Chapter 19: Being Greedy for Cheap Things
Fang Pingying suppressed a sneer. The moment Zhou Yunmei opened her mouth, she knew that it wasn't just a simple matter of making a bowl cabinet; in fact, Zhou Yunmei wanted someone to give her one for free.
Even if someone is a carpenter and has some leftover scraps from woodworking, they couldn't possibly have enough left over to make a whole bowl cabinet. This request was clearly asking for a handout.
It wasn't just Fang Pingying who saw through Zhou Yunmei's intentions, Luo Zhiyong and Luo Cuilan also understood her mindset. Luo Zhiyong immediately frowned and whispered to Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, if you want to make a bowl cabinet, you should buy the wood yourself. Even if people do woodworking, they don't have that much useless wood lying around. Don't make things difficult for Jianguo."
"How can there not be leftovers? Last time I went to Jianguo's house, I saw that all the tables and chairs there were made with those kinds of wood, and they looked very good," Zhou Yunmei retorted with a laugh, then turned to question Zhang Jianguo, "Jianguo, isn't that right?"
Zhang Jianguo didn't speak, but a flash of annoyance quickly passed through his eyes—it was probably not the first time Zhou Yunmei had taken advantage of him like this, but he was in no position to complain since he was seeking to marry her daughter.
Before Zhang Jianguo could respond, Luo Cuilan, who was sitting next to him, started yelling at Zhou Yunmei,
"What's this 'what's'? The furniture at Jianguo's house is made from leftover scraps. If they're not sturdy, it doesn't matter. They can just be made again if they break. If the bowl cabinet we make for you isn't sturdy, you'll surely have a lot of complaints. Either you pay for the wood, or don't do it at all. It's your choice."
Zhou Yunmei's expression turned awkward when Luo Cuilan scolded her, and she glared at Luo Cuilan fiercely, cursing, "You wretched girl, why are you turning your elbow outwards?"
Luo Cuilan wasn't afraid of Zhou Yunmei and disdainfully rolled her eyes at her, "I'm being reasonable with you. Don't always think about taking advantage. Your character is not good."
"I..." Zhou Yunmei wanted to say more, but Zhang Jianguo had no choice but to interrupt, "It's alright, Auntie. You just tell me what kind of bowl cabinet you want. If the wood isn't enough, I'll pay for it myself."
What Zhang Jianguo said sounded nice, but upon deeper thought, it became clear that he was essentially telling Zhou Yunmei that they would have to pay for the wood. If he really intended to pay for the Luo Family's bowl cabinet himself, he wouldn't have specifically brought up the matter of money.