Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 71 - 68: To Go or Not to Go (240+)

Fang Pingying hesitated.

Now it was the end of the month, and there were only a few days left until the beginning of next month, but her family affairs couldn’t be settled in just a few days.

She then looked up at Luo Zhiyong and asked, "Should I still go with you?"

Luo Zhiyong thought for a moment and said, "It depends on whether you want to go or not. If you do, follow me, and we can return after the New Year."

Luo Zhiyong actually hoped that Fang Pingying would accompany him, but considering the actual situation at home, he hesitated,

"I was thinking, since Cui Lan is getting married over the New Year and we’ve known about it for a long time, it wouldn’t seem right not to come back. I’m leaving at the beginning of next month, and it’s just over two months until New Year. It might be too exhausting for you to travel back and forth."

Fang Pingying thought the same, and not just about that, she also had her business on her mind.

Recently, her hawthorn cake and hawthorn jam had gained recognition from the townspeople, and quite a few people purchased them every market day; the business was doing well.

She had also made some acquaintances in town, like Yuhong who often set up her stall next to hers. Yuhong even mentioned that her family had planted many fruit trees on the hill behind their house and invited Fang Pingying to come and see, maybe pick some fruits for making jam, and definitely at a good price.

Fang Pingying also planned that if there were many wild fruits, she wouldn’t just make jam and cakes; she intended to make candied fruits to sell.

Candied fruits were a great snack, and she felt this business could work. If she could keep it up until New Year, she might save a good amount of money, easing her start in the provincial city next year.

If she suddenly left with Luo Zhiyong, her business would be interrupted, and once in the provincial city, it wouldn’t be as convenient to make jams.

Moreover, arriving new in that place, Fang Pingying would also need time to familiarize herself with everything there, probably not being able to accomplish much this year.

That would mean wasting over two months for nothing.

After much hesitation, Fang Pingying still discussed with Luo Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, how about I don’t go with you this year? After the New Year, I’ll join you. Before the end of this year, I plan to expand this business and earn some startup capital. Next year, once I’m in the county, I might find a shop space, so I don’t have to set up a stall sporadically."

"You may stay at home if you wish," Luo Zhiyong nodded, originally having the same plan, he still hoped that Fang Pingying could manage the house well.

Then, he added, "Originally, I also wanted to tell you, as the end of the year approaches, the military gets busier, and after you arrive, I won’t have much time to accompany you. Life in the military is also monotonous, and I’m worried you might often find it boring being home alone."

"That settles it then, I won’t go this year, I’ll stay home and make some money." Although somewhat disappointed, Fang Pingying was somewhat prepared since, in her previous life, she did not manage to go either; Luo Zhiyong was urgently recalled by a military telegram.

Luo Zhiyong looked at Fang Pingying, feeling a mix of emotions; speaking of truth, he really owed his wife.

But that was the situation at home, what could he do? He thought, at most, let her endure for these two months; next year, when in the military, he promised to make it up properly.

His wife, after all, there was a whole lifetime ahead to cherish her.

He pulled Fang Pingying into his embrace, his chin resting on her forehead, and softly said, "While making money is important, don’t overwork yourself. If it gets too much, just ask Zhiming and the others for help. They stay home every day, there’s no reason they can’t help out."

Speaking of Luo Zhiming, Fang Pingying recalled Luo Zhiyong mentioning that he would try to find him some work in the provincial city, and she asked, "Didn’t you say that after you join the army, you would find a job for Zhiming, can he still stay at home?"

Luo Zhiyong sighed gently, "We’ll see when the time comes, might not be able to find any good job, and I’m afraid he won’t do anything too arduous. It might still be impossible to find anything this year."

"If there’s a good opportunity at home, it would be best for him to find a job here. It would allow him to take care of the family and stay with his spouse. It’s always better than the two of them living apart in different places." In his previous life after Luo Zhiming went to the provincial city, his behavior worsened compared to when he was at home, frequently causing trouble; frankly speaking, Fang Pingying didn’t really want him to go,

However, Luo Zhiyong had his difficulties, "We tried finding him something locally; initially, we found him a job as a gatekeeper at a school in the town. It paid 15 dollars a month, but he only did it for a few days. Not only did he fail to guard well, but he was also nearly mixed up with female students from the school, which led to his expulsion."

"We tried other places too, like the supply and marketing cooperatives or the credit union, but our family has no connections, and Zhiming himself doesn’t have any skills. Barely finishing junior high, who would want him."

"If that’s the case, then even in the county, you’d still be looking for the same kind of jobs. How much better could it possibly get?" Fang Pingying barely curled her lips, unable to find a good job in his own town, expecting better in the provincial city was unlikely.

Luo Zhiyong stayed silent for a while, knowing that was the reason, but both his parents and Zhiming had talked about it many times to him, he couldn’t just ignore it.

With a helpless expression, he said, "The salary should be much better in the provincial city, and with me overseeing, it should be better to some extent."

Ah, Fang Pingying sighed, she wanted to say that Luo Zhiming was already an adult, and if he couldn’t fend for himself, nobody could watch over him.

But considering Luo Zhiyong was his older brother, he naturally worried about his siblings at home.

Moreover, although Luo Zhiyong rarely talked to Fang Pingying about the guilt he felt towards his family, she could sense it.

Even though he advanced to his current position through his own efforts without having his family pay anything, he always felt guilty over the years for not being around to take care of his parents and help his siblings.

Even though he sent money home, in his heart he still felt a lot of guilt towards his home, his parents, and his siblings.

In his heart, he was blaming himself for not being capable enough.

If he truly had the capability, he would have loved to bring his whole family to the provincial city so that they could also enjoy better days.

Hence, Fang Pingying didn’t say anything, just nodded gently.

Such is life, always full of various worries, you can only address them one by one.

In the following days, as Zhou Yunmei was dissatisfied with what had happened earlier, she always had a disdainful look towards Fang Pingying, her words veiled with criticism.

Fang Pingying was planning to make use of the hawthorn nearing the end of its season in the hill near the village, thinking of gathering other fruits, and thus had no time to feud with Zhou Yunmei.

She decided one day with Luo Honglan and Luo Zhiyong to head to the village hill, intending to gather all the usable hawthorn for a final batch, as the sauce and hawthorn cakes made from overly ripe hawthorn don’t taste right.

Although Fang Pingying hadn’t yet sold these products on a large scale, she wanted to do her best to avoid possible issues and wasn’t willing to settle for less.

So while the hawthorn was still usable, she decided to pick them all at once. After finishing, she really planned to shift to Yuhong’s village with her to pick other fruits at the market stall. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to recommend votes, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)