In the afternoon at work, afraid that Zhang Yunqing might not be familiar enough with the machines and accidentally damage the two expensive units, Ge Yanqing didn’t teach her anything new. Instead, he had her continue practicing the detailed operation procedures.
Helpless, Zhang Yunqing could only reread the manual from beginning to end twice more.
By the time work was over, she stretched lazily in place twice before finally feeling alive again.
Pretending to look busy while slacking off was honestly torture. She would rather have some real work to do—at least the hours would pass faster.
That evening, the Zhang family dinner table featured the usual simple spread. There was a large plate of mashed gray-gray vegetable salad with garlic sauce, along with a small dish of pickled kohlrabi.
Zhang Yunqing picked up a vegetable bun and took a bite, already mentally prepared for the rough, scratchy texture.
Unexpectedly, it was much softer than the ones from previous days. Though still difficult to swallow, the grain had clearly been refined more finely.
The rest of the Zhang family noticed it too.
The youngest, Zhang Hongbing, was the type who could never keep his mouth shut. He immediately blurted out noisily, “Mom, did the sun rise in the west today? You actually used this much fine grain? No wonder you didn’t make soup tonight. My poor delicate throat can finally catch a break!”
The way he said it made it sound as though they had been abusing him before.
Zhao Pinglan’s face darkened instantly. She grabbed his ear and twisted it hard.
“You sure talk a lot. People who don’t run a household never know how expensive firewood and rice are! I work myself to the bone taking care of this whole family and have to pinch pennies every day, and now you’re being picky?”
Back then, there had been several freeloaders in the family. Relying solely on Zhang Junzhong’s salary, if they ate freely at the beginning of the month, the whole family would end up starving by the end of it.
If her youngest daughter hadn’t gotten a job, she never would have dared use so much refined grain in the buns.
Now the only one in the family still freeloading was the youngest son. Yet despite being at the very bottom of the household hierarchy, he still couldn’t read the situation and kept talking nonsense. No wonder she didn’t hold back.
“Ow ow ow! It hurts! Mom, take it easy!” Zhang Hongbing cried out as he finally managed to rescue his ear from her grip.
“Can’t we just talk things out? I’m already this old and you’re still twisting my ears. How am I supposed to face people outside?” he muttered while rubbing his ear.
Zhao Pinglan rolled her eyes and ignored his childish complaints. She pointed at Zhang Hongwei and Zhang Yunqing.
“Even your brother and sister are still children until they get married! So what if I twist your ear? If you’ve got the guts, stop eating this family’s food before calling yourself an adult.”
Zhang Hongwei, who had been sitting there eating and watching the show, suddenly got dragged into it. After staring blankly for two seconds, he immediately set down his bowl, straightened up, and cleared his throat.
“Well… Mom, Dad, things with Jinfeng and me are progressing. We should be able to get married soon.”
Originally, he had planned to bring it up after dinner, but since Zhao Pinglan had already started talking about marriage at the table, he took the opportunity to speak.
Still, remembering what his girlfriend Li Jinfeng had told him, he felt somewhat guilty about the upcoming conversation.
Once her eldest son’s marriage was involved, Zhao Pinglan no longer cared about disciplining her clueless youngest son.
She restrained her temper slightly and said, “That golden phoenix finally decided to loosen her grip? Go on then. What did she say?”
Her tone carried obvious resentment. Clearly, she had long been dissatisfied with Li Jinfeng dragging her feet about marriage. But since her son liked the girl, she had no choice but to endure it.
Zhang Hongwei pressed his lips together, struggling to speak.
“Why are you two just sitting there silently? If the Li family has demands, then say them already!” Zhao Pinglan urged impatiently.
“Jinfeng said… her family doesn’t want a bride price.” Zhang Hongwei gritted his teeth. Before Zhao Pinglan could celebrate, he quickly added, “The Li family wants a bicycle and a sewing machine.”
Zhang Junzhong, who had been quietly listening nearby, frowned awkwardly at the news.
“Not only would those two things cost several hundred yuan plus ration coupons, but even the industrial coupons we’ve saved up as a family still wouldn’t be enough.”
A few years earlier, when the children were younger, all the industrial coupons he received each month had been traded for grain.
Only in the last two years, after the children grew older and marriage became a concern, had they started saving some. But it still wasn’t enough for a bicycle and sewing machine.
Zhao Pinglan exploded immediately.
“Does the Li family really think their daughter is some golden phoenix? They dare ask for a bicycle and sewing machine? A bicycle plus the purchase coupon costs at least 250 yuan altogether. A sewing machine costs another 200, plus dozens of industrial coupons!”
“In total, marrying their daughter would cost six or seven hundred yuan. Go ask around—what family can afford that?”
By the end, Zhao Pinglan was outright sneering.
“The Li family has sons too. Will they be able to spend that much when it’s their turn to marry off their boys? Or are they planning to make our Zhang family the sucker?”
Zhang Yunqing silently nodded to herself. Zhao Pinglan, experienced as she was, really saw right through them.
Wasn’t that exactly the Li family’s plan?
In the original novel, after the original host went to the northwest, she was still considered part of the Zhang family despite the distance. Whenever something happened at home, they would write to inform her and also ask her to send gifts back.
For reasons unknown, the Zhang family ultimately still used a bicycle as the bride price and married Li Jinfeng into the family.
Then the Li family, under the excuse that “raising a daughter wasn’t easy,” simply kept the bicycle for themselves and only gave Li Jinfeng an old quilt as dowry.
In the letters, Zhao Pinglan cursed the Li family so fiercely it was practically a bloodbath. Even the newly married daughter-in-law got scolded from head to toe.
The original host, being far away, worried herself sick for two days before hurriedly sending all the money she had back home.
That made the male lead, Shen Changlin, extremely unhappy.
The original host had thought he was concerned about her—but in reality, Shen Changlin was only upset that the money hadn’t been spent on him.
“Mom… I really do like Jinfeng,” Zhang Hongwei muttered weakly. Clearly, he also knew the Li family was asking for far too much.
Zhang Hongbing had never liked his arrogant future second sister-in-law to begin with, and his temper wasn’t exactly good either. He immediately snapped back.
“If you like her so much, then go marry her yourself! If that doesn’t work, marry into their family instead. Don’t make Mom and Dad suffer for it.”
What kind of man does that?
Seeing even his younger brother daring to criticize him, Zhang Hongwei glared furiously.
“I’m talking to Mom and Dad. What business is it of yours? Have you ever earned a single cent for this family?”
It was true that he lacked justification, but that didn’t mean everyone had the right to lecture him—especially not Zhang Hongbing.
“You—!” Zhang Hongbing’s eyes widened as he shot to his feet, clearly ready to throw punches.
He felt his second brother had been completely blinded by a woman and needed a proper beating.
“That’s enough! What are you yelling for?” Zhang Junzhong slammed the table, his stern gaze sweeping across both sons.
“Second and fourth son, you two are brothers. No matter what disagreements you have, there’s one rule: no fighting.”
When they were children, fighting could still be dismissed as roughhousing.
But grown men fighting was different. Young hot-blooded men could easily go too far, and once real resentment formed, their brotherhood would be finished.
As their father, Zhang Junzhong naturally didn’t want to see that happen.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
“Heard you.” Zhang Hongwei turned his head aside and answered.
“Heard you.” Zhang Hongbing echoed unwillingly.