NOVPUB
Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Excessive Consumption
The weather was hot and there were mosquitoes biting. Tong Yao couldn’t sleep well, tossing and turning in her sleep. The obsolete wooden bed creaked and groaned with every movement, its noise particularly jarring against the peaceful night. Si Chen was a light sleeper, easily jarred awake by the slightest disturbance. With an additional person now sleeping beside him, a strange feeling welled up within him. The moon light filtering through the window made him realize, it was the fifteenth of the month.
Chen Yanmei got up to use the restroom and when she returned, all the lights were off. Remembering that Si Chen had just moved in that night, she tiptoed up to his door and listened for a while. Grimacing in disgust, she returned to her bedroom and shook her bedmate awake.
"Doctor Si’s room is making a lot of noise. The bed frame is practically shaking."
"Why are you worrying about that instead of sleeping?" The man turned away and slipped back into sleep.
Feeling bored, Chen Yanmei huffed, turned her back to the man, and tried to sleep.
The next day.
When Tong Yao woke up, Si Chen was already not in the room. She left to clean up and bumped into Li Nuanchun hanging clothes in the hallway. Seeing her, Li Nuanchun laughed, "Younger sister, you’re awake! Doctor Si said you wanted to go shopping. It so happens I do too. If you could, please freshen up and we’ll go together."
"Alright, sister-in-law, can you wait for me for a bit?" Tong Yao quickly grabbed her washbasin and went downstairs, thinking that Li Nuanchun seemed pretty genuine and well-mannered. She didn’t look like the type to cheat on her husband.
Most of the people had already gone to work, and the women in charge of caring for their children were busy cooking breakfast while their children were still asleep. The hallway and water basin area were devoid of people. Tong Yao briskly cleaned herself up. When she returned upstairs, Li Nuanchun had already finished her chores and was waiting at her door.
"Sister-in-law, I’ll just put my things in the room."
"No rush, take your time." Li Nuanchun spoke casually, but she was eager for Tong Yao to be faster. Seeing that it was nearly June, the weather was getting hotter. Mornings were cooler, but the afternoon sun could be deadly.
Tong Yao put the basin in the room, grabbed the money Si Chen had given her, then followed Li Nuanchun down the stairs.
Li Nuanchun was very affable, always friendly and easygoing with everyone. Her words never offended anyone. Most of the young wives who had just moved into the residential area became acquainted with her first. As they descended the stairs, Nuanchun introduced Tong Yao to her neighbors one by one.
"The family next to you is Doctor Liu from the Orthopedic Department. His wife is a teacher and only comes once a week. He usually keeps to himself and doesn’t say much. The kitchen is shared between your two households, but he usually eats in the canteen rather than cooking at home. The room next to his is empty and has no one living in it. The window is broken..."
"The one at the stair entrance is my place. Next to me is the Deputy Director’s household. The one farthest from us is Doctor Zhang and his wife from the Ophthalmology Department. It’s a lot to take in right now, but I will introduce them to you one by one when you have the chance."
"Okay." Tong Yao nodded and confidently said, "Thank you sister-in-law in advance for introducing me."
Li Nuanchun, who was walking beside her, glanced at her and laughed, "You seem calm and quiet, but you aren’t shy or timid. You’re quite active and clever. This kind of spirit is good. Oh yes, I heard from Doctor Si that you want to buy a fan, is that right?"
Li Nuanchun’s cheekbones were high and her face was rounded. When she smiled, her chubby face would squeeze her eyes into slits. Tong Yao started to worry she might not be able to see the path clearly.
"The heat is already unbearable, and it’s not even June yet. There are also mosquitoes. If we don’t have a fan, we won’t be able to bear the heat. " Tong Yao feigned concern for Si Chen’s well-being, "I personally don’t mind, but Si Chen could be affected. Lack of rest can impact his work and he can’t afford to make a single mistake while performing surgery."
Places where many women gather are prone to gossip, especially in an era like this, where people love to pry into other people’s businesses. Tong Yao knew that as soon as she entered the residential area, she was entering a drama-filled zone. She intentionally said those words to avoid being labelled as a woman who loves luxury but doesn’t lift a finger to work.
Li Nuanchun had originally wanted to comment that fans are expensive and consume a lot of electricity, but hearing Tong Yao’s reasoning, she didn’t know what to say. The two of them soon left the hospital. Li Nuanchun was a chatterbox and involuntarily complimented Tong Yao’s slender fingers and adorable complexion. Intrigued, she asked, "Young lady, you’re a city girl, aren’t you?"
"Yes." Tong Yao nodded, steering the conversation back to shopping. "Sister-in-law, I want to buy some living necessities before buying the fan, is that okay?"
"Sure!" Li Nuanchun thought to herself that it was no wonder Tong Yao never used the local dialect; she wasn’t a local girl. Seeing that Tong Yao didn’t want to continue with that line of conversation, she didn’t persist any further. Where she came from didn’t affect her anyway.
That being said, Tong Yao being a city girl yet unpretentious made her quite likeable.
"A few years ago, one would need to go to the supply and marketing cooperatives to buy supplies, and they were purchased using coupons. Now that we’ve opened up and reformed, it’s great. The city’s developed quickly and there are a lot more goods for sale that do not require coupons. You can get anything you want." Li Nuanchun led Tong Yao into the store, chatting away excitedly.
Tong Yao responded absently, her gaze never leaving the merchandise on the shelves. Many of them were well-known local brands from her childhood, known for their quality and affordability. Unfortunately, due to the changing times, these goods had gradually disappeared from the market, and are no longer available for purchase.
Seeing these traditional local brands now brought a sense of familiarity, as if she was back in her childhood.
Having just started their married life together, they needed to buy a lot of stuff. Tong Yao wasn’t stingy with their money. She bought a bunch of everyday items: a comb, mosquito repellent, washbasins, chopsticks, rice, noodles, and all kinds of daily necessities. Nothing was overlooked. Even Li Nuanchun’s eyes widened in shock.
Goodness! Her husband had been a doctor for many years, and she had never been so extravagant with their expenses before. After going through just one small shop, they had already spent over twenty yuan. Si Chen’s income was higher than the average villager’s, but it couldn’t support this kind of spending. Just seeing how they were shopping made her feel distressed. With this kind of spending, won’t the couple get into a fight at night?
Li Nuanchun didn’t feel comfortable voicing her worries directly, so she subtly reminded Tong Yao, "Young lady, you really can’t buy any more. If you do, you won’t have enough money left for the fan. Fans are costly, they cost at least dozens of yuan."
Tong Yao had predicted this already and asked casually, "Sister-in-law, do you know where the bank is? I need to withdraw some money."
"What?" Li Nuanchun almost dropped her jaw in shock, "The hundred yuan is not enough, and you want to withdraw more for spending?"
Shopping once and using up Si Chen’s monthly salary, no household could afford such a wife. It appeared that newlywed wives didn’t understand how expensive household expenses could be.
"Young lady, don’t be angry with your sister-in-law for being blunt, but you can’t continue to spend money like this. You have to live frugally. There will be many more expenses when you two have children in the future!"
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, let’s go!" Tong Yao picked up her purchases and walked out, "Si Chen told me that I can buy whatever I want, I don’t need to be thrifty."
Li Nuanchun: ... Oh my! If Si Chen knew how much she likes to spend, he probably wouldn’t have made that statement. He must have thought that Tong Yao was a smart woman, but it now seems that she is a brainless beauty who even believes in casual remarks.
