Xu Mingxuan’s words truly left Battalion Commander Liu speechless. He merely pointed at Xu Mingxuan and said, "Old Xu, I can see it now, you're a classic example of 'those who don't manage a household don't know the cost of firewood and rice'! Have you really gone and washed your hands of it all a bit too thoroughly?" His comrades chuckled softly, heads bowed.
After finishing their meal, Battalion Commander Liu and Xu Mingxuan's comrades didn't linger long before they all left. Er Zhuang and Xiang Xi helped Xu Mingxuan tidy up the kitchen and clear the battlefield. This time, Chen Lan was the one free of chores.
Once everything was cleaned up, Xiang Xi and Er Zhuang also returned to rest. Chen Lan asked Xu Mingxuan not to close the doors and windows yet, to let the smell dissipate from the room.
By the time the couple finished tidying up and went to bed, it was quite late.
Lying side-by-side, they began to chat about everyday matters. As they talked, Chen Lan suddenly asked, "Mingxuan, why didn't you tell me and Grandma about your monthly allowance? And it's quite a bit too, over a hundred yuan?"
Xu Mingxuan visibly froze for a moment, then replied, "Lan'er, did you hear what Battalion Commander Liu said?"
Chen Lan hummed in response, saying nothing more. The room was pitch black. Xu Mingxuan couldn't fathom Chen Lan's thoughts or see the expression on her face. Unsure if his wife was angry, he felt a pang of unease and decided to tell the truth, steeling himself.
To make it more comfortable for Chen Lan to lean on his shoulder, Xu Mingxuan adjusted his position. Then, taking her hand, he cleared his throat softly and whispered, "Lan'er, you have to believe me. About the allowance, I didn't intentionally not tell you and Mother! I truly forgot! I only have a few days when I come home, and there are so many important things to talk about, where would I have the time for these trivial matters? Don't you think so?"
Chen Lan was also rendered speechless by Xu Mingxuan's words. She thought it must be related to his upbringing in a wealthy family, and also to the family's traditions and education. Otherwise, how could a father and son have donated all their assets to join the revolution? He probably never experienced the kind of hardship others did, nor the struggle to make ends meet for the family's daily meals. This had also cultivated his selfless, generous, and open-minded character.
Seeing Chen Lan remain silent for a long time, Xu Mingxuan assumed she was genuinely upset. He quickly explained, "Lan'er, you must believe me, I truly didn't mean to hide it from you! I honestly didn't know my allowance was so much, because I never handled the allowance myself each month, so I just forgot about it."
Chen Lan asked in surprise, "Mingxuan, if you don't receive your allowance each month, then who takes it? Did the army directly give it to your struggling comrades? That's impossible! The army would never do that!"
Seeing Chen Lan speak, a stone in Xu Mingxuan's heart was lifted. He chuckled with great relief, "Of course. I remember when I first started receiving an allowance, it was only a few yuan a month. At that time, a comrade's family had an accident, so I gave him my allowance directly. Anyway, the army provided everything, I only needed to buy toiletries. Later, as more comrades faced difficulties, I stopped managing the allowance myself. I fully entrusted Er Zhuang to handle it. Each month, he would buy me some daily necessities, and the remainder would be sent to comrades in need as financial assistance. So, I forgot about it. Besides, whenever I came home, you never asked about my allowance, so I had even less reason to remember it!" Sudans Novel Network.
Chen Lan, hearing Xu Mingxuan's explanation, deliberately said, "Hmm! Mingxuan, are you blaming me then? Blaming me for not asking you for household expenses? Alright. If that's the case, then I'm asking you now. Give it to me, right now."
Xu Mingxuan was instantly dumbfounded.
He opened his mouth several times before finally managing to say, "Lan'er, I, I don't have any money on me right now. I'll ask Er Zhuang tomorrow if he has any left. If he does, I'll bring it all over and give you full custody."
Chen Lan suppressed a smile and pretended to be displeased, saying, "Oh! So it's just for me to keep, not for me to spend?"
Xu Mingxuan quickly corrected himself, "No, no, Lan'er, I misspoke. I meant for you to spend it all. Spend it however you wish."
Seeing that Xu Mingxuan was serious, Chen Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Never mind, Mingxuan. Even if you gave it to me, I wouldn't have anywhere to spend this money! By the time we leave the valley, this money will be obsolete anyway. It’s better to give it to your struggling comrades to help them out!"
Only then did Xu Mingxuan realize that Chen Lan had been teasing him all along.
He immediately reached out to tickle Chen Lan, and the couple dissolved into laughter and playful roughhousing.
After they had finished their playful bout, Chen Lan remembered the matter of the Renminbi. She recalled carefully, trying to remember. Although the sixties were approaching, the second series of Renminbi was still in use at this time. The second series, the 1953 version, was issued in 1955 and circulated for about ten years. By 1964, the bank began to only accept but not issue them.
Chen Lan remembered that the second series of Renminbi included a three-yuan denomination. In later times, the market scarcity of this denomination was extremely high, and its value in the currency collection market was reportedly inflated to over ten thousand times its face value. This indicated that the three-yuan banknote had extremely high collection value and appreciation potential.
With this thought, Chen Lan said, "Mingxuan, can you find a way to exchange for me a few sets of new, unused Renminbi?"
Xu Mingxuan asked in surprise, "Lan'er, didn't you just say you had nowhere to spend money when you returned to the valley? Why do you want new sets now? Is it to keep as mementos for the children?"
Chen Lan admitted that this was partly her intention. She replied, "Yes! I want to keep a set for each child as a memento, and I want a set for myself too. In the future, when new currency is issued, I'll collect it again. Mingxuan, I like the three-yuan denomination the most. Please exchange a few more new three-yuan bills for me."
Hearing Chen Lan's words, Xu Mingxuan immediately sensed something was amiss. He quietly asked, "Lan'er, tell me the truth. Is this series of Renminbi going to be very valuable in the future, and the three-yuan is the most valuable, right?"
Chen Lan smiled and praised, "Mingxuan, as expected of the best scout, you are truly sharp! You guessed correctly. If preserved well, it will be very valuable in the future! Especially the three-yuan denomination, the country will no longer issue three-yuan notes."
Xu Mingxuan whispered, "Lan'er, about how many times will the three-yuan denomination appreciate?"
Chen Lan held up one finger. Noticing that it was too dark for Xu Mingxuan to see, she quietly said, "Ten thousand times."
He heard Xu Mingxuan gasp.