Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 659 - 654: Letting It Slip

Duan Fenghua saw Xu He’s certainty in her words and recalled the words she heard around the village, which didn’t seem to be false. She furrowed her brows, advising Xu He, "My girl, sometimes one can’t be too confident. I’m not sure if it’s because you’ve never focused your heart on Luo Zhiming, or if you’re just too confident, but haven’t you noticed that during the New Year’s visit at my house, Zhiming was not as nice to you as before?"

Xu He was stunned; in fact, she had vaguely realized it too. However, since she had no feelings for Luo Zhiming from the beginning, other than money and her goals, she really didn’t care how well Luo Zhiming treated her.

Yet, having Duan Fenghua point it out made her somewhat enlightened.

Duan Fenghua saw that Xu He was moved and whispered, "Girl, I’m telling you this not because I want to stir up trouble between you and your husband. I am just worried that maybe they—mother and son—have already been plotting something. Maybe they only want the child without the mother."

Xu He was even more confident about this.

Back in the day, both in the city and in the countryside, people who liked her came in waves. Had Luo Zhiming not used such despicable means to get her, how could she have married him?

It was an extraordinary fortune for Luo Zhiming to marry her; she was not the slightest bit worried that Luo Zhiming would dare to abandon her.

She sneered with contempt, "If Luo Zhiming really had the guts, would he have ended up in this situation?"

Duan Fenghua also knew her daughter’s proud nature and didn’t want to say too much, but still reminded her, "My girl, you should think it over. If you are to continue living with Luo Zhiming, either way, you should keep the money in your hands. Otherwise, now you say Zhou Yunmei, that old woman, is feeding and caring for you generously, but once your child is born, and you don’t have a penny at your side, how will you live?"

Xu He thought Duan Fenghua’s concern was valid; originally, she wanted Luo Zhiming to work outside to save some money.

But suddenly, she couldn’t think of what to do, so she asked Duan Fenghua, "If that’s really the case, what should I do now? I don’t know where Zhou Yunmei keeps her money."

Duan Fenghua gave her a reproachful look and said softly, "You can’t control Zhou Yunmei, but can’t you control Luo Zhiming?"

Xu He didn’t understand Duan Fenghua’s meaning and said coldly, "What do you mean, Mom? Should I go to the provincial city with my big belly to find Luo Zhiming and ask him to come back?"

Duan Fenghua let out an exasperated sigh, poked her in the head, and reprimanded, "Are you becoming foolish because of pregnancy, or what? If he can make money in the provincial city, why call him back? You should go to the provincial city yourself, rent a room there, and watch him every day, guard him. See if he still won’t give you the money?"

"This..." Xu He hesitated. After all, she was somewhat educated and knew that traveling to the provincial city with a big belly would surely be arduous. What if something happened to the child during the trip?

Seeing Xu He’s worry, Duan Fenghua said, "How about this, if you’re worried, I’ll accompany you for a trip there."

"I’ll think about it." Xu He thought to herself that she needed to be sure that Duan Fenghua’s words were sincere.

She knew well that folks in the countryside were experts at spreading baseless rumors; it could be anyone talking nonsense.

She just couldn’t quite believe that Luo Zhiming would dare goof off in her presence, as she always thought he held her in reverence like the Old Buddha, bending over backwards to please her.

Therefore, Xu He did not spend the night at Duan Fenghua’s home that day, but stayed at her parents’ house for a while and then returned to the Luo Family.

When she arrived back at the Luo Family’s home, Zhou Yunmei was in the yard playing with Luo Cuilan’s child, Zhuzhu, who was already over a year old and could stagger around on his own.

Normally, Zhou Yunmei would close the courtyard gate when she was working in the yard and let him play by himself there. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Xu He had left after arguing with Zhou Yunmei and, at that time, seeing Xu He pack her things and return to her mother’s house, Zhou Yunmei thought that she would surely stay with her parents for a while before coming back, as Xu He often did in the past.

Seeing Xu He return so soon, Zhou Yunmei sneered, sarcastically saying, "Oh, weren’t you planning to go back to your parents’ to enjoy the good life? How come you’re back so quickly?"

Xu He had something to ask Zhou Yunmei, so she didn’t put on a sour face, but still retorted lightly, "Look at you, talking like that. It’s my own home I’m returning to. Do I really need someone else’s permission to do so?"

Xu He’s attitude was acceptable, so Zhou Yunmei pursed her lips and didn’t reply further, and the two did not argue.

After that, Xu He chatted casually with Zhou Yunmei for a moment, then steered the conversation to Luo Zhiming, and deliberately started to complain, "Zhiming has been gone ever since the New Year, it’s been several months now, and he’s only sent back 20 yuan. Don’t you think it’s time to give him a call to remind him? Lest he’s out there in the city splurging and squandering all the money."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yunmei’s face changed, because since the New Year, Luo Zhiming indeed had been sending money back every month, sometimes as much as thirty or forty, and occasionally 20 yuan. And after sending the money, Luo Zhiming would always call Zhou Yunmei to tell her not to give too much to Xu He but just enough to manage the household expenses. As for the rest, he instructed Zhou Yunmei to save it and not to tell Xu He.

Thus, when Zhou Yunmei heard Xu He talking like this about Luo Zhiming, she looked at her disgruntledly and said, "Splurging? Zhiming is much more sensible now than before, slaving away every day in the city hauling bricks to support our whole family."

"Supporting the whole family?" Xu He looked at Zhou Yunmei, already formulating thoughts in her mind. She began to suspect that Duan Fenghua might be telling the truth, so she purposely threw out a question, "Is 20 yuan really enough to support our entire family for several months?"

"He..." Zhou Yunmei naturally wanted to defend Luo Zhiming, but thinking about the situation with the money, she forcefully changed her tone and said, "How much can he earn in a month? He has his own living expenses to consider, and sending back 20 yuan is already not too little."

Xu He had been closely observing Zhou Yunmei’s reactions while talking. Seeing Zhou Yunmei like this, she was almost certain that every month Luo Zhiming really did send money back. But she wanted to be even more certain, so she deliberately said, "I don’t care whether he needs to eat or drink, anyway, give him a call these next few days and tell him to send back a hundred yuan as soon as possible. I need to prepare for the baby’s arrival and also need to buy some clothes for the child. I’m pregnant and my belly has gotten bigger, I can’t wear my old clothes anymore, and I need to buy some for myself too. Moreover, after the baby is born and I slim down, I will need to buy some things to dress myself up."

As soon as Zhou Yunmei heard Xu He talking about needing money for clothes and dressing up, she became irritated and blurted out in response, "Buying new clothes? With your big belly, what does it matter what you wear, and who’s there to see? Don’t new clothes cost money? Doesn’t dressing up cost money? No wonder Zhiming said giving you money is risky, it might be misused. Better I...."

Zhou Yunmei stopped mid-sentence, realizing she had slipped up, and immediately held her tongue.