Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Chapter 628 - 623: Hauling Bricks (Second Update)

"Okay, Dad, I’m staying at that guesthouse over there. If you need anything, come find me." Luo Zhiming happily pointed to a guesthouse ahead as he spoke, and then, as if afraid that Luo Dashan wouldn’t believe him, he pulled out three yuan from his pocket to show Luo Dashan,

"But Dad, I really only have this few dollars on me, I need to pay for food, drinks, and the lodging at the guesthouse. I won’t last long, so remember to talk to Hong Lan about it soon."

Luo Dashan looked at the crumpled three yuan in Luo Zhiming’s hand, and thought about all the places in the city that required spending money, he sighed, took ten yuan out of his pocket, and handed it to Luo Zhiming, "Take this ten yuan for now, and when your sister comes back tonight, I will talk to her."

Luo Zhiming glanced at the money, pondered for a moment, and then accepted it. He put the money in his pocket and asked Luo Dashan, "Dad, where are you staying now, with big brother’s military unit?"

Luo Dashan pointed in the direction where he lived, "No, your brother rented a room for me opposite the Fang Family’s house. I’m staying there."

"Opposite the Fang Family’s?" A glint flickered in Luo Zhiming’s eyes, "You mean at Fang Xiu’s place?"

Luo Dashan nodded, "Yes."

On hearing this, Luo Zhiming asked excitedly, "Dad, how has Fang Xiu been doing lately?"

"She’s been doing pretty well. With your sister-in-law’s help, she has opened a shop and it’s doing very well. They are now leading a good life." Probably noticing the gleam in Luo Zhiming’s eyes, Luo Dashan added, "Fang Xiu is about to get married. The man is from your brother’s unit."

Upon hearing this, the sparkle in Luo Zhiming’s eyes immediately faded. He had known for a while that Fang Xiu had found someone new, a man far better than him, and it was inevitable they would get married sooner or later. He harbored a slight hope that Fang Xiu might still be single, and maybe they still had a chance.

Now that Luo Dashan had said this, he didn’t say much, just nodded his head despondently, "I know, I’ve met him."

Afterward, he didn’t speak further, stood for a while, then said, "Dad, I’ll be going now."

Luo Dashan watched Luo Zhiming’s retreating figure, sighed, and shook his head. If only Luo Zhiming and Fang Xiu had lived a good life together back then, how wonderful it would have been.

The way Luo Zhiming ended up was entirely a consequence of his own actions.

Because he had promised Luo Zhiming, Luo Dashan felt uneasy, wondering how to broach the subject with Luo Honglan when she got back.

Ever since she left home, Luo Honglan had completely lost faith in Zhou Yunmei and the others, and she constantly reminded him not to get involved in their affairs. If she found out he had agreed to help Luo Zhiming find a job, there was no telling how she would react.

Luo Honglan did not return until the evening.

She had dinner at Juzi’s place before coming back, and also brought some food home for Luo Dashan from Juzi’s place.

While eating, Luo Dashan occasionally glanced at Luo Honglan.

After several times, Luo Honglan noticed and after she finished cleaning up from dinner, she sat on the bed, knitting a yarn sweater for Yaoyao while asking Luo Dashan who sat by the table, "Dad, what’s wrong with you today? Did you bump into someone, or something?"

Knowing he couldn’t hide it and also needing to find Luo Zhiming work, Luo Dashan said directly, "Your second brother came into the city today. I bumped into him at your sister-in-law’s pastry shop."

Luo Honglan paused for a moment, then she put aside her knitting, and asked loudly, "What did he come for, did he ask you for money again? How much did you give him?"

"It’s not about money, not money." Seeing Luo Honglan’s strong reaction, Luo Dashan quickly waved his hands and said, "He just talked to me for a bit, then left."

"Really? There’s nothing else?" Luo Honglan looked at Luo Dashan with disbelief. If there was nothing, then what was he doing in the city?

After a moment of silence, Luo Dashan then tried to persuade Luo Honglan, "Hong Lan, I saw your second brother today, and I think he has changed a bit from before. He also knows he did something wrong in the past. Don’t be hard on him. No matter what, you two are siblings through thick and thin. Besides parents and children, no one is closer to you in this world than your siblings."

"I..." Luo Honglan felt her heart soften a bit as Luo Dashan said this. After all, Luo Zhiming hadn’t committed any unforgivable sins. His biggest mistake was being led astray by lust, marrying Xu He and making a mess of everything at home.

In the past, when he was with Fang Xiu, although he often caused trouble for the family, he didn’t really harm anyone. It was true that he had been instigated by Xu He later on, but he hadn’t reached the point of being cruel-hearted; it was evident from the time he drugged Luo Dashan.

After some time, Luo Honglan finally asked, "What did second brother come to the city for?"

Seeing Luo Honglan relax a bit, Luo Dashan quickly responded, "Initially he came to the city hoping your brother could find him a job, but your brother isn’t home and I don’t know anyone here. I was hoping you might be able to find him some work."

"He just said he was looking for work, didn’t ask you for money or anything?" Knowing Luo Zhiming well, Luo Honglan was still somewhat skeptical.

"Nothing like that, he just wants to find work," said Luo Dashan urgently, as if to prevent further doubt. "Moreover, he said he’s willing to do anything tough or tiring, just to have a job and earn money."

Luo Honglan frowned, very skeptical, "He’s willing to do tiring work?"

Luo Dashan answered very affirmatively, "Yes."

"Then I’ll ask around tomorrow to find him some work." Luo Honglan reminded Luo Dashan one more time, "But remember, Dad, I’m only doing this once for him. If he reverts to his old ways, unable to hold a job, just tell him to go straight back home and not to come find me again. If he comes, I won’t pay him any attention."

"Okay, okay."

Since Luo Honglan also knew about Fang Pingying’s attitude towards Luo Zhiming, she didn’t ask Fang Pingying for help this time and instead went to Chen Jie, asking him to help Luo Zhiming find some work.

Chen Jie inquired around and found three jobs for Luo Zhiming. One was at a construction site helping to transport bricks with a dumper, which although strenuous, paid according to the amount of work done. For every cart of bricks transported, you’d get 5 cents. A diligent person could transport 60 to 70 carts a day and make three to four yuan, amounting to over a hundred yuan a month, which was not considered a low wage at the time.

The other two jobs were as security guards, less strenuous but lower paid.

Luo Honglan didn’t know what to let Luo Zhiming do, so she went to ask Fang Pingying, pretending it was for a friend who used to loaf around and disliked work, inquiring which job might be best for him.

Fang Pingying didn’t give it much thought and casually said, "Let him go transport bricks. The wage is higher, there’s no time for idleness, and it will toughen him up."

ps: There will be another update in the afternoon.