Lazy Stepmother of the 70s Island

Chapter 56: Heartache

"Ning Xue, I remember you weren't like this before. When I first met you, you were so frugal. When we were shopping at the department store, I offered to buy you clothes, but you said no and wanted to buy them for Guangzong and Yaozu."

He looked Ning Xue up and down, asking, "How did you change so much now?"

Ning Xue almost choked on her own breath. So in Su Junyan's eyes, buying a washing machine meant a change, turning into a bourgeoisie?

She took a deep breath, not willing to stoop to his level. "If not a washing machine, then we should at least buy a fan."

She continued to persuade him, "The weather on the island is hot, and we will definitely use it if we buy one. Are you willing to let Guangzong and Yaozu suffer through sleepless nights due to the heat?"

This time she learned her lesson and didn't mention herself, using the twins as an excuse instead.

Moreover, they didn't need to buy three like the Shen family; they would only buy one. She didn't believe Su Junyan would refuse.

Su Junyan pondered for a moment. "Buying... is also possible, but not now."

Ning Xue exclaimed loudly, "Why? The weather is hot now, and it would be perfect to use it if we buy one."

"Because it's already the end of July, soon it will be August, and then in a month, it will be September. By the time autumn comes, the weather will be cooler again. If we buy the fan now, it will just gather dust at home," Su Junyan explained. "So let's buy it next spring and use it next summer. That would be perfect."

Wait until next year? Who knows, he might postpone it to the year after that. After all, the hottest time of the year is only three months.

Ning Xue was infuriated. Why didn't he suggest buying it when she's on her last legs?

Meanwhile, Su Junyan felt quite satisfied with his plan and gave himself thirty-two imaginary thumbs up in his mind.

He is very clever, unlike the two "big fools" next door. If we buy it now, it will be autumn soon, and it will just gather dust, wasting money. Besides, maybe the electric fans will be cheaper next year?

"Oh right, who is going to pay for the fan?" Su Junyan asked again.

As the one in charge of logistics, he kept track of the accounts very clearly. "I earn over fifty yuan a month, with additional allowances. You can only earn seven yuan a month, with no additional benefits except for some pots and bowls as festival perks. If we buy a fan, the majority of the expense will fall on me."

"Furthermore, buying the fan is just the initial cost. We will also have to pay the electricity bill every month for running the fan, which is not a small expense. And what if it breaks? Repairing it will also cost money."

The more Su Junyan thought about it, the less cost-effective it seemed. He was starting to not want to buy it anymore. "How about we just don't buy it?"

"No way," Ning Xue refused without hesitation. "We must buy it. Ning Tang's family has several electrical appliances: fans, washing machines, radios, you name it. But our family doesn't even have a single appliance. It would be so embarrassing to tell others."

Su Junyan pursed his lips, feeling like he was wasting money just because he was afraid of embarrassment.

"Fine, let's buy it then," Su Junyan said, "but the money shouldn't be solely my responsibility. You also need to contribute. As you said, we both earn money."

But all the money she earned went towards household expenses.

Since she started working and earning a salary, she used all her earnings for groceries, household items, and snacks and toys for the twins. Every expense, big or small, was covered by her.