Reborn as a Tough Army Wife
Chapter 153 - 148 Mother-in-law Really Came

Chapter 153: Chapter 148 Mother-in-law Really Came

Jiang Hong knew that Xiao Juzi was pregnant, and seeing her acting so carelessly, she quietly reprimanded her a few times.

Then she brought Fang Pingying over for a look, and laughed, "Oh, such a young lady, this morning I heard your uncle talking about business, I thought you were much older."

"Hello, Auntie," said Fang Pingying, as she handed over the fruits she brought to Jiang Hong.

"Ah," Jiang Hong laughed as she took the fruits from Fang Pingying’s hands, and said, "Look at you, girl, you’re Juzi’s friend, and you will also be doing business with Weiguo, no need to be so formal."

When buying the fruits earlier, because Juzi and Zeng Weiguo kept stopping her, she just casually bought a few kilograms of apples and bananas, feeling quite embarrassed, she said, "Auntie, I didn’t expect to come over today. I bought these fruits by the roadside, please don’t mind."

"Why would I mind? Aren’t all fruits just like this?" Jiang Hong said with a laugh.

Jiang Hong was very open-hearted and liked to talk. During the lunch at their house, Fang Pingying heard her talking throughout, yet the family atmosphere was very good.

What puzzled Fang Pingying was that throughout the process, she did not hear them talk about their own children.

Normally, people of their age would love to talk about how their children are doing.

It was not until Fang Pingying and Xiao Juzi were heading home that Fang Pingying learned that because Jiang Hong had health issues, they hadn’t had children over the years.

They always treated Xiao Juzi as their own child. Before Xiao Juzi was married, she often stayed alternately between her own home and her uncle’s home.

One week at her own home, the next week at her uncle’s.

Fang Pingying was somewhat surprised upon knowing this.

She always thought that wealthy people, especially in this era, would consider their descendants very important.

Seeing Fang Pingying’s surprised face, Juzi smiled and said, "You find it strange too, right? Everyone who knows me finds it strange. Normally, someone like my uncle would definitely try to have a child."

Juzi sighed and continued, "Actually, it’s physically possible for my aunt to have children, but there’s a risk. My uncle didn’t want her to risk her health, so a few years ago he had a vasectomy."

"What?" Before this, Fang Pingying only had a so-so impression of Zeng Weiguo, as she felt he was somewhat stern, not particularly warm to people, except for when he smiled talking about Luo Zhiyong. Other than talking about business, he rarely spoke. Fang Pingying always felt his temperament was a bit cold, not quite personable.

Hearing Juzi’s words, she realized that one must not judge by appearances; men like Zeng Weiguo were truly rare nowadays.

Juzi spoke of this matter with a hint of sadness, "Both my uncle and aunt are good people, they take special care of relatives at home, many of our relatives had difficulties in the past, and it was my uncle and aunt who helped them. But good intentions don’t always receive good rewards, life has been too unfair to them."

Hearing this, Fang Pingying comfortingly patted her shoulder, "It’s okay, don’t your uncle and aunt have you? Just be filial to them, you’re no different from their own daughter."

Hearing this, Juzi looked at Fang Pingying and nodded heavily, "Yeah, when I was getting married to Huang Lin, I told him that I would take care of my uncle and aunt in the future, and he agreed to it before I married him."

"Huang Lin is also a good person, he will respect your uncle and aunt." These words were not just to comfort; Fang Pingying genuinely thought Huang Lin was a good person, whether towards Juzi or friends, he was never petty.

Like that incident with Luo Zhiming, if it were someone else, they wouldn’t continue to help him find work.

The two chatted all the way back, and by the time they returned to the compound, it was mid-afternoon.

Fang Pingying had bought some glutinous rice flour and other pastry-making ingredients on the street, planning to head home early and try making pastries. As they passed by Juzi’s house, Juzi invited her inside to sit for a while. She didn’t plan on going in, thinking about heading straight upstairs.

Little did they know, just as Juzi took out her keys to open the door, the door swung open and an old lady with a face full of wrinkles stepped out.

Upon seeing Juzi, she became very excited. Her eyes swept over Juzi’s belly and then with a beaming face, she said to Juzi, "My dear girl, you’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for you at home for quite a while."

Fang Pingying was at a loss for a moment upon seeing the old lady.

Xiao Juzi, appearing impatient, covertly rolled her eyes and greeted the old woman with a smile, "Mom."

Then, she gave Fang Pingying a meaningful look and half-jokingly said, "Sister Fang, this is my mother-in-law."

After saying that, she slightly tilted her head towards Fang Pingying, indicating that what she had been saying came true; as soon as they returned from outside, Mrs. Huang Lin was indeed sitting in their home.

Fang Pingying smiled helplessly. She really hadn’t expected Mrs. Huang Lin to be this eager for a grandchild.

She smiled at the old lady and greeted, "Auntie is here."

It was Mrs. Huang Lin’s first time meeting Fang Pingying. She stared at Fang Pingying, then asked Xiao Juzi, "Who is this girl? I don’t remember seeing her before."

Xiao Juzi replied, "She’s Battalion Commander Luo’s daughter-in-law, just arrived a few days ago. You can call her Pingying."

The old lady seemed quite familiar with Zhiyong, and upon hearing that she was Battalion Commander’s daughter-in-law, she immediately smiled brightly, "Ah, so this is Zhiyong’s wife, such a beautiful lady."

Fang Pingying tight-lipped, realizing the old lady’s compliment was more about her connection to Zhiyong rather than her looks.

She greeted Mrs. Luo with a smile and then returned home by herself.

After resting at home for a while, Fang Pingying started making glutinous rice cakes, which were both attractive and delicious, and also not difficult to make.

She first mixed glutinous rice flour, corn starch, sugar, oil, and milk into a smooth, lump-free batter.

Then, she put it in a pot and steamed it at high heat. Glutinous rice products take longer to cook, so, it needed to be steamed for a good while to fully cook.

Once cooked, she kneaded the glutinous rice dough into a smooth batch. Kneading it a bit longer made it look nicer.

Finally, she shaped the kneaded dough into a long strip, divided it into equal parts, took one portion, flattened it into a cake, and put red bean paste filling inside, then steamed it in the pot for a short while longer until it felt about right.

If it was coated with something like coconut shreds on the outside, it’d taste even better. However, Fang Pingying had looked around the market and didn’t find any, so she thought to just give it a try for now, and would buy coconut shreds later when she went to the shops.

After making them, Fang Pingying tasted her creations and found them quite delicious; the experiment was a huge success, and she could directly start selling them in the shop.

Moreover, the fillings inside these glutinous rice snacks could be varied with other things like fruits, or fillings of peanuts, or sesame.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for a recommendation at Qidian (qidian.com), and cast a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)