Fang Pingying recalled Fang Xiu saying that she couldn’t let Luo Zhiyong know about her situation. She had to keep the promise, so she replied casually, "Nothing much. Fang Xiu kept fussing about how the clothes nearby weren’t nice and wanted to check out other places. Since it was still early, I went with her." After hearing this, Luo Zhiyong’s brow furrowed slightly as he cautioned her, "In these first few months, you shouldn’t be running around there. Fang Xiu is careless and doesn’t know the risks. What would we do if something happened?" "I know." Fang Pingying felt that she needed to have a proper talk with Luo Zhiyong, so she pushed him to sit down by the bed and sat up herself before saying, "However, Zhiyong, I want to tell you that even though I’m pregnant, you don’t need to panic . I’m healthy and can handle everyday tasks. Besides, being pregnant isn’t so precious that I can’t do anything. Haven’t the doctors also said to exercise appropriately? And the way you’re acting puts a lot of pressure on me." Luo Zhiyong had also seriously reflected and felt that he might have been too anxious. He nodded in agreement, "Hmm, but you need to be careful yourself. If you’re going to exercise, just walk around inside the house. It’s the middle of winter and the weather is bad; try to go out less. What if you slip or something? Some things are unforeseen, so we should take as many precautions as possible. Once the weather warms up, I won’t be as worried." "Okay." Fang Pingying obediently agreed. If Luo Zhiyong’s first words to her had been , she definitely wouldn’t have lost her temper. Having cleared the air, the couple cosied up on the bed for a while longer. Seeing that it was getting late, Luo Zhiyong helped her put on a piece of clothing and, with a smile, said,"Time to get up for dinner. I made supper, I’ll go reheat the food." Saying so, Luo Zhiyong headed for the kitchen. "What’s for dinner?" Fang Pingying asked with a smile as she got up and dressed to go to the living room. "Braised eggplant, and I’ve also made fish soup," replied Luo Zhiyong. "I will bring out the food first; take your time." Although Fang Pingying felt that since she was only in the early stages of her pregnancy, she didn’t need to be overly cautious with everything, there was still an addition in her belly after all. She also had to be more careful, especially when the weather was bad. Those days, she would just stay at home, read the newspaper, knit sweaters, and chat with Qiu Lian and the like. A few days later, the sky finally completely cleared up. Fang Pingying thought about how she hadn’t visited the shop in several days and planned to go there. She also wanted to find out about Fang Xiu’s medical check-up results and see if Fang Xiu’s health would be the same as in her previous life. That day, Qiu Lian happened to be feeding her child breakfast at her house. Her son Lele had gotten used to playing at Fang Pingying’s place recently, and since Fang Pingying made him delicious food whenever she wasn’t busy, the little guy was always thinking about tasty treats and would come over every day for meals, sometimes even falling asleep there before going back home. When Qiu Lian heard that Fang Pingying was going to the shop, she mentioned that she hadn’t been to town for a long time, and decided to join Fang Pingying on her trip, also planning to send some money back to her parents’ home since the New Year was a little over a month away. She entrusted her child to a well-acquainted neighbor, gave them some things in return, and then went to town with Fang Pingying. The two chatted about household matters as they walked along. Previously, Fang Pingying rarely heard Qiu Lian complain about old family issues with Instructor Su, but today Qiu Lian couldn’t help but mention it, "Ah, Pingying, why does money go so quickly these days? Old Su just got paid in the middle of the month, and in less than ten days, we have less than 40 yuan left, and today I still have to send half of it back home." Fang Pingying was aware that Qiu Lian’s family, with a child in tow, wasn’t particularly well-off. Her little Lele even wore clothes given by folks from the compound. Hearing her mention she needed to send back 20 yuan all at once surprised Fang Pingying, "Does Instructor Su have many family members?" "A lot. He has seven siblings, and two of them are still in school. He’s the only one shouldering their expenses. He needs to send money back home every month." As Qiu Lian spoke, she began to complain, "Her parents always think that our lives in the city are so great, filled with all the delicacies. They complain about us sending too little back home, not realizing how tough city life can be. Everything, from grains to oil to salt, costs money. It’s not like in the countryside where at the very least, you can grow your own vegetables and fruits." Qiu Lian’s words resonated with Fang Pingying. Zhou Yunmei and her family back home felt the same; always assuming they had endless money to spend. Whenever there was a problem at home, the responsibility seemed to fall on them. She too sighed, "That’s true. Every family has its own set of difficulties to contend with. It’s tough." Qiu Lian glanced at her, a bitter smile on her face, "You’re lucky, though. Camp Chief Luo’s siblings are all grown up, and they’ve gotten married. There shouldn’t be much for you to worry about now, right?" "Ah, there’s even more to worry about. Both married and unmarried ones need taking care of, and our mom at home is no easy matter either." The heap of family issues was something Fang Pingying did not wish to share too much with others, as some matters were too embarrassing to speak of. Like the incident with Luo Zhiming this time, could she tell anyone how he ended up with a child after fooling around with a woman outside? Although Qiu Lian was a reliable person, Fang Pingying still didn’t want to say too much. It was just too shameful. Hearing Fang Pingying speak this way, Qiu Lian remembered the incident involving Luo Zhiming and his spouse from last time; she understood somewhat but didn’t voice her thoughts, merely lamenting helplessly, "True, these soldiers, they’re too responsible, always trying to take on everything wherever they go. But some burdens are just too heavy, and it ends up affecting us wives." Fang Pingying felt that Qiu Lian was absolutely right, "Yes, and when they can shoulder the responsibilities, the family thinks it’s only right. When they can’t, it just leads to more complaints." Qiu Lian nodded, sharing more about her family back in the countryside. It turned out that Instructor Su’s mother was quite a character, probably not much different from Zhou Yunmei. Fortunately, Instructor Su’s other married brothers were considerate. They knew it wasn’t easy for their eldest brother to climb to his position in the military, so besides sending a sum of money back home every month to support his parents, when their mother caused trouble, she would turn to the others at home. Only when they couldn’t bear it any longer would they ask Instructor Su to come back and handle it. Therefore, Qiu Lian’s biggest problem now was the lack of sufficient funds at home, struggling to make ends meet every month. After sharing her concerns, she looked at Fang Pingying somewhat sheepishly and asked, "By the way, Pingying, you’ve been in the city for so long, do you think you could help me find some work? I was thinking, ideally, something that I could take home to do. I could earn a bit of money while taking care of my Lele, better than just sitting idle at home." Having heard all her issues, Fang Pingying thought about lending a hand. She pondered for a moment, then said, "Next to my shop, there’s a place that makes plastic flowers. It seems like a pay-per-piece job, and you can take it home to work on. The salary isn’t too high, but do you want to give it a try?" As soon as Qiu Lian heard this, she was thrilled, "I’d like to try. Wait until later and take me to see. I’m not greedy for a high salary, just something to help with family expenses." Fang Pingying nodded and agreed with a smile, "Sure, later you can come to my shop first. Check out the place. If you’re interested, talk to the owner. He’s actually quite easy to talk to." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)