It was slightly amusing when I watched several scenes in Romantic Princess which depicted Xiao Mai in poverty or when Xiao Mai and Nanfeng Jin escaped from Huangpu family to be independent. Maybe Taiwan's lifestyle was different from Singapore's. Being raised up in a family where we did not enjoy so much financial liberty (euphemism for plain simple poor), I found some of the details in the story not quite reflective of someone short of money.
Xiao Mai was initially a poor student who had to part-time to earn her school fees, yet her fingers were perfectly groomed with French manicures. Well, in Singapore, indulging in manicures are expensive who are mostly done by Tai Tais. If one is a poor student who needs to work part time and do housework, it is very wasteful to do manicures as the colour will chip after 2 days of washing plates. Moreover, it is luxury which will normally be foregone when you are faced with limited financial resources. Even if you attempt to D-I-Y, it takes time off other activities such as doing part-time, catch-up on homework or rest.
When Xiao Mai and Jin left Huangpu family and stayed in a small rented flat together, Xiao Mai was responsible for taking care of the house. She cooked dinner daily and waited for Jin to come home. Despite being cash-strapped, Xiao Mai could afford many dishes on the dining table daily. Firstly, to cook for 2 people, one would normally not cook so many dishes as food would likely go to waste.
Did I read too much into a simple show? Or maybe the lifestyle in Taiwan is indeed different from Singapore's?
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