Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 75 - 71: Pressuring for Money (Third Update)

Zhou Yunmei was taken aback; she didn’t expect Luo Zhiyong to be aware of this matter, much less to suddenly bring it up.

After regaining her composure, she stammered, "I... Yes, I happened to run into him and took it."

Luo Zhiyong pursed his lips and glanced at her, then reached out and said, "Then give me the redemption slip now, I’ll go to town tomorrow to withdraw money; once I withdraw it, I’ll give it to you as we originally agreed."

Zhou Yunmei was not one to keep her word. Once a redemption slip got into her hands, there was no way she would hand it over.

Her face tightened, and she started to rant at Luo Zhiyong, "What’s the meaning of this? If your salary can be given to your wife, why can’t it be given to me, your mother? The family hasn’t split up yet, so it’s only right that I manage the household matters."

Fang Pingying was truly at a loss. What kind of person was this? Not long ago, they were blamed for reneging on their promise to buy Luo Cuilan her dowry, but now she shamelessly breached her promise, showing no remorse whatsoever.

Fang Pingying would not just stand by and let her take the salary away like that. She said firmly, "Mom, we had an agreement about Zhiyong’s salary last time, and moreover, I’ve been the one buying groceries this month; you haven’t bothered with anything, which means you agreed to my proposal last time."

Zhou Yunmei curled her lips and shamelessly contradicted herself, "I disagree now. I think it’s better to live as we used to. Zhiyong’s in the army; he keeps a sum for his own expenses every month, and sends the rest back for me to hold onto. I assure you, no one will go hungry."

Seeing Zhou Yunmei’s demeanor, Fang Pingying thought it was quite likely she wouldn’t hand over the money. She glanced at Luo Zhiyong and saw Luo Zhiying with furrowed brows, his face full of irritation.

As a son, what could he do about his own mother acting this way? Should he really search or rob her room? What kind of family would they be, then?

All he could do was to keep his frustration bottled up inside.

Fang Pingying couldn’t bear to see him like this and nodded reassuringly at him.

Then, she thought for a moment and said to Zhou Yunmei, "If you really feel that way, fine. But let me make it clear: you’ll manage the household expenses from now on, and I’ll be asking you for spending money and clothing money monthly."

"If we have children, both my child and I will have to rely on you for financial support. I won’t deal with Hong Lan’s and Cuilan’s dowries anymore, and I won’t take care of any household affairs. If you want to take the salary, take it."

Fang Pingying had also calculated; anyway, there were less than three months left before the New Year, and when she joins the army next year, Zhou Yunmei naturally wouldn’t be able to manage. She was too tired to argue back and forth with Zhou Yunmei over this matter, which had happened far too many times.

If she liked managing the household, then let her manage; moreover, she could let her find out how much more expensive it is to run a household now with two additional people than before.

Fang Xiu already knew how much money Luo Zhiyong sent back each month, and would constantly ask Zhou Yunmei for money.

In any case, Fang Pingying thought, whatever amount Fang Xiu asked for, she would ask for the same, and with Cuilan and the others as well, she wanted to see if Zhou Yunmei’s money would still be as sufficient as before.

After a pause, Fang Pingying continued, "Also, concerning my business, if you all feel that I’m using the family’s things, then I’ll figure something out. I think renting a place in the village specifically for this business is also fine; it won’t cost the family anything."

After another pause, Fang Pingying added, "From now on, household chores will be evenly divided among the family. When it’s my turn, no matter how busy I am, I’ll come back and do them. If it’s not my turn, then please do as you wish."

Fang Pingying finished talking and then asked Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, do you agree with this plan? If so, let’s clarify things while Zhiyong is still at home. Otherwise, once he joins the army next month, it’ll be hard to discuss."

"Agreed, let’s settle it this way." Zhou Yunmei naturally agreed.

She thought it was quite simple; she had previously been in charge of a family’s meals and never ran out of money with her generous spending. Even now, with Fang Xiu and Fang Pingying added to the household for meals, it wouldn’t cost much more.

What she could secretly save was the money Luo Zhiyong mentioned for Luo Cuilan’s and Luo Honglan’s dowry. After all, she never planned to spend on their dowries.

If the groom’s family was well-off and offered a generous bridal price, she would spend more on the dowry. If the groom’s family did not give a bridal price, she definitely wouldn’t pay out of her pocket for the dowry.

Many people in the village made money when marrying off their daughters; there was no reason for her to pay.

Since Zhou Yunmei agreed, Fang Pingying let her take charge of it, it was only a matter of a few months.

However, Luo Cuilan and Luo Dashan were against it.

Luo Dashan was thinking of Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying’s best interests. He knew that if the money was given to Zhou Yunmei, it would just be squandered, and by the end, Zhou Yunmei wouldn’t even be able to account for where it went.

Although their household often bought meat, and outsiders thought they lived well, in reality, due to Zhou Yunmei’s poor housekeeping, a lot was wasted, and the family didn’t end up with much good food in the end.

And in the time Fang Pingying managed the household meals, ordering them with meticulous care, there was always some meat every day, and each meal consisted of warm dishes. Naturally, Luo Dashan knew who should handle the finances.

Moreover, he was well-aware of how much Luo Zhiyong had done for the family over the years, and for his siblings—it was time to start considering for this son.

Thus, for the first time on such an important matter, he opposed Zhou Yunmei, "Zhiyong, don’t listen to your mom. Keep your money and spend it yourselves, just go with what Pingying said last time."

No sooner had Luo Dashan spoken than Luo Cuilan also had her say,

"Yes, elder sister-in-law, I also think we should divide it up like you suggested last time. We’re not worried about food and drink, and as for our dowries, we should still let you save up for us. If the money was given to..."

Luo Cuilan was about to say that if the money was given to her mother, it would never end up with them, but fearing Zhou Yunmei’s wrath, she forcefully changed her words, "If I really got the money, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to help spending it all, and then there would be nothing left."

The reason Luo Cuilan suddenly took her own side was, naturally, for her own interests.

Originally, they had discussed pressuring Fang Pingying to hand over her earnings. Whatever Fang Pingying contributed would be a bonus for them—every bit added to her dowry was essential, so naturally, the dowry remained a priority.

She was well aware of Zhou Yunmei’s character. She had been engaged to Zhang Jianguo for over a year, and every time Zhou Yunmei asked her about it, she was told to demand a bridal price from his side for the dowry, never suggesting that she would spend her own money for it.

But Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying didn’t ask any questions and directly mentioned saving up for her dowry last time. After weighing her options, she naturally knew it was better to let Fang Pingying save for her dowry. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and give it a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)