outside the window was perfect, and the newly planted roses in the yard swayed gently in the night breeze, sending forth a faint fragrance.
Nan Zhiyi suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, when I asked Sister Zhang to go to the carpentry team, I asked her to inquire about the materials for the climbing frame. You said pine wood would be good..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiao leaned down and kissed her lips, silencing all their discussion about the wood.
His hand slipped inside her cardigan, his palm caressing her back skin, slowly moving upwards.
"Wait..." Nan Zhiyi protested softly during a moment of pause for breath, "I haven't showered yet..."
Gu Xiao picked her up and carried her towards the bathroom.
"Let's shower together." He whispered, biting the corner of her lip, his voice low and husky.
The bathroom door closed gently, shutting out the light.
The sound of water pattering was mixed with faint sobs and gasps.
Nan Zhiyi was still half asleep when she thought, "This person gets up at five o'clock every morning for morning training, how can he still have so much energy..."
The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.
She shifted slightly, the soreness in her waist and legs a reminder of the intimacy of the previous night.
When I went downstairs, Sister Zhang had already warmed the milk.
Nan Zhiyi put Xiaoman in the high chair, and he held the milk cup and drank it in small sips.
She also picked up her glass, the warm milk just right for her to drink.
Since she started ordering milk, she drinks a cup every morning, while Xiaoman drinks half a jin (250ml) each morning and evening.
Gu Xiao said she needed nutrition because writing was hard work, but actually he noticed that she was prone to back pain after giving birth and heard that drinking milk could supplement calcium.
After dinner, Nan Zhiyi took Xiaoman to play in the yard.
The little guy stood holding onto the grape trellis, curiously touching the newly sprouted leaves.
Nan Zhiyi sat on the swing, swaying gently, the warm April sun shining on her body.
"Sister Zhang," she said to Sister Zhang, who was washing clothes by the sink, "when you go grocery shopping these next few days, could you stop by the carpentry team and ask the old craftsman who did the grape trellis last time? Have him come and take my measurements; I'd like to build a slide in the yard..."
Sister Zhang readily agreed: "Okay, sure. You really love your child, thinking of doing these things for him at such a young age."
Two days later, the master craftsman who used to make grape trellises and swings came to the door with his young apprentice.
The master craftsman's surname was Zhao. He was over fifty years old, with rough fingers but dexterous movements.
After hearing Nan Zhiyi's request, he immediately took out a measuring tape and a woodworking pen from his toolbox.
"The slide's slope needs to be gentle, thirty degrees is best," said Mr. Zhao while measuring the open space. "The climbing frame should be 1.2 meters high..."
He then took out a pencil and notebook, and quickly sketched out a draft.
The curvature of the slide and the height of the climbing frame are clearly marked, and even the recommended thickness of the wood is carefully indicated.
"How about this?" The master craftsman handed over the sketch. "Add a guardrail to the slide, use pine wood for the climbing frame, and round off all the edges to make sure it won't hurt the child's hands."
Nan Zhiyi praised repeatedly, "Master Zhao, your drawing is really good, much clearer than my explanation."
The old craftsman chuckled and said, "I've been a carpenter my whole life, and this is all I've got."
He then measured the bedroom on the second floor. "Make the wardrobe reach the ceiling to prevent dust from settling in. I'll reinforce the bed frame for you; I guarantee it will be sturdy."
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