Money is just a temporary thing, once it's spent, we'll just earn it back again.

After delivering the purchased items home, Chen Jianghai rode his bicycle back to the gas station in the west of the city.

In this day and age, using gas meant dealing with gas cylinders. With a coupon, it was cheap; without one, you had to pay full price.

Spending fifty-five yuan, Chen Jianghai bought a brand-new gas cylinder filled with gas, hooked it to the rear of his bicycle with an iron hook, and happily rode home.

Back home, there was naturally another round of busyness—installing the electric fan and setting up the gas stove.

With all this rushing back and forth, twilight had arrived unnoticed. Chen Jianghai washed his face and prepared to start cooking.

"Oh! Jianghai, you've got a gas stove now?"

Qiu Jinfeng happened to walk in, and with her sharp eyes, she immediately spotted the brand-new gas stove and gas cylinder in the kitchen.

Although Chen Jianghai didn't care much for Qiu Jinfeng's snobbish personality, she was a neighbor after all, and there was no need to be overly cold.

With a smile, Chen Jianghai said, "Yeah, the coal stove is too much of a hassle to use, so I just went ahead and switched to gas."

"I heard this stuff isn't cheap. Doesn't a tank of liquefied gas cost dozens of yuan a month?"

A hint of jealousy flickered in Qiu Jinfeng's eyes. "It looks like you've really made a big fortune, Jianghai!"

Chen Jianghai waved his hand. "Not really, just earning some hard-earned money to improve the living conditions at home."

It was a very modest statement, but to Qiu Jinfeng, Chen Jianghai was simply showing off.

"Well, you go ahead and get busy. I need to go back and cook too!"

Squeezing out a forced smile, Qiu Jinfeng turned around and headed home, slamming her door shut as if venting her frustration.

Hearing the loud slam echoing from outside, Chen Jianghai couldn't help but shake his head.

No wonder he didn't like this woman.

Her jealousy was simply too strong; she couldn't bear to see anyone else doing well, and she had a rather petty personality.

In the neighboring room, Qiu Jinfeng walked in and said through gritted teeth, "So he made a little money! Does he have to deliberately show off like that right in front of me?"

Her husband, Xu Damao, heard these words and frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who else besides Chen Jianghai next door?!"

Qiu Jinfeng looked extremely displeased. "Who knows what kind of blind luck he stumbled into? He earns a tiny bit of money and goes around showing it off in every possible way, acting all high and mighty. It's infuriating!"

As a husband, Xu Damao knew Qiu Jinfeng's personality all too well.

He couldn't help saying, "It doesn't seem like he was showing off!"

"You call that not showing off?!" Hearing this, Qiu Jinfeng reacted as if her tail had been stepped on. She glared at Xu Damao, put her hands on her hips, and started shouting loudly.

"Moving a TV set yesterday, buying a gas stove today—he's acting like he's terrified the whole world doesn't know his family struck it rich. A typical small-minded person tasting success! If he's so capable, why doesn't he haul an air conditioner and a refrigerator over here all at once?"

Xu Damao sighed and patiently persuaded, "That's their business. You shouldn't gossip behind people's backs. Now that he's doing well, making an enemy out of him isn't a good idea."

"I know, I know! I was just venting a little bit at home, that's all!" Hearing Xu Damao's words, Qiu Jinfeng suddenly lost her nerve, and her voice dropped considerably.

She even subconsciously glanced at the tightly closed door, wondering if she had spoken too loudly just now and whether Chen Jianghai across the way might have heard her.

Xu Damao continued, "As it happens, our TV at home has been acting up, and I've been tinkering with it forever without any luck. Do you think we could ask Jianghai to come over and take a look? Since we're neighbors, maybe his service fee would be a bit lower?"

One had to admit that Xu Damao's calculating mind was quite sharp.

Hearing this, Qiu Jinfeng's eyes lit up immediately. "That's actually a great idea! I've also been wanting to find out if he's really as miraculous as the rumors say, and if he actually knows how to fix televisions."

"Then go talk to him tonight and see what he says." Watching his wife's self-righteously clever expression, Xu Damao didn't say much more.

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Jinfeng said, "Alright, I'll go after dinner. If we call him over right now, we'd have to invite him to eat, and that wouldn't be worth it."

Xu Damao opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words back down.

With his wife's stingy nature, she probably wouldn't change for the rest of her life.

When Lin Wanqiu returned home, the first thing she saw upon stepping into the kitchen was the brand-new gas stove.

"Jianghai, did you buy this?" Lin Wanqiu asked with a trace of surprise.

Chen Jianghai nodded. "Yeah, cooking with that coal stove is too slow. I've been wanting to replace it for a long time."

"A tank of gas costs over twenty yuan, you know. It's not cheap!" Lin Wanqiu felt a pang of heartache over the expense.

Chen Jianghai smiled. "A tank of gas can last a month or two. It doesn't cost much more than using coal briquettes."

"But we still have a bunch of coal briquettes left at home!"

Glancing at the pile of coal briquettes stacked in the corner, Lin Wanqiu couldn't help pointing out, "You should have at least used up those briquettes before switching!"

"The coal stove is still there, I didn't throw it away!"

Pointing to the coal stove in the corner, Chen Jianghai said, "If you ever want to use it, you can use it anytime."

This was obviously a pre-prepared excuse.

Once Lin Wanqiu got used to the convenience of the gas stove, she probably wouldn't even think about using the coal stove again.

Hearing Chen Jianghai put it that way, Lin Wanqiu was completely speechless.

She felt that Chen Jianghai's tongue was becoming more and more persuasive by the day, and she was no longer a match for him.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go wash your face in the bedroom. Dinner will be ready in a minute!"

Chen Jianghai waved his hand and urged.

Stepping into the bedroom, Lin Wanqiu spotted the standing electric fan placed beside the bed, and she couldn't help protesting again.

"Jianghai, did you buy the electric fan too?"

"That's right!"

Carrying the dishes out from the kitchen, Chen Jianghai replied, "I originally wanted to buy an air conditioner, but it's not quite that hot anymore. We can buy one after we move into a larger house later!"

Just as expected!

Hearing Chen Jianghai say this, Lin Wanqiu completely surrendered.

Inwardly, Chen Jianghai felt a surge of triumph.

The reason he deliberately brought up the air conditioner and the future house move was precisely to disarm Lin Wanqiu's objections and pave the way for future spending.

Chen Jianghai naturally understood Lin Wanqiu's current mindset.

She simply wanted to save more money, and only when she felt the pile of savings was large enough would she consider purchasing new home appliances.

As for how much "large enough" actually was, she probably didn't even know herself.

Therefore, he had to take matters into his own hands.

Otherwise, even if he made money, who knew how many years they would have to wait for a comfortable and well-off life?

Seeing Chen Jianghai act this way, Lin Wanqiu suddenly felt a bit worried.

She was afraid that because he had made some money, he would start spending it recklessly.

This was definitely not a good sign.

"Jianghai, money isn't easy to come by. Shouldn't we try to be a bit more thrifty?" Lin Wanqiu said cautiously.

Placing the dishes on the table, Chen Jianghai wiped his hands, pulled Lin Wanqiu into his arms, and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Still deeply concerned, Lin Wanqiu frowned and advised, "Jianghai, you at least have to think about the future! What if there comes a time when there's no work, or an emergency arises that requires money? What will we do then?"

"Silly girl, why are you still worrying about that?"

Gently pinching the bridge of Lin Wanqiu's delicate nose, Chen Jianghai said, "This batch of televisions alone is enough for us to make a massive profit. Besides, your husband has plenty of ways to make money. You can rest easy and spend boldly!"

"Remember, money is a fleeting thing; once it's gone, we'll just earn it back!"