Chapter 75: Afraid of Not Spending All the Money

Seeing Lin Xiangnan’s expression, Zhou Kangmei knew she had chosen the right gift.

She had sent food and drinks to Lin Xiangnan before, but Lin Xiangnan had no reaction at all. When she asked Lin Xiangdong, she found out that Lin Xiangnan was a military dependent and that Gu Zhenhua’s salary was in Lin Xiangnan’s hands. It was impossible brought by those small favors.

This time, the handkerchief she gave, even before liberation, was a luxury item. People who couldn’t even afford to eat wouldn’t like these fancy things, but Lin Xiangnan, a person with free time, would definitely like it.

“I like the handkerchief very much,” Lin Xiangnan said frankly. “But you have to tell me first what you want me to do. You haven’t given me any hints, I dare not accept this gift.”

Although they were both selling his brother, there was a difference in how they sold. Things like dietary habits and daily hobbies could be revealed, but key information was off-limits.

Zhou Kangmei didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “I just want to ask you about Sun Xiaod ie.”

“You know about this?” Lin Xiangnan folded the handkerchief and put it in his pocket, asking, “How much do you know?”

“Your brother said he was with Sun Xiaod ie in the countryside…”

Lin Xiangdong didn’t plan to hide the matter of Sun Xiaod ie. He couldn’t bring himself to deceive her into marriage, so Lin Xiangdong always used Sun Xiaod ie as an excuse to dodge Zhou Kangmei.

“Yes, it’s true. Although it was Sun Xiaod ie who initiated the divorce, she gave up for the sake of your brother’s future. Your brother feels sorry for her and wants to compensate her more.”

Zhou Kangmei pressed, “So he sent all the money and food coupons he saved to Sun Xiaod ie?”

“Yes.”

Unlike Lin Xiangnan, who was a street urchin, Lin Xiangdong was really working hard to make money. He would read and write articles after work, submit them to newspapers, and occasionally do some private work with his master on Sundays.

The steel workers thought it was easy to weld and assemble things because they were used to it, but ordinary people didn’t have this skill, so they had to ask for help.

Lin Xiangdong helped out with odd jobs, he didn’t get paid, but he could get a meal, which saved him a day’s worth of food coupons.

Hu Meili was willing to give up her 200 yuan private money to entice Sun Xiaod ie. Now that Sun Xiaod ie helped without asking for money, Lin Xiangdong was willing to compensate, and Hu Meili didn’t mind.

But the matter had been settled, and it was impossible to make her pay from her private money again. It wasn’t easy for her to save money.

She managed to keep all three children in the city, and both sons had jobs. If she secretly subsidized Lin Xiangdong, it would be like stirring up trouble between the brothers.

Although Lin Xiangxi’s actions regarding Sun Xiaod ie’s desire to work made her angry, it also sounded an alarm in Hu Meili’s heart. She felt fortunate that she didn’t give in to Sun Xiaod ie, otherwise she would have hurt her younger son’s heart.

Lin Xiangxi was just young, he wasn’t stupid.

Both of them handed their salaries to the family, but Lin Xiangxi ate and drank at the restaurant, while Lin Xiangdong went home for meals. No matter how you looked at it, Lin Xiangxi was at a loss.

So Hu Meili loosened her grip and allowed Lin Xiangxi to keep 8 yuan for meals every month, the rest would be handed over to the family. When he got married, they would split the family, and Hu Meili would only need her pension.

The salary she currently received would also be used for her children’s weddings.

Lin Xiangxi had this treatment, naturally Lin Xiangdong would too.

It’s just that Lin Xiangxi’s monthly meal allowance would be spent, while Lin Xiangdong could save half of it.

There weren’t many places to save money. The clothes Lin Xiangdong wore were all patched, and sometimes he ate the cheapest food in the canteen. Zhou Kangmei invited him to eat better, but Lin Xiangdong was reluctant.

Seeing Zhou Kangmei talking about it with a look of heartache, Lin Xiangnan couldn’t help but rub his arms. Why did it feel like his brother got the script of a poor and stubborn white lotus from a campus novel, pitiful, stubborn, and strong-willed, but also endearing.

“My brother looks soft-spoken, but he’s actually quite stubborn. Sun Xiaod ie must have pursued him for two or three years, using harsh methods to win him over. You should just forget about it.”

“Thank you for telling me all this. I know what I’m doing.”

Zhou Kangmei smiled, not taking Lin Xiangnan’s advice to heart. She said, “Since you like that handkerchief, I know an old embroiderer who is very good at Sichuan embroidery. I’ll introduce you to her later. She embroidered a ‘Horse Reaching Success’ piece, which is still in my father’s office, it’s very beautiful.”

Her attitude was more attentive than her own husband who had just gotten married.

But Lin Xiangnan couldn’t accept this favor. “No reward without merit. We’ll talk about it another time.”

Zhou Kangmei said nonchalantly, “It’s not a big deal. I’m just introducing you to her. Whether you can coax that Grandma Fan to embroider something for you is your ability. Her embroidery is usually used to give to foreign guests, and she has a proud temperament.”

The mall in the space could buy all kinds of food and drinks, as well as various industrial products. But there were no options for antiques or art.

Something like the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” painting, a treasure of the museum, only exists in one copy in the world, and it’s still in the museum. If Lin Xiangnan took out an identical painting from the mall, it would be a mess.

It was precisely because she couldn’t buy it from the mall that Lin Xiangnan liked to collect these things.

Although she didn’t dare to use those beautiful trinkets now, she could use them later.

“Grandma Fan who knows Sichuan embroidery? Is it the one who lives in Ping’an Lane?”

Zhou Kangmei was surprised. “Yes, it’s her. You know her?”

“I know her,” Lin Xiangnan said. “I just asked her to embroider a ‘Hibiscus’ hand fan for me last month, it’s really beautiful.”

She couldn’t make money, but she could spend it.

She had been wandering around these days, getting to know many artisans and buying a lot of things.

But the current prices were so low, she had bought so many things, and she hadn’t even spent a fraction of her savings. This made her feel a little anxious.

She wasn’t afraid of death, she was afraid of not spending all her savings before she died. That would be a real loss.