"No way! Where can you find such a risk-free, high-return investment right now? We don't have much money right now, but what will we do with that huge bonus I get at the end of the year? Put it in the bank? With only 2% interest a year?" "I still have a mortgage! The sooner I pay it off, the easier it will be. Am I really going to be in debt for 20 years? Am I going to be an old man and woman still carrying debt? Aren't I following the direction your mother suggested?" "The mortgage is less than 6%, isn't it? Can't you calculate the difference? Of course, investing is more worthwhile! The house was already a shrewd investment. But we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket; we need to diversify our investments! Think about it, let's not even talk about the stock market. I just saw a news report yesterday; last year, over 90% of retail investors nationwide lost money. I don't think we can escape being in that 10%. We've already bought insurance; now, the next step is to invest and manage our finances. Starting now will ensure a peaceful retirement! Imagine, a house, a car, and bank savings—what a wonderful retirement that would be!"
"You wish! Where's the money? Where's it coming from? 120,000! Why don't you go rob a bank, and I'll keep watch?"
"Seriously, I have about 20,000 yuan in my card. How much do you have in your card? Let's chip in."
"Wrong. Honey, you only have 20,000 left in your account. I just used the extra money to buy a phone."
"You bought another phone!!!! You just got a new one last year!" "Last year's didn't have a camera! I'm not buying this one for myself, it's practically for you. Your old phone is over two years old and doesn't even have a color screen. I'm getting you a new one with a color screen. Buying this phone is like upgrading the whole family. Who uses their phone for ten years these days? These are all non-durable consumer goods, like your computer, you have to replace them every year. You buy a new computer every year, and I never complained?"
"In this line of work, computers are my livelihood. Can I not buy one?"
"Who are you trying to fool! Who was it that said at the beginning of the year that a new game version was released and the old computer's memory couldn't support it? You were just saying that for work!" "Oh dear! Once you start talking about it, you start exposing each other's dirty laundry. It really makes me realize what my mom meant when she said that during the Cultural Revolution, couples would expose each other's dirty laundry on stage. My mom was right about you. Haha."
"What else did your mother say about me?"
"No, no. Seriously. Okay, I have 20,000 here, how much can you get from me?"
"I can't afford a single penny. I'm broke every month."
"No way! Miss! The mortgage payment was deducted from my account! Where's your money?"
"Didn't I pay for all those miscellaneous expenses? I bought your clothes too! Are you kidding me? You're going to control what a woman earns? I don't even ask you to support me anymore. Look at how many women in Shanghai are housewives these days, spending all their money?"
Yaping smiled wryly, "Don't you think my mother is a bit too prescient? She said that when we really need money, we're always broke. And it's true. Looks like we need to sit down and seriously review our household expenses someday. Otherwise, no matter how much we earn, we won't have any savings."
"If your mother isn't penniless, why would she ask us for money? If she were wealthy, I would gladly accept any support she might give us, haha."
"You know what my colleague Xiao Wu said? He said Shanghai women are unambitious, live extravagantly, are emperors at the beginning of the month and beggars at the end, spending all their money every month... So, he calls Shanghai women 'moonlight goddesses.' Turns out, I have a goddess in my family too."
"I've found that your Xiao Wu is quite thoughtful, and he has a sharp eye for things. I really am his goddess. To be honest, I think we should enjoy life today and not put it off until tomorrow. It's best to spend money in the bank and live a good life now with future money. Think about it, your parents have spent their whole lives worrying and guarding against everything. Have they ever had a single day of peace? And what's the result? They're still not as well off as we are. Money in the bank just depreciates. The life insurance I have now promises to give me 2,000 yuan a month when I'm old. I even doubt whether 2,000 yuan will be enough to buy enough rice back then. How much did your parents' house cost back then? They paid 4 yuan a month in rent. And what about us now? We talk about how high our salaries are now, but if you convert it back to their money, it's actually about the same."
"We'll talk about that later. Let's focus on the main issue first. You mean, even if we searched the whole house, all we'd have in savings is 20,000?"
"YES, SIR."
"That's still 100,000 short!"
"Two options: either ask your parents to ask their extended family for more money, or give up."
"Is there no third way?" Yaping grinned mischievously and reached out to touch Lijuan's chest.
"What are you doing? What kind of crazy idea are you thinking of?" Lijuan twisted her shoulder and escaped the clutches.
"Go borrow it from your mom. Your mom and your brother will definitely have some."
"Go away! Get out of here. Just because I married you doesn't mean my mom and brother will marry you too. Don't try to get your hands on me. This won't do, I can't say anything about it. I'm only one level removed from your family. Who does my mom even know about your sister? Why should she give money to your family? She needs to trust you guys too!"
"Does she not trust her daughter? If I talk to her, she might not listen to me, but it's different if you do it. Would she lie to her own daughter?"
“Oh! Li Yaping, I recognize that. These must be exactly what your sister and your mother said to each other. They asked your mother to act as guarantor to get us to join, and then you acted as guarantor to get me to join. Now you're trying to get me to act as guarantor to get my mother to join. This sounds like a pyramid scheme to me. Did you see the news about the rotating credit associations in Fujian a while ago? It feels like your family is involved in this.”
"What nonsense are you talking about? They call that financing? That's fraud. They don't have any industry; it's pure high-risk, high-reward investing. My business is fundamentally different from theirs. We have production equipment, factories, and staff. It's just an underground joint-stock company. We sell our stuff, and we've already made enough to cover our costs. What are you afraid of?"
"Li Yaping, don't sell me out. I only promised to talk to my mom, whether she agrees or not is none of my business. I'll just pass on the message, that's my way of showing my love as a wife. As for the 20,000 yuan from my family, in the worst-case scenario, I won't take it, I'll give it to your mom as a loan I took from her to buy the house. But if you don't pay back the money from my mom, I'll divorce you!"
"What are you saying? Your mother's money is our money too! I don't want my own mother's money, but I have to get your mother's money back first, otherwise, your mother will be so difficult to deal with! Hurry up and do it! The sooner it's done, the sooner it will accrue interest."
Lijuan relayed the message the next day. Of course, she reassured her mother, even giving a firm guarantee: "If you're worried, keep the receipt for 200,000 yuan with you. We're all family anyway." Lijuan's mother happily pulled out her savings book, planning to collect the money the next day.
“I have 60,000 yuan here that your brother is saving to buy a house!” Lijuan’s mother said, pointing to the bankbook as she flipped through it, her tone still slightly suspicious.
"Don't worry! You're in charge of the passbook. The amount is all in your hands. Just don't deduct the 100,000 from their account."
"Tch, what's his is yours? What's yours is mine?" Lijuan's mother was still flipping through several bankbooks.
"Mom! If that's how you put it, then I don't want you to raise the funds. All we earn is interest; don't try to seize other people's assets! If that's how you want it, I can't give you a receipt; I'll just write you an IOU myself."
"Oh, don't worry! That brat is still clinging to your in-laws! She's afraid her own mother will take your money. What use would I be with her money? In the end, it'll all go to you and your brother anyway."
"Hey! Mom! You can't say that. I'm mine, and my brother is my brother's. You treat both children the same, but we're two separate families. My sister-in-law won't stand for it!"
"Oh dear! This is a 5-year fixed deposit! It'll mature in a little over a year, it's such a waste to withdraw it now! I'll lose several hundred in interest!"
"Shortsighted! Is it a few hundred or tens of thousands? Think it over, I won't force you. Otherwise you'll keep nitpicking with me over a few hundred dollars."
"I was just saying! It's several hundred yuan after all! It's still a bit of a pinch. You'll definitely get the money."
"Give it to me quickly. They won't wait. If they can't raise enough money here but have enough raised over there, they might not need it anymore. It was originally meant to be a small incentive for acquaintances; they might not actually need it."
"Okay, okay, I know. I'll take it out for you first thing tomorrow morning."
The following evening, Lijuan and Yaping went to collect the money. Lijuan's mother held up a thick wad of banknotes, fanning them in her hand as if she wanted to hand them over but then pulled them away, saying, "This is 100,000! If you lose it, I'll fight you to the death!"
"Oh! I came here specifically to tell you that they've raised enough money and don't want it anymore. You can deposit the money back!" Lijuan said to her mother casually. Yaping, standing to the side, became anxious and glared at Lijuan.
"Hey! You damned girl! I've already withdrawn the money from the bank! I've already lost the interest! And now you're telling me you don't want it? Go tell them to return the other people's money! This was agreed upon beforehand, how can you not want it?!" Lijuan's mother immediately threw the banknotes into Lijuan's hand like throwing a grenade, extremely angry.
"Well! You forced this money on me! I didn't ask you for it! Now I'll ask you one more time: investing involves risk, and you should be cautious when entering the market. This is what they say every day in the stock market. Think it over, don't keep asking me every three days after you give it to me! I can't handle you. You can still take it back now, we don't lack this little bit."
"I said I'd give it to you, so I did! Don't worry, I'll only ask once a year, when the interest is paid out. By the way, how many years is this money going to be kept in the account? What should I do if I need the money?"
"This money is for a minimum of one year, and a maximum of five years. If the business is bad, it'll be over in one year. If it's good, the principal will be repaid in five years. We'll talk about the future later," Yaping added.
"Then let's hope it does well, five years is fine. I don't need the money right now. Your brother will only need it when he buys another house. We'll see then! You can buy a house anytime. House prices are so high now, it's not worth it."
Lijuan hummed a little tune as she walked out of her mother's house. As soon as they stepped outside, Yaping grabbed Lijuan's face and kissed her passionately. "Wife, I've discovered that you're the only one in the world who can handle your mother! Just seeing her gives me a headache!" "What are you doing! I'm going to suffocate!"
Yaping suddenly found Lijuan incredibly adorable. After returning home, he treated Lijuan with exceptional tenderness, first preparing her bathwater, and then sharing a romantic time with her.