roccoschili Chapter 194 How to get by?
Chapter 194 How to get by?
Zhou Guoqiang was stunned by what he was told.
Does it make any difference?
Marrying him would just mean marrying into the Zhou family, wouldn't it?
Of course, it's Song Huili who should integrate into the Zhou family. Should we let him integrate into the Song family instead?
Wouldn't that make me a live-in son-in-law?
“Sister-in-law, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Since Huili wants to marry me, she must be going to live with me. My surname is Zhou, and my parents are still alive, so of course she has to take care of our elders with me.”
"Yes, it is right to respect one's elders, and I have no objection to that."
Zhou Guoqiang felt confident again. "I'm the eldest son in my family, with two younger brothers and a younger sister. Oh, and I also have a younger sister who's already married. As the eldest, I can't just ignore my younger siblings, can I? That's not right! I think if I really completely ignore them, Huili probably won't even look at me."
As Zhou Guoqiang spoke, he glanced at Song Huili.
Song Huili was perhaps lost in thought, or perhaps pondering his words, so she did not respond.
Ye Nuan smiled and said, "You're right. You're the eldest son in the family, and I can understand that you want to help your younger siblings. However, your father has a job, and one of your younger brothers is already an apprentice. So, even without your full support, they wouldn't go hungry, would they?"
Zhou Guoqiang became anxious: "How can they be the same? I can't eat meat while they eat bran, can I?"
Ye Nuan smiled again, signaling him not to rush.
“You’re right. If you’re able, of course you should help your family. That’s why I asked you how you planned to use your salary after you got married. But you said you’d give your parents thirty yuan. If that’s the case, you won’t be able to support Huili. And if Huili has another child later, you’ll be even less able to support her.”
"If that's the case, then why did you let Huili marry you? Since it's the two of you living together, you should both work hard. You said you'd set aside ten or twenty yuan a month for the two of you to live on, and I'm not unreasonable, but Huili would also contribute fifteen yuan a month for your living expenses. Do you think that's a reasonable arrangement?"
Zhou Guoqiang was stunned. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Moreover, he could clearly sense that his cousin-in-law was actually being considerate of his feelings.
“If the young couple has 30 yuan a month for living expenses, it should be enough. But I have to remind you that you don’t have a house yet, so you need to save money, right? If you want to have children in the future, then Huili may have to take a break for a few months, or even a year or two, without income.”
Back then, were you and your family of three living on just a few dollars a month? Are you sure your wife and child could survive? And even without children, besides food, wouldn't you two need new clothes and shoes? What about social obligations with colleagues? What about gifts for elders during holidays?
This doesn't even include other expenses. For example, if a woman is pregnant, she needs extra nutrition, which costs money, right? And if either of the parents falls ill, medical care will cost money, right? There are other unexpected situations, which I won't list one by one.
Comrade Zhou, according to you, you can indeed survive, but you should know in your heart what kind of life you'll lead and whether you'll live comfortably.
Zhou Guoqiang lowered his head and pursed his lips tightly. He knew that everything his cousin-in-law said was reasonable and made sense, but he still felt uncomfortable.
I always felt like I was being looked down upon.
"Comrade Zhou, look at Song Huili's outfit. From head to toe, it must have cost at least sixty or seventy yuan. This is the kind of life she lived before she got married. If she continues to have this habit of buying things, do you think you would criticize her for wasting money?"
Zhou Guoqiang remained silent.
He knew he couldn't argue with his cousin-in-law, and he also couldn't justifiably tell Song Huili to spend money as she pleased.
He doesn't have that condition.
Song Huili could easily spend all the money she earned on her own, as everyone in her family had a job and were even government officials.
And what about his family?
At that moment, Zhou Guoqiang clearly realized the huge gap between himself and Song Huili.
Look at where her cousin and his wife live. The couple has such a big courtyard, three main rooms, and side rooms. It's clean inside and out. What if she married him?
At that moment, Zhou Guoqiang felt that he was truly unworthy.
When she left, Ye Nuan smiled and gave Zhou Guoqiang a bag full of fruit, mostly apples and pears from the north.
Zhou Guoqiang declined, since these items were very expensive in Zhejiang Province, even more expensive than the gifts he brought.
Ye Nuan smiled and said, "Take them. They were all sent from our hometown. We didn't spend any money. Take them back for your family to try. Besides, eating more apples and pears in autumn and winter is good for your throat."
"Thank you, cousin."
Zhou Guoqiang felt that he was so weak and insignificant in front of his cousin-in-law that he couldn't even blame her.
After all, what she said was true, and she never looked down on him. Her eyes were always respectful, and she didn't mock him just because his family background was average.
But it was precisely this calmness and composure that made Zhou Guoqiang feel increasingly ashamed.
Especially when I was carrying the fruit back home, thinking about all the things I had brought, I felt utterly humiliated, yet I couldn't say a bad word about the other person.
Song Huili and he slowly walked out of the family compound, and then went to wait for the bus together.
Song Huili is not leaving today; she wants to stay in the family compound for one night.
Zhou Guoqiang took a deep breath and mustered his courage: "Huili, believe me, we can definitely live a good life together. I'll go home today and tell my family that my salary needs to be rearranged reasonably. I'm marrying a wife, not a maid, so I can't let you live a hard life with me."
Song Huili is already very grateful that Zhou Guoqiang has this kind of understanding.
After all, given Zhou Guoqiang's personality, it's hard to imagine him talking back to his elders.
When Song Huili returned, her expression was somewhat unnatural.
Ye Nuan invited her inside, while she went to the kitchen.
No matter how reasonable she is, she is still just a cousin-in-law. There are some things that Gu Hanchuan should talk to her about.
As soon as Song Huili entered the living room, she noticed that Gu Hanchuan was waiting for her.
"elder brother!"
"Well, sit down."
The atmosphere between the brother and sister was strange.
"I don't object to you dating, but you still need to think it through. The Zhou family's financial situation isn't great, but that's not a major problem. If the Zhou family is reasonable, then it's not impossible to date. But you heard what I just said. With such a small monthly salary, and having to give the lion's share to your family, how will you manage after you get married?"