Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Chapter 581 - 576: Engagement

Fang Pingying thought Luo Zhiyong was like before, instructing about household matters, so she immediately interrupted him, "Fine, don’t worry about the house. We’ve all been getting along just fine without you here for so long."

Luo Zhiyong looked at Fang Pingying for a good while, his lips moving several times as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, he just nodded slightly, "Alright."

The two rode in the car for over an hour before finally catching up with Luo Honglan and the others waiting for them halfway.

Fang Pingying called everyone onto the bus and asked the driver to speed up a bit.

They had originally agreed to reach Chen Jie’s house before 12 o’clock; now they were late, and she wondered if the parents would be upset.

Fortunately, they had left early, so they weren’t delayed for long, and around 12:30, they arrived at the small county where Chen Jie’s house was located.

Chen Jie’s family had many relatives, comprising a large clan; just within his immediate family, Chen Jie had three older sisters, all of whom were married with children.

Including some other slightly distant relatives, there were at least twenty people present today.

The Chen Family took this engagement very seriously; someone from the family had been waiting downstairs early in the morning, and upon seeing a car arrive, immediately someone went upstairs to call others.

Chen Jie’s whole family came down to meet them.

Leading them were Chen Jie’s parents; his father was of medium height, honest-looking, with a smiling face, instantly giving off a pleasing demeanor.

Chen Jie’s mother, on the other hand, was tall and slender with attractive facial features, with Chen Jie resembling her more.

However, Chen Jie’s mother looked a bit shrewder than his father.

As she came down from upstairs, her gaze swept across Luo Honglan, Fang Pingying, and Yu’er.

She probably had seen Luo Honglan’s photo before, as her eyes locked onto Luo Honglan and sized her up and down.

Fang Pingying detected a hint of mild dissatisfaction in her gaze.

But truth be told, based on the young man Chen Jie’s external conditions, he indeed could have found someone better.

It was quite understandable for his mother to be dissatisfied.

But she was also a smart woman, knowing that her son had chosen her and that the bride’s family was present, she didn’t show her displeasure and soon walked over warmly to greet everyone enthusiastically.

It was evident that Chen Jie had also spoken to his father about the Luo Family’s situation, as Chen Jie’s parents did not ask why their parents were absent but were very warm to Fang Pingying and Luo Zhiyong, even mentioning Fang Pingying’s successful business in the city.

Undoubtedly, Fang Pingying’s status added a lot of luster to Luo Honglan, along with Luo Zhiyong’s military position, making it clear that Chen Jie’s mother was overall pleased with Luo Honglan.

Though Chen Jie’s mother seemed somewhat materialistic, at that time, marriages often involved emphasizing each family’s background by both parents.

The engagement custom here simply involved the families meeting, having a meal together, and then the groom’s side presenting the bride’s side with gifts like jewelry and precious metals.

Generally, the more substantial the gifts from the groom’s side, the more they valued the bride.

Chen Jie’s parents gave Luo Honglan a dowry of eight hundred yuan and a simple set of gold jewelry, which at that time was considered quite generous.

However, when they handed over the dowry, Chen Jie’s mother smiled and said to Fang Pingying, "Big sister-in-law Hong Lan, you’ll have to look after these two kids more when they’re in the city. I don’t have any big hopes, just wish they could buy a house like you guys and become city folks eventually."

Fang Pingying was momentarily stunned, picking up on the hidden meaning in Mrs. Chen’s words. She didn’t respond directly but instead smiled, "Auntie, don’t worry. Our Hong Lan and Chen Jie are both hardworking and resilient, they will surely live a good life in the future."

"Also need to..."

Mrs. Chen’s words were cut off before she could finish, halted by Chen Jie’s half-smiling interruption, "Mom, what house to buy? I plan to be in the military for life. The military provides housing, and Honglan and I will just live there."

After saying this, Chen Jie glanced at his mother and slightly furrowed his brow, clearly aware of his mother’s thoughts and decisively cutting off her hopes then and there.

Seeing her son speak this way made Mrs. Chen a bit embarrassed, and she murmured, "This child..."

Hearing this, Fang Pingying smiled and patted Mrs. Chen’s hand to alleviate the awkwardness, "Auntie, Chen Jie is doing very well in his job. He will surely succeed in the military, which is definitely better than us being in business."

Fang Pingying’s words cheered Mrs. Chen up greatly, as everyone hopes to hear their son being praised by others, thus breaking the ice on this delicate subject.

Later, when there were fewer people around, Luo Zhiyong took the opportunity to ask Fang Pingying for her opinion, "What do you think about Chen Jie’s family?"

"People are nice. It’s somewhat expected for a mother-in-law to have demands on her daughter-in-law," Fang Pingying knew Luo Zhiyong had noticed Mrs. Chen’s attitude, thus his inquiry. She comforted him, "Fortunately, Chen Jie made his stance clear, they will live in the military base. As long as they don’t live with the in-laws, there shouldn’t be much of a problem."

Luo Zhiyong nodded in agreement. He usually didn’t involve himself much in these matters, trusting if Fang Pingying said it was fine, then it was.

Fang Pingying said this based on her extensive observations of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships, insightfully understanding the dynamics involved.

In these relationships, she had never seen two women truly get along well, as it seemed a mother-in-law is never fully satisfied with a daughter-in-law.

In their eyes, no matter how unreliable their sons might be, daughters-in-law are always viewed as not good enough for them.

Just like her and Luo Zhiyong. Because Luo Zhiyong had a slightly better job, Zhou Yunmei saw her as someone who married Luo Zhiyong out of desperation. Back when she was in the countryside, Zhou Yunmei always looked down on her.

So, a mother like Mrs. Chen is quite normal.

Thus, a lot depends on Chen Jie’s attitude.

Fang Pingying had also carefully observed, and saw that although Chen Jie usually seemed gentle and compliant, when it came to making decisions, he actually possesses considerable resolve and his own thoughts.

Obviously, if he feels something is right, he makes his own decisions, resisting any doubts from his parents.

And, Fang Pingying could see how well Chen Jie treated Luo Honglan, so although this match wasn’t as perfect as she envisioned, she didn’t oppose it.

At night, Chen Jie’s house arranged accommodations for them with their own family members staying at relatives’ houses.

Chen Jie’s house had three rooms: Luo Honglan and Yu’er shared one, Chen Jie and Cheng Fei shared another, and the remaining large room was designated for Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying, along with their two children.

The rooms were arranged by Mrs. Chen, and Fang Pingying did not oppose openly. Initially, she planned to switch rooms after everyone had left, letting Yu’er and Luo Honglan stay in her room, and Luo Zhiyong sleeping in the other room alone.

But once everyone had left, Luo Honglan and Yu’er, those two girls, promptly entered their room, and no matter how much Fang Pingying knocked, they just wouldn’t open the door.