Fang Pingying heard everything they were talking about outside in the house, but she didn't come out to respond. She didn't want to quarrel with Zhou Yunmei.
However, she did feel that her father-in-law, Luo Dashan, though not fond of talking, was still a sensible person in his heart.
Just as he said, it's not feasible to always use money to maintain social relations in the village; it is most reasonable to exchange goods for goods.
For example, if someone gives you a few pounds of juzis from their own harvest today, when your family has some produce tomorrow, just give some back to return the favor. If you always use money to repay such kindness, and your home isn't wealthy, how much could you really afford to give?
Yet, Fang Pingying couldn't control Zhou Yunmei's business. If she stepped in, it would definitely lead to accusations from Zhou Yunmei. After all, she now held the reins over the money. Once Zhou Yunmei's income reduced, she certainly wouldn't be able to spend so recklessly.
That night, Fang Pingying thought about going to town to shop and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Even though she kept telling herself that it wasn't a big deal, that she hadn't spent much money, and even if she lost out, it would only be a small amount, she couldn't stop worrying about the possibility that things might not go as smoothly as she imagined, wasting the money she had spent on the goods.
Seeing her tossing and turning in bed, Luo Zhiyong guessed that she was restless over the business matter and said with a frown, "If you're already this restless now, what will you do if you really make a loss in the future? You might as well quit the business and rest easy at home."
Now, Fang Pingying simply couldn't stand hearing the word "loss". She quickly reached out to cover Luo Zhiyong's mouth, "Hurry up and spit to take it back, you harbinger of doom."
"Look at this superstitious little thing," Luo Zhiyong pulled her hand away and gave her a slight smile.
After a while, he spoke again, "Otherwise, just quit the business. I'll try to spend even less in the future."
Fang Pingying rolled her eyes at him, "You make only 45 yuan a month, and already you send back 35 yuan. How much more do you plan to save? A man can't go without any money on him at all."
Luo Zhiyong knew she was right, but it hurt him to see Fang Pingying so troubled, "So what should we do? I can't just watch you sleepless every night, can I?"
Seeing his deeply furrowed brow, Fang Pingying reached out to smooth it, offering him comfort with a smile, "How can I not sleep? It's just the first day. Of course, I'm somewhat worried. Once I get the hang of it, everything will naturally get better."
Luo Zhiyong took Fang Pingying's hand in his, his tone mixed with a hint of indulgence, "Silly girl, even if it's the first day, you shouldn't worry so much. It's just a few things; even if they all go to waste, it's not a big deal."
For unknown reasons, Luo Zhiyong's behavior suddenly reminded Fang Pingying of some events from her previous life.
She felt a pang in her heart, and a mist seemed to rise in her eyes.
To hide her agitation, Fang Pingying turned her back, pretending to arrange the pillows. Once her emotions settled, she turned back to Luo Zhiyong and said, "Yeah, I won't think about it anymore. Whether or not I make money, I won't worry."
Although Luo Zhiyong didn't know what was going on in her mind, he sensed her low spirits and drew her closer, "We'll do the business if we can; if we can't do it well, after you go to the military base, if you really find yourself bored, you can also find something to do."
In fact, in her previous life, Luo Zhiyong had also helped her find work, but with limited education, she couldn't find much of a job and ended up doing odd jobs in the military base's canteen.
At first, she was quite happy, feeling that she could earn money and that life had a direction.
However, as time went by, she grew envious when she saw that many families in the military were clean and well-dressed, pampered without a need to work, and could buy whatever they wanted, so she no longer wanted to work in the canteen and stayed at home all day.
Staying at home for too long actually results in many silly things. For example, it was during this time that her relationship with Luo Zhiyong completely fell apart, and it was then that she met the man who would ruin his life.
Thus, in this life, Fang Pingying felt that no matter what, she could not live like she did in her previous life. She had to depend on herself, live brightly and freely, and not become a burden to Luo Zhiyong. On top of that, she also needed to ensure that her family could live a better life.
Thinking about it, she felt a few degrees more confident in doing business.
However, the thought that Zhou Yunmei and the others didn't seem to approve of her trading made her discuss it with Luo Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, I'm thinking, if I succeed in business, I might not be able to live at home anymore."
"What's the matter?" Luo Zhiyong didn't understand what she meant.
"Our house is small, and mom and the others don't support my business. I'm afraid if it goes on for too long, there will be problems at home." Fang Pingying thought about it, and added, "Besides, whether I make money or not is a tough matter, I guess mom and the others will have something to say."
Luo Zhiyong also knew the type of person Zhou Yunmei was. If the trade went well and Fang Pingying made money, he guessed Zhou Yunmei would have endless things to say about the money. If it failed, it would be even worse.
He sighed and said, "Ah, I know what my mom's personality is like. Let's just see how it goes. Anyway, we won't be staying at home for too long. It'll be better once we're at the military base."
"Mhm, we'll see. If it really doesn't work out, I'll think of something else." Fang Pingying recalled that in her previous life, because Luo Zhiyong returned to the military base earlier, she didn't go with him.
She thought that if she didn't go to the military base, she would stay at home and see. If Zhou Yunmei and the others really liked to cause trouble, and her trading could continue, she wondered if she could rent a cheap place in town for a short term to do her business, which would also be convenient for selling her goods every day.
In any case, she needed to earn this year's money first.
The next morning, Fang Pingying got up early.
Luo Zhiyong was awakened and couldn't sleep anymore. He got up as well, "Today you're going to town to buy stuff, right? I'll go with you later."
Fang Pingying hurriedly stopped him, "Don't go, your leg is not convenient. Stay at home and help me dry the hawthorn and clean the glass jars I collected yesterday. I'll take Hong Lan with me."
"Alright." Luo Zhiyong agreed, "When you go to town, wear more clothes. There was a wind last night, and the temperature dropped today. It's cold outside."
Fang Pingying pushed open the door and looked out. Indeed, it had become windy.
She rummaged through the chest and pulled out one of her old clothes, a red-bottomed black-checkered khaki garment.
This garment was made by Li Yuchun with fabric hurriedly bought by her father Fang Ping'an for her seventeenth birthday. She had been wearing it for three years already.
Probably because she had been living with the Luo Family for a while, where life was better than at the Fang Family, and she hadn't done any hard labor, Fang Pingying had gained a few pounds. The already tight-fitting garment was now obviously too snug.
Fang Pingying struggled to button it up and thought about taking a mirror to see if she could wear it out.
But just after she took two steps toward the mirror, Luo Zhiyong sitting on the bed thought she was going out and quickly called out to stop her, "Wait, you're going out like this?"
Fang Pingying wasn't actually planning to leave, but seeing Luo Zhiyong's tone, she was puzzled and asked him, "What's wrong, why can't I go out?"
Luo Zhiyong looked at her, hesitating to speak, and after a long while, he finally blurted out, "Go change your clothes."
Luo Zhiyong usually didn't care about these details, so Fang Pingying was extremely puzzled, "Why do I need to change my clothes? Isn't this garment good? It's moderately thick; didn't you just tell me to wear this?"
"This garment is too..." Luo Zhiyong hesitated for a while, then with a slightly red face, he pointed towards Fang Pingying's front, "The garment is too small, it's inappropriate."
Only then did Fang Pingying realize that the garment was too small, too revealing of her figure, and Luo Zhiyong thought it was too revealing, so he didn't allow her to wear it.