The Clever Wife of the 1960s Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Private money

"The five kilograms of cotton this year is definitely not enough for you two. I guess you have to buy some more. You have to spend money everywhere. Why do you need to buy meat when you go back to your mother's house? How can I give you less food when you come?" Chen's mother said unhappily.

"I have become more sensible after getting married this year. I was ignorant before and made my parents worry about me. Mom, please let me be more filial to you." Chen Rou said.

The three sisters-in-law of the Chen family were a little surprised when they heard this. How could this sister-in-law say such a thing?

Mother Chen felt comforted after hearing this, not because her daughter brought meat back to her parents' home as an offering of filial piety, but because her daughter had finally grown up.

Let Mrs. Chen use the mutton to stew the radish, and keep the other portion. She will personally return to her parents' home to deliver it to her brother later. This is a gift from his niece.

The mother and daughter went into the room and were also talking in private. Chen's mother didn't ask anything but stared at her belly.

"She's pregnant." Chen Rou also said.

Chen's mother was really happy: "She's pregnant? When did you get pregnant?"

"I don't know either. Maybe after my last period." Chen Rou said.

She felt that it was very likely that she got pregnant when she and Han Guobin were first busy, and that was why she felt so tired during the busy farming season.

But I didn't know it at the time, until this month when I remembered it. It has been more than a month and almost two months.

Thinking of this, Chen Rou couldn't help but count on her fingers. It was almost two months now. After the New Year, she estimated that the baby would be born around the time of summer harvest next year.

You will lose some work points then.

But Chen Rou also thought it over. She was going to give birth anyway, so she didn't care about it anymore. As long as Han Guobin would not let her and her child go hungry.

Han Guobin naturally would not let his wife go hungry, so on the second night after he went out, he carried a sack to the pig slaughterhouse in the suburbs.

"I'm looking for Lao Yang. Please tell me something." Han Guobin said to the guard.

The guard looked at him for a few seconds, then went in to call for help.

A middle-aged man came out with blood on his body. When he saw it was him, he smiled and said, "Come in."

Han Guobin followed him into the slaughterhouse.

"What good stuff did you get?" asked the old sheep.

Han Guobin spread out the sack, and inside were seven or eight pheasants and four or five gray rabbits, all still alive.

"Give them all to me?" asked the old sheep.

"Leave a pheasant for my wife to nourish her body." Han Guobin said, "You have to take the rest."

Lao Yang nodded: "Okay, will the money be put on the account?"

"No, give me the original ones as well." Han Guobin shook his head.

Lao Yang immediately laughed: "Now that you have a wife, you want to take it back to make her happy?"

"Yeah." Han Guobin responded without feeling embarrassed.

He had often gone out hunting during the slack season since he was eighteen years old. He would give his mother some money, but he never brought most of it home and left it all with the old sheep.

He and Lao Yang have been friends for a long time. Lao Yang was almost robbed and it was he who accidentally saved him. Their friendship has lasted until now.

The old sheep said, "Wait a minute, come home with me and get it. I don't have that much money here."

It was past three in the morning when Lao Yang finally finished his work. Han Guobin asked him for a piece of pork belly, which weighed about two pounds.

The old sheep was also cut up by someone. At the slaughterhouse, there was no shortage of money.

He followed Lao Yang to his home. It was too late, so Lao Yang took him to the side room and asked him to wait. He then went to get a cloth bag with a booklet inside and said, "Let me do the math for you."

All in all, the total was more than 180 yuan, including tonight's payment, so he was charged 190 yuan.

"I often lend you this money for emergencies. I won't take advantage of you. I'll give you a total of 200 yuan." said Lao Yang.

"No need, just one hundred and ninety." Han Guobin shook his head.

"Of course I can not use it. Don't push me away with what's yours. Besides, now that you're getting married, your small adobe house will definitely not be big enough. It would be more spacious if you build a brick house. What, are you sure you don't want to work with me?" said Lao Yang.

He is very optimistic about Han Guobin. This boy is loyal, doesn't talk much, and is quick and agile.

I have wanted to get him to do this for a long time, but Han Guobin has never agreed. Over the years, he has only caught some pheasants and rabbits during the slack season and brought them to me to sell, and has done nothing else.

Han Guobin refused as usual, but the three words "brick house" really entered his mind.

The house at home is indeed too small. He will work harder this year and try to build a new one as soon as possible for his wife and children to live in.

When Lao Yang saw him off, he said, "If we're going to build a house, let's build one that's spacious. A brick house costs about 500 yuan. If you need anything, come and get it from me."

Han Guobin nodded and said goodbye.

When I got home, it was almost five in the morning. It was a cold day and no one was awake yet. Everything was quiet.

Han Guobin returned to his home.

The door was locked from the inside, so he had no choice but to call his wife.

The man was not at home, so Chen Rou was naturally alert. He just called out and Chen Rou responded, and came to open the door after a while.

"Are you hungry? I'll go boil some water and make noodles for you." Seeing that his face was turning pale, Chen Rou let him in and said.

Han Guobin was not cold. He was walking back and had a thick cotton coat on, so he was not that cold.

But he was indeed hungry, so he said, "Wife, please get me some food, I will do it myself, you go back to sleep."

Chen Rou went to bed early yesterday, so she was not so sleepy now. She came to the kitchen to boil water. She first boiled a basin of water for him to wash, then put some noodles in it and cracked two eggs into it. She saw that he also brought a piece of meat and a pheasant. She took her time to prepare the pheasant, so she cut the meat into a few pieces and cooked them together.

Instant noodles are quick to prepare, so he can eat them almost immediately after he finishes washing up.

Chen Rou went to brush her teeth and then came over to have breakfast with him.

Without asking or saying anything else, after eating, the couple went back to bed together.

Chen Rou was taking a nap, while Han Guobin had not slept all night. Now he had breakfast and was catching up on his sleep.

When Han Guobin woke up, Chen Rou had already prepared mutton and radish soup, specially for him to replenish his energy.

"Are you up? Get ready for lunch." Chen Rou had nothing to do and was making clothes for next summer.

One for each person.

As for the baby in the belly, let’s talk about it next year. It’s still too early now.

Han Guobin came over and hugged his wife. Home is still the best place. He didn’t miss home when he went out before, but this time when he went out, he missed his wife at home especially.

Chen Rou laughed: "What?"

"Wife, you are so nice." Han Guobin said.

Chen Rou said, "Don't try to fool me with your soul soup. How much did you earn this time? Did you trade it all for pork?"

Han Guobin remembered and took out his big cotton-padded coat. There was a deep pocket in the coat, which was originally torn, but was sewn up by his wife.

He took out twenty reunion tickets.

Chen Rou was stunned for a moment: "Where have you been? You have so much money?"

Han Guobin said, "I saved it over the years." He then told the story of how he put the money with Lao Yang.

Chen Rou didn't ask him why he trusted Lao Yang, but it was obvious that Han Guobin would rather keep his money outside than with his biological mother, Han's mother.

It's not that he didn't know, he just didn't say it.

"So you're willing to take it back after you heard that I'm pregnant?" Chen Rou raised her eyebrows and said.

Han Guobin was stunned for a moment and said, "No, I went there this time just to get it back. I didn't have time to go there before."

Chen Rouxin thought that this thief had hidden so much private money, and she had quarreled with them over a few cents and even hit her head and lost everything. It was really not worth it.

Now she is the cheap one.

Two hundred yuan for twenty reunion tickets. Considering the current purchasing power, this two hundred yuan is undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

Chen Rou thought that his sweater should be put on the agenda, and the first thing she said was: "Should we build a wall to enclose a yard?"

Surround it with a mud wall, so even if he takes a bath shirtless in the yard, it won’t be a problem, just close the door, there doesn’t have to be a fence like it is now.

"Let's live like this first, and when we build a brick house, we can enclose the yard then?" Han Guobin hesitated.

"A brick and tile house?" Chen Rou was a little surprised: "That will cost a lot of money, and you need connections." Bricks and tiles are not easy to get.

"I know someone who has connections," said Han Guobin.

"I only have twenty-five dollars left. With what you've given me, is that enough?" Chen Rou said, not knowing much about bricks and tiles, nor understanding labor costs.

When she mentioned the labor cost, Han Guobin laughed: "When the time comes, we can just call someone to help. It's free. But the bricks and tiles will cost a lot."

"How much?" Chen Rou asked.

"I'll take care of these. You just take care of yourself, wife." Han Guobin didn't say anything. He gave her the money and got up.

Chen Rou put the money away and started to serve the mutton and radish soup. She ate it with bean flour buns, which was just right for her.

"Our house was just built not long ago. Although it is a bit cramped, there is no need to rush." ​​Chen Rou said.

She knew that building a brick house would not be cheap, so she didn't want to put pressure on him.

"Yeah." Han Guobin nodded.

Seeing him like this, Chen Rou knew that he was just trying to fool her, but she didn't care about him because he knew what he was doing.

Han Guobin, who wanted to build a brick house for his own family as soon as possible, started to get busy.

I would go into the mountains every two or three days, and each trip would take about three days. Every time I came home, I would bring back two or three dollars. After resting for two days, I would go out again.

Chen Rou would prepare delicious food for him when he came home, and when he went out, and occasionally boil two or three eggs for him to take out.

She couldn't help much else.

When Zhou Zhen came over that day, she asked, "Is Han Lao San getting married? I saw someone from the bride's side coming today."

Before Chen Rou could say anything, Han Dasao came in with an extremely ugly expression on her face. She said, "Second brother's family, have you heard that my parents bought me a bicycle as a betrothal gift?"

- Extracting MTL from raw by Du Xian'er (Poison❀Fairy) -

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