Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Zeng Yueji laughed upon hearing Li Aihua's words, "That's good. If there's nothing else, you should visit her store more often and show more concern, the human heart is made of flesh after all."

Zeng Weiguo also sighed and said, "Yes, visit more often. Although that child's life is better now, I heard from Juzi that she didn't have it good growing up in her foster parents' house, and there are also many issues with her in-laws now."

"What issues with her in-laws…" Now that Li Aihua confirmed that Fang Pingying was her daughter, she instinctively wanted to defend her daughter upon hearing her in-laws were not good, but she stopped mid-sentence, feeling it inappropriate as Fang Pingying hadn't acknowledged her yet; it was too early to step in.

She gave an embarrassed smile and said to Zeng Yueji, "I'm afraid if I try to get close to her, she might push me away."

Zeng Yueji thought for a moment and suggested, "Then don't talk about recognizing her at first. Just go to her store as if you're buying something. You're a customer after all; she can't just drive you out."

"That's a good idea." Zeng Weiguo heard and nodded, "Moreover, Juzi spoke to me yesterday about wanting to open a clothing store with Pingying, asking me to help them find a location. They will likely spend more time together in the future; you can visit Juzi's store more often too."

Li Aihua felt this was a good idea and immediately nodded, "Alright, I'm going to retire soon, and I have fewer classes at the university. I will frequent Juzi's store more often, consider it pampering my daughter."

After returning from abroad, Li Aihua was teaching at a famous university in the provincial city and was approaching retirement age.

Zeng Yueji, hearing this, laughed, "Spending time and effort to pamper her is only right. You hardly spent any effort on her in her childhood; now it's your turn to do so. Otherwise, do you think it's that easy to have a daughter?"

"That's true." Everyone said this and all chuckled softly.

From then on, Li Aihua visited Fang Pingying's shop almost every other day.

Initially, Fang Pingying thought Li Aihua would talk about recognizing her and wasn't planning to entertain her.

Unexpectedly, Li Aihua just talked about buying things and spoke of trivial matters, buying some items and then leaving. Apart from occasionally gazing at her tenderly, revealing a bit of affection in her gaze, Li Aihua did not disturb her life.

Instead, this made Fang Pingying feel more at ease, and from initially being reluctant to talk to Li Aihua, she occasionally chatted a little, just like speaking with an acquaintance.

This way, neither pressured the other, and they continued this relationship.

So much so that over time, Fang Pingying didn't dwell on these matters anymore and was busy managing her current shop.

The clothing shop she opened with Juzi had already found a location and started renovations.

While the renovations were ongoing, they also waited for new designs from Fang Pingying.

Fang Pingying had many designs in mind, sadly, she couldn't draw them. If she hadn't been pregnant, she could have made them herself one by one. But now being pregnant, she easily felt tired, and Luo Zhiyong didn't allow her to overexert herself.

Luckily, Juzi had learned painting in his childhood and had some skills. So, while their shop was being renovated, he would run to Fang Pingying's shop daily, having Fang Pingying verbally describe while he drew; if there were errors, they could correct them on the spot, making for quite good cooperation.

Drawing these designs was relatively simple, but finding a garment manufacturing factory was troublesome.

Although Zeng Weiguo knew many people, he had never involved himself in this area. Asking a friend for help also proved to be difficult.

First, small factories demanded too high prices. Fang Pingying calculated, and realized that adding the costs of the shop's rent and materials, they wouldn't earn much.

Second, the small factories looked unprofessional. Fang Pingying even worried that if her designs leaked, their garments wouldn't have been made yet, but these factories might sell the designs to someone else.

Therefore, eventually, Fang Pingying decided simply to operate a small manufacturing facility herself.

Fang Pingying thought of renting a place near the clothing store, then hiring a few tailors with fine craftsmanship to sew the clothes themselves, selling the products themselves while only sourcing fabric from outside, thus being self-sufficient in all other aspects.

Fang Pingying, Juzi, and Zeng Weiguo discussed her idea, and both thought it was good.

For now, the clothing store wasn't big; hiring three or four tailors was enough. If the clothing store did well later on, they would consider expanding the factory.

They immediately set on the task; the first thing was to find a location with the help of Zeng Weiguo.

Initially, Zeng Weiguo kept saying he couldn't find a suitable place. Suddenly, he mentioned he found a simple courtyard not far from the rented clothing store.

Zeng Weiguo had Fang Pingying and Juzi check the place. Upon seeing it, Fang Pingying instantly liked it.

Even though it was a place similar to a rural courtyard, the location was good, with convenient transportation, and the space was ample, with a two-story building, each floor having nice rooms and a moderately large courtyard in the middle.

This way, even if they hired more tailors later, they wouldn't need to move temporarily.

What's better, this small courtyard was located between the clothing store and Fang Pingying's pastry shop, making it just a short walk between them, not adding any trouble for Fang Pingying.

Fang Pingying and Juzi immediately decided and rented the place.

But Fang Pingying worried that such a large place would have rent beyond their budget, so she asked Zeng Weiguo, "Uncle Zeng, how much is the monthly rent for this courtyard?"

Zeng Weiguo hesitated a bit, not knowing whether he hadn't clearly asked the price or if it was too expensive to mention, he didn't answer Fang Pingying but instead asked her, "How much do you think the rent for this courtyard should be?"

"I think?" Fang Pingying glanced over the large area, thinking of the location, and honestly said, "To be fair, in this provincial city, it wouldn't rent for less than 100 to 200 yuan."

"100 to 200 yuan?" Juzi exclaimed, "That seems too expensive, we're just running a small clothing store, it's uncertain how much we could earn each month."

Fang Pingying liked the courtyard but, speaking of money, felt it wasn't quite worthwhile, and she wavered along with Juzi, "Then let's find a smaller place again, preferably keeping rent under 50 yuan?"

Just as Juzi was about to agree, Zeng Weiguo seemed extremely fond of the place and made the decision for them, "Let's take this place. I'll talk to the owner and see if we can rent it for 100 yuan."

Fang Pingying glanced at Zeng Weiguo and reluctantly said, "Okay, Uncle Zeng, if it can be rented for under 100 yuan, we'll settle here."

"It should be fine; let's take this place. You guys don't worry about the rent; go hire the tailors." Zeng Weiguo said and then hurried off.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)