CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 390: UNEXPECTED

Luo Zhiyong, bare-chested, got up to check on the two little ones, seeing that they were sound asleep, he carefully tucked in their blankets, then pulled Fang Pingying in for a cuddle, smiling, "Nope, they’re sleeping well, knowing that mommy and daddy have important things to do, they didn’t come to disturb us."

Fang Pingying blushed and punched him lightly on the chest.

Luo Zhiyong grabbed her hand, held her in his arms, and whispered with a sigh, "It feels so good to be back in our own home."

Fang Pingying felt the same way; even if her parental home was nice, it just couldn’t compare to the comfort of her own house that the two of them had built together brick by brick – the significance was different.

After some affectionate cuddling, Fang Pingying leaned into Luo Zhiyong’s embrace and started talking about family matters, "Zhiyong, I was thinking, after the New Year, Hong Lan will be almost nineteen, right?"

Luo Zhiyong nodded, "Pretty much, around eighteen or nineteen."

At that age, in the 21st century, it wouldn’t be considered old, as many people would still be in school, but in this era, in the countryside, girls around eighteen or nineteen would generally start looking for suitors.

At that age, after another year or two of dating, it would be about time to get married.

Fang Pingying thought about Luo Honglan and Chen Jie, then said to Luo Zhiyong, "That boy Chen Jie seems quite good. If you think it’s suitable, you should mention their situation to your parents. It’s not right to keep hiding it from them; sooner or later, we’ll have to tell them."

Being a man, Luo Zhiyong wasn’t as attentive to these matters and said casually, "Let Hong Lan decide for herself. If she brings it up with me, then I’ll talk to the family about it. I don’t think my parents will have any objections."

Fang Pingying saw that Luo Zhiyong completely missed her point and rolled her eyes at him, "They might not object, but I’m just worried that once your mom finds out about Chen Jie’s family situation, she will, like extortion, demand this and that from them, making it seem like selling a daughter rather than marrying one off."

Luo Zhiyong felt the same way in his heart, but he was a bit embarrassed since Zhou Yunmei was his mother and Fang Pingying had pointed it out so bluntly, "Don’t talk nonsense, my mom didn’t do that when marrying off Cui Lan."

Fang Pingying pursed her lips, "Really? Didn’t your mom keep asking Jianguo to make her a cabinet and such?"

"Well..." Luo Zhiyong fell silent because Zhou Yunmei indeed had a liking for taking small advantages.

Fang Pingying knew that he was aware of Zhou Yunmei’s nature, yet he stubbornly refused to admit it. She felt displeased and had to force him to acknowledge it, "Also, this time when your mom came, you and Hong Lan purposely didn’t tell her about it. What were you considering inside?"

Luo Zhiyong couldn’t hold his facade any longer, he chuckled and pinched Fang Pingying’s face, "Do we have to nitpick? Do I really need to reveal it?"

"This is between us spouses; I’m also giving you a heads-up in advance, so we don’t mess up a perfectly good couple," Fang Pingying said with a smile. "I obviously wouldn’t say this in front of others."

Luo Zhiyong felt Fang Pingying’s consideration made sense and nodded in agreement, "I understand, once Hong Lan and Chen Jie settle things between them, I’ll talk to my mom. I won’t let her make any unreasonable demands."

"Good."

Since Luo Zhiyong’s job transfer hadn’t been completely settled, he was still working at the military region for the time being. It was inconvenient for him to come back every day, but coming back once a week also seemed too infrequent to see his wife and children, so he returned every two or three days to check on the children and Fang Pingying.

When Fang Pingying had bought the house before, she thought the place was quite nice. It was spacious enough for her, her husband, and one child. But now that they had exceeded the budget and suddenly had twins, as well as Aunt Zhou staying with them, the house felt a bit cramped.

Fang Pingying had grown accustomed to living in Li Aihua’s house, and now she really liked houses with small gardens.

This set a new goal for Fang Pingying: she needed to make money quickly, aiming to buy a small garden house in the city. By the time the children were able to run and jump, they would be able to play in the garden.

So, the second day Fang Pingying was back home, after doing some basic tidying up, she and Sister-in-law Zhou took the two children to the shop.

After all, the small room at the back of the shop was where Luo Cuilan and Yu’er were staying. Sister-in-law Zhou could take care of the children there, and Fang Pingying, spending more time at the shop, would find it convenient to breastfeed the babies.

Yu’er and Luo Honglan were both capable workers, and during the several months Fang Pingying wasn’t at the shop, everything was managed quietly and in order. The accounts were immaculate, as if Fang Pingying had never left.

Fang Pingying made a round through the shop, and Yu’er, smiling, sought recognition from her, "Sister-in-law, are Sister Hong Lan and I capable?"

Fang Pingying pinched her playfully, replying with a smile: "Capable indeed. Starting from this month, each of you will get a 5-dollar raise on your monthly salary."

Yu’er, with a personality like a child who loves to be praised, heard Fang Pingying and immediately waved her hands, saying, "No need, sister-in-law, our wages are already quite substantial."

When Luo Honglan heard this, she also quickly said, "Exactly, sister-in-law. My elder sister works twelve-hour shifts at the factory every day, and she only makes 35 dollars a month. That’s much harder work than ours. We’re comfortable with our jobs and getting so much money is already good enough."

"Silly girl, as long as you work hard and honestly here, I won’t let you down. If I said I will give you a raise, then you will get a raise," Fang Pingying said, and then thinking of Luo Cuilan, she asked Luo Honglan, "How’s your elder sister doing at the factory? Is she content?"

Luo Honglan nodded, somewhat surprised in her response, "At first, I was worried she wouldn’t be settled in there, because she never liked to work back at home. Strangely enough, it turned out she’s quite satisfied. When I visited her yesterday, she said she wanted to work hard and aim for a permanent position, as it would mean an additional ten or so dollars in monthly salary."

Fang Pingying originally thought Luo Cuilan would be like Luo Zhi, unable to last more than a few days in the factory without complaints, especially considering her difficult behavior at home which was even worse than Luo Zhi’s.

Hearing Luo Honglan’s words, she was somewhat taken aback.

Afterwards, though, she said to Luo Honglan, "Then tell your sister to do well. No matter what, as long as you work hard, you can make money anywhere."

"I think so too," said Yu’er, nodding in agreement with Fang Pingying. She had a deep understanding of this herself. In just a few months since she came here, she had already saved several hundred yuan, which would be considered a large sum of money back in the countryside.

Back then, her family’s new house had only cost over a thousand yuan in total, and her parents didn’t know how many years it took to save that much money.

Yu’er, recalling her parents back home, darkened in expression and suddenly grabbed Fang Pingying, saying, "Oh, sister-in-law, next time you send money back, can you let me know?"

Fang Pingying saw that Yu’er’s expression was off and asked, "What’s wrong?"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote, recommend tickets, and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)