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Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Be careful with the Secret Stash
Si Chen furrowed his brows in thought, and suddenly asked, "Do you have enough money?"
Without thinking too much, Tong Yao shook her head directly, "Not quite enough, I went over by a hundred. I withdrew two hundred yuan from the dowry my parents gave me to use."
People often say that the 1980s were a golden era, as long as you had a bit of business acumen, even setting up a street stall could make you rich. She, a college student from the 21st century who understands economic trends, and can understand animal language, although it hasn’t helped her much so far, and has even gotten herself injured, still has a skill others don’t. She has the guts, starting capital, and making a bit of money shouldn’t be hard, right?
Tong Yao had it all figured out. Seeing as she was here, she would settle down. Once her arm got better, she would go out and see what money-making opportunities there were. After all, she wouldn’t sit in the house and do nothing.
Si Chen slightly moved the hand holding chopsticks, furrowed his eyebrows a little, and his face showed a hint of cold sternness.
After waiting for a while and seeing him not speak, Tong Yao turned her head to glance at him and noticed Si Chen’s displeased expression. She suddenly remembered the word of caution that Li Nuanchun had given her.
Yes! How could she have forgotten? In this era, many people still live in poor conditions, rarely eating meat throughout the year. A whole family might not even spend two hundred yuan in a year. She spent over two hundred in a single outing. Despite Si Chen now having a high salary, he also came from a difficult background. His mother, brother, and sister still live in the adobe house back home. It’s only reasonable that he would be upset seeing her big spending.
"You..."
’Knock knock...’
Suddenly, a knock on the door made Tong Yao swallow her words.
Si Chen was closer to the door, so he put down his lunchbox and opened the door. Dai Liwen and his wife were standing in the doorway. They first assessed the couple’s expressions, then Dai Liwen smiled and commented, "Ah, you’re eating!"
"Yeah." Si Chen moved aside to let them in, then the casually closed the door behind them.
When she met Dai Liwen yesterday, Tong Yao hadn’t known his wife was Li Chunnuan. She hadn’t given it much thought, but now seeing Dai Liwen, she couldn’t help but remember the gossip she’d heard yesterday. It made Dai Liwen seem green and gullible in her mind.
That said, Dai Liwen looked decent, he didn’t strike as the type of man who would willingly wear a green hat (a symbol of a man being cheated on by his wife) and go on with life. Was he really unaware that his wife was cheating on him?
No matter what kind of person Li Nuanchun was, she had accompanied her shopping for the whole morning. Politeness was a given. However, she couldn’t figure out why the couple had come this late at night.
Tong Yao put down her chopsticks and said hello, "Dr. Dai, sister-in-law."
Dai Liwen smiled and nodded, noticing that the couple seemed to be eating peacefully and not arguing. He suspected that Si Chen might not know how much money Tong Yao had spent. He thought to himself, they had come already, and couldn’t leave now. Despite his years of experience at the hospital, Dai Liwen was a man adept with words. Yet, he didn’t state the reason for his visit. Instead, he looked at the large fan blowing away in the room and commented, "This fan’s really powerful, much better than the one in our room. It must’ve cost quite a bit, right?"
Tong Yao answered, "One hundred and fifty."
"One hundred and fifty, huh!" Dai Liwen glanced sideways, at Si Chen’s expression, then laughed and continued, "Such a big fan does cost as much. Did you get everything you needed today?" 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
"With over two hundred yuan spent, how could I not have everything?" Li Nuanchun sarcastically interjected. She had offered a thankless help by accompanying them for the entire morning and ended up being scolded by her husband. If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone out even if they had begged her.
At this point, Tong Yao realized what was going on. Looking at Dai Liwen, whose smile was somewhat worried, then at Li Nuanchun, who looked both wronged and guilty. How could she not understand what was happening?
They were worried that Si Chen would lose his temper over the money Tong Yao spent and came to mediate.
Dai Liwen nodded seriously, "Buying so many things will require quite a bit of money. It’s normal for a newlywed couple to have many expenses setting up their new home. After this time, you won’t have to spend any more big chunks of money."
After he finished speaking, he patted Si Chen on the shoulder, "Don’t fret over the money. You’ll earn it back in a couple of months on shifts. Don’t fight over money."
Marrying a beautiful wife is heavenly, but they can be temperamental and cost a fortune. The wife of Dr. Liu next door isn’t as pretty as Tong Yao and still spends a considerable amount of money. Needless to say, Tong Yao, who is more beautiful, will naturally spend more.
However, Dr. Liu’s wife was a teacher and had a stable income, something that Tong Yao fell short of.
All three of them were watching Si Chen’s expression. Although he hadn’t lost his temper, they all noticed that when he heard about the expense of over two hundred yuan, his eyebrows furrowed.
Dai Liwen thought to himself, it’s over. It’s going as he predicted. After they left, the newlywed couple was likely to argue, and it might even turn into a physical fight if it got worse.
Under the gaze of all, Si Chen casually replied, "No need."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment. They had said all they had to say. Dai Liwen felt it was no longer appropriate to stay. The young couple needed to handle it themselves, "Well, you guys keep eating. I’m going back to rest for a while."
After Si Chen saw them out and closed the door behind them, Tong Yao observed his expression for a while longer, and was even more certain that he was angry.
Truly, money is the root of all evil!
Si Chen had said ’no need’ just now in front of Dai Liwen, but that was just for show in front of outsiders. She didn’t take it seriously. They needed to confront the issue and talk it out.
After some thought, she bluntly told him, "If you’re worried about the money, I’ll pay you back tomorrow."
When she said that, there was a bit of defiance in Tong Yao. Just yesterday Si Chen had said she could spend freely without worry. She thought that she had found a man who was willing to spend on his wife. She had even thought that she had struck gold, and began dreaming of them leading a good life together. Si Chen was promising and good-looking. Who knew that his promises of generosity were just empty words? Maybe when he grows old, treating his wife nicely will turn out to be a publicity stunt too.
It must be said that when women get angry, everything irks them. As for Si Chen, who she had thought was incredibly handsome just yesterday, describing him as a ’human-like’ seemed too flattering a term at the moment.
At her words, a hint of unnoticeable alienation and a flicker of anger appeared in Si Chen’s dark eyes. He remained silent, looking at Tong Yao without saying a word.
Is he preparing to hit me?
In the past, she had heard the older generation talk about their younger days, and there were many stories about couples fighting over a yuan or two. At the time, she had thought they were making a big deal over a small matter. She never imagined that it would be her turn.
Tong Yao instinctively took two steps back, keeping an alert eye on him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" If Si Chen dared lay a hand on her, she would pack her things and leave, insisting on a divorce and standing up against domestic violence.
Si Chen, seemingly perceiving her thoughts, turned his disgruntled gaze away. He then took three hundred yuan out of his pocket, handed it to her and said sternly, "I’ll reimburse the excess. In future, try not to use your dowry for family expenses. That is your safety net, money your parents left you out of concern for your difficulties."
