Chapter 2

David's monthly income was 50 thousand. I only learned this exact number after we got married.

When he was in a relationship, he said the income was okay, but he didn't report the specific number. I didn't ask either.

The day before receiving the certificate, he took out a prenuptial property agreement. He said, "I asked a lawyer to draft it, take a look, and sign it if there is no problem."

The agreement clearly stated that the pre-marital property belonged to the man personally.

That suit was bought before he met me. The monthly payment was 4000.

I signed it. He said, "Don't worry, the money we earn after marriage is ours."

But how to spend it, he had the final say.

When I first got married, I was still working. Before I got pregnant, I was an accountant with a monthly salary of 2500.

When I was six months pregnant, he asked me to quit my job.

"Your physical condition is not safe to continue working. Can't I support you?" he said.

I quit. After I quit, everything had changed. He said, "You have no income. I earn every penny you spend.

"So you should keep an account." Logical closed loop.

David wrote code and built frameworks. Running a household? Same thing.

On the 1st of each month, he transferred 1,000 to my card. It was called living expenses.

I tried to discuss with him once. "1000 is not enough. The cost of children is high. Can you increase it to 1800?"

He pulled out his phone and opened the calculator. "Groceries, household stuff, fruit, diapers and wipes, formula... all together? 1,000 is plenty."

"Formula is expensive. Ryan needs four cans a month," I said.

"Change the cheap brand," he said.

"Ryan has been on this brand of formula, and I'm afraid changing it might not go well for him," I said.

"Then save the rest. 10001 is enough," he said.

He closed the calculator, and that was that. He wasn't negotiating; he was just going through budget approval. And I was out.

That night, I lay in bed for a long time.

After all the calculations, any shortfall at the end of each month was always made up by my mom.

*****

The first time my mother transferred money to me was when Ryan was three months old.

That day, I bought cotton towels for Ryan in the supermarket, but the balance was not enough.

I stood in front of the checkout page and took another card. That was the only deposit I had left.

The money saved by being an accountant for five years was more than 30 thousand dollars before marriage.

The wedding cost 5000. I treated my relatives to dinner and bought some home appliances. David said that he would pay a lot for the wedding, and I would pay what I could.

During pregnancy, I spent more than 6000 on my own medical treatment, maternity clothes, and maternity checkups.

He covered part of it, the recovery stuff, the baby things. But the little odds and ends? He didn't bother with those. Only 15 dollars were left.

I stood in front of the checkout page. There were four or five people behind me. The cashier looked at me.

I ended up paying by credit card.

I didn't tell David about it when I got home.

But I called my mom.

I didn't say anything about money. It means that Ryan would turn over today.

My mom laughed for a while on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, I received a transfer. My mom transferred 300 and said it was for Ryan.

My mother lived alone. There was no elevator in the old community.

In addition to food, water, and electricity, there were about 300 left every month.

Every month she gave me everything she had left.

She never said give me money. The note was always for Ryan.

It seemed that the money was not for me, but for Ryan. It seemed that way, and I was not so embarrassed to put it away.

*****

Once I went back to my parents' house. My mom was cooking in the kitchen.

There was nothing in the fridge, half a cabbage, two eggs, and a piece of broccoli.

I said, "Mom, why is the fridge so empty?"

She said, "I didn't buy it today. I'll go tomorrow."

I opened her phone. There was a Mini Program that kept accounts.

It wasn't David who asked her to remember. She remembered it herself.

She wanted to calculate how much she had left after transferring to me every month.

I saw the records of that month. The balance of 400 was her monthly food money.

David earned 50 thousand a month. My mom's pension was 1300. She paid for the formula for her grandson.

I put her phone back. My mother brought out the dishes. "Come, try it."

I took a bite. It didn't taste good.

My mom looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"Delicious," I replied.

On the way back that day, I sat in the car for a long time. I didn't cry.