Chapter 62: Speaking of bad, it's still you, Lu Yuan, who's bad!

Everyone looked puzzled, as if you just needed to say a couple of auspicious phrases, right?

The aunties, suddenly at a loss for words, said:

"How much money are you giving as a gift, then?"

Lu Yuan blinked, took a puff of his cigarette, and said:

"Money? What money? We don't have any money left at home!"

Upon hearing that, everyone gritted their teeth and said:

"How can you have no money? You were just rewarded three hundred, you bought a bed for over a hundred, and you still want to buy a sewing machine—how can you have no money!!"

"How can you buy these if you have no money?"

Lu Yuan nodded and said:

"Exactly, you know it too—my money went to the sewing machine and the bed, I don't have any left!"

Everyone: "????"

Yes…… yes oh!!

This guy Lu Yuan spent all his money, so he actually has a legitimate reason not to give a gift.

After all, when the Gao family hosts a banquet and expects gifts, you can't expect people to prioritize giving gifts over buying things for their own home, can you?

There's no such logic!

Instantly, everyone was at a loss for words.

Everyone thought Lu Yuan was a bad seed, lacking virtue, but to be fair, he really never suffers a loss!

Everyone still wanted to learn from Lu Yuan, but looking at it now……

Can't learn it!!

Who could live like Lu Yuan, recklessly throwing money around?

This money just came in as a reward, not even warmed up yet, and it's already been spent.

Could it be that everyone also wants to learn from Lu Yuan, spend all their family's money, and then, when it's time to give gifts, proudly claim they spent it all on big-ticket items just like him?

That's not worth it!

There are old and young among us; we still have to live our lives—we can't let our household suffer just over a couple of dollars in gift money, can we?

While everyone was somewhat at a loss for words,

One auntie came running over in a panic and said:

"Oh no, oh no, I just saw Gao Xushi coming back from the market—she bought two chickens, two catties of fatty meat, some bok choy and spinach, some clams, and some crabs."

Hearing that, everyone became unsettled.

Nowadays a small rooster costs about one yuan six mao, and a catty of fatty meat is one yuan two mao.

As for the clams and crabs……

That's basically chicken feed!!

It's fortunate that just the other day Gao Xushi was mocking Lu Yuan for eating crab, yet now your family's banquet has you putting chicken feed on the table?

Figuring it out this way, the cost of this table is at most three yuan!!

Then add some candy and peanuts, and altogether this meal—your Gao family can't even spend ten yuan on it!!

Moreover, you call this a banquet but you didn't even buy a jar of wine—what kind of banquet is this?

You didn't mention buying white flour either—maybe you'll have to eat mixed-grain flour?

At this moment, an auntie in the courtyard slapped her thigh, wore a mournful face, and said:

"What are we to do? My husband is basically considered a master of Gao Tingyu, plus with the status of that elder in the courtyard, our family's gift should be at least ten yuan."

That elder's family is still well-off; that elder is a Level 8 Forging Worker, earning over eighty yuan a month, and the key point is they have no children, so the money is truly theirs.

But having money doesn't mean it's okay to just squander it, right?

Pay ten yuan and then go eat this?

Moreover, Sun Erniang also overheard yesterday: the Gao family's banquet invites only one person per household to eat, so women like us and our children can't even go.

What the hell is this!

The Gao family is just plainly grabbing money!

The crucial thing is we can't say we won't go, after all…… we can't afford to lose face before that person!!

If this gets out and other courtyard houses hear about it, who knows how they'll gossip later.

Even the wealthy households of that elder are panicking, let alone the other families' residents.

You know, this courtyard isn't just inhabited by Forging Bureau artisans; there are also non-artisans, and their household conditions aren't particularly good.

A month of backbreaking work earns only about twenty yuan; making money isn't easy, so day-to-day we really pinch pennies, wishing to split every cent in half.

Whenever the Gao family hosts a banquet, they only need to spend two or three yuan.

Most importantly, if the food were actually good, it wouldn't be so bad—after all, everyone has kids, and when their children marry someday they could earn it back.

But the problem is, with over a dozen people at one table, there's only one chicken and one catty of meat—how are we supposed to eat this!!

At that moment, the two masters installing Lu Yuan's steel bed came out and carried the soft dream-thinking big bed mattress inside.

After setting it up, they stood at the doorway, looking at Lu Yuan and shouted:

"Host, the stuff is installed—come try it out; if it works, we'll head back."

Lu Yuan, hearing the voice, also went home, lay on the bed and wriggled twice—it's fine, solid as a rock, really sturdy.

After getting off the bed, Lu Yuan gave those two masters each a rolled cigarette.

In the midst of the two masters' thanks, Lu Yuan also closed his own door.

The stove was burning inside; opening the door let all the warmth escape.

Meanwhile, the aunties standing outside saw this scene and inwardly cursed.

This despicable thing is truly despicable.

As for the bedding and such, who knows if it's been laid out? Everyone's just waiting for Su Liyan to come back and lay it.

Really shameless!

However, nobody now dares to scold Lu Yuan, for fear of offending him.

Furthermore, everyone still thinks this troublemaker should have some way.

Immediately, a group of aunties gathered around again; these three aunties looked at Lu Yuan and whispered:

"I say, Yuan'er, don't you have any way to handle this?"

Lu Yuan lit a cigarette, then grinned and said:

"There is, but lately… I've been thinking about holding a banquet for my wife in this courtyard."

Everyone:????

What the hell?!

Another one?!

The Gao family is stingy, but at least they have a chicken and two catties of fatty meat.

But what does Lu Yuan's family have?

They bought a bed, they bought a sewing machine.

That three-hundred-yuan bonus just earned is gone again!!

This probably isn't even enough to eat a chicken feather!

Besides, nobody wants to chip in the Gao Xushi family's three-yuan gift, and Lu Yuan again comes up with three yuan.

Good grief, this month we've only been giving gift money.

Can we still go on living like this??

Seeing everyone's look as if they wanted to eat someone, Lu Yuan grinned and said:

"Ladies, don't rush, my meaning is that my family's banquet will also be held the day after tomorrow."

Huh?

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Immediately they knew this troublemaker Lu Yuan was about to come up with a bad idea, but for a moment they still couldn't figure out what he meant.

Then Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows and said:

"You see, you'll eventually have to give gift money; if you give it to the Gao family, you won't even get a seat, and the men won't even get a drink at the table."

"But if you give it to me, it's different; however much money you give, I'll spend that amount, and everyone in our courtyard will come."

"Even the kids will have a seat; our courtyard has a hundred people, assuming ten per table, we'll set up ten tables, with a standard of ten yuan per table."

Saying this, Lu Yuan feared these aunties wouldn't believe him, so he immediately added:

"This money I will absolutely not handle myself; we'll find an elder in the courtyard to act as accountant, the Third Elder is a teacher, this matter is most suitable for the Third Elder; everyone will give the money to the Third Elder, then buy what we need, and later I'll discuss with the elder to allocate uniformly."

"This matter might offend a bit, but for the happiness of the whole courtyard, sacrificing a little self is no big deal; I'll take a loss if I have to."

"Ladies, what do you say?"

Lu Yuan finished speaking with a smile, the aunties in the courtyard looked at each other.

Immediately, everyone felt the same.

If we're talking about bad... it's you, Lu Yuan, who's bad!!!

(End of chapter)