Reborn as a Tough Army Wife
Chapter 169 - 164 Shopping (440+)

Chapter 169: Chapter 164 Shopping (440+)

Although Uncle Zeng had taken care of the shop a bit, the meticulous cleaning still had to be done by themselves.

Fang Pingying instructed Luo Honglan to sweep the floor, while she herself fashioned a long broomstick and swept the ceiling as well.

The shop must have been vacant for a while; there were cobwebs and such on the ceiling that all needed to be cleaned.

The two sisters-in-law were both accustomed to housework and were very quick with their hands; they had the place nearly spotless in just over half an hour.

After that, since Luo Honglan and her family were going to settle in for the long term, they needed to go out and buy things, including daily necessities, a kitchen stove, gas cooking range, and cake-making ingredients, all of which had to be purchased today.

Fang Pingying thought that once they got their things organized today, she could spend a couple of days making some cakes to store in the shop.

Now that they had a shop, it would definitely not be the same as setting up a stall at home; making some ten pounds a day would not be enough to sell, they would need to prepare at least forty or fifty pounds a day.

In that case, they would need to stock up on goods, as cakes could certainly last a few days without any issue.

After cleaning up the house, the two went out.

The best thing about the provincial city was that it was large and transportation was very convenient. No matter where you went, there were buses available, and within the same city, taking a bus didn’t take long at all, at most half an hour.

Fang Pingying thought of all the things she planned to buy. Specialized wholesale markets within the city sold them, and fortunately, she had inquired about some city details from Xiao Juzi before, so she could find the place. The two of them took a bus directly to the wholesale market.

The wholesale market was much cheaper than shopping malls, and some items were even cheaper than in the county.

As Fang Pingying had bought a gas stove and gas cylinders, the owner even offered to deliver, so she made arrangements with the shopkeeper, and then went on to buy the rest of the supplies, catching a ride back to her own shop on the delivery mini tractor.

As they arrived at the shop, they happened to run into Xiao Juzi and Uncle Zeng, who were standing at the door as if waiting for her.

As soon as the tractor stopped, Fang Pingying jumped off and greeted Xiao Juzi and Uncle Zeng with a smile, "Uncle Zeng and Juzi, what brought you here?"

"When I was in the army, didn’t you tell me you were going to open a shop in the city these days? So I asked my uncle to bring me over to see if there’s anything I can help with," Xiao Juzi said, glanced at Luo Honglan who followed Fang Pingying, and asked with a smile, "Is this your younger sister?"

"Yes, she’s Zhiyong’s younger sister, named Hong Lan," after Fang Pingying replied, she pulled Luo Honglan to the front and said with a smile, "Hong Lan, call her Sister Juzi and Uncle Zeng."

Luo Honglan, being shy around strangers as she didn’t meet many back home, greeted them with an embarrassed nod and went to unload the goods.

Fang Pingying, not wanting to delay the gas delivery, excused herself after a brief greeting with Juzi, and helped unload the things they bought today.

Xiao Juzi saw the two were busy and offered to help, but Uncle Zeng stopped her and started moving the items for Fang Pingying themselves.

Although Fang Pingying didn’t have many interactions with Uncle Zeng, she had a lot of good feelings towards him because of what Xiao Juzi said about how he treated his wife. Seeing Uncle Zeng moving things skillfully without a hint of a big boss’s air, she politely thanked him a few times and then let him help.

Although there were many things, with three people moving stuff, it only took a few trips to put everything inside the shop.

Xiao Juzi went into the shop to have a look and smiled, "You guys came pretty early today, huh? Not only did you get everything bought, but you also cleaned up the place."

"Yeah, we’re planning to open the shop in a couple of days; can’t delay any further." As Fang Pingying recalled how Uncle Zeng had asked Xiao Juzi several times about when the shop would open, she explained to Zeng Weiguo, "Uncle Zeng urged me about it a few times. I’ve been waiting for my sister to come over; I can’t get things done all by myself."

Zeng Weiguo nodded to show he understood, "Alright, hurry up and get the shop going, and if you encounter any troubles, just tell me. I will have Juzi leave you my phone number later."

Speaking of difficulties, Fang Pingying did indeed think of something, "Uncle Zeng, I actually have something to ask of you."

"Do you know where to find those ovens used for baking Western-style pastries? See if you can help me find one that’s cheaper, even second-hand is fine, as long as it works. Having that kind of oven would speed up my pastry-making by a lot and would be much more convenient." These few days, Fang Pingying had been thinking about it at home and felt that other things in the shop were not too difficult to handle. She could find a way to overcome them temporarily or replace them with something else.

But when it came to an oven, Fang Pingying really wanted one.

However, buying a new one was just too expensive, and Fang Pingying couldn’t afford it. She was hoping that maybe with Zeng Weiguo’s connections, she could buy a second-hand one to use for the time being.

Zeng Weiguo knew about pastry-making, so he was naturally familiar with such equipment.

He thought for a moment and then nodded, "I should be able to find one. I’ll ask around for you; wait for my news."

After hearing this, Fang Pingying smiled gratefully at him, "Great, then thank you, Uncle Zeng."

Zeng Weiguo was somewhat reserved, and he did not show much enthusiasm in response to Fang Pingying’s gratitude; he just nodded slightly before turning to Xiao Juzi, "Since Juzi is here, I’ll be taking my leave."

After sending Zeng Weiguo off, Fang Pingying started to tidy up her things while looking at Xiao Juzi, who was milling around her, "How have the past few days been for you? Haven’t gone to work either?"

Xiao Juzi pursed her lips unhappily, "My uncle asked me to take leave from work and told me to go back to work after giving birth. Anyway, it wasn’t much money for that month, and getting picked on every day by the old women at the office, saying I got in through connections, I didn’t enjoy staying there either."

Fang Pingying knew that Xiao Juzi seemed to have a job at some newspaper office, which Zeng Weiguo had paid for her to get into. It was indeed a non-essential position; her salary was like taking money from her uncle for nothing, and it didn’t matter whether she was there or not. Xiao Juzi had complained to him about this several times.

Fang Pingying said to her, "Since you’re not working now, come back to the compound with me tonight. These past few days, I’ve seen Huang Lin wandering around alone."

Xiao Juzi had been staying at her parent’s home for several days. Last time Huang Lin went to pick her up, she threw a tantrum and didn’t go back. She hadn’t seen Huang Lin for a few days now and was starting to miss him and considered going back.

But then she remembered Mrs. Huang Lin, and she didn’t want to go back. She pouted and asked Fang Pingying, "What about his mom? Has she left?"

"I didn’t see her; I didn’t go into your house." But Fang Pingying knew that Mrs. Huang Lin probably hadn’t left. If she had, Huang Lin would have definitely picked up Xiao Juzi to go home by now.

"If his mom is still there, even if I go back today, I’m afraid it won’t take many days before she drives me crazy enough to return to my parent’s home." Xiao Juzi knew well that Mrs. Huang Lin definitely hadn’t left and let out a soft sigh, "Just think, I’ve only been pregnant for a short while, and she’s been nattering in my ear all day about having a son or a daughter. If she keeps nagging at me, I’m afraid I might go mad before I even give birth..."

Before she finished speaking, Xiao Juzi suddenly stared outside the shop and called out to Fang Pingying, "Isn’t that Bai Jing?"

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it and give it monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)