Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Zhou Yunmei's uncle next door, Cheng Fei and Yu'er, the brother and sister, went to their grandma's house yesterday to help with chores, as his wife Yu Fen was about to give birth. She was sitting in the courtyard cracking sunflower seeds like an old man, leaving only aunt Qiu Xiu to bustle about on her own.

When Fang Pingying arrived at the courtyard, she saw Qiu Xiu coming out with a basin of water, probably just after warming up her uncle.

Seeing Fang Pingying holding a bowl, Qiu Xiu asked with a smile, "Pingying, what are you carrying there?"

Fang Pingying pointed to the bowl she was holding, "I've made some ginger soup at home, I brought some for uncle. It's still warm, make him drink some quickly."

"That's just right, I was just talking about making ginger soup too. I didn't get the chance, today the house has been too busy, and no one is willing to help. It's just me running about inside and out." After saying this, Qiu Xiu glanced at Yu Fen disapprovingly, who was sitting in the yard eating seeds; it seemed like there was some unpleasantness between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Yu Fen, upon hearing this, curled her lips and glanced at Fang Pingying, "It's your own desire to be goody-two-shoes, what does it have to do with me? If you want to rescue people, go ahead. I don't want to join this fuss."

After a pause, she added in a sarcastic tone, "Otherwise it's like last time. I just made an offhand remark and was scolded by the aunt next door all day long. I don't want to step into this mess. You all are the foolish ones, not afraid of being talked about, braving such cold weather to rescue people from the pond."

Hearing this, Qiu Xiu slammed the wooden basin down in front of Yu Fen, frowning and saying, "How can you speak like that? Is there no sense of respect or seniority anymore? Who are you calling stupid?"

"Did I say something wrong? My dad is already so old, he gets sick even wearing a little less usually, and now he decides to jump into cold water with a splash; it'd be weird if he doesn't get sick afterward." Yu Fen, realizing that she might have spoken too harshly, lowered her voice and dropped the sarcasm, but her words were still unpleasant. "And if he does get sick later, isn't money needed for medical and hospital expenses? Are you going to ask for it from the eldest uncle's family?"

Fang Pingying knew that Yu Fen's words were meant for her to hear or rather to be communicated back by her. But this was a mess caused by Luo Cuilan, and she certainly wasn't going to pick up on that.

Ignoring Yu Fen completely, she just smiled and gestured towards the house, "Aunt Qiu, is it convenient to go in? Should I give this ginger soup to you, or should I bring it directly to uncle?"

Qiu Xiu shot a fierce glance at Yu Fen and then smilingly said to Fang Pingying, "You take it in, your uncle is warming up on the kang."

Fang Pingying nodded and carried the ginger soup into the house.

The kang in the uncle's house was well heated; upon entering, Fang Pingying felt her whole body warm up.

Luo Dahu's complexion was still not very good, but he looked quite sprightly. He had heard Fang Pingying's voice from outside and when he saw her enter, he quickly greeted her, "Come, Pingying, come sit over here."

Having tidied up outside, Qiu Xiu also followed in and pulled Fang Pingying toward the kang, calling, "Yes, come sit."

Fang Pingying walked over and handed the ginger soup to Luo Dahu, "Uncle, I've brought you some ginger soup, drink it quickly before it gets cold."

The ginger soup had cooled down a bit during the walk, and Luo Dahu drunk it all in one go.

After that, he puzzledly asked Fang Pingying, "Pingying, what on earth is happening with your sister Cuilan, why on earth would she go seeking death?"

Fang Pingying sighed, not knowing where to start. It was not yet time to seek death or be desperate; it was Luo Cuilan who had caused the trouble herself.

She sighed and shook her head, "It's nothing serious, just some quarrels about the Zhang family refusing to hold the wedding banquet, that's all."

"What exactly is the Zhang family thinking?" Qiu Xiu paused before leaning closer to Fang Pingying and whispered, "Could it really be like the rumors outside, that the Zhang family looks down on Cuilan for having two miscarriages, thinking she can't have children anymore and thus want to break off the engagement?"

"When did this rumor start spreading? I had no idea." Fang Pingying genuinely didn't know about it; she hadn't heard Zhou Yunmei mention it after returning home either.

"Ah, you weren't home for the second half of the year; there were lots of nasty rumors going around the village." Seeing that Fang Pingying really didn't know, Qiu Xiu started to ramble,

"The people from Zhangjia Village next door said that Cuilan's life with the Zhang family was actually not easy. Zhang Jianguo's stepmother and the girl brought from that side are all tough characters. They couldn't tolerate Cuilan, always picking faults with her. Cuilan lived there without any official status, not daring to make trouble, so she had been swallowing her anger, completely unlike her bold self when she was at home."

After a pause, she continued, "Recently, when the topic of holding the banquet came up, some people said that the reason the Zhang family refused to hold it wasn't just about being stingy, but also their disdain for Cuilan. They said Cuilan had two miscarriages, and who knows if she can still have children. The Zhang family has only Jianguo as their son, and they definitely rely on him to carry on the lineage. If Cuilan can't have children, what will they do?"

"So, the Zhang family is intentionally dragging out the banquet. They want to keep delaying, waiting for Cuilan to get pregnant again. They'd prefer to wait until a child is born before discussing the banquet arrangements."

Having heard all this, Fang Pingying was really getting angry, "The Zhang family's actions are no different from that of a beast. Cuilan had two miscarriages before, and it was they who forced her to do so. Now, they despise her for this?"

Qiu nodded, "Exactly, that's why there's all sorts of gossip in the village. Some pity Cuilan, but there are also those who say she brought it upon herself. If she hadn't been so set on marrying into the Zhang family, none of this would have happened."

Mentioning this, Fang Pingying no longer wished to respond, as all of it was indeed due to Luo Cuilan's own doing.

After eating for a while and remaining silent, Luo Dahu asked her, "Now, what do you plan to do about your family's situation?" The latest chapters are uploaded first on M|V|LE3MPYR.

Fang Pingying wasn't really clear about what to do either, so she just shook her head, "My parents haven't said anything. They just said it's up to Cuilan to decide."

"And what does Cuilan want?"

Fang Pingying replied, "She wants her family to talk with the Zhang family, to hold a decent banquet, at least inviting relatives like you, Uncle, to set up five or six tables or so."

Hearing this, Qiu Xiu couldn't help but exclaim, "What? The Zhang family is so outrageous that they're reluctant to even invite our side of the relatives?"

"It's truly too much." Even Luo Dahu couldn't bear it anymore. He pointed to the door and called out to Fang Pingying, "Pingying, go get your dad. I want to discuss this matter with him. If it really comes to it, I'll rally everyone from our side of the family and confront the Zhang family. I don't believe they can continue to bully a girl from the Luo family like this."

"This…"

"Pingying, go get your dad, we still need to think this through." Qiu Xiu angrily nudged Fang Pingying towards the door, "After all, we're one family, we have to fight for some dignity in this matter. Otherwise, people will think our side has no one and our daughters can just be bullied."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with the recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)