"Only twenty yuan? Old Wu, you sure talk big. Is this about working overtime?" Zhang Amei's voice suddenly turned shrill.
Wu Jianguo kept his head down, saying nothing and giving no indication either way.
The more Zhang Amei looked at him, the angrier she became, but in front of the children, she could not strip her husband of all dignity.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on the brother and sister, who had kept their heads down over their food, not even daring to make a sound with their chopsticks.
Her eyes shifted, and an idea suddenly came to her.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Amei forced her voice into a somewhat calmer tone and turned to Wu Shanshan. "Shanshan, you're close to Jingcheng. Your dad is thin-skinned and too embarrassed to ask. Go in his place and ask Jingcheng to buy our parts. We can sell them to him cheap."
Wu Shanshan tightened her fingers around her chopsticks and pressed her lips together. "I... I don't want to."
Zhang Amei's face darkened, and her voice abruptly rose. "You don't want to? Shanshan, how can you be so selfish? You're old enough now. Can't you spare a thought for your dad? How much does he earn slaving away at the factory for a whole month? How much overtime would he have to work for those twenty-odd yuan? Doesn't all his money go toward feeding you two? You eat and drink for free, yet you won't lift a finger for this family?"
Wu Shanshan lowered her head under the scolding.
Zhang Amei paused for breath, then adopted a tone halfway between coaxing and ordering. "After dinner, go watch television at Zhuang Yanzhou's with Xiaojun. Jingcheng will probably be there too. Just tell him our family is really struggling and ask him to help.