After Fang Pingying agreed, Luo Zhiyong didn’t say much either, and the three of them went to the department store to shop.
Luo Honglan had been in the city for so long, yet this was her first time accompanying them to such a nice department store to buy clothes. It truly was like a country person coming to the city, an eye-opening experience.
She thought everything looked good, but they were just too expensive. The money she initially planned to spend on buying things for Luo Dashan and the others wasn’t even enough to buy a single piece of clothing.
After thinking it over, she said to Fang Pingying, "Sister-in-law, let’s buy the watch for my sister here, but let’s go somewhere cheaper for my parents’ clothes. If that doesn’t work out, we’ve seen some decent clothes in that tailoring shop before, it’s the same wherever we buy."
"What watch?" Fang Pingying had forgotten to tell Luo Zhiyong about Luo Honglan’s mention of buying dowry items.
Luo Honglan then explained to Luo Zhiyong with a smile, "Big brother, my sister is getting married, right? I noticed she doesn’t have any dowry, and I’m sure mom won’t prepare it either, so I thought of buying her a watch as a dowry gift."
"Don’t bother with that. Luo Cuilan has always been in the countryside, what use would a watch be to her?" Luo Zhiyong, having learned during his time with Fang Pingying the principle of spending money where it’s necessary, advised Luo Honglan, "I think if you really want to buy her something, just go back and ask what she needs, and then buy it at home when the time comes."
Luo Honglan thought that made sense, but was unsure, so she asked Fang Pingying, "Sister-in-law, what do you think?"
Fang Pingying actually didn’t really approve of Luo Honglan buying a watch for Luo Cuilan, but since it was their sisterly affair and maybe Luo Cuilan would like it, she didn’t object and let Luo Honglan decide on her own.
Now that Luo Honglan was asking for her opinion, she said, "Your big brother has a point. A watch is considered a luxury in our countryside, but having it or not really doesn’t matter."
Luo Honglan cleverly trusted Fang Pingying’s words, "Then alright, I’ll simply go back and ask her. If she doesn’t want anything, I’ll just give her cash."
"You decide for yourself." Fang Pingying still didn’t forget to remind her, "But don’t be foolish and tell your mom and sister how much money you’ve saved as soon as you get back, in case they start eyeing it."
Hearing this, Luo Honglan looked at Fang Pingying with great admiration, "Sister-in-law is really smart, even guessing about my mom and them. Last time mom came, she already asked me how much I can save in a month and said to let her keep the money. I just said I had spent quite a bit, didn’t save much, and she scolded me for being a big spender and not sending some money home."
When Luo Zhiyong heard this, his expression darkened, somewhat annoyed with Zhou Yunmei who also asked Luo Honglan for money.
Zhou Yunmei asked him for money and asked Honglan for it too, not giving much to Luo Cuilan, and all her money went to Luo Zhiming, as if only Zhiming was her own child out of the four at home.
He instructed Luo Honglan, "Don’t bother with the family matters. Mom has enough money to spend, just take care of yourself. In a few years when you get married, if you have money on hand, you’ll stand firmer at your in-laws’."
When it came to marriage, Luo Honglan became somewhat shy, and she softly told Fang Pingying, "Sister-in-law, I don’t want to marry too early, I want to save up more money for a few more years."
Fang Pingying looked at her and smiled, then said to Luo Zhiyong, "Alright, it’s fine, Honglan is still young anyway."
At the end, Luo Honglan didn’t end up buying anything at the store, but Fang Pingying did buy a cotton coat for Luo Zhiyong. It was a bit expensive, but it looked smart on him, and Fang Pingying was quite satisfied.
Pingying originally planned to buy clothes for herself too, but thinking that she was pregnant and in a few months her belly would be big and she wouldn’t be able to wear nice clothes anyway, she decided to save the money.
As for Zhiming’s clothes, Pingying looked around for him, and did find a discounted jacket similar to a padded one in good quality at the mall, which was the last one remaining in his size. After letting Zhiyong try on and assess if Zhiming could wear it, she bought it.
By the time the three of them finished shopping and returned home, it was already past seven in the evening. Pingying felt tired, so she suggested that Zhiyong just heat up some leftover rice from lunch for dinner, being too lazy to cook since it was really cold.
However, Honglan wouldn’t allow it and laughingly told Pingying, "Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant now, you need nutritious meals, we can’t just settle for leftovers. I’ll cook."
Seeing flour and vegetables in the kitchen, Honglan quickly took them out. "I’ll roll out some dough and make sliced noodles, and we’ll stir-fry a couple of dishes tonight. We can save the fried rice for tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, we have to catch a train early and won’t bother making breakfast, we’ll eat out, though it’s expensive for three people."
Seeing her taking out the ingredients, Pingying smiled and nodded, "Okay, go ahead and cook."
Watching Honglan skillfully working in the kitchen, Pingying recalled an idea she had a few days ago, and softly called out to Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, come out, I want to discuss something with you."
Zhiyong was tidying up things in the study and replied, "You can speak, I can hear you from here."
This man, just like a simpleton, could just speak loudly, what’s the need to come out?
Pingying rolled her eyes, went into the other room, and shared her idea with Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, do you know of any young men in your unit?"
Upon hearing her, Zhiyong immediately understood her intentions, gave her a look, and smiled, "Who are you thinking of setting up with a date?"
"Honglan," Pingying said. "After the New Year, she’ll be seventeen, it’s a good age to start considering suitors. If there are suitable candidates, introduce one from your unit."
"A young soldier?" Zhiyong thought about it, then uncertainly asked Pingying, "Do you think Honglan is suitable to be a military wife?"
Pingying pursed her lips, "What’s unsuitable about it? Being a military wife doesn’t necessarily require great capabilities."
"No, I mean, being a military wife is actually harder than being an ordinary wife. Like you, don’t you know the hardships involved?" Zhiyong looked at Pingying, a hint of sympathy flashing in his eyes.
"No matter what you do, it’s always just you alone. Even now that you are pregnant, I can’t take care of you, and I might be called away on missions at any time, maybe even during the birth."
"The store was my own doing, plus there are many military wives living peacefully in the compound." Pingying didn’t really see it as a problem; even if she didn’t run a store, as long as they were frugal, they could get by.
Zhiyong nodded, but still stuck to his view, "You’re not wrong, but if you don’t do anything, you have to endure hard days. A soldier’s monthly salary is just so much, and it also has to support parents at home. Basically, after a year, there’s nothing left, and money issues might affect the couple’s life too."
"How hard can it be? I’ve lived through it," Pingying analyzed with him. "I think Honglan is honest and if she were to marry into another family, I’d worry she might be mistreated by her in-laws. If she marries a soldier, at least military life will keep her away from mother-in-law troubles."
Pausing a bit, Pingying continued, "And, I think soldiers are generally more reliable and honorable, it would be good for Honglan to find someone like that." (To be continued. If you novel, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)