Chapter 108
The propensity to squander money seems to be hereditary.
After hearing about Grandpa Wu’s glorious deeds, Ye Manzhi found the root cause of Wu Zhengrong’s lavish spending.
Wu Zhengrong had only collected the four major items: a bicycle, a watch, and a radio, but he was already labeled a typical spendthrift by his mother-in-law.
Grandpa Wu's squandering is even worse than his grandson's.
He has studied abroad and is at the forefront of fashion.
Not only did he collect the four major items, he also had a camera, a video camera, a phonograph...
Occasionally, when I feel like doing something, I will take the machine apart in the name of scientific research.
But once taken apart, they might not be put back together, so he bought several of some large items.
Considering Grandpa Wu's physical condition, if he starts saving for retirement and publishing royalties from now on, even if he has invested all his savings in teaching and scientific research, he will be able to leave a legacy of tens of thousands of yuan to his children and grandchildren a hundred years from now.
However, although Grandpa Wu is old, he is young at heart. Not only does he continue to engage in scientific research, he is also a trendsetter of the times. Given his lavish spending habits, he may not be able to save much.
If Wu Zhengrong's father, third uncle, and two cousins want to inherit more from the old man, they have to control his habit of squandering money.
"It's hard to say who's at a disadvantage and who's at an advantage right now, but since we're exchanging inheritance with my eldest cousin," Ye Manzhi said, "we should confirm it with him personally. My aunt's dowry house is worth a few thousand yuan, right? It's not something that Fourth Brother can do for me just by saying so..."
"Well, I'll give my brother a long distance call tomorrow and explain everything to him."
Wu Zhengrong didn't care about the family's property. His research at the Military Academy had recently reached a bottleneck. If Dean Wu could own an electronic digital computer, he would do everything in his power to find a way to inherit it.
Ye Manzhi changed the baby's diaper and pinched her increasingly plump legs. She asked curiously, "Does our grandfather really have a phonograph?"
"Yes, do you want to see it?"
"Well, the last time I saw a phonograph was at my middle school music teacher's place. But he treasured it so much that he wouldn't let any students touch it."
Wu Zhengrong asked her to wait and went to the study next door alone to move the phonograph into the bedroom.
Most of the records Grandpa Wu bought were operas, with a few songs occasionally.
The couple studied the large black records for a while, and finally chose a song record to put on.
Following Wu Zhengrong's explanation, Ye Manzhi personally placed the needle on the record platter and then tightened the spring.
The two men and their child held their breath and waited for two seconds. They heard a rustling accordion prelude, and soon a sweet and clear female voice came.
"Beautiful flowers don't bloom forever~Good times don't last forever~Sadness melts away smiles~Tears fall from the belt of longing~"
The singing is nice, but why are the lyrics so sad?
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong looked at each other in bewilderment. "What's the name of this song? Why does Grandpa like songs like this?"
Wu Zhengrong glanced at the record, "When Will You Return", sung by Zhou Xuan.
Humming a few lines along with the music, Ye Manzhi said with a suppressed smile, "Our grandpa is quite fashionable!"
He is indeed a trendsetter of the times.
Little Wu Yuzhuo was attracted by the sound of the phonograph, and his two chubby little legs suddenly kicked several times in his father's arms.
Ye Manzhi stared at her kicking daughter and said as if she had discovered a new world: "Comrade Wu Yuzhuo wants to dance, you should take her for a few turns!"
"I take it you want to dance?"
Wu Zhengrong put the child on the bed. Instead of taking his daughter for a walk, he put his arm around his wife's waist and took her for a few walks in the open space of the bedroom.
Ye Manzhi followed his steps with a slightly awkward pace, and said regretfully, "Last time the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association held a social dance, I couldn't attend because I was pregnant. If I had known I could dance at home, I should have changed into a nicer dress today."
“This already looks good.”
Today is Ye Manzhi's first time going out since she finished her confinement, and she has dressed up carefully from head to toe.
She took good care of herself during the confinement period and has become a little fuller than before pregnancy. The blouses that used to be a bit loose for her are now a bit too fitting.
Ye Manzhi was afraid that if she got fat, she would not be able to wear her old clothes and would have to collect cloth coupons to buy new clothes, so she had been clamoring to lose weight these past two days.
Wu Zhengrong squeezed her soft wrist and advised sincerely, "You're fine the way you are now. Don't try to lose weight deliberately. Just keep drinking the soup our mom makes. The food in the school cafeteria isn't very oily. You'll lose weight naturally after a few days."
Ye Manzhi nodded in agreement and happily spun around the room to the music.
After the song ended, another album of "Songstress of the End of the World" was played.
The baby was attracted by the song and lay quietly in bed without crying or making a fuss.
After several months, the couple finally had the opportunity to dance ballroom dance again. Ye Manzhi wanted to ask the military representative to dance with her for a few more songs to celebrate her release from confinement. However, as soon as the third record was put on, someone knocked on their door.
Grandpa Wu's angry voice came in, "Wu Zhengrong, what are you doing so late at night? Can't you let me rest?"
He and his wife's room was on the first floor, and the music upstairs was so loud that he couldn't even read the newspaper!
Wu Zhengrong let go of his wife, lifted the needle on the phonograph, opened the door, and said calmly, "I'll explain to Xiaoye how the phonograph works. They have physics classes in the Industrial Economics Department, and they need to master these knowledge points."
Seeing him talking nonsense seriously, Grandpa Wu's mouth twitched, and he wanted to ask him why the floor creaked when he was studying physics.
However, thinking of his granddaughter-in-law and baby in the house, he suppressed his temper and said, "Study during the day," and left with his hands behind his back.
*
The family dance was stopped halfway, but Ye Manzhi was inspired and often held dances at home.
She didn't have a phonograph at home, but she did have a radio.
Every night around nine o'clock, music would play on the radio.
There are patriotic songs, folk songs and Soviet songs.
As soon as the radio is turned on, she can pull Wu Zhengrong and dance in the room!
However, after just a few days of leisure time at home, Ye Manzhi received another call from Xincheng Commune, asking her to go to the commune as soon as possible.
The time is tight and the task is heavy for private house renovation. They have to reply to others as soon as possible to find out whether they want to join the private house renovation.
Ye Manzhi has finished her confinement and can go out for a walk, but she still has to feed her baby, so she took her baby and her mother to solve the housing problem.
"If I had known it would be so troublesome, I shouldn't have bought you this house in the first place."
Ever since she heard about the private house renovation, Chang Yue'e has been regretting buying a house for her daughter.
If you deposit 1,300 yuan in a bank, you can get more than 90 yuan in interest every year.
It may not necessarily be less rent than after a private house renovation.
The key is to put your money in the bank so you don’t have to worry!
If you hand over your house to the housing management office for unified management and rental, who knows what kind of tenant your house will be rented to!
These days, Chang Yue'e has been regretting her decision to the core.
Ye Manzhi smiled and comforted him, "No one has foresight. Besides, when I got married, my dowry included an apartment, which is much more impressive than a bankbook with a thousand yuan! Don't worry, I have my own way to handle this matter!"
Her daughter was still too young, and Ye Manzhi didn't want to take the child to a crowded place, so she asked her mother to take the child to her yard and wait, while she went to the commune office.
Recently, the focus of work in various communes has been the renovation of private houses. When she walked into the commune yard, many private house owners were queuing up at the registration office to sign up.
Ye Manzhi saw a familiar face in the group and walked over to greet her, "Auntie Zhang, is your family also going to be renovated?"
"Haha, of course! I firmly support national development. I came to the commune to sign up right after the mass meeting!"
Ye Manzhi looked puzzled. "Isn't your family living in your yard? It's not a private house for rent, so it shouldn't be within the scope of renovation, right?"
Aunt Zhang proudly said, "Every commune has a mobilization task. I was afraid that our Xincheng Street couldn't complete the task, so I took the initiative to come here to support the work!"
The staff member in charge of registration immediately echoed: "If everyone could have the same ideological awareness as Aunt Zhang, our grassroots work would not be so difficult to carry out!"
Ye Manzhi also admired Aunt Zhang's ideological awareness.
While she was still trying to find a way to keep her idle house, Aunt Zhang actually took the initiative to renovate her own house.
However, Ye Manzhi was actually quite curious.
In theory, private houses that residents live in and do not rent out are not within the scope of private house renovation.
After the private houses are managed in a unified manner, they still need to be rented out to tenants. This family has already occupied all the rooms in the house, so where are the vacant rooms available for rent?
Ye Manzhi stood by for a while. She wanted to see how Aunt Zhang would rent out her house.
Then, she saw an incredible scene!
After Aunt Zhang registered the house with the Housing Management Office, she actually rented her own house back in the same condition!
Ye Manzhi: “???”
What kind of approach is this?
Her house is a private property. She can live in it for free, so why does she have to go through the procedures and pay to rent it?
Ye Manzhi was completely confused.
The onlookers nearby were also stunned.
"Lao Zhang, are you crazy? Isn't this just taking off your pants to fart?"
Aunt Zhang ignored the other people's comments and ridicule and whispered to the staff member in front of her, "Cadre Liu, when will the maintenance team from the Housing Management Office come to my house to repair it?"
"I'll register you first. It'll be for the next two days. Go back and wait for notification from the commune."
Ye Manzhi was close by and could clearly hear Aunt Zhang's question.
After thinking about the clue of house repair for a while, I finally figured out why Aunt Zhang rented her own house.
Aunt Zhang's courtyard has not been renovated for decades. It is considered to be one of the poorly maintained houses on this street, and the roof is still made of wooden boards.
To protect against rain, residents usually cover the wooden boards with a layer of felt paper and then pour a layer of asphalt on them.
But in hot weather, melted asphalt would drip down the eaves, revealing the linoleum and wood boards underneath. Over time, rain would drip into the house through the nail holes in the boards.
When Ye Manzhi passed by Aunt Zhang's house before, he heard Aunt Zhang calling on her son to bring a few more washbasins and buckets into the house to collect rainwater.
A house as dilapidated as hers cannot be completely repaired with just some ordinary repairs.
We need to replace the iron roof, buy bricks and tiles, and repair the dilapidated walls...
The cost of repairs could build a new house, so this expense is not a small amount.
But if she registers her house with the Housing Management Office, a professional maintenance team will be sent by the Housing Management Office to repair the house for her family.
When the commune mobilized everyone to renovate private houses, it was said that some private house owners only pursued economic benefits. Not only did they frequently increase rents, they were also unwilling to repair houses for tenants. After the private houses were renovated, the housing management department would unify management and repairs to protect the interests of tenants.
Aunt Zhang's house has become dilapidated to a certain extent. It rains heavily outside and drizzles inside. In this case, the housing management office must be responsible for repairs.
When she rented her own yard, she only had to pay 5 yuan in rent per month because the house was too dilapidated.
And she is not only a tenant, but also the owner of this apartment.
After deducting various expenses such as management fees and maintenance fees, she, as the landlord, can get 40% of the fixed rent.
In other words, she only needs to pay 60% of the rent every month, which is three dollars.
Once the rent is set, it will not be adjusted for a long time. Even if her house is renovated by the housing management office, the rent will not be increased.
Ye Manzhi figured this out and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration in his heart!
For only 36 yuan per year, you can enjoy a fully renovated house and improve the living conditions for your whole family.
Moreover, the money can be spent little by little, without having to spend hundreds of dollars at once like renovating your own house.
This is really friendly for families with little savings!
In a case like Aunt Zhang's, if she stops paying the rent one day, the housing management office cannot do anything to her.
That house is someone's private property. If the owner cannot pay the rent due to financial difficulties, the housing management office cannot evict the owner and rent the house to other tenants, right?
Ye Manzhi once again marveled at the wisdom of the people, and went to the office to look for someone with full admiration.
Mao Qionghua smiled when she saw Ye Manzhi and said, "I heard you just had a baby. I didn't want to bother you, but I have a mission from above to investigate all the private housing issues in the street. So I had no choice but to call you."
"Haha, it's okay. I'm already out of confinement. Besides, we're all doing grassroots work. I understand your difficulties!"
Ye Manzhi and Mao Qionghua were classmates in the grassroots cadre training class.
At that time, she had made a name for herself in the family handicraft industry. When Mao Qionghua heard about it, she wanted to invite her to work in the Xincheng Street Office!
Mao Qionghua poured her some tea and asked with a smile, "Xiao Ye, I heard your house on Xincheng Street has been sitting idle. What are you going to do with it?"
Ye Manzhi smiled cheerfully and said, "Sister Mao, I was once a cadre after all, so of course I have to support national development! I came to our commune today to handle paperwork! After registering my house with the Housing Management Office, I can collect rent and support the commune's work at the same time. I will definitely respond to the call! Now that we have one more person in our family, the family burden has increased. If I can rent out my yard, I can at least make five or six yuan a month, right?"
"Well, your yard is well-maintained and large. It was renovated a few years ago. The rent can be set at around 10-14 yuan. Based on 40% of the rent, it should be around five or six yuan."
"It would bring in more family income, and I wouldn't have to worry about the house. There would be someone dedicated to maintenance and management. Of course, I'm willing to do it!" Ye Manzhi changed the subject and whispered, "However, I have a special situation. Sister Mao, if I register my house with them, can the Housing Authority make some concessions?"
Mao Qionghua asked with concern: "What's going on?"
"I'm attending college at the provincial university, do you remember?"
"Haha, I even ate the wedding candy you sent me, how could I have forgotten so quickly?"
"If I were the only one in school, it would be easy, but the key problem is that my wife is also studying, and the house I'm living in is welfare housing provided by my wife's company," Ye Manzhi said firmly. "After my wife graduates, his job will be adjusted soon, and the current house must be returned to his original company."
"Is there really a need for adjustment?" Mao Qionghua knew that she had married a military representative.
"Well," Ye Manzhi said in a vague tone again, "It's hard to say, but it's probably true. They're soldiers, and once the transfer order comes down, they have to go wherever the country tells them to go. If they're transferred to another place, I won't go and will stay in Binjiang with the children."
Mao Qionghua works in the street and often works with the families of soldiers and martyrs. At this moment, she couldn't help but advise: "Xiao Ye, you can't lose your temper at a time like this. Husband and wife still have to live together."
Ye Manzhi lamented, "What can I do? My family's situation is rather special. My parents..."
She gave a general introduction to her mother's family situation and summed it up in one sentence: she could not leave Binjiang.
"Hey, Sister Mao, when my husband is transferred, I'll have to move back to Xincheng Street with my children. I'll need your continued care and attention."
Ye Manzhi told the story as if it were a true story, and her eyes became red as she spoke.
There was no way, as soon as she put herself in the situation, she wanted to cry.
Mao Qionghua quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "It's okay. You're a military wife. If you really come to live in our Xincheng Street, everyone can help you."
Ye Manzhi nodded, clutching her handkerchief. After calming down for a while, she discussed with her, "Sister Mao, I want to register my house with the Housing Authority, but can we negotiate with the Housing Authority so that I can register it for a year or two first, and then take it back when I return to live in Xincheng Street?"
"That won't work," Mao Qionghua shook her head. "It's stipulated that landlords can only receive fixed rent and can't reclaim properties that have been leased to the state. If you want to affiliate with the state, you must obey the arrangements and let the state manage your property."
"Sister Mao," Ye Manzhi pretended to be reluctant to pay the rent and whispered, "Can't you be flexible on this matter?"
Mao Qionghua also whispered, "This is a unified regulation. Once the list is submitted, it will be recorded in the housing management department. I am willing to make an exception for you once, but if others find out, it will be troublesome. If everyone wants to make an exception and asks for the rented housing to be returned, won't it be a mess?"
"Besides, a tenant has brought their entire family to your house. You can't just let them move out after just one or two years, right?" Mao Qionghua said, holding her hand. "You were once a deputy director of a neighborhood committee, so you must understand the logic behind this!"
Ye Manzhi still didn't give up and continued to fight for the rent: "Sister Mao, how about you ask the comrades at the Housing Management Office for me? What if they can make an exception?"
"There's no such thing as a last resort, Xiaoye. You only have two choices. First, register the house with the Housing Management Office and rent it out to other tenants. When you need housing, you can either wait for your employer to assign you a unit or rent another one. Second, choose not to participate in the renovation. Then you can return to live in your own house."
Ye Manzhi frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "How many young people who have just been assigned to a company can get an apartment? Everyone has to wait in line. And many companies don't give housing to women. I'll probably have to rent a place on my own. I'm renting a room there for ten yuan, and they're charging five yuan here. I'm still losing five yuan in total, which isn't worth it!"
Mao Qionghua smiled and said, "That's really not a good deal. You should think about it again. Your house has never been rented out and is not within the scope of the renovation. If you really have no other choice, then don't register it."
She usually actively encourages homeowners to register with the company, but because she has some friendship with Ye Manzhi, she told her not to register with the company.
Ye Manzhi seemed very reluctant to give up the five or six dollars of rent. He sat in the chair, frowning and thinking for a long time without answering.
"Five dollars a month, that's sixty dollars a year, one hundred and twenty dollars in two years. Oh..." she sighed, "I was thinking of responding to the call to support the commune's work, but it seems I have no choice but to give up."
"Well, let's leave it at that for now," Mao Qionghua patted her hand and comforted her, "Let's first see how your husband's situation is. If he hasn't been transferred out of town, you don't have to live apart, and you don't have to move back to Xincheng Street. If you want to register with the Housing Management Office, you can go through the procedures at any time."
Ye Manzhi nodded and thanked her.
After coming out of the commune office, she breathed a sigh of relief.
This house has never been rented out and is not within the scope of renovation. The only thing that is easy to criticize is that it has been idle and wasted resources.
But she knew whether it was a waste or not. There were still things stored in the cellar. It would be troublesome if she really rented out the house.
She came here today to express her attitude. She particularly supports national construction, but the reality does not allow it.
Just use the strategy of procrastination first, and wait for a year or two.
As for the house owned by Wu Zhengrong's aunt, it was rented out a few years ago, but the owner later gave up the lease after finding a cheaper public housing unit.
The house is very close to Binjiang Teachers College and has been occupied by my aunt's son who is studying at the college for the past two years.
Wu Zhengrong didn't plan to chase him away. His cousin could occupy the house there first, so he didn't have to participate in the private house renovation.
*
After the house was settled, the provincial university officially started.
Ye Manzhi resumed her college life.
However, because she had to join Professor Ouyang's research group after school started and also had to balance her studies, taking care of the child at night was too energy-consuming, so Comrade Chang Yue'e not only failed to retire after her daughter's confinement, but instead stayed here for a long time.
Wu Zhengrong decorated Ye Lai Ya's reception room into a proper room as his mother-in-law's bedroom.
At the same time, the daughter, who had eaten and drunk her fill, was handed over to the mother-in-law.
"Our mother is very hard-working in raising the children. You can give her some money privately."
Ye Manzhi nodded and said, "I gave all my salary to my mother. I'll adapt to Teacher Ouyang's work rhythm first. After a while, we can take care of the child ourselves."
"Well," Wu Zhengrong turned off the light and went to bed, "You don't have to get up to feed tonight, just sleep peacefully."
"Is it okay for her not to eat at night?" Ye Manzhi leaned into his arms and said worriedly, "I'm afraid she'll wake up hungry in the middle of the night."
"She hasn't had her night milk for two consecutive nights. It's just become a habit." Wu Zhengrong vowed, "Don't worry about her tonight."
The couple had a good idea and didn't plan to leave any food for their daughter.
However, at some point in the middle of the night, a baby's cry suddenly sounded next door, and not long after, Chang Yue'e came knocking on the door holding her granddaughter.
"No, it seems that he hasn't adapted yet. Let's feed him again."
Ye Manzhi was woken up in a daze and habitually held the child in her arms.
However, the baby only took a few bites, then grinned in dissatisfaction and continued to cry loudly.
Seeing the child's face turned red from crying, Chang Yue'e suddenly became anxious. She touched the child's forehead and patted the back, fearing that the child would get sick when the adults were not paying attention.
Ye Manzhi was now completely awake. Seeing the child's grandmother getting more and more anxious, she could only blush and stammer, "Mom, I, I don't seem to have any milk. How about you make her some milk powder?"
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