Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Luo Cuilan's face darkened as soon as she heard Luo Honglan's words, "Hong Lan, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to say, just like Fang Xiu, that my marriage to the Zhang family was me throwing myself at them?"

Luo Honglan, who was not known for sugar-coating her words, answered truthfully, "Well, what sister-in-law said isn't wrong. You did indeed give quite a lot to the Zhang family when you married in."

"Hong Lan, you really have no conscience. I could take it if others said this about me, but hearing it from you..." Luo Honglan felt humiliated, and her immediate reaction was to lash out at Luo Honglan, but she restrained herself because she still hoped to borrow money from her.

Yet, she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard and act unaffected; she immediately broke into grievous sobs and moved towards the door while crying, "I think the one who should die in our family isn't Zhiming, it's me. I'm no use alive like this."

Luo Honglan was startled by her words.

She also felt guilty for speaking harshly earlier, so she quickly grabbed hold of her, "Big sister, I..."

Seeing the look of remorse on Luo Honglan's face, Luo Cuilan intensified her act, crying as she rushed towards the door, "Don't hold on to me. I'm going to die. I'll jump off the roof of this building and let you watch, I just don't believe I won't die from the fall."

"Big sister..." Luo Honglan hadn't expected such a drastic reaction, and she didn't know what to say.

Luo Cuilan continued to make a scene, still trying to get out, behaving as if she was genuinely going to jump, "Let go of me..."

Left with no choice, Luo Honglan finally had to coax her, "Alright, alright, I'll lend you the money, just stop this."

Luo Cuilan had been aiming for this outcome. Upon hearing Luo Honglan's words, she immediately stopped the tantrum and looked at Luo Honglan with wide eyes, "Are you really willing to lend me the money?"

Luo Honglan hesitated before nodding, but she warned in advance, "First say how much you need, it's definitely impossible to lend you everything."

Luo Cuilan intended to borrow all of Luo Honglan's money, but worried that asking for too much might result in getting nothing, she tentatively mentioned a sum, "Then let's say two hundred, I guess two hundred yuan should be about enough."

"Two hundred yuan?" Luo Honglan had only several hundred yuan saved at Fang Pingying's place, and Luo Cuilan's request would take almost half of it, making Luo Honglan reluctant.

"Hong Lan, you know how expensive the treatments at the hospitals in the provincial city are. I don't even know if this will be enough," Luo Cuilan said, feigning pitifully out of fear that Luo Honglan wouldn't agree, "If I'm to be treated, I must make sure the illness is properly cured."

Luo Honglan found it difficult to refuse, and eventually conceded, "Fine, I'll go get the money from sister-in-law tomorrow."

"Are you going by yourself?" Luo Cuilan, worried Fang Pingying might not hand over the money, suggested, "How about letting mom come with you?"

As soon as Luo Honglan heard this, she immediately rejected the idea sternly, "No, having mom there would definitely cause trouble. You must have heard what elder brother said today. If mom goes and makes a scene at sister-in-law's parents' house, elder brother won't help you out anymore."

"Can you really bring the money back on your own?" Luo Cuilan was concerned that Luo Honglan, going by herself to Fang Pingying, might change her mind if swayed by just a few words.

But Luo Honglan confidently said, "I can. I know how to talk to sister-in-law. She's not unreasonable."

"Alright, then you can go get it tomorrow." Luo Cuilan, seeing the matter settled, urged Luo Honglan, "It's almost noon, time to cook. We still need to deliver food to the guesthouse later."

Luo Honglan stood up, went to the kitchen, looked through the fridge, and asked Luo Cuilan, "Okay, I'll get on it. What do you feel like eating?"

"Eating rice every day is so tasteless. Make some noodles or something." Luo Cuilan casually glanced over the dishes at home and instructed Luo Honglan, "Don't need to fuss too much, just make some simple pancakes will do."

"Alright, I'll get right to it."

While Luo Honglan and Luo Cuilan were at home, Zhou Yunmei and Zhiming had also rented a room at the guesthouse.

After getting to the room, Zhou Yunmei kept pressing Zhiming about why he was looking for death.

Zhiming was initially reluctant to speak, but Zhou Yunmei's persistent questioning annoyed him. Plus, he felt discontent after spending so much time and money on Xu He, yet he still failed to keep her.

He then told Zhou Yunmei in detail everything that had happened between him and Xu He in recent months, even clarifying that they had slept together.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yunmei's face changed, and she cursed Xu He fiercely, "That slut, I said it before, with that seductive look, she's no good. Turned out to be a cheap bitch, my son slept with her, yet she despises him for not having money."

"Mom, Xu He really is up to no good." Filled with resentment, Zhiming said, "I had two thousand yuan on me then, and she spent almost half of it. Now I think about it, it was such a waste, just giving it away for nothing."

Zhou Yunmei snorted upon hearing this and scoffed, "Give it to her for free? No way, I'll go and ask her for it tomorrow."

"Mom, what do you mean by that?" Zhiming furrowed his brow, not understanding what Zhou Yunmei intended to do.

Zhou Yunmei glanced at Zhiming and said with narrowed eyes, "You tell me where Xu He works, and I'll go there tomorrow. I'll demand that she pay back all the money you spent on her these days. If she refuses, I'll kick up a fuss about it. I'd like to see if she'll have the face to continue working at the factory then."

Zhiming felt indignant about Xu He looking down on him and he would've enjoyed settling the score, but remembering their first time together, he felt a bit guilty. What he feared most was Xu He actually going to the police.

After a moment of silence, he discussed with Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, let's not go after her. To be honest, I also did something I shouldn't have to her at the beginning."

"What did you do?" Zhou Yunmei noticed something off about Zhiming's expression and asked with a frown.

"I..." Zhiming initially hesitated and was unwilling to speak.

Zhou Yunmei grew anxious, urging him, "Come on, speak up. Is there anything you can't talk to your own mom about? Speak clearly so I can stand up for you."

"It's just that..." Zhiming whispered into Zhou Yunmei's ear about the first time he forced himself on Xu He.

Zhou Yunmei didn't have much of a reaction, only gave Zhiming a pat and scolded with annoyance, "You silly boy, what were you so impatient for, daring to do such a thing. What if Xu He had really reported you to the police then, what would have become of you?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)