"Mom, I have something to tell you... I want to use some money."
"How many?"
"Seven hundred."
"So much! It's not easy for you to earn that little money, so don't spend it carelessly..."
"I...I want to buy a refrigerator for my home."
"refrigerator?"
"Yes, that thing is good. It's not summer now, and nothing can be stored. But with it, you can..."
"Okay, Mom knows what you are thinking. You are thinking about everyone. Our family has such a large population, so it would be good to have a refrigerator. Fruits, vegetables, frozen fish and meat can be stored there. When your sister-in-law has another child, we will
Even if you order more milk, it won't go bad. But the problem is, you will suffer the loss. The money is not a small amount. You have to think carefully about it. If you really spend it, when you are short of money, Mom
But there is no place for you to make up for it. Besides, if our family spends money to buy this, will the neighbors..."
This is the main room of the Hong family. Hong Lucheng went for a walk after dinner. There were only two people, Hong Yanwu and Wang Yunlin, mother and son.
After successfully getting his sister to accept the gift, Hong Yanwu came to discuss buying a refrigerator with Wang Yunlin.
In fact, to be honest, Hong Yanwu knew that his mother had her own opinion. He had no idea how to convince her. His only plan was to use his words as much as possible. Once he bumped into the fence, it didn't matter.
But things were really different from what Hong Yanwu expected. Wang Yunlin didn't give him a chance to show his talents at all.
Hong Yanwu was still worried about how to brag about the benefits of the refrigerator, but Wang Yunlin interrupted him.
Not only does the old lady know what a refrigerator is, but she also considers all aspects more than her son.
Hong Yanwu couldn't help but be stunned by the accident, and then his hopes increased greatly. He quickly cleared up his mother's doubts one by one.
"Mom... don't say that. I know you want to keep the money to give me a wife. But how old am I? My second brother will be the first to get married. To put it bluntly, my money belongs to the whole family. You can use it as you please, and give it to whomever you want."
Flowers are what they should be.”
"As for the neighbors, you don't have to worry too much. I know you are afraid of showing off. But think about it, one is that our courtyard is full of good people, and no one makes trouble. The other is, that thing is like a big cabinet.
It doesn’t have any sound, who knows what it is if you leave it at home?"
"I've thought about it, and we'll put it in Xiaoru's room later. Guests who come to visit won't go to her room. It's also close to the kitchen, and it's convenient to get things. At most, I can just give Su Xiu a few words..."
Hong Yanwu's thorough thinking really relieved Wang Yunlin's worries. She thought about it and nodded.
"Since you have thought so carefully, then if you are really willing, mom will thank you on behalf of the whole family."
Just seeing her agreeing so happily and successfully reaching her destination, Hong Yanwu, for a moment, she felt a little unbelievable and unreal. She couldn't help but open her mouth wide and confirm again and again.
"Mom, Mom! Do you really agree? Do you agree just like that? I thought... I thought..."
Seeing Hong Yanwu's confused look, Wang Yunlin couldn't help but smile. She immediately understood why her son was confused.
"You think of your mother as a confused old lady, right? Let me tell you, don't underestimate your mother. I have used all kinds of refrigerators, but you may not even know..."
This really guessed the beginning but not the ending. Hong Yanwu was completely surprised by his mother's attitude.
However, Wang Yunlin's words are true. She has indeed seen more people than Hong Yanwu in her life.
Due to the improvement of the economy, the Hong family has long stopped using paper boxes. So since she had free time, it was hot in summer and she slept late, so Wang Yunlin simply chatted to relieve her boredom, and described some old memories of her life to her son.
Under the dim lights and gently swaying cattail leaf fans, Hong Yanwu was surprised to learn that in the feudal era, there was no need to use electricity at all. Rich families had already used a wooden appearance, with lead and tin as the lining, using natural water ice.
Refrigerated refrigerator.
This kind of refrigerator is not only beautiful in appearance, but also very sophisticated and scientific in functional design. The settings of the "cover" and "door" actually divide the box into upper and lower layers. The upper layer is for freezing and the lower layer is for freshness, which is similar to modern refrigerators.
The shapes are very similar.
In addition, when the ice melts, it absorbs the hot air in the room and adjusts the room temperature by covering the hollow exhaust holes, which can also function as an air conditioner.
From this point of view, this kind of environmentally friendly old refrigerator has more unique advantages than today's refrigerators. From this, we can also know how outstanding the wisdom of ancient Chinese people was.
In addition, Hong Yanwu had something else he didn't expect.
It turns out that as early as the 1920s and 1930s, refrigerators had already been found on Shanghai Beach.
His father, Hong Lucheng, used large freezers in the Western restaurants, cafes, dance halls and nightclubs he built in the Shanghai Concession. In the hot summer, they could easily serve the fashionable Shanghai girls and gentlemen.
, providing refreshing cold drinks and ice cream to cool off.
As for refrigerators in private homes, they are rare and must be owned by very wealthy people.
Most of the refrigerators at that time were imported from foreign countries and were huge in size. They were definitely on a par with today's fashionable refrigerators that are larger than 200 liters or more. The casing was made of all metal, and even four or five good guys couldn't even think of touching it.
And speaking of the price, it is also extremely shocking. The earliest world-famous brand "Frigidaire - Arctic Refrigerator" is also a luxury product in Europe. You can't get it without the price of more than a dozen "little yellow croakers".
This manufacturer is the ancestor of refrigerators. It is said that there were no more than ten such refrigerators in Shanghai at that time. Even if you have money, you may not be able to buy one.
So these refrigerators naturally became a symbol of status. "Hartung Garden", "Paramount Ballroom" or the homes of dignitaries, no one can tell where they belong.
Who would have thought that his parents were the ones who owned such a top-notch refrigerator. And the fresh milk that his eldest brother Hong Yanzheng drank when he was young was stored in this rare refrigerator.
It must have been depressed in my heart for many years. Now I can tell my son with confidence. Wang Yunlin's tone revealed a kind of joy and relaxation. From the moment she opened her mouth, she kept talking, and she seemed to be unable to stop talking.
This allowed Hong Yanwu to not only get a glimpse of the wealthy life of the Hong family back then, but also to have a deeper understanding of his mother's state of mind.
He suddenly realized that when his mother told him these things, she was not remembering the luxury and glory of the past, but remembering her past years and years, and recalling the happy time she spent with her family.
Because their family was of a different kind, they had to be restrained and huddled up at all times. Their mother could never recall her past openly.
Memories are just the most precious thing for a person. Once a person needs to deny the past and avoid the truth for a long time, it is equivalent to being mentally disconnected and incomplete.
This is undoubtedly a great distortion and torture, and it is also a kind of loneliness that is both pitiful and embarrassing.
A kind of compassion for his mother and a wonderful understanding of the ups and downs of life filled Hong Yanwu's heart.
He also realized another major mistake in his previous life. He knew too little about his parents' past and his family's past...
With his mother's approval, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan carried a single-door "Electrolux" refrigerator covered with a sheet into the east courtyard of Guanyin Yuan on the second day.
However, compared with his mother's open-mindedness, Hong Yanzheng, who happened to be taking a day off that day, showed his stubbornness and stubbornness, which formed a sharp contrast.
When he saw Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan struggling to stuff the refrigerator into Hong Yanru's narrow door frame, he not only refused to help, but instead intervened and criticized them.
"Hey, hey, third child, you got such a big guy and stuffed it into Xiaoru's house. What are you doing?"
"What are you doing? Put it in. It's close to the kitchen, so it's easy to get things."
Hong Yanwu stood in the room and was pulling the refrigerator back. He replied casually and continued to urge Chen Liquan. "Quanzi, push it, don't make it crooked."
But Hong Yanzheng kept asking, "What is this and where did it come from?"
Chen Liquan struggled outside and finally squeezed the refrigerator in against the edge of the door frame. He wiped his sweat and took the words.
"Brother, this is the refrigerator I just bought. My godmother knows about it. With this, the family will be much more convenient in the future. I heard from Xiao Wu that fish, meat, and leftovers can be used for food.
Just put it inside, it won't break even if it lasts for ten and a half months."
Hong Yanzheng didn't care about this, he only cared about one thing.
"Quanzi, how much does it cost to buy this?"
"Seven hundred. Isn't that expensive?"
"Isn't it expensive? It's less than a thousand dollars. It's my salary for one and a half years."
In fact, Chen Liquan wanted to say that this thing was priced at a duty-free shop, and it was more expensive outside. But he couldn't express it clearly, and Hong Yanzheng only focused on the money. So the two of them had a lot of trouble.
When Hong Yanwu saw that Chen Liquan was blushing because of being blocked, he was a little unhappy. He deliberately provoked people with a vindictive attitude.
"Boss, there's something I haven't told you yet. This thing consumes a lot of electricity. It only takes a dozen words in a month."
Sure enough, Hong Yanzheng felt like he had been stabbed.
"Oh my god. The electricity bill alone costs several dollars. No, you two should return this thing quickly. Our family can't support this living ancestor."
Hong Yanwu curled his lips and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, and he was able to speak small words.
"Are you okay, boss? We just moved in with great difficulty, and look at how sweaty our necks are. Besides, what does this have to do with you? Mom agreed, but she didn't let you pay for it, and she didn't let you pay the electricity bill. She didn't help.
Just go back to your house and stop meddling in other people's business."
How could Hong Yanzheng be defeated so easily?
"It's not about who pays the electricity bill. It's about not spending money. Mom probably confused you. I'll talk to mom later. You have to return the things first, other stores won't recognize them.
Where’s the invoice? Give it to me!”
Hong Yanwu was also convinced. He was clearing out things and finding space for the refrigerator while chewing his teeth.
"Boss, you are really good. Why don't you think about how many leftovers our family has to throw away this year? Besides, with this, it will be convenient for my sister-in-law to have a baby..."
Hong Yanzheng refused to give in at all.
"But you can't throw away seven hundred yuan. The electricity bill is more expensive than leftovers. Besides, Hong Jun didn't have this when he was a child. Can't he still calm his breasts with cold water? You just took off your pants and farted..."
Naturally, Chen Liquan couldn't just sit back and help to persuade him.
"Brother, many countries abroad have this, and they are all bigger than this one. This one is much more convenient than cold water..."
But Hong Yanzheng still didn't give him any face.
"What do foreigners eat? What do you eat? How many taels of meat do you two eat a day, and how many fish do you eat a year? We are ordinary people. We are working people in a simple and frugal way. No, no, no, get out of here. Still.
There are leftovers! Reba, Reba ate them. How could they keep them for ten days and a half?"
Hong Yanwu rolled his eyes, ignored Hong Yan's argument, and directly asked Chen Liquan to move the refrigerator into place.
Seeing this, Hong Yanzheng was a little impatient.
"Third brother, you are sincere, right? Why don't you listen to me? Why don't you do it the other way around?"
Unexpectedly, Hong Yanwu still ignored him. It wasn't until he calmly handed Chen Liquan a cigarette and lit it himself. Then he said rather lazily, "Boss Cheer, don't be afraid of spending money. In fact, if you want to save electricity, you can
Okay, don't turn on the electric door. Look, there are so many compartments here, you can put anything. Put bowls, chopsticks, briquettes. No one cares."
After saying that, he pulled Chen Liquan out of the house. In the end, he only said one sentence, "If you have the ability, just retreat on your own."
Hong Yan, who was in the room, was so angry that his face turned pale and he yelled at the shadow behind them.
"There's something wrong! I spent seven hundred yuan to buy a cupboard. It'll make you all confused... Humph! What should I put in it? Bangzi noodles and porridge?"
But in the final analysis, since he had no invoice, no idea of the source, and he couldn't do it himself, he had no choice but to do it.
As for Hong Yanwu, actually he felt a little uncomfortable after leaving the courtyard.
Based on my mother's words, I saw that my eldest brother, the "eldest young man of the Hong family" who used to have the most expensive refrigerator to store milk, had completely forgotten the benefits that the refrigerator had brought to him, and he appeared to be a "model of diligence and thrift".
His behavior. Can he feel better?
He felt that due to the rise and fall of the family and the changes of the times, there would be such a big gap in life attitudes and values between the two generations of the Hong family. No matter how he thought about it, it made him a little bit hard to let go and a little unspeakably sad.
History goes round and round like this, life goes round and round like this, so many things have changed.
But fortunately, there is still one person in the Hong family who has not changed his mind.