1970s: A hot-tempered wife who accompanied a soldier to the military compound and made a fortune.

Chapter 828 Living frugally is important; you're being far too extravagant.
Chu Xue replied, "I don't really understand this either. I'll ask my elders later."

Thinking of something, she nudged Duan Ruirui with her elbow, a smile flashing in her eyes: "So you really want to be my cousin-in-law?"

Duan Ruirui blushed immediately upon hearing her teasing: "Stop talking nonsense."

Seeing her like this, Chu Xue stopped teasing her. After they finished eating, they hurried to the department store.

With limited time during their lunch break, the two headed straight for the yarn counter.

Chu Xue looked at the yarn displayed inside the counter: "Comrade, how much is the yarn per pound?"

Inside, a saleswoman was knitting a sweater. She glanced up at her and said casually, "It depends on which one you want; the prices are all different."

Duan Ruirui leaned on the counter: "Sister, how much is the pure wool one?"

The saleswoman put down the sweater she was knitting, stood up, and pointed to the yarn beside her: "Pure wool comes in several varieties, ranging from one yuan and fifty cents to three yuan per ounce. Which one do you want?"

She brought over three balls of yarn: "Here, this one is one dollar and fifty cents a tael, this one is two dollars and fifty cents a tael, and this one is three dollars a tael. Which one do you want?"

These days, an average worker's monthly salary is only a little over thirty yuan. If we calculate based on a sweater weighing one jin and two liang (approximately 0.6 kg), and choose a mid-priced one at two yuan and fifty cents per liang, then a sweater is roughly equivalent to a month's salary.

Duan Ruirui looked directly at the red yarn on the counter: "Comrade, give me a pound of bright red yarn."

The sales clerk turned around and took two balls of yarn from the shelf: "The red ones are only 2.5 yuan and 3.2 yuan each. The 1.5 yuan ones are temporarily out of stock. Which one do you want?"

Without hesitation, Duan Ruirui pointed directly to the yarn balls that cost three yuan per ounce: "I want this."

After saying that, she leaned closer to Chuxue and said, "I think I only get married once in my life, so naturally I have to treat myself well."

Chu Xue readily agreed: "That's right, the red of this one, which costs three yuan and one tael, is very true. Your skin is fair, and this suits you very well."

Duan Ruirui thought the same thing: "We're thinking the same thing."

After the sales clerk wrote out the receipt and handed it to Duan Ruirui, she looked at Chu Xue and asked, "Which color do you want?"

Chu Xue looked at the counter: "Comrade, give me one and a half pounds of navy blue yarn, which costs two yuan and fifty cents per ounce, and one pound and two ounces of brown yarn."

She had originally wanted to get a pound of military green cigarettes for herself, but after thinking about it, she decided against it. The sales clerk said while writing the receipt, "It's a total of sixty-seven yuan and fifty cents, plus five industrial coupons."

Duan Ruirui returned just then and saw the sales clerk issuing a receipt: "What color did you choose?"

As she took the tickets, Chuxue replied, "Navy blue and brown."

Duan Ruirui knew immediately who it was for: "It's for your parents. And what about you?"

Chu Xue looked at the ticket in her hand: "I'll buy it next month after I get paid."

Duan Ruirui sighed and didn't say anything more.

Chu Xue knew what she was thinking and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll definitely be able to finish knitting my sweater by the New Year."

As the two were talking, someone exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Fourth Sister-in-law!"

Chu Xue looked up and saw Zhang Yurong: "Third Sister-in-law, what a coincidence?"

The sales clerk looked at Zhang Yurong and asked, "Your relative?"

Although Zhang Yurong was smiling, the smile didn't reach her eyes. Pointing at Chuxue, she said, "This is my brother-in-law's fiancée. I didn't expect her to come over while I was having a meal."

After saying that, he asked, "Fourth sister-in-law, are you here to buy yarn?"

Her colleague held up what she was holding: "I'm packing."

Zhang Yurong saw the things in her hands: "Are they all hers?"

Her colleague nodded to her.

For some reason, Zhang Yurong lectured Chuxue, "Fourth sister-in-law, you have to be frugal. You're being too extravagant."

(End of this chapter)