Take sending living expenses home, for example, Fang Pingying felt that he was overly indulgent towards the entire Luo Family.
He practiced frugality in the army, sending most of his earnings home every month, while people like Zhou Yunmei lived it up back at home, overindulging in food and drink.
In Fang Pingying's mind, regardless of what he did in the past, now that they were married, the two of them had their own life to live.
She had to plan their life together well. They couldn't just deprive themselves, begrudgingly splitting every penny in two, while letting the family back home spend money lavishly.
Indeed, Fang Pingying's strategy was correct. When Zhou Yunmei heard that the money was in Luo Zhiyong's hands, she recalled the look on his face when he asked her for money that morning, and with a sneer, she didn't pursue the matter further.
Fang Pingying, seeing her reaction, knew what she was thinking, smiled secretly to herself, and said nothing as she continued to cook noodles.
Zhou Yunmei lingered in the kitchen for a while and even inquired about Luo Zhiyong's leg injury.
Fang Pingying didn't directly say that Luo Zhiyong's injury was of little concern to prevent Zhou Yunmei from thinking it was nothing serious and not paying attention. She simply mentioned they had to visit the county next month to know when it would heal.
After hearing this, Zhou Yunmei didn't ask any more questions and left with a slightly grim face.
During the few days Fang Pingying stayed with the Luo Family, various small conflicts naturally arose from living together – mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and daughters-in-law all mixing together. Just Zhou Yunmei alone was a sight how many times her expression darkened in a single day.
But luckily, these were just minor quarrels and nothing significant, so life went on regardless.
However, during these days with the Luo Family, Fang Pingying discovered that the Luos indeed knew how to enjoy life.
Regardless of wealth, the food at home was always good.
In those days, most people didn't have jobs outside and primarily farmed at home, earning very little over the year, so they had to be careful with their spending.
Many could only afford to eat meat once a month because it was expensive. The money used to buy a pound of meat could be used for numerous things, and most people only ate vegetables and fruits they grew themselves, topping it off occasionally with eggs laid by their hens.
But the Luo Family was completely different. They would buy meat at least every few market days, and each purchase was at least two pounds, not just a few ounces like other families purchased on occasion.
Since the local butcher didn't slaughter pigs daily, they had to go to the market to buy meat.
At that time, the markets were held every three days, with nothing for sale in the towns on other days. To ensure they could eat meat regularly, Zhou Yunmei would occasionally buy a few pounds at the market, then store it at home to stir-fry a small piece with vegetables from time to time.
And not only did they spend money on meat, but because Zhou Yunmei was too lazy to process it in time, she would just hang it and forget about it.
In the winter, it's alright since the meat could hang for two or three days without spoiling. But now, entering summer, the weather had started to get hot, and the meat could only last one night before spoiling the next day.
Sometimes, when the meat wasn't too badly spoiled, the family would make do and eat it; but when it was completely inedible, it was wasted.
Seeing these wasted items, Fang Pingying felt extremely reluctant because this was the meat her husband toiled to obtain. Others craved but couldn't get it, yet Zhou Yunmei would dismiss it without blinking, saying the spoiled meat can't be eaten, as it may cause illness.
She had tried eating it twice, ending up with vomiting and diarrhea, and in the end, the cost of treatment was far more than the cost of the meat.
Such words might be true thirty years later, but in this era, especially in the rural areas, it showed just how much she squandered. And after each time she said it, the next time she would still not think of a solution, which was no different than burning money.
Whenever possible, Fang Pingying took care of things, but most of the time when she couldn't, the meat would have gone bad nine times out of ten.
And it wasn't just about food; there were also clothes for family members and some social interactions with the villagers.
Zhou Yunmei made new clothes out of fabric every month; as long as she saw something she liked in town, she bought it without considering the cost.
It was the same with the villagers' social interactions; as if to show off her family's wealth, she would give people money directly for the fruit and vegetables they occasionally brought her, and it was always 50 cents or one yuan as soon as she offered.
Some decent people knew to appreciate her gesture, always returning the money when appropriate, but others, less conscientious, just wanted to take advantage of her.
Apart from Zhou Yunmei, Luo Cuilan and Luo Zhiming were also good at spending money in the family.
Luo Cuilan would ask Zhou Yunmei for two yuan every month for pocket money to buy clothes and some necessities for girls and would sometimes ask for more during special circumstances.
Luo Zhiming was even worse, constantly asking Zhou Yunmei for money every few days, without even needing to provide a reason; if he asked, she just gave.
It used to be just Luo Zhiming, but now there was Fang Xiu. Fang Xiu was a calculating sort; knowing Zhou Yunmei had money, she continuously urged Luo Zhiming to get money from Zhou Yunmei.
This made Fang Pingying fully realize why Zhou Yunmei was so short on money. Anyone would run short of money living like this, especially since Zhou Yunmei was also trying to save some on the side. So, no matter how much Luo Zhiyong sent back home, it was far from enough.
Consequently, Fang Pingying no longer wanted to proceed as previously discussed with Luo Zhiyong. She decided that sending back 20 yuan a month was still too much; she was not a fool to let Zhou Yunmei squander her man's hard-earned money at home.
That evening, after dinner, Zhou Yunmei, having had Luo Zhiming take another two yuan from her during the day, nagged around the house,
"He just took two yuan a few days ago, and now he's asking for money again. He knows full well that your big brother is at home recuperating and we have to spend quite a bit each day. Last time we went to the county for his leg treatment, your sister-in-law took away a hundred and fifty, and the house is almost out of money for food. Yet you all don't care, spending so lavishly."
Anyone could tell that Zhou Yunmei seemed to be criticizing Luo Zhiming for spending too much, but under her breath, she was actually complaining that Fang Ping had taken the leg treatment money, which is why the household finances were so tight.
In fact, Zhou Yunmei had already brought up the matter of the money last time, and Fang Ping didn't want to argue with her, so she had ignored her.
But a person's patience always has limits. Fang Ping had held back once and would not do so again. She looked at Zhou Yunmei coldly and said directly, "Mom, let's just break Zhiyong's leg again, so we don't have to treat it. What about giving the money left over from last time to Zhiming? How's that?"
After finishing, she turned her head and said to Luo Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, the money is under the box. Take it out and give it to Mom. We won't treat your leg anymore."
Luo Zhiyong might not handle the household matters, but that didn't mean he was unaware of Zhou Yunmei's intentions. It was just hard for him to speak out since it was his biological mother after all. Besides, as a man, he felt that enduring some injustice was no big deal.
But Zhou Yunmei was really too much, indirectly and directly mentioning the money for his leg treatment in front of them time and again. Even the most tolerant person couldn't stand it anymore.
Luo Zhiyong also felt uneasy at this moment. He glanced at Zhou Yunmei, didn't say anything, but his face was visibly impatient.
As her own son, Zhou Yunmei naturally understood him.
Seeing Luo Zhiyong's expression, Zhou Yunmei didn't dare to continue. She muttered quietly, "I meant Zhiming is the one spending a lot; what does it have to do with you? Who said you shouldn't get your leg treated?"