Chapter 299 - 291: A Simple Meal
Zhong Yuying and Huang Debiao returned to Shanghai after the second day of the Lunar New Year, and a funny incident occurred just as they were about to leave. According to Zhong Meiying, Zhong Liangcai asked Zhong Yuying for the two hundred yuan as a betrothal gift. Zhong Yuying claimed not to have brought the money with her and would send it from Shanghai later.
Of course, Zhong Liangcai wouldn’t be fooled. Since Zhong Yuying wouldn’t hand over the money, he demanded it from Huang Debiao instead. But Huang Debiao wasn’t one to be trifled with either; he, who usually regarded banknotes highly, never handed over financial control even in the face of his affection for Zhong Yuying. So when Zhong Liangcai asked him for money, it was doomed to failure!
Zhong Liangcai, failing to get the money from either side, grew anxious. In a fit of ferocity, he locked Zhong Yuying and her husband in the house, threatening that if they didn’t produce the money, they could forget about leaving.
Later, nobody knew whether Zhong Yuying had actually handed over the money or not. But according to neighbors at Zhong Liangcai’s house, Huang Debiao left with a somber face, and Zhong Liangcai had a smile on his, presumably having gotten the money.
Huang Debiao was indeed very unhappy. He had ended up coughing up the two hundred yuan because he had to go to the factory to work the next day, and being late would mean losing out on the perfect attendance bonus.
Thinking of the visit to his in-laws, which saw him spending nearly a hundred yuan on purchases and now losing another two hundred, Huang Debiao was so furious that he couldn’t keep it to one place. With a sullen face, he said to Zhong Yuying, "You don’t need to visit your parental home anymore. I can’t afford to keep funding visits to your parents!"
The two hundred yuan was half a year’s salary for Huang Debiao. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. He made up his mind to cut Zhong Yuying’s living expenses for the year in half to recoup the two hundred yuan.
Tian Xinhua and He Chengsi returned to Beijing before the Lantern Festival, while Sisi planned to leave just before school started. There was still nearly a month left before school, and she wanted to spend more time with Tian Manjin. Once she was in Beijing, she wouldn’t be able to come back often, and this caused Tian Manjin to not enjoy the New Year’s festivities much.
The Old Man and Granny Zhao, on the other hand, were quite happy. This New Year’s Eve, the Old Man announced he and Granny Zhao planned to move back to Beijing after Qingming to stay for a while. In the future, they would likely spend most of their time in Beijing, keeping the company of old comrades-in-arms. Though that’s what he said, everyone knew the Old Man probably wanted to spend more time with his granddaughter.
This made Tian Manjin feel even worse. Daddy and Mommy were happy enough, seeing Ah Nan every day, and He Xuewen could often travel to Beijing to see her. But he couldn’t, sigh. If it weren’t for his daily need to work, he would have loved to accompany his daughter to Beijing!