Father Ye listened from the side as his son squatted there sighing, feeling rather puzzled.
What else did he want?
"You've already done plenty, and you've got everything at home. What else do you want? You've got all the three rotations and one ring, too. There aren't many people in the whole village with more big-ticket items than you."
"Ah, I'm still way behind some people. Some already have all the new three items. I've barely even started."
"What new three items?"
"A refrigerator, a television, and a washing machine, Dad! You don't even know that?"
"Like hell I know!"
Hearing him list the new three items, Father Ye stared at him in astonishment, spittle flying as he spoke.
"Do you know how much a refrigerator costs? I heard they cost seven or eight hundred, even a thousand yuan! What couldn't you do with that money? What use would buying one be? It wastes electricity, too. I heard the electricity bill alone is quite a lot. All that just to chill a few dishes in summer? We throw away basins of seafood every day. What do we need to chill anything for?"
Hearing Father Ye's agitated voice, the people nearby came over curiously to ask.
"What refrigerator? Your family bought a refrigerator?"
Father Ye immediately came to his senses and hurriedly explained with an awkward smile, "No, we just heard someone bought one. Terribly expensive, and that big thing wastes electricity. I heard the electricity alone costs several yuan a month. We fish for a living. How could we afford one? That thing's worth its weight in gold."
"That's true. Even city people can't necessarily afford one. How could we? Better to buy a television than that thing. A television's more entertaining, and it's a bit cheaper..."
The people waiting