harleyscars Chapter 439 Lesson 1: Spending No Money
Chapter 439 Lesson 1: Spending No Money
In September, the summer heat in Beijing gradually subsides, and the sky is a clear, high-altitude blue.
Chenchen and Xixi, carrying their little backpacks and wearing brand-new "Senior Class" badges on their chests, seemed to walk more upright than before when they stepped into the kindergarten again.
In their minds, being in the senior class means being the "oldest child," and it also means that many unseen changes are taking place.
They started having regular friends who would build "super castles" together in the sandpit after school.
During afternoon naps, my roommate in the next bed would secretly share a fruit candy with a particularly pretty wrapper that he brought from home.
Lin Yan keenly noticed this change.
The child's little world is steadily expanding, and the rudiments of social interaction are beginning to emerge.
He believes it's time to introduce an important "life tool".
On another weekend evening, Lin Yan once again convened a family meeting in the living room.
The atmosphere this time was much more relaxed than last time.
Chenchen and Xixi sat side by side on the short sofa, looking at their father with curiosity.
Lin Yan got straight to the point, holding two small canvas wallets of the same style but different colors (one blue and one pink).
"Chenchen, Xixi, you are now in the senior class. You have your own friends and are starting to experience more things outside of your family. So, starting today, you will have something new—your own pocket money."
The two children's eyes lit up instantly. Allowance? It was "magical money" that they could use to buy "Big Roll" bubble gum or "Little Raccoon" instant noodles!
Lin Yan handed the two wallets to them respectively.
"Every Sunday evening, Dad will give each of you seventy dollars. Next year when you start elementary school, it will increase to one hundred dollars. You can do whatever you want with this money."
He calmly outlined the scope:
"You can buy your favorite snacks, toys, pretty stickers, or picture books; you can invite your friends to the park, or use your allowance to treat them to a ride on the carousel; you can save it all for a bigger goal; and of course, you can use it to do good deeds when you think someone needs help. Dad, Aunt Wang, and Uncle Lin Gang won't interfere with how you use it, unless it involves safety or health issues."
Xi Xi couldn't wait to open the pink wallet and see that it was empty.
Chenchen, clutching the blue wallet, looked up and asked, "Dad, what if... we run out of money quickly?"
"Good question."
Lin Yan nodded approvingly.
"If you spend all your money for the week on Monday, you won't get any more pocket money until next Sunday. You need to learn to plan and wait. That's the important meaning of pocket money."
Wang Yuling added with a smile:
"Young master, I'll help them keep a simple little ledger, with some grids drawn so they can check off or stick stickers to record how the money is spent, okay?"
"Very good." Lin Yan agreed, "No need for precision, just a general impression is fine."
Xi Xi's first Monday was spent in extreme excitement.
After school, she refused Wang Yu's suggestion to go straight home and instead dragged her to a large state-owned department store nearby.
Her goal was clear—the "ballet doll" in the toy cabinet, dressed in colorful tutus that would spin with a music box.
She fell in love at first sight in the shop window for several weeks. The price tag read: 58 yuan.
Without much hesitation, Xixi took out six ten-yuan bills from her brand-new pink wallet, stood on tiptoe, and handed them to the sales clerk.
As she walked out of the mall carrying a gorgeous box that was almost half her height, she was very satisfied, thinking that the pocket money was great, as she could buy her "favorite" item in one go.
On Tuesday, with the remaining twelve dollars, she was drawn to a vendor selling colorful helium balloons outside the kindergarten.
Those large balloons with cartoon patterns that can float in the air cost one yuan each, much more expensive than ordinary balloons.
Xi Xi bought three in one go, one for herself and two for her best friends, Niu Niu and Ma Mao.
Seeing her friend's delighted smile, she felt that the money was well spent.
After school that day, she used the few dollars she had left to treat a few of her friends to a "double stick" each, sharing the joy of her new doll.
By Wednesday afternoon, my allowance had been completely depleted.
While another child excitedly discussed how their parents were going to take them to the newly opened McDonald's on the weekend (the first McDonald's in Beijing opened in Wangfujing in 1992, which was a sensational event in the city).
When Xixi heard that a "Big Mac" meal might cost close to ten yuan, she could only listen longingly. For the first time, she clearly felt that running out of money meant missing out on another kind of new joy.
On the first Sunday night after Chenchen received the money, he took out the "Modern Chinese Dictionary for Primary School Students" given to him by Uncle Lin Yi, turned to the "National Postal Codes and Long Distance Area Codes" table in the appendix, and found the page number for "Shanghai".
He took a liking to a model of the Long March 2 carrier rocket produced by the Shanghai Aerospace Model Factory, which was featured in a serialized article in the "Children's Science Pictorial". The mail order price was 85 yuan (including postage).
Seventy yuan is not enough.
He put the money into his blue wallet, zipped it up, and put it into a locked drawer in his desk.
For an entire week, he didn't make any purchases except for occasionally checking his wallet.
He even started looking for ways to "make money," helping Wang Yuling sort through old newspapers for half a month, earning less than a dollar, but still far from his goal.
On the second Sunday, he received a new seventy yuan, which, combined with the surplus from the first week, far exceeded 85 yuan.
But he did not act immediately.
He followed Lin Gang to the newly opened "Yansha Friendship Mall" and saw an even more impressive "Global" brand large aircraft carrier model in the toy department, priced at 245 yuan.
That colossal machine, brimming with mechanical beauty, instantly replaced the "Long March 2" as his new goal.
Lin Yan observed all of this without rushing to intervene.
A few months after the implementation of the allowance system, some simple "financial activities" began to emerge.
After experiencing several cycles of "overspending and waiting," Xixi spontaneously started "budgeting."
She said, "I'm going to set aside 20 yuan this week. If Mao Mao comes to visit me on the weekend, we can go to McDonald's for fries together (at that time, fries cost about 2 yuan each).
Keep another ten yuan, just in case you see a particularly beautiful greeting card (high-end greeting cards can cost 3-5 yuan) to give to the teacher.
The rest I buy as stickers (0.5-1 yuan a set) and "Ooh Ooh Jiajia" milk candies (0.2 yuan each).
She even started having small "loans" with her girlfriends—"Lend me 50 cents to buy bubble gum, I'll pay you back 60 cents tomorrow!" Although she often forgot, she unknowingly touched the edge of "credit".
Chenchen's "aircraft carrier fund" is growing slowly, but he has found new fun.
He spent a "huge sum" of fifteen yuan to buy a set of "Little Scientist Series" at Xinhua Bookstore, which contained some simple circuit experiments.
He tried using his pocket money to buy batteries (1.5 yuan each), light bulbs, and wires to conduct his "scientific research" in his study.
On one occasion, he successfully got a small motor running, although it burned out quickly (a loss of about 3 yuan), but he excitedly ran to Lin Yan to show him his "research results".
Lin Yan analyzed the reasons for the "burning" with him and encouraged him to look up information and try again.
Chenchen considers this "research and development expense" to be the most valuable expenditure besides savings.
Over the course of six months, the allowance served as a mirror, reflecting the two children's distinct personalities.
It's also like a small sandbox, allowing them to rehearse the eternal topics of "desire," "planning," "exchange," and "value" in the adult world.
They regretted their impulsive spending and were proud of their long-term commitment.
She also learned to use her own money to help others—Xixi used her five yuan pocket money to buy a pair of cotton gloves for the elderly woman who always swept the alley at the entrance.
When Lin Yan handed out pocket money again on another Sunday, she discovered that her two children were already able to manage their allowances reasonably.
As Xixi counted the money, she suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Daddy, is it because when you plan your spending, even if you have less money, you feel 'richer' than when you spend it recklessly?"
Lin Yan smiled, a smile of approval in it, and said gently:
"You've started to get a little bit of the secret. Money is a tool, and also a mirror. It reflects what you truly want in your heart, and what you're willing to spend time and wait for. Managing it well, in a sense, is learning to manage a part of yourself."