Chapter 18: Prosperity and Conflict
After the family split, everyone still lived together, but they ate separately. The kitchen was now reserved for them, while Grandma Yang and the others used the kitchen that had been allocated to Yang Jianguo during the division. When the family split, Yang Jianguo had taken the rooms closest to the road, so even if Li Guizhen wanted to open a separate door, it wasn’t possible.
In reality, the division of the family didn’t necessarily make things better. They grew their own rice, so at least they didn’t have to buy that. But everything else like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar had to be purchased. At this time, there were no refrigerators, so aside from the vegetables grown in the fields, everything else had to be bought daily.
When both Yang Jianjun and Li Guizhen were busy, there was no one to cook at home, leaving Yang Jiabo without a proper meal. Grandpa Zhang wanted to invite Yang Jiabo over to eat, but Grandma Yang wouldn’t allow it. Li Guizhen and Grandma Yang were on bad terms, and Grandma Yang who was still holding a grudge, treated both Yang Jianjun and Yang Jiabo coldly.
In situations like this, if Yang Jiabo had been a little thicker-skinned, he could have easily mooched meals. Grandma Yang might have scolded him a bit, but she would never have refused to feed him. However, Yang Jiabo could be stubborn at times, and he preferred to go through the trouble of cooking noodles himself.
During these times, Yang Jiabo particularly missed electric stoves, rice cookers, and other appliances. Unfortunately, even an electric frying pan was still a year away. Sometimes, when Yang Jiabo was too lazy to start a fire, he would simply pour hot water over cold rice and eat it with pickles.
Before the family split, there were frictions and conflicts among everyone. After the split, no one seemed to be any better off. Grandpa Yang sat on the stone steps at the entrance of the main room smoking more often, and the wrinkles on his face deepened. Occasionally, a trace of confusion and sadness could be seen in his weathered eyes.
Grandma Yang seized every opportunity to curse Yang Jianjun’s family, with Li Guizhen being the main target. Li Guizhen was not one to tolerate such treatment, would engage in heated arguments with her mother-in-law whenever she overheard.
With the family split, it also meant that Yang Jianjun would hand over his salary to Li Guizhen. Realizing this, Yang Jiabo felt uneasy. Taking advantage of Li Guizhen’s absence, he initiated a father-son conversation.
“Dad, will you be giving your salary to Mom from now on?” Yang Jiabo asked seriously.
“Yes, from now on, if Jiajia wants to eat something, just ask Mom to buy it for you,” Yang Jianjun replied. As a traditional and honest man, he saw nothing wrong with handing over his salary and had never considered keeping a secret stash of money.
Yang Jiabo pouted, looking aggrieved. “She definitely won’t be willing. Forget about me, let’s talk about you, Dad. Mom will definitely limit your pocket money too, just like she does with me. You’ll be tightly controlled.”
Yang Jianjun chuckled. “Your pocket money has been restored, hasn’t it?”
“I’m just making a comparison. Even though you don’t smoke or drink, you’re an adult. What if Mom only gives you enough for breakfast, and you run into relatives or friends and want to treat them, but you don’t have any money? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Or, if a friend gets married and everyone gives 50 yuan, but Mom only gives you 20 yuan for the gift, wouldn’t that be humiliating? And what if you pick me up from school, and I want chocolate, but you don’t have any money to buy it…” Yang Jiabo listed several examples, all of which had happened before.
Yang Jianjun, however, didn’t take it seriously. His understanding of Li Guizhen wasn’t deep enough, and he thought Yang Jiabo was just worried about not getting chocolate. He smiled and patted his son’s head. “You’re always thinking about sweets. It’s impressive how much you can come up with just for a bite of something sweet.”
“No, no, Dad, can you focus on the main point? I’m not really talking about chocolate. I just want you to save some private money and not hand everything over to Mom.” Yang Jiabo’s heart was breaking. He felt like his image for this lifetime was going to be ruined by sweets, just like his perfect teeth had been ruined by sweets in his past life.
“Alright, alright, Dad gets it. From now on, every time I get my salary, I’ll give you five yuan first. You can save it and spend it wisely.”
Yang Jianjun knew how to secretly give his son pocket money but didn’t think to keep some for himself.
Faced with such an honest and straightforward father, what else could Yang Jiabo say? He was desperate! All he could do was try to coax more pocket money out of his dad and save it, so he could generously hand it over when his dad was in a tight spot.
But would his dad ever truly understand the importance of having private savings and develop the “good” habit of keeping some money aside? Sigh, for his dad’s sake, Yang Jiabo was really worrying himself sick. Being a good dad wasn’t easy, and being a good son wasn’t easy either.
Actually, his mom also gave him a lot to worry about, but she was someone who never shortchanged herself. As long as she didn’t do anything stupid or reckless, things should be fine, right? Yang Jiabo wasn’t entirely sure, but his relationship with his mom was distant, so he didn’t have much to worry about.
Not long after, what Yang Jiabo had predicted came true. Li Guizhen only gave Yang Jianjun 1.5 yuan a day for pocket money, just enough for a bowl of rice noodles, or a bowl of soy milk and two fried dough sticks. If he wanted steamed buns, he’d be short by 50 cents.
One day, while having breakfast, Yang Jianjun ran into Yang Meizhen. He initially wanted to pay for both of them, but his empty pockets reminded him of Yang Jiabo’s words. However, he didn’t think much of it. As Yang Jiabo would say, he just hadn’t experienced enough to fully understand.
Before they knew it, Spring Festival arrived, and Yang Jiabo’s illness was finally cured. It was a joyous occasion, he no longer had to take medicine. He would never tell anyone that he actually liked the sweet medicines, like watermelon frost.
[Watermelon Frost (西瓜霜, xī guā shuāng): a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used primarily to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers, and other oral inflammations. It’s made from a mixture of natural ingredients, including watermelon rind, mint, borneol, and borax]
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