Caused by layoffs

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This post was last edited by Lan Dian on 2010-8-5 at 14:25. My husband came home yesterday and brought some reliable rumors: the company where he has worked for so many years is facing significant layoffs. I remember that lately, whenever friends told us about their fears of being laid off or already having been laid off, we would always offer them gentle advice and kind encouragement. Now, this crisis has also hit our family. At night, I poured a cup of hot water for my husband, handed it to him, and sat on his lap. He let out a deep sigh and said, “The end of the year isn’t easy at all. IT workers like us who work hard are all having a tough time this year.” An idea to save money arose during our conversation—My husband looked up and asked, “Does this room’s chandelier require 9 light bulbs just to function?” Gege replied, “Turn off 8 of them, then we’ll only need one!” My husband suggested that the nanny buy less meat and more vegetables. Gege said, “I’ll do it myself, if you don’t mind.” My husband looked at me with compassion and said, “It’s better if he does it.” I immediately agreed. Husband: Don’t you like eating salads? Eat as much as you want before the end of the year. Gege: What about after that? Husband: Stop eating them next year. Husband: Is the drinking water running low? Should we order more? Gege: Let’s just use tap water. Husband: We don’t use the TV, air conditioner, or DVD player often; unplug all their plugs. Gege: Honey, are you afraid of taking the bus? Husband: No. Gege: Let’s sell the car then. Gege: Honey, do you hate eating instant noodles? Husband: Yes. Gege: Try to like them again. Gege: Luckily we haven’t bought any snow boots yet; we can dig out last year’s ones and clean them to use temporarily. Husband (with concern): Oh, poor thing. Okay! Gege: Honey, do you dislike me getting older and having wrinkles? Husband: You’re not getting old; you don’t have any wrinkles! Gege: What if I do? Would you dislike it? Husband: Of course not. Gege: Well, then I won’t buy any eye cream anymore. Husband: Do you still want to lose weight, baby? Gege: Yes. Husband: Okay, there will be very little oil in the dishes from now on. Gege: Honey, do you still care about “spiritual nourishment”? Husband: I don’t anymore. Princess: Sell all your books. Including your collection of childhood comics. Husband: As waste paper? Gege: Put it on Taobao! Idiot! Husband: From now on we won’t use those triple-layer, elastic toilet papers anymore. Gege: What kind of toilet paper should we use then? I’ll ask my sister to pack up all the self-criticism letters written by students over the course of a year and send them over. Husband: Tomorrow I’ll go out and find out how much they cost at Dàqiánmén. Gege: I’ll help you roll cigarette tobacco and collect cigarette butts at night. Husband: Our dog isn’t bad-looking; why not sell it? Gege: We won’t get much money for it. It can cover the cost of food for a week when things get really tough. Husband: Let’s sell the fridge; we can store things on the balcony. Gege: There’s too much dust there; if the dog gets sick, we’ll have to spend money on medicine. Husband: How many wealthy relatives do we still have? Gege: Not many left. What is it? Husband: Let’s organize our contacts; we might need to borrow money from various people. Gege: Husband, do you like being a rock star? Husband: What? Gege: Stop shaving your hair then. Husband tapped his leg in frustration: Damn it, I should have bought a new razor before the economic crisis. Gege: That way it could have lasted another 5 or 6 years…. Gege: Husband, does one kidney suffice for a person? Husband: Yeah, it’s enough. Gege: Then sell the other one. Gege: Husband, do you care about my chastity? Husband: Of course I do!!!! Gege: Oh, then forget it…