Chapter 30: The Second Month of Managing the Household—A Loss of 20 Yuan

But—

Before the New Year, things weren’t tight.
After the New Year, they would be!

According to Qian Sanya’s memories, after the holiday their father, not wanting their family to be outshone by the Zhao household, bought her a formal job at the textile factory.

It cost 500 yuan.

That single job swallowed up all her private savings, plus a large sum from her father.

And so, Father Qian told her:
“Since I’ve bought you a job, there won’t be any dowry in the future. What you earn from now on is yours to save up for your marriage.”

It was there that she met her scumbag husband.

Back then, she thought catching the factory director’s son was the greatest luck of her life.
She hadn’t expected…

In this life, she still had to work at the textile factory.

But this time, she swore he would repay her.
And those women who had stolen from her in her last life—she would take revenge.

Besides, in this era a formal job meant status, admiration, and steady wages to support herself.

Once Sanya had her job, the Qian family would only have the youngest son left unplaced.
Surely their father was already planning for him.

As for Second Brother, his temporary work would likely be made permanent.
Eldest Brother might even inherit Father Qian’s factory post, since in those times the eldest son was given priority.

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In the Qian Household

This month was Xia Lan’s second round of managing the budget.

After last month’s painful loss, she planned much more carefully.

She spent 9.7 yuan on grain, mostly coarse.
Another 5.1 yuan went on fabric and materials for shoes and clothes.
She reduced her egg purchases too.

The old hens sometimes laid one or two eggs, so she only bought 1.2 yuan’s worth—and decreed that only the eldest nephew could eat boiled eggs; the others would share scrambled eggs every three or four days.

That left 16 yuan spent.

For meat, she decided on once every five or six days. But she was clever—
her father-in-law received two jin of meat tickets each month, her husband one jin.
With tickets, meat cost only 5–6 mao per jin.

Three jin of pork, spread carefully, could cover two meals.
The other two or three times, they could eat fish or cheap cuts.

For example, without tickets pork cost 1.2 yuan per jin.
But fish was cheap—two jin for only a few mao.
Or large soup bones for broth.
Even a small chicken could be had for 1.5–2 yuan.

Planned this way, she could keep food spending within 20 yuan.

She set aside 5 yuan for gifts and miscellaneous expenses.

This, she thought, matched Madam Zhao’s system—who had always managed to save 5 to 10 yuan a month.

But planning is one thing; real life another.

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The First 25 Days

Everything went smoothly.

By day 25, she still had more than 7 yuan left.
She calculated she would end the month with at least 5 yuan saved.

But in the final five days, Madam Zhao struck again:

“Today’s the twentieth of the twelfth month, Second Daughter-in-law. It’s time to prepare for the New Year—stock food, and prepare gifts for visits. Not just for neighbors, but for your parents’ house too. Your father-in-law and husband just received their holiday bonuses. You decide how to use them.”

“What?”

This too was her responsibility?

Well, yes. New Year’s supplies were food; visits were gifts.

But though her father-in-law and husband received benefits, it wasn’t enough for both.
Either use them all as gifts and buy their own supplies,
or keep them for the house but have nothing to give relatives.

After some thought, Xia Lan decided to send all the bonuses out as gifts—
after all, their own New Year’s at home could be done frugally.

But she underestimated.

In past years, New Year’s purchases had a fixed standard.
They couldn’t be less—not for the richest family in Qian Village, not with Father Qian’s pride.

Chickens, fish, pork… all must be bought.
Visitors needed hosting.

The 7 yuan she had left was nowhere near enough.

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Forced Spending

She bought 5 jin of pork fat to render oil, costing 8 yuan (prices had risen to 1.5 yuan per jin).
The oil dregs could double as food.

She also bought 5 yuan of lean pork to make dumpling filling for Little New Year.

Already 13 yuan gone.

Then Madam Zhao reminded her: chickens and fish too.

Protests were met with one cold reply:
“If you can’t manage this household, then I’ll take over.”

Impossible! Xia Lan had fought so hard for this control.

Besides, after New Year things would calm down—she couldn’t give up now.

So she grit her teeth and spent another 6 yuan on two chickens and two fish.

From 7 yuan left, she had spent 16.
Already a loss of 10 yuan.

And more was needed: firecrackers, spring couplets, other festival items.

By the end, she was 13 yuan over budget.

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The Final Blow

Just when she thought the worst was over—

On the very last day, she discovered Madam Zhao had spent 8 yuan without her knowledge.

Outraged, she confronted her:
“Mother-in-law, how could you spend 8 yuan without asking me? This month I’m the one in charge!”