Reborn as a Tough Army Wife
Chapter 139 - 134: Finding a Carpenter

Chapter 139: Chapter 134: Finding a Carpenter

Watching Luo Zhiyong’s tall and straight figure leave through the doorway, Fang Pingying suddenly felt that such a life had always been what she yearned for.

Although not wealthy, their relationship was exceptionally good, there was no hidden feelings between them, and everything was peaceful and serene, unlike at home where she would often have endless arguments with Zhou Yunmei.

Therefore, she felt that coming to the military base early was absolutely the right choice.

Closing her eyes for a while, Fang Pingying drifted back to sleep, and when she woke up again, she glanced at the wall clock. It was almost seven o’clock.

Figuring Luo Zhiyong would be back soon, she quickly got up and put the leftover potato cakes from last night in the pan to heat up, while she went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

After washing up, the potato cakes were ready, and just in time, Luo Zhiyong came back as well.

Just finished training, Luo Zhiyong was drenched in sweat; even in the weather that wasn’t hot at all, his training uniform was completely soaked through.

Fortunately, Fang Pingying had thought to heat some water for washing dishes later, which now came in handy for Luo Zhiyong to mix with cold water for a shower.

Fang Pingying felt that the gas stove was convenient for cooking, but not for boiling water, and it consumed much more than a coal stove would.

A coal stove just needed to be loaded with coal; turn it on when needed and cover it when not, and placing a pot of water on the stove to slowly boil could heat up a pot of water overnight.

It would be perfect for Luo Zhiyong to take a warm bath, since he had to train every day and would definitely want a hot shower when he got back in the morning.

Fang Pingying thought to herself that the coal stove would suffice for the two of them to cook daily meals and it wouldn’t use up much coal in a day. Moreover, coal was much cheaper than gas at this time.

Fang Pingying decided to look for a nearby coal seller when she went out to ask the carpenter to take measurements at home, so she could have some coal delivered.

Their home already had an old coal stove, which Fang Pingying had checked and found still usable, so there was no need to buy a new one.

After breakfast, Luo Zhiyong went to work and Fang Pingying set about her own tasks.

She got up and saw Luo Chun feeding her child in the corridor next door.

Luo Chun greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law, have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, I was just thinking of finding a carpenter to make some things for the house." Fang Pingying casually asked, "Chun’er, do you know where I can find a carpenter around here?"

"There’s one in the nearby countryside; I had a desk made there for my husband not long ago." Luo Chun pointed in one direction, indicating where the carpenter could be found in that rural area, and then asked, "Sister-in-law, what do you need the carpenter for?"

Fang Pingying explained, "I feel it’s inconvenient for Zhiyong not to have a study room, so I’m thinking of partitioning a study out of the bedroom here."

"That’s a great idea." Luo Chun even gestured for Fang Pingying to come over to her house to have a look, "But we didn’t make one; we just hung a curtain, and it looks quite good too. Come and see."

Fang Pingying walked over to their doorway and peered inside; since they lived in army family quarters, their house layout was the same, with a large bedroom, but indeed a curtain was hung in the middle.

Luo Chun was quite tidy, her home was put in order, and a light purple curtain in the center looked quite elegant. However, this was just for aesthetics; it was still different from having a separate room partitioned off.

And if someone really did come over to my house, it would seem rather inconvenient.

But Fang Pingying couldn’t very well say that she disliked the way her house was set up, so she just smiled and said, "Your instructor must be very patient, unlike my Zhiyong. He can’t stand anyone flitting about in front of him when he’s trying to get work done; insists on having a separate room to work in."

"Even if you had a separation, it’d work, but it’s just more of a hassle. Let me tell you how to get to the carpenter’s place." Luo Chun finished speaking and then described the way to the carpenter’s home to her.

To be honest, after spending some time with Luo Chun yesterday, Fang Pingying thought that although this person seemed to have a keen eye for taking small advantages, she seemed quite alright, constantly insisting that Fang Pingying could come to her if she needed any help, as she had nothing else to do anyway.

Fang Pingying had also thought about asking her to show the way to the carpenter, as this military area was somewhat different from her previous life. She was a bit unclear on the directions and there were several villages nearby; she wasn’t sure exactly which one Luo Chun had mentioned.

But since Luo Chun had already told her how to get there, it was clear that she didn’t intend to accompany her.

So Fang Pingying didn’t say much more, casually chatted with Luo Chun for a bit, then closed her door, planning to go around and ask for directions herself. It was only a few villages after all, shouldn’t be too troublesome.

However, as Fang Pingying was about to reach the staircase, she bumped into Sister-in-law Qiulin holding her one-year-old son Lele, stepping out of her room near the staircase.

Seeing Fang Pingying about to go downstairs, she smiled and asked, "Sister-in-law, where are you off to?"

Fang Pingying reached out to play with Lele while answering with a smile, "I want to have something made at home, so I’m looking around the countryside nearby for a carpenter to take some measurements."

On hearing this, Qiulin spoke up immediately, "Let me go with you. There are a lot of dogs at the homes around here; it’s not very safe for you to go alone."

"Am I not going to delay your errands?" Fang Pingying noticed that Qiulin seemed to be heading out too and didn’t want to interrupt her important tasks.

Qiulin just laughed and pulled Fang Pingying down the stairs, "What errand could I possibly have? I spend my days at home just looking after this little guy here. He was fussing to go out and play just now."

Fang Pingying felt relieved and smiled while patting Lele’s head, "Kids this age are indeed the hardest to take care of. It gets easier once they grow a bit over the next couple of years."

Lele, remembering that he had eaten pancakes at Fang Pingying’s place yesterday, was not shy at all with her. He stretched his arms wanting Fang Pingying to hold him and chanted, "Auntie, Auntie, want pancakes."

Both Fang Pingying and Qiulin burst out laughing.

Taking Lele into her arms, Fang Pingying teased, "Then come back with Auntie to eat pancakes, don’t want Mommy anymore, huh?"

The little guy pouted and quickly scrambled back into his mother’s embrace.

Qiulin looked at the little guy in her arms and complained while laughing, "Ah, even when they get bigger, it’s not all that much better. This little rascal is mischievous. Once he gets a little older, he’ll be at that age where he’s a nuisance to everyone. I’m afraid I’ll get more and more fed up watching over him every day."

As the two of them walked and talked, it took almost ten minutes before they arrived at the nearby village.

Qiulin had previously had a carpenter from this village make some things for her, so she was very familiar with the area. She led Fang Pingying through several twists and turns until they found the carpenter’s house in the village.

But fortunately, Fang Pingying had come with Qiulin, or she would have found it difficult to locate the place. And there were indeed many dogs in the village; they would bark at any unfamiliar faces entering the village.

The carpenter was surnamed Zhang, and he recognized Sister-in-law Qiulin. As soon as he saw her, he greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law Qiulin, does your family need me to make something again?"

"It’s not that, it’s my sister-in-law here who needs something made." Qiulin explained to the carpenter what Fang Pingying wanted to be made and then said, "First go to her house to take some measurements, see what would be the best way to make it." (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)