Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 122 - 117: Apology

Fang Pingying was also annoyed. She had originally planned to buy a pound of meat for the whole family, but she put it all in the noodles, and she and Luo Honglan ate it all up.

Today, Luo Honglan was truly irritated too. She didn’t hold back like she usually did, caring about this or that—she just kept eating the meat, and in the end, the two of them polished off the entire pound.

Normally, a pound of meat wasn’t much for a whole family, but it was quite a bit for two people, and it left their stomachs round and full.

Fang Pingying soon felt a tinge of regret. No matter how angry she might get in the future, she shouldn’t use her stomach as a battleground; eating too much was truly uncomfortable.

After that, Fang Pingying cleaned up the bowls she and Luo Honglan had used, leaving the ones from lunch as they were, feeling too lazy to bother with them.

After eating, Fang Pingying went back to her room to move around a bit, hoping to help her digestion. Then she took a nap and when she woke up, it was already late afternoon.

She got up and finished the pair of shoes she was knitting for Luo Dashan—she had almost completed them the day before, and just had to tie off the ends. Then she took them out to Luo Dashan.

From inside the house, she heard Luo Dashan coughing in the courtyard and knew he was at home.

Actually, Luo Dashan had heard from Luo Honglan that Zhou Yunmei hadn’t left them any food that day, so he had been waiting in the courtyard for Fang Pingying to come out, wanting to have a word with her.

As soon as he saw Fang Pingying open the door, he stood up and gave her a guileless smile.

Fang Pingying smiled back at him and walked out with the finished shoes, handing them to him and saying, "Dad, these shoes were knitted with the wool from a sweater Zhiming wore a few years back. Try them on and see if they fit."

"For me?" Luo Dashan hadn’t worn anything new in so many years, always wearing the hand-me-downs from Luo Zhiyong and Luo Zhiming—his sons, not believing it was especially for him, his face in disbelief.

Fang Pingying smiled at him and pushed the shoes back into his hands, saying with a smile, "Yes, for you. Try them on."

Upon hearing this, Luo Dashan was overjoyed. He let out an ’aiyah’ and was about to take off his shoes to try them on but then suddenly put his shoes back on.

Then he extended the new shoes back to Fang Pingying, "Maybe I shouldn’t try them. I’m afraid of ruining them. Take them to the army for Zhiyong; his feet are about the same size as mine. I can’t wear such nice shoes here in the countryside."

"Dad, they’re not that fancy—just homemade. I knitted them specially for you." Hearing Luo Dashan say this made Fang Pingying feel a bit bittersweet.

To say the family was doing poorly, well, compared to the average village family, the other members of the Luo Family lived much better—Fang Xiu and Luo Cuilan never stopped making clothes, sometimes churning out several outfits a month.

But if you say they were doing well, even so, Luo Dashan couldn’t bear to wear such a pair of shoes.

Seeing him reluctant to try them on, Fang Pingying decided to just place the shoes next to his feet and insisted he put them on, while saying, "Dad, don’t worry. For Zhiyong’s, I’ll knit another pair when I go to the army. This doesn’t cost any money; it’s all made by myself."

Hearing it wouldn’t cost anything, Luo Dashan relaxed a bit, "Is that so? Then I’ll give them a try."

"Yeah, give them a try, see if they’re too loose."

Holding the new pair of shoes, Luo Dashan kept them by his feet, his face filled with smiles, but as much as he contemplated, he still couldn’t bring himself to wear them.

In the end, it was Fang Pingying who let him try the shoes, saying that if they didn’t fit, they could be adjusted, which is when he put them on to test.

The newly knitted woolen shoes were a bit tight, so Luo Dashan struggled a bit to get them on, but once they were on, they didn’t feel too constricting. Plus, they were stuffed with cotton, giving them a soft and cozy feeling, which was exceptionally comfortable.

Luo Dashan hurriedly nodded and said, "These shoes are much more comfortable than the liberation shoes you buy in town."

"Good, as long as they’re comfortable. When it gets colder, you should wear them. Don’t be afraid of wearing them out and wanting to save them. I’ll knit you another pair by the new year," Fang Pingying said, fearing that Luo Dashan would hesitate to wear them, so she specifically instructed him.

"Alright, alright, dad understands," Luo Dashan said with satisfaction, nodding at his daughter-in-law.

After a while, he suddenly spoke up, "Pingying, actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about today."

"Go ahead," Fang Pingying probably guessed what Luo Dashan would say. She smiled at him, gesturing for him to speak.

Luo Dashan sighed softly, his expression somewhat guilty as he spoke,

"Your mom, I know she can be tough and hot-tempered. If there’s anything she’s done wrong, I apologize on her behalf. Don’t take it to heart. I’m extremely satisfied with you as a daughter-in-law, and naturally, Zhiyong is too. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t be happy."

Fang Pingying knew that not only she had taken to heart what Zhou Yunmei said about Xu He, Luo Dashan had heard it too, and now he specifically came to talk to her about it.

She cared, but since Luo Dashan didn’t say those words, it shouldn’t be him apologizing.

She smiled and shook her head, "Dad, I know. I’ve been with the Luo Family for so long, and you’ve never treated me unfairly."

Luo Dashan nodded, then said, "Also, I know how much Zhiyong has done for the family over the years. But given our situation at home, there’s not much I can do. I’m thinking you can just bear with it for these few months. Once you go with Zhiyong to the military next year, don’t bother sending money back home."

He explained to Fang Pingying, "By then, Cuilan would be married, and Zhiming should be able to find a job in the provincial city. Honglan is a good child who doesn’t splurge. We, the two old folks, can still manage and take care of ourselves. If in the future we become too old to move, we’ll talk about it then. For the next few years, save some money for yourself. You’ll need it to raise children or in case you encounter any issues."

While talking about this, Fang Pingying remembered something extremely important that she had forgotten today. She hurriedly spoke to Luo Dashan, "Right, dad, I forgot to tell you, I plan to visit Zhiyong’s military unit tomorrow. I already called Zhiyong today."

"Going by yourself? That won’t do. It’s so far and you’d have to take the train; we’d worry," Luo Dashan said, quickly adding, "Are you still upset about what happened yesterday or at lunch today? I already spoke to your mom about it."

"Dad, it’s not entirely because of that. I want to go see Zhiyong’s military unit. I’m not planning on doing business recently, so I’ll stay there for a while, and if there’s time, I’ll come back for the new year," Fang Pingying explained, not wanting Luo Dashan to feel upset about this.

After all, she was leaving; why make the elderly worry? Besides, it wasn’t Zhou Yunmei who was feeling discomfort; it was Luo Dashan.

Though she said that, Luo Dashan obviously understood, but he didn’t insist, simply saying, "Ah, it’s so far, we really wouldn’t feel at ease..."

"It’s not just me going alone; Zhiming will be with me. Zhiyong said he also found Zhiming a job over there. It pays alright, 35 dollars a month, but the conditions are tough, not sure if Zhiming is willing to take it." If it wasn’t for just chatting with Luo Dashan, Fang Pingying would have almost forgotten to mention it, luckily there was still time.

As soon as Luo Dashan heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he excitedly asked Fang Pingying, "Thirty-five dollars a month?"

"Yes."

"Why wouldn’t he be willing? There aren’t any better opportunities than this; he’ll definitely be willing. I’ll go call him back right now," Luo Dashan said, getting ready to rise and call someone.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)