Chapter 112

Qin Huairu used to call him brother, but now she has changed her way of speaking. She is pregnant and if others hear it, they may easily misunderstand that the two are brother and sister.

"Buy it. You only have one sister like her, so don't treat her badly.

She must have what the city's primary school students have."

Li Zhiguo parked the car in a guarded place, and got out of the car with Xiao Jingru in his arms. He didn't need to hold her hand, as she followed beside him on her own.

He took Qin Huairu to a bag store. He didn't care about the brand, but only the quality and price.

There are many merchants here, and you can still bargain for items that are not under control, but the price can only be reduced by a few cents at most.

"Jingru, take a look yourself first, and then tell us if you like it."

"Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Xiao Jingru held her brother-in-law's clothes and looked at the dazzling array of backpacks in the store with excitement. She was dazzled.

Li Zhiguo thought they were all quite tacky. However, he had the title of designer and all he had in his mind were new models.

However, what we use nowadays has to be in line with the trend of the times, and canvas bags are already excellent materials.

"Huai Ru, you should also choose a bag to put some small things in it."

"I don't need it. I can just sew one myself."

Qin Huairu still wanted to save money, but how could she do it this way? The workers in the factory didn't have such a good life.

"It's up to you. Go pick out two pieces of clothing later, and pick one for mom as well. The weather is getting cold, so we need to wear long sleeves."

He is not here to watch the fun, he also buys clothes to wear. Men should be nicer to themselves.

"Brother-in-law, I want this bag. I have money. My sister saved it for me."

Xiao Jingru pointed at a bag that looked brightly colored and took a fancy to it.

Li Zhiguo was stunned, "Huai Ru, where did she get the money?"

Qin Huairu replied, "These are all the money you gave her. She saved them all. One day when I was cleaning up the cabinet, I found it hidden in a box. There was a total of 1.46 yuan."

After saying this, Qin Huairu saw that her sister did not react. That was good. Little Jingru did not know how to count, so she embezzled fifty cents.

"Oh, Jingru, you're quite good at saving money. You're like your sister, who knows how to live."

Li Zhiguo touched Xiao Jingru's head, then took out money to buy the bag.

This started the shopping spree. I bought two pieces of clothing for myself, but forgot about the pants and asked my wife to make them.

He didn't even buy shoes, as he was used to wearing the thousand-layer soles made by Jia Zhang.

I also bought two pieces of clothing for Qin Huairu and one piece for Xiao Jingru, and I didn’t forget to buy one for my mother-in-law.

The long-sleeved autumn clothes I bought in advance are just tops, which are much cheaper than a complete set of cotton-padded clothes. Only a few dollars are enough.

Since we don’t need cloth coupons yet, it’s a good thing to save up more clothes.

"Huai Ru, do you want to buy some for Guangming and the others?"

Li Zhiguo hesitated for a moment. No one's money came from the wind. He had worked hard to get it. He was very busy on the 3rd of last month.

At present, the two brothers-in-law have not created any value. The eldest brother-in-law has paid a salary, which is also saving money for others.

“No need, it costs a lot of money.

Brother, you forgot that you are on standby and you still receive your monthly labor insurance. There are two new factory uniforms at home, and the fabrics are pretty good. If you don’t want to wear them, give them to Guangming and the others.”

Qin Huairu was afraid of spending money, so she had to settle for the next best thing.

"I still have my factory uniform! I'll keep one and wear it occasionally. I am also a glorious working class person."

Li Zhiguo thought that he had bought it today and it didn’t cost him more than a few dozen dollars, not even a fraction of his income.

Suddenly remembering that he had to pick up his mother-in-law, he went to the three-story courtyard not far away and called Guangming out.

"Brother-in-law, I'm cooking, and my third uncle is chopping vegetables inside."

Qin Guangming lives in the front yard, with a living room next to it, which feels pretty good.

"Let's eat outside at noon. Jingru and Guangyou have signed up for a family gathering tomorrow.

Go to Quanjude in Dashilan. Pick up mom first. It’s quite close to walk there.”

After he made all the arrangements, he went to the yard to rest. Little Jingru was carrying her newly bought schoolbag, which contained pencils, two notebooks, and a lunch box, and she was reluctant to put it down.

After a long while, the third uncle came over and said, "Uncle, this is Jingru's tuition and this month's living expenses. I'm sorry to trouble you."

My third uncle also lived in the front yard, in the first room past the screen wall, which was equivalent to the gate, and he also liked that place.

Li Zhiguo thought for a moment and said, "I'll pay the two dollars and a half for the tuition, but forget about the food expenses.

Jingru is with me, and I am the only one who takes care of her. She also helps with housework at home."

Who knew that the third uncle suddenly said, "Son-in-law, the food money has been given to Huairu every month before, and it must be collected this month. And the rent can't be reduced either."

"what?"

Li Zhiguo was confused. When did he collect the food expenses? What about the rent?

"Brother, I kept the money, but I haven't had time to tell you yet."

Qin Huairu just walked around the Chao Shou Gallery and overheard something when she reached the door. This exposed her trick.

"No, Huairu, why are you collecting rent from Third Uncle? We are all family."

Li Zhiguo felt that he was backstabbed? Not so serious, but wouldn't it ruin his reputation?

What would the villagers think if this got back to him? They would say that he was collecting rent from his own family while there were dozens of empty rooms. How shameful it would be.

Qin Huairu said hurriedly, "It's not much, just two dollars, as a token of my appreciation, but Third Uncle insisted on giving it to me.

My father also gives me two dollars every month, and Guangming’s rent is also included in the calculation.

As long as Guangyou is still studying, he can live here for free.

Brother, our family still pays the old lady three dollars in rent every month. It’s all for Mom to live in, so shouldn’t we make up for it a little bit?”

She got so anxious that she started calling him brother again, and she couldn't change it in a short time.

"No, then why are you still collecting food money from Jingru? It's three dollars a month. How much does Third Uncle earn a month?"

Li Zhiguo was annoyed. This daughter-in-law was very good and knew how to bring money to the family, but she had to be moderate.

"Isn't it Uncle San who insisted on giving it to me?"

Qin Huairu didn't know what to say, she wanted to take the money.

The third uncle said awkwardly: "Son-in-law, you see, I should give you this money, because you found the job for me.

Also, when I made furniture before, you provided food and lodging, and also calculated my wages.”

Perhaps hearing the noise, the father-in-law also came over from the west room. After learning about the situation, he was not surprised at all. His son-in-law was so generous and it was impossible for him to accept money. But his daughter was different.

"No, we are all family, how can we charge money for this?"

Li Zhiguo couldn't scold his wife. They were a family, so naturally his wife was closer to him.

The father-in-law hurriedly said, "We have to collect it. It's just a small amount of rent. It's nothing. We've already collected too little."

As he was speaking, his mother-in-law came. Guangming ran really fast.

After hearing about this situation, Qin's mother was not surprised at all. She lived with her son-in-law every day, so how could she not know what kind of person he was.

But as for the rent, Qin's mother still agreed to pay it. So many people couldn't live there for free. Her son-in-law had spent a lot of money on the furniture alone.

"Son-in-law, listen to mom. You have to accept the money. Including Guangming's share, the total is only six dollars, which is not enough for us to buy vegetables at home.

And Jingru's food expenses also need to be collected, she has a big appetite."

With Qin's mother's persuasion, Li Zhiguo finally nodded.

"Okay, then rent plus food, a total of nine dollars.

Give Huairu six dollars. She can spend it however she wants. I don’t care.

I gave my mother three dollars as living expenses, and she can spend it as she pleases. "

He doesn't touch money anyway, and he has to maintain his dignity as the head of the family and a wealthy family.

As for how his wife wanted to collect money in the future, he didn't ask. The fact that so many people in the Qin family could bear it also shows that there is no free lunch in the world.

"Oh, it's already noon. I'm going to the bathroom and then we'll go eat roast duck."

Li Zhiguo drank too much tea and went to the toilet in the southwest corner.

"Mom, I'm going to go to the front."

Qin Huairu felt like she couldn't stay there. She was the bad guy today, but she didn't regret it. She couldn't let her family members take advantage of her.

Mother Qin then sighed and said, "Huai Ru is not a bad person, but she has been through hard times for too long and is a bit stingy.

This morning my son-in-law said he would take me out to a restaurant for lunch. Guess what, Huairu told me to stay at home and just eat something. But I am her biological mother, and I came here specifically to take care of her.

The son-in-law is still the best, he is generous and caring.

Take the rent and food expenses for Jingru, for example. I can testify that my son-in-law really didn't know about it.

As for the money for groceries, my son-in-law gives me 30 yuan a month, which is far from enough to spend. I am afraid Huairu will be unhappy, so I secretly return 10 yuan to her every month. My son-in-law is still in the dark about this.”

"Why is my sister so stingy? She is far inferior to my brother-in-law."

Qin Guangming is helping the right instead of the relatives. With a brother-in-law, his sister is not so close to him anymore.

Qin Guangyou also said: "My sister is petty and doesn't know how to learn more from her brother-in-law."

"All right!"

The father-in-law interrupted and said, "Your sister is a little frugal, but we can't make things difficult for her. We are all benefiting from her.

From now on, just give Huairu whatever money she wants. It’s what you deserve.

Don't tell your son-in-law about these things and make things more complicated. It was the third brother who let it slip today, otherwise it wouldn't have happened." "Brother, I did something wrong. I didn't want to pay for Jingru's tuition, and I can't let my son-in-law add more money.

You see, my son-in-law has bought Jingru a new schoolbag, and here are new clothes. The little money I gave is not enough for Jingru's expenses."

Uncle San reflected on his actions and remembered the kindness of his uncle.

After a while, Li Zhiguo came out of the toilet and the large group set off on foot.

Qin Huairu also realized that her mother's attitude in the morning must have meant that she disliked her for taking money.

This time, he would seize the opportunity and whisper, "Mom, I picked out a new dress for you this morning, and it cost more than six dollars."

"well!"

Mother Qin had a smile on her face, but she was thinking in her heart, my daughter, don't take credit for it. My son-in-law must have asked me to buy those clothes, otherwise how could you have been willing to buy them?

Qin Huairu always felt that her mother's smile looked a little fake, but she couldn't say anything.

"Guangyou, you ranked last in the exam last semester. School is about to start, and I have only one request for you: strive to be the third from the bottom."

Li Zhiguo doesn't expect the Qin family to produce a high school student. As long as they can maintain stability and improve, that's enough.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry. I didn't perform well last time. I am still confident that I can be the third from the bottom."

Qin Guangyou thought to himself that he must work hard and not let his brother-in-law down.

"bright!"

"Brother-in-law, you say."

Qin Guangming was waiting on the other side. Putting other things aside, his brother-in-law was a street cadre and his superior.

"Well, usually, you should take care of Guangyou more often and teach him how to wash clothes and cook. The gentlemen in our capital city must know how to do these things.

When my brother-in-law lived alone, he kept the house spotless. Everyone praised him. We should all learn from him."

Li Zhiguo is just bragging anyway, and no one knows what his situation was like in the past.

“Brother-in-law, Guangyou and I will learn from you.”

Qin Guangming nodded. His brother-in-law was his role model in his heart. No one could compare to him.

The group arrived at Dazhalan and quickly entered the roast duck restaurant. The waiter was also sharp-eyed and recognized the handsome guy leading the group.

"Brother, is it the same as usual today? I'll arrange a private room for you."

"Today we'll go to the lobby, there aren't many people here."

Li Zhiguo looked around and saw that there were not many customers. It was the end of the month and he had to tighten his belt.

Nowadays, people like to be thrifty in their daily lives and have no concept of overspending.

It’s like if you have three dollars for food expenses every month, you must not spend more than ten cents a day, and you have to save the extra money, otherwise how can you save enough to have a family fortune.

It’s like a student who gets seven cents for lunch, and that’s all he has, not a cent more.

Director Yang of the steel rolling mill only earns a little over 100 yuan a month in salary.

There are very few people who dare to make it like him!
Soon, after sitting down, his wife was on his left, Xiao Jingru was on his right, his father-in-law and mother-in-law sat together, his two brothers-in-law were next to them, and his third uncle sat next to Xiao Jingru. They were all having a great time.

"Serve the food, mate. Bring me an extra roast duck today, and open a bottle of Red Star Erguotou."

After a while, the Erguotou came up first, 65 degrees, a total of 2 taels, it was time.

The process of roasting duck is not complicated, and the taste is also good nowadays. The waiter specially uses a big fat duck, the meat is not dry and has plenty of oil, which makes everyone enjoy it.

Li Zhiguo drank only one or two liang of wine, and the rest was shared by his father-in-law and third uncle, and his eldest brother-in-law also had a sip of half a liang.

He plans to take some time to clear out some of the old wines that are currently in storage, so that he won't need wine tickets later, which would make it difficult to drink.

"Uncle San, if you have time, find me a small stone mill and send it to the courtyard. I want to drink soy milk in the morning."

He suddenly remembered this. He had wanted to buy it for a long time but always forgot about it.

"Okay, I'll go find two and put one over here in the courtyard so you can come over and drink some soy milk."

Uncle San really has connections. He is a carpenter and knows a lot of stonemasons.

Li Zhiguo nodded and said, "Huairu, please go back and calculate it for Uncle San."

"Ok!"

Qin Huairu responded, and then asked everyone to clear away the leftovers on the table so as not to waste them. Her man would eat well now and didn't have to hold back anymore.

After the meal, we didn’t leave in a hurry, but chatted for a while. It was a family gathering, so we had to eat and drink well and have a good chat.

……

The next morning, when Li Zhiguo opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Jingru standing in front of him with a new schoolbag on her back.

Qin Huairu had just gotten up and was getting dressed.

"No, it's only what time now."

He can get up in the morning, but if he has nothing to do, he might as well sleep a little longer.

"Zhiguo, you're awake. Jingru has been up for a long time, thinking about signing up.

You go back to sleep, and I'll ask mom to take her to school later."

Qin Huairu pulled the quilt for the man and said, "It's cold in the morning, don't catch a cold."

"Brother-in-law!"

Little Jingru looked pitiful and wanted her brother-in-law to take her to register.

"Hey! I'm awake now. I'll take you to work first, and then I'll take Jingru to school later. She doesn't need to rush early to register.

From now on, let mom take her to school, and she can go to school with the other kids in the yard."

Li Zhiguo said this and lifted the quilt.

"Zhiguo, you just spoil her too much. She's already supporting the family. How will she get married when she grows up?"

Qin Huairu just said it casually and then helped the man put on his clothes.

Little Jingru was not idle either. She helped her brother-in-law put on socks skillfully, with a happy smile on her little face.

After a while, he put on his shoes and went to wash up.

I looked at my watch and it was just past seven o'clock. Yes, hardworking and simple, this is still him.

"Morning, Damao!"

"Li Zhiguo, the sun is rising from the west. It's great to see you so early."

Xu Damao was washing rice. He drank rice porridge with white flour in the morning and even skipped the vegetables.

"Why, you don't like to see your brother?"

Li Zhiguo turned on the faucet to get some water and prepared to rinse his mouth.

"Of course I am willing to do so."

Xu Damao took the ladle and went back to the house. Don’t get cheated while chatting.

Qin Huairu came out with a kettle and a basin, and she also washed up.

As for breakfast, my mother-in-law was already busy in the kitchen. This is the advantage of having elderly people at home; they sleep less and work more efficiently.

While washing, I saw the second aunt coming out to get water and said, "Li Zhiguo, you have to take Jingru to register. We will go together later. We have to register in broad daylight.

When I got to school, I was able to see Sister Xu. We hadn’t talked for a while.”

"Second Aunt, I have to take Huairu to work first. See you at school! I remember Fengling should be in the sixth grade now."

Primary school in Beijing now lasts for six years, because it was divided into junior primary school, grades one to four, and senior primary school, grades five to six.

Hongxing Primary School is for all grades, so there is no need to change schools.

"It was in the sixth grade. I met Feng Ling while buying groceries. He was still talking about you."

The second aunt didn't talk much, just got the water and went back.

Li Zhiguo had breakfast here. It was actually still early, less than 7:30, so he rested for a while before setting off.

There are many children in the courtyard and many people have signed up. Every family is busy and there are all kinds of life.

"Silly Zhu, good morning!"

I met Shazhu carrying a net bag in the alley. He was walking leisurely and was doing well.

Sha Zhu was a little confused when he heard the voice, but he smiled as soon as he turned around, "Morning, Sister Qin."

Li Zhiguo was speechless. My buddy greeted you, but you didn’t notice it, right?

"Good morning, Silly!"

Qin Huairu was pregnant and could only sit sideways in the back seat, holding her man's waist with her hands, with a happy look on her face.

Li Zhiguo replied, "Shazhu, Yushui also signed up today, why don't you send him there?"

“Hi, my dad went to deliver rain water on his tricycle.

Li Zhiguo, I told you to see Sister Qin off more often, that's great."

Sha Zhu has mentioned this matter many times, but the person just won't listen.

"That's good. Let's go. We'll talk later."

Li Zhiguo was too lazy to say more, you Shazhu are also a lazy guy.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the factory gate. After his wife got off the car, he said, "Huai Ru, after you finish your confinement, learn to ride a bicycle. It will be faster for you to go to and from get off work, and you can come back to breastfeed the baby at noon."

"Yes! I need to learn it sooner rather than later. I can't let Guangming use the car all the time."

Qin Huairu was thinking about the other bicycle at home and had to take it back as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)