Fang Pingying and Luo Honglan thought that there was nothing to do if they returned early, so they wandered the streets. It had been two months since Luo Honglan came to the city, and Fang Pingying hadn’t had the time to take her around much, usually staying near the store to buy everyday necessities. Seeing Luo Honglan still wearing the thin cotton clothes she brought from home, Fang Pingying said, "Honglan, you should buy some new clothes." Now that Luo Honglan had saved some money, she felt that buying clothes was not a big deal, and besides, what girl doesn’t like shopping? She immediately smiled and said, "Sure, I’ve been wanting to buy some anyway. If I buy now, I can still have new clothes to wear for the New Year." Hearing her mention wearing new clothes for the New Year, Fang Pingying joked with her, "Silly child, you’re already grown up. There’s no need to wear new clothes just for the New Year. You should wear them as soon as you buy them since it’s getting cold, and the cotton clothes you are wearing will be too thin in a few days." Luo Honglan scratched her head shyly and smiled, "Alright, I want to buy a cotton jacket and some wool. Then you can teach me to knit, and I’ll knit myself two sweaters to wear underneath, so I won’t be cold and it won’t cost much either." Fang Pingying thought this was a good idea, and took her to buy wool. They spent the afternoon shopping and both bought quite a few things. They originally planned to go to the department store to buy clothes, but the clothes there were too expensive, and the fabric wasn’t necessarily good—it was just that the styles looked nice. After looking around for a long time, Fang Pingying was still hesitant to purchase, and finally discussed with Luo Honglan: they took note of the styles they liked at the department store, then they would go to the market to buy cotton and fabric, and make their own. This way, it would be warm and save quite a bit of money. Besides, Fang Pingying’s sewing skills were no worse than the clothes sold at the department store. As long as the style was similar, that was enough; money was tight at the moment, so they needed to save where they could. By the late afternoon, the two were carrying bags of stuff and boarded the bus to return to their store. Fang Pingying was originally thinking about letting Luo Honglan go check on the hostel, to see how Luo Zhiyong was handling things. However, when Fang Pingying and Luo Honglan got off the bus, they saw from afar two figures standing in front of their store. Upon closer inspection, it was Luo Zhiyong and Zhou Yunmei, and it looked like they were in the midst of a heated argument. Luo Zhiyong, spotting Fang Pingying and Luo Honglan from a distance, came over and took their bags, his expression sour and silent. Fang Pingying couldn’t help but ask, "What happened? Was the matter not handled properly?" Luo Zhiyong, annoyed, glanced at Zhou Yunmei standing in front of the store with tightly furrowed brows, "It was almost settled, but my mom interfered again, making things even more complicated." Luo Zhiyong said, "Today, we went to that woman, and it was agreed that Luo Zhiming would give her money each month, forty per month, all paid within a year, and she also agreed to go to the hospital to abort the child. But once at the hospital, my mom heard from someone that the woman might be carrying a baby boy and suddenly changed her mind, saying she would decide whether to abort after two months." "What do you mean?" Fang Pingying widened her eyes, unable to believe that Zhou Yunmei was also so desperate for a grandson. Luo Zhiyong gasped angrily, "She said to wait a few months and then go to the hospital for a check. If it’s confirmed that the woman is carrying a boy, she won’t abort it but will take it home to raise. If it’s a girl, she’ll abort it." "What’s her plan then? Who’s going to take care of that woman’s living in these months?" After saying this, Fang Pingying looked at Zhou Yunmei and felt this wasn’t just messing around; it was a mental short-circuit. "I had no intention of dealing with her anymore and was preparing to return to the military. But she kept holding onto me, not letting go." Luo Zhiyong was really helpless and furious. If it weren’t for waiting for Fang Pingying to return, he would have left sooner. Out of sight, out of mind. He had never seen such an irresponsible mother . He paused, then softly said to Fang Pingying, "Now Fang Xiu and your mother heard from her that they want to keep the child, and they are causing a huge commotion at the guesthouse. Zhiming is over there trying to mediate." This is obvious; any woman would make a fuss. Luo Zhiming and Fang Xiu are a couple; what does it mean to mix another woman’s child into the family? What’s more crucial is, if it’s as Zhou Yunmei said, what about the woman. She then asked Luo Zhiyong, "So what does she plan to do now?" Luo Zhiyong glanced at Zhou Yunmei, who was waiting at the shop entrance, and said angrily, "Whatever she wants. If she wants to keep that child, she can take care of it herself. At worst, she can take that woman back to her hometown to handle it. I won’t deal with this mess any longer; we’re heading back to the military this afternoon." As soon as Luo Zhiyong finished speaking, Zhou Yunmei, who was standing on the side, came over, displeased. She first glared at Fang Pingying unpleasantly, then looked at Luo Zhiyong with a face full of grievance and said, "Zhiyong, I rarely come to the city, and both of you are indifferent to me. What’s your intention? Do you plan not to acknowledge me as your mother-in-law anymore, or what?" "How am I supposed to manage? You want Yun Mei and I to struggle, to help pay back Zhiming’s debts, or do you plan for us to also support Zhiming’s woman outside and the child she’s carrying?" Because of yesterday’s events, Luo Zhiyong had lost all warmth for Zhou Yunmei, and today, talking to Zhou Yunmei was either out of extreme anger or complete indifference. "You..." Zhou Yunmei knew why Luo Zhiyong was so angry, but she felt she wasn’t wrong. She would have made a fuss at home, but now in the provincial city, and besides, she was still depending on Luo Zhiyong to handle it, she could only swallow her anger, "Let’s not talk about repaying debts now, just tell me, how should we handle this woman’s situation?" Fang Pingying said she didn’t want to deal with it, too lazy to manage it, and regardless of what Zhou Yunmei said, she didn’t respond. She had planned to take out the keys to open the shop, but fearing that Zhou Yunmei wouldn’t want to leave after entering, she just stood there watching both of them talk. Luo Zhiyong also didn’t want to deal with it. He glanced at Zhou Yunmei, "Whatever you want, just handle it your way, as long as you can convince Fang Xiu and the others, you handle this matter yourself." Finally, Luo Zhiyong said to Fang Pingying, "You put the things inside, shall we go back to the compound?" Fang Pingying hesitated, if she and Luo Zhiyong returned to the compound today, the shop would have to be managed by Hong Lan who had a soft temperament, hardly able to stop Zhou Yunmei and the others; it was possible that eventually, everyone might shift to this place. She felt she still shouldn’t return to the compound today, at least not while Zhou Yunmei and the others hadn’t left; she then told Luo Zhiyong, "I’m not going back today. You go ahead." Luo Zhiyong knew her concerns, nodded, and after exchanging a few words with her, didn’t bother with Zhou Yunmei any longer, and headed towards the bus station. Seeing Luo Zhiyong really leaving, Zhou Yunmei immediately sat down on the ground, pointing at Luo Zhiyong and shouting, "Luo Zhiyong, if you leave today, I’ll hit my head to death right here in front of your wife’s shop door, believe it or not." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)