Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 57 - 55 Applying Eye Medicine

Chapter 57: Chapter 55 Applying Eye Medicine

Chapter 57 -55 Applying Eye Medicine

Twenty days later, Shen Yunfang finally sorted out the books in the warehouse, adding several sets of comic books to her space. Later, when she saw several bags of letters, she began eyeing the stamps on them.

That was easy to do; just soaking the envelopes in water would cause the stamps to peel off naturally once softened.

She dried the wet stamps overnight in the house, then found a thick notebook to store the stamps in.

In between, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative several times, taking advantage of Xue Jialong’s absence to buy a large jar, five pickling pots, and five fifty-pound liquor jars.

She also noticed they were selling dishes and bowls, which weren’t too expensive, so in a rather extravagant manner, she had them fetch her ten new bowls and ten new plates.

She also saw large sheets of oil paper at the cooperative—cheap and useful. All she needed to do was cut them to size at home, so she bought ten sheets in one go.

Altogether, these items cost her forty-three yuan, which she pushed back to the purchasing station in several trips using the station’s small cart, and then moved everything into her space.

Afterward, Xue Jialong also paid her a visit, bringing some good news.

He managed to get her a thermos, a pair of peony cotton pillowcases, a small floral bedsheet, a thermometer, and two iron padlocks—items not readily available to the average person. There was also a piece of cotton cloth at the cooperative, originally white but somehow stained blue, with a patchy appearance.

Xue Jialong wasn’t sure if Shen Yunfang would want such cloth, so he came specifically to ask. After all, even if it was cheap, it still cost money.

Shen Yunfang wasn’t picky; it wasn’t for wearing, so stained was fine. She immediately decided to take it and also asked Jialong if he could get her some more cotton, of course, without the need for coupons.

This time, due to Li Hongjun’s visit, she became acutely aware of the inconvenience of not having enough blankets. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to make another quilt—for one must have at least one to lie on and one to cover oneself at home.

Of course, the twenty yuan originally given wouldn’t be sufficient, so Shen Yunfang took out another twenty. The next day, Xue Jialong had everything delivered to her. Thus, the money in her pocket shrank from one hundred and fifty yuan to just one hundred in no time.

She constantly reassured herself that all these expenses were necessary, the items bought were useful, and they could last a lifetime. Getting them all at once was not a bad deal, as prices would only get higher.

Later, she found an opportunity to have Uncle Yougen, who was in town, bring the cotton and quilt back to the village for her. She instructed him to deliver it directly to Wang DaNiang’s house, as her aunt was far too busy with her nephew’s wedding arrangements to spare time making a quilt for her.

In early March, the second aunt condescended to visit the purchasing station to inform Shen Yunfeng that she had recuperated well enough to return to work and that Yunfang could go home the next day.

Shen Yunfang nodded, understanding the situation—it was possible that she had been too aggressive in asking for money and had offended someone, so as soon as a month was up, they were telling her to stay out of the way.

Naturally, Yunfang happily agreed; her time at the station was about up, she had acquired what she needed, and she was eager to get home and work on becoming wealthy.

Unexpectedly, the second aunt also insisted that she dine at the Xue Family that night. Along the way, the second aunt continuously cautioned her not to speak out of turn at the Xue’s to avoid making them laugh at country people’s lack of culture. Shen Yunfang simply smiled without responding—the hell with it, she was invited to eat, not there to beg for food.

When the two arrived at the Xue Family home, all four members of the Xue Family were present, and the dinner table was set with four dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables. Heh, it must have been a special feast prepared just for her.

Shen Yunfeng was very enthusiastic about serving her food and making polite inquiries about her wellbeing, while Second Aunt was avidly fawning over the elder couple of the Xue Family. Shen Yunfang felt embarrassed, almost burying her face in her rice bowl. Indeed, the saying goes, “Like mother, like daughter.” With such a sycophantic mother, it was no wonder Yunfeng was adept at empty flattery.

The heads of the Xue Family were probably fed up with Shen Yunfeng and her daughter as well. Surprisingly, Mrs. Xue actually took the initiative to ask Shen Yunfang about her life over the past month, which left Yunfang with a good impression of “Mrs. Xue.”

Amid the dagger-like stares from Second Aunt, Yunfang cherry-picked her words, reasoning that since she didn’t come out worse for wear and ended up getting both food and items from this place, not leaving a good review in the end wouldn’t seem quite right.

But the inevitable topic eventually surfaced when they were almost done eating. Shen Yunfeng began, “Yunfang, you’ve worked hard this past month. Had it not been for my troublesome pregnancy, I wouldn’t have asked you to toil for so long.”

“Sister Feng, look at what you’re saying—we’re all one family, so let’s not talk as if we’re not. Besides, I wasn’t working for nothing. You gave me five yuan a month, which really helped me out a great deal. When I get back, I’ll give the money to our uncle, which will cover the food debt I owe him. I’ll tighten my belt and somehow hold out until this year’s harvest,” Yunfang said sincerely to her cousin. If she didn’t seize the moment to apply some ‘eye medicine,’ when would she?

Mrs. Xue glanced at Shen Yunfeng and then lowered her eyelids.

“Ever since my father sacrificed himself on the battlefield, the brigade has taken great care of my mother and me. After my mother passed away, Uncle and all of you relatives have been even more supportive. Even though I don’t say much, I keep it all in my heart,” Yunfang said, her voice choked with emotion and tears falling.

Upon hearing that her daughter-in-law’s cousin was a martyr’s kin, Mr. and Mrs. Xue exchanged a look, then both eyed Shen Yunfeng somewhat sternly, causing her to feel uneasy inside. “Heh, it’s only right, all this is only right,” she murmured, her voice growing fainter.

Mr. and Mrs. Xue were aware that this daughter-in-law had brought someone from the countryside and simply dropped them at work without any further care. It was only because they suggested that since Yunfang had come all this way and had been of such help, they at least owed her a meal before she left to show their gratitude. That’s the only reason the daughter-in-law had invited her over. Otherwise, she might have simply disposed of Yunfang after her use.

Besides, they had no idea that their daughter-in-law had only paid a salary of five yuan…

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The daughter-in-law earned twenty-two a month but paid someone just five yuan for a month of work…

Mrs. Xue, massaging her temples with a headache, thought, if you want to ask a family member for help, then don’t pay a penny and just contribute more to the household in the future. Otherwise, give them all your wages. Now, if people found out about this situation, they could label her a capitalist.

What era was it, and she still wanted to employ long-term labor and exploit someone in the process?

“Go prepare some things for Yunfang. She’s helped us out, we can’t let her go back empty-handed,” Mr. Xue instructed his wife to remedy the situation his daughter-in-law had caused. His usually gentle face was now stern.

Now, to offer more money would seem too deliberate and inappropriate; better to just give her some items instead.

Without further words, Mrs. Xue sighed and then smilingly said to Shen Yunfang, “You’re in luck, girl. Your uncle just brought back some mushrooms today; heard they’re from the South and quite rare. I’ll get some for you to take back. Fry them up and treat yourself to a different flavor.”

The words that Shen Yunfang almost blurted out were swallowed back down. Mushrooms, huh? She didn’t know what kind they were, but maybe they would prove useful.