Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 60: A Calculation That Prevented Poverty

Yang Wuni got up to cook, assuming that Zhai Qingming's family didn't provide meals.

"Wu Ni, let's go to Zhai Qingming's house for dinner. They've prepared three tables and asked you and the eldest son to join them."

Zhang Changyao pulled Yang Wuni aside, preventing her from cooking.

"Oh my god! What am I going to do? They invited us to dinner, and we have to give them a gift!"

Upon hearing that she was going to a wedding banquet, Yang Wuni started patting her thigh and searching around the house.

"Wu Ni, what are you looking for?" Zhang Changyao didn't understand Yang Wu Ni's meaning.

"What else is there to look for? I'll just find someone presentable to give as a gift."

Yang Wuni climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and began to rummage through the stack of quilts. She tried lifting this one but it didn't work, and she wasn't satisfied with that one either.

"Wu Ni, don't bother looking anymore. Even if you turn our house upside down, there won't be a single new item."

"Why don't we just give Zhai Qingming's family five yuan?"

Zhang Changyao watched Yang Wuni struggle and anxiously offered her advice.

"Five yuan can buy so many things! We didn't see Zhai Qingming give you any money when we got married."

Giving gifts is a matter of reciprocity; we didn't even see his gift, so why should we give him five yuan?

Yang Wuni stubbornly continued to toss and turn in the blankets, which made Zhang Changyao so angry that he just stared at her without saying a word.

"Zhang Changyao, wait for me a moment, I'm going to the convenience store to buy a thermos for two yuan."

As long as we don't come empty-handed, it doesn't mean we're being impolite.

Yang Wuni simply couldn't find anything worthwhile to offer.

I had no choice but to go to the convenience store to buy one, so I wouldn't have to spend five yuan.

"Okay! Go ahead! I'll wait for you to come back so we can go together."

Zhang Changyao smiled as he looked at Yang Wuni's little scheme.

A woman who knows how to manage a household should be like this. As the old folks often say, you won't get poor from eating or drinking, but you will get poor if you don't know how to manage your finances.

Yang Wuni dressed quickly and hurried to the small shop run by Wang Wu Niaozi in the village.

Wang Wu was a big boy with a round face. He found everyone pleasing to the eye and always felt that others were inferior to him.

Wang Wu's wife, Zhou Fengmei, had sores on her head when she was a child, which later turned into bald patches.

One of his legs is still not very useful, but the chubby face of the gourd plant always has a smile on it.

The two men were cooking in the outer room when they saw Yang Wuni enter the courtyard, and they knew she had come to buy things.

"Changyao's wife, what do you want to buy?" Zhou Fengmei put down the water ladle in her hand.

He led Yang Wuni into the west warehouse where the small shop was located.

"Fifth Aunt, I want to buy something as a gift." Yang Wuni was at a loss as soon as she entered the convenience store.

"It's for Zhai Qingming's family, right?" Zhou Fengmei guessed immediately.

"Hmm!" Yang Wuni lowered her head a little shyly.

"Changyao's wife, all your neighbors have come to buy things, otherwise how could I have guessed it so quickly?"

See what you want to buy: thermos flasks are 2.5 yuan each, and pillowcases are 1.5 yuan a pair.

A tea tray costs one yuan, a pair of small mirrors costs one yuan and fifty cents, a tea mug costs fifty cents, and a mattress sheet costs three yuan…

Zhou Fengmei pointed out each item to Yang Wuni one by one.

"Fifth Aunt, what did they buy?" Yang Wuni asked again, unsure of what to buy.

"They all bought pillowcases; the price wasn't too high or too low, and they looked festive."

Zhou Fengmei brought over a stack of pillowcases and placed them on the counter for Yang Wuni to see.

"Then I'll just take a pillowcase, like everyone else, no problem."

Yang Wuni took out a two-yuan note from her pants pocket and handed it to Zhou Fengmei.

"Changyao's wife, if you ask me, don't buy the same thing as them."

Since Zhang Changyao and Zhai Qingming have a good relationship, you should at least buy them something a little better.

If I take the same things as them, wouldn't that mean I'm on the same level as them?

Zhou Fengmei took the money but didn't rush to give Yang Wuni change. Instead, she advised her to buy something nicer.

"Fifth Aunt, I was planning to buy a thermos."

I remember it used to be two yuan, why have you raised the price now?

Yang Wuni looked troubled, clutching a pair of pink pillowcases in her hands, waiting for Zhou Fengmei to give her change.

"Changyao's wife, there's a split in one of the bamboo strips on this thermos."

If you really want to buy it, I'll sell it to you for two dollars.

Fifth Auntie likes you a lot; if it were anyone else, I wouldn't sell you to them under any circumstances.

Zhou Fengmei put it on the counter behind her, and it's unclear how long it's been there.

He took down the dusty bamboo thermos, patted it clean, and placed it on the counter in front of him for Yang Wuni to see.

There is indeed a piece of broken bamboo blank below the handle of the bamboo thermos.

The hole, about the size of a fingertip, wasn't very noticeable.

"Fifth Aunt, it's not appropriate for me to give this broken gift as a wedding present."

"How about you give me a discount? I'll use the rest of the money to buy some food for his child."

Yang Wuni used her fingers to pick at the area around the hole in the thermos.

Check the bamboo blanks around the edges to see if there are any damaged areas.

"Changyao's wife, what you said has put your fifth aunt in a difficult position."

"If it's any cheaper, Aunt Wu will lose money; no one does business at a loss."

Zhou Fengmei had this broken thermos when she opened her business, and the purchase price was indeed not low.

She took the thermos back, examined it, and pondered whether to sell it or not.

"Fifth Aunt, if you don't want to sell it, that's fine. I feel this bamboo is almost rotten."

"I wouldn't buy this if it were for my own family use; I'd only buy it as a gift."

Yang Wuni stretched out her hand, waiting for Zhou Fengmei to give her change.

"Changyao's wife, Auntie Wu will give you another dime, how about one dollar and ninety cents?"

Yang Wuni had guessed Zhou Fengmei's thoughts perfectly; she was genuinely afraid that the bamboo blank would rot.

If the bamboo blank is rotten, the thermos is worthless, at most only the thermos flask is left.

"Fifth Aunt, don't ask for less than one cent, and I won't give you less than two cents."

"Give me two cents' worth of candy, and I'll buy it."

Yang Wuni put down the pillowcase in her hand and waited for Zhou Fengmei to make a decision.

After several rounds of this back-and-forth, Yang Wuni managed to collect twenty more candies.

He carried the thermos home and tucked it into Zhang Changyao's arms.

I unwrapped another candy and fed him a piece of candy.

He counted the remaining candies twice, his face beaming with pride.

Zhang Changyao just called Zhang Kaiju and Zhao Xiulan, and they just came out now.

Several people went to Zhai Qingming's house together, and Zhao Xiulan was carrying a pair of small mirrors.

She bought it when she married Zhang Kaiju, and now she's going to give it to Zhai Qingming's family.

Many people came to Zhai Qingming's parents' room, and pillowcases and small mirrors piled up.

The most eye-catching thing was the thermos flask that Zhang Changyao was holding, which made Zhai Qingming realize how kind Zhang Changyao was to him.

After Yang Wuni had taken a liking to Xiao Mendun'er, she took out all the candies from her pocket and placed them in front of Mendun'er and Liu Fengying.

Liu Fengying never expected that anyone would still care about her child.

Looking up at Yang Wuni, he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh my! Yang Wuni, you're quite the smooth talker, even though you're pregnant."

When is the little bastard in your belly going to be born?

You're buying candy for the kid? Who are you trying to provoke?

"We're all neighbors. If you keep doing this, who will be willing to work with you in the future?"