Chapter 169
Aunt Guo’s face darkened, and she was about to get angry, but Su Xiaoxiao quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “Auntie, sister-in-law, please don’t blame Yexun. It was my insistence to buy the washing machine. I don’t like doing laundry, and even in winter, I can’t stand wearing the same clothes for days. Getting a washing machine makes everything easier.”
Aunt Guo’s anger subsided instantly. She even hesitated for a few seconds before putting on a smile, looking at Su Xiaoxiao with affection and indulgence. “I forgot that you came from Shanghai, where the weather is milder. It’s normal to wash clothes once a week, even in winter. So having a washing machine does save a lot of trouble. However, we don’t have electricity in our village yet. When we get back, I’ll talk to Yexun’s dad and see if we can quickly have some power lines installed in the village. If that’s not possible, during the winter, Yexun and I will wash your clothes. You mustn’t do it yourself; the winter here is freezing, and your delicate hands can’t handle cold water. You might get frostbite, and your hands will be covered in wrinkles, which won’t look good.”
Su Xiaoxiao, hearing these words, instinctively glanced at Aunt Guo’s hand. On that hand, there were not only wrinkles but also scars and calluses left behind from frostbite. Thinking about how this woman had also grown up as a doted-upon young lady in a wealthy family, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t describe the emotions that welled up within her.
She felt a mixture of heartache, discomfort, and a sense of nostalgia.
“Auntie, I’ve already talked to Yexun about it. We plan to place the washing machine at sister-in-law’s house. In the future, we’ll have him ride his bicycle over once a week to wash the clothes, and we’ll cover the electricity costs.”
“You can’t do that! A washing machine is quite expensive; it’s worth almost as much as a house. You should use it yourself,” Aunt Guo quickly objected.
“Two houses,” Jiang Yexun added.
Both Aunt Guo and Jiang Xinyue, had their expressions change, and their refusal became even firmer. “This is even more unacceptable.”
“Auntie, Sister Xinyue, you know the character of Team Leader Jiang. He values his reputation the most and dislikes trouble. Even when it was convenient for the entire production team to have power lines installed, he found it troublesome and didn’t arrange it. Now it’s impossible for him to apply for power lines just because I bought a washing machine. Moreover, we won’t be here in the village this winter. We’re going to Shanghai to discuss mine and Yexun’s marriage. I don’t trust leaving the washing machine in the production team. If there is electricity, it would certainly benefit the big houses in the Jiang family, especially this year when they dared to antagonize me and Yexun.”
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t hide her disdain for Jiang Quankun and Jiang Quansheng. Aunt Guo, hearing her words, smiled and reassured her, “Don’t worry; you don’t need to be afraid of them. We have your back. I’ll watch over it, and I promise they won’t get near it. Please don’t worry about me. They don’t have the guts to go against their elders.”
They dare!
In her heart, Su Xiaoxiao responded anxiously. Her breathing quickened, and she knew that nowadays, people typically wouldn’t dare to raise their hands against their elders, at most just arguing or pushing each other. However, those two families were different. In her previous life, terrible things happened to Aunt Guo a few days after Jiang Yexun left for a trip.
Noticing that Su Xiaoxiao’s emotions were off, Aunt Guo patted her hand reassuringly, saying, “Don’t worry, I know that neither of their families is good. When you two go out in the future, I will certainly pay special attention to them.”
“Xiaoxiao, don’t worry. At that time, I will have my mom come to the city to take care of me, and I’ll try my best to avoid letting them stay together,” said Jiang Xinyue, thinking about the heinous acts committed by those two families, and her brows furrowing deeply.
Su Xiaoxiao wanted to say more, but Jiang Yexun, who was carrying the washing machine, suddenly spoke, “Mom, you need to come with me to Shanghai this year. If I’m the only one visiting little educated youth’s home, her parents of will think our family doesn’t value her.”
Aunt Guo and Jiang Xinyue were momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded, “Right, right! This is about marrying a daughter-in-law, so naturally, it’s the elders from our side who should visit. Anyway, our eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law are capable of cooking, and I won’t be needed, either.”
“So, let’s leave the washing machine at Sister Xinyue’s place. Moreover, Xinyue has a child now, and she has to wash more than ten diapers a day. My brother-in-law has to go to work, and it’s tiring for Sister Xinyue to take care of the child. Besides, the money for buying the washing machine and the tickets were all provided by Yexun, so it’s only right for it to be at Xinyue’s place,” Su Xiaoxiao continued persuading.
Their earnings had already become mixed, and the couple had more than enough to cover the remaining two thousand yuan. However, Aunt Guo shook her head in response, “You two have already hosted the engagement banquet, so his money belongs to the family consisted of the two of you.”
“How about I contribute five hundred first? I’ve saved some money over the years, and I’ll help out the remaining two hundred during this time,” suggested Hua Shoucheng, realizing that they indeed needed a washing machine at home. His wife was already working hard enough by giving birth to their child, and he didn’t want to make her life even more challenging. Even though his monthly salary was only forty-five yuan, and he needed to give five yuan to his parents, the remaining forty yuan wasn’t saving them much.
“Yexun, consider the rest of it as a loan from me, and I’ll slowly repay you later,” Hua Shoucheng said.
Jiang Yexun frowned impatiently, “No need. Keep the washing machine at your place, and you cover the electricity bill. In the future, I’ll bring the clothes of my mom, me, and the little educated youth back every week to wash. You can help with drying as well. We’ll split the laundry evenly.”
Since the little educated youth could get along with his sister, they would surely have more interactions in the future. Otherwise, the little educated youth, once married to him, would be bored staying at home without a job.
“Alright, let’s go with that. With just you two, if you can turn two small households into one big family, I’ll be relieved,” Aunt Guo decisively concluded.
With this, the dispute over ownership of the washing machine came to an end. After carrying the heavy appliance for over forty minutes, they finally returned to the workers’ dormitory in the factory.
Even though it was just past 3 PM, there were still many women sitting downstairs chatting and looking after their children. As soon as they saw the group carrying the large box, a few women approached.
“Hey, Hua, what have you bought for your family? Is it something special?” one woman asked in astonishment.
Aunt Guo smiled and waved her hand, “It’s a washing machine, my daughter-in-law bought it specifically from Beijing. However, the village hasn’t installed electricity yet, so it’s placed at Xinyue’s place for now.”
“Wow! A washing machine? A machine that can wash clothes? Are there such advanced things these days?” one of the women asked, clearly surprised.
Most of them visited the supply and marketing cooperative every month, where they had seen radios and televisions, but washing machines were unheard of. Yet, some of the women immediately felt a twinge of jealousy.
“Isn’t a washing machine expensive? And it was specially bought from Beijing. Aunt Guo, isn’t your daughter-in-law an educated youth?” another woman inquired.
“Going to the countryside is just in response to the country’s call. Her parents have good jobs, her brother is an officer in the army, and they have this doted-on girl at home. It’s normal for them to spend a bit more on her,” Aunt Guo proudly boasted, not afraid that these people would think her son was freeloading. They had agreed earlier that everything they ate and used would come from Xiaoxiao’s family. This way, no one would find fault with them, and the busybodies in the village wouldn’t have anything to gossip about.
Of course, they also had the fact that her son-in-law was the accountant in the factory to help deflect any suspicion of embezzlement.