Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 66 - 63 Envy (160+)

For instance, she kept lavishly praising Luo Honglan for how good she looked in her clothes, probably because she had just realized that Fang Pingying didn’t like her, so she planned to start with the simple-minded Luo Honglan.

Duan Fenghua, even more, was one who smiled with a knife hidden behind, cunning too; had it not been for her astuteness, one might have been calculated by her and still thought of her as a kind soul, spilling all their secrets to her.

Take Zhou Yunmei, for example, who’s actually scheming to destroy the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, yet she still believed that Duan Fenghua was trustworthy enough to tell anything about her family.

Duan Fenghua and her daughter stayed for a while and, seeing that Fang Pingying and her mother-in-law did not argue incessantly as they had expected, felt slightly disappointed and then decided to leave.

But just as the two were reaching the door, they happened to run into Luo Zhiyong and Luo Dashan, who were returning from the fields.

Luo Zhiyong’s leg had been freed from the cast for some time now and was gradually recovering. Now he could walk without a cane, and if it weren’t for labor that was too strenuous, he appeared no different from an ordinary person.

The moment Luo Zhiyong entered the courtyard, Duan Fenghua and Xu He’s eyes involuntarily glanced towards Luo Zhiyong’s leg, wondering if it had truly healed completely as Zhou Yunmei had said.

Seeing that Luo Zhiyong indeed walked just like normal, a flash of disappointment crossed both Duan Fenghua and Xu He’s eyes.

However, suddenly, Xu He’s face broke into a smile again.

Then she softly called out to Luo Zhiyong, "Brother Zhiyong, you’re back from doing the work."

Xu He’s voice was tender and sticky, and she called him "brother" intimately; anyone unaware would think she was very close to Luo Zhiyong and that they knew each other well.

In fact, Luo Zhiyong rarely came home these past few years. Even those from the village who weren’t much different in age and used to be familiar with him, he now had little memory of.

He was somewhat puzzled by Xu He’s form of address, but after all, they were folks from the same village. He glanced at Xu He, nodded his head in acknowledgment, as a form of greeting.

Then, he took his farming tools straight into the house and did not come out again.

At first, Duan Fenghua and Xu He stayed in the courtyard for a while, probably expecting Luo Zhiyong to come out and chat with them. However, after sitting for some time and seeing no sign of him coming out, the two of them left with disappointed looks on their faces.

Once the mother and daughter returned home, Xu He’s expression changed immediately, no longer the tender and gentle demeanor she had shown at the Luo family’s. She pulled a face at Duan Fenghua and said angrily,

"Mom, it’s all your fault. I told you from the start that Zhiyong’s leg was just a minor injury, and he would recover with some rest. You should have talked to Zhiyong’s mother about our situation, but you insisted on waiting and seeing. Now look, Fang Pingying has gotten such a good deal."

Duan Fenghua was also somewhat irritated. When she said they should wait and see, Xu He had agreed, and now all the blame was being shifted onto her.

With a displeased look, she replied to Xu He, "Who could have known back then? Zhiyong’s leg was so severely injured, he couldn’t leave the house for many days and couldn’t get proper treatment in town. Even Zhou Yunmei herself said her son’s leg had no hope. Wasn’t I just agreeing with her?"

Xu He glanced at her mother, her face full of jealousy, her tone choked with a sob, and her eyes brimming with aggrieved tears, "So what do we do now? Now that his leg has healed, Zhiyong will soon return to the military, and Fang Pingying is going to accompany him to live in the city."

After all, she was her own daughter. Seeing the wanting-to-cry expression on her face, Duan Fenghua felt heartache too.

With a look of helplessness, she attempted to console her, "My girl, what am I to say to you? Luo Zhiyong is indeed not bad, being so young and already an officer in the military, but he isn’t the only good man in this world. Why must you cling to him like this? Moreover, he is already married now. What else can you do?"

"I don’t care, I just like her, regardless of whether she’s married or not," Xu He said, her eyes filled with tears and staring contemptuously outside the courtyard,

"Besides, Fang Pingying is so useless, I don’t even consider her at all, I refuse to believe that Brother Zhiyong would really be willing to spend a lifetime with someone who only went to primary school for a year, and is completely illiterate."

"Daughter, maybe we should just drop it," Duan Fenghua advised her own daughter, "Your uncle is doing business in the provincial city and it’s pretty good at that. Later, let him introduce someone to you, assuredly the family situation won’t be any worse than Luo Zhiyong’s."

"There’s nothing good about doing business, I don’t like it," Xu He refused outright. In her heart, no one could compare to Luo Zhiyong.

She still remembered when she was eighteen, a matter of four years ago, coincidentally when Luo Zhiyong first returned home to visit after joining the army. Luo Zhiyong, in his army greens, underscored his already tall figure, making it appear even more upright. His facial contours, after a long stint in the army, seemed harsher, and his whole being radiated a strong masculine energy.

That night, Xu He first understood what it was like to grow up and become an adult.

Ever since then, the tall and upright figure of Luo Zhiyong took root in her heart. She thought about him for years, until she finally grew up.

Just when Duan Fenghua was ready to discuss marriage matters with Luo Zhiyong, he got injured.

Now that he’s recovered, she doesn’t care whether he’s married or has a wife; she’s set her mind on it, "I just want someone like Luo Zhiyong, no one else will do."

Xu He remembered Luo Zhiyong’s tall figure and his eternally stern face, her heart fluttering with sweetness.

Duan Fenghua, seeing her own daughter as if bewitched by some love potion Luo Zhiyong gave, was helpless.

This one daughter, moreover, was pregnant only several years after marrying; she’s precious to her.

Ever since she was little, whatever she wanted, whether the family can afford it or not, they would do their utmost to get it for her.

At the Luo Family, Fang Pingying saw Luo Zhiyong enter the house and stood up to follow him inside.

Thinking back to Xu He just now, Fang Pingying didn’t make a sound after entering the room, only glanced at Luo Zhiyong several times, trying to see if he had any reaction to what Xu He had said earlier.

Luo Zhiyong was about to take out some clothes to change into and felt Fang Pingying’s gaze on him, so he raised his head and looked at her, "What’s up?"

Fang Pingying blinked and asked him in an extremely casual manner, "Are you and Xu He very close?"

"Not close. We used to play together when we were little, and after I started studying and going to school, I hardly ever saw her. If it wasn’t for the time we ran into her once when we were returning from the county, I wouldn’t even remember there is such a person in the village." Luo Zhiyong didn’t give Xu He a second thought, and after finishing his words, he began to turn around to search for something, "Right, where are my clothes? I can’t seem to find them."

Fang Pingying knew Luo Zhiyong wasn’t lying; even in a previous life, it was because of her that Luo Zhiyong got to know Xu He.

So, hearing Luo Zhiyong say this, she didn’t bring up Xu He anymore.

Noticing Luo Zhiyong was covered in some mud, she said, "It’s almost evening anyway, and it’s not hot anymore. There’s still some warm water on the stove in the kitchen. Why not take a bath, and I’ll go fetch your clothes."

"Alright," Luo Zhiyong nodded and went to the kitchen to fetch water.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)