Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 25 Reducing Expenses

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Pingying nestled in Luo Zhiyong's arms and sighed, "The issue between Fang Xiu and me isn't something new; we've had our quarrels but nothing serious. When it comes to giving money home, I have a plan in mind."

Pingying shared her thoughts with Luo Zhiyong, "Initially, I was planning to send back only ten yuan a month after we move out, but considering it may be difficult for mom to suddenly cut down her spending habits, and in case the money isn't enough, I know you would feel uneasy. So I thought about it, and decided to add two more, making it twelve yuan."

"But actually, after calculating the daily expenses at home during these days, I found that ten yuan per month would be sufficient to send back."

"Our monthly expenses at home don't reach ten yuan?" Luo Zhiyong frowned slightly. Zhou Yunmei often mentioned to him that even thirty dollars sent back just barely covered the expenses, and sometimes it was not enough.

Pingying nodded and explained the expenses in detail, "Think about it. For example, in the first half of the year, because we slaughtered a pig during the New Year, we normally don't sell the lard. If a family consumes like the average household, the lard from one pig can last at least half a year."

"We have rice at home, and we grow our vegetables and fruits. The only things we really need to spend money on are some meat. With meat, you eat more if you have more, less if you have less. Based on how we live now, if mom and the others don't waste anything, four to five yuan a month on meat is certainly enough, and they might not even finish it."

Pingying paused, then continued, "This is when we're at home. If we're not around later, the expenses will be even less. I'm thinking that giving twelve yuan and adding a bit more during festivals, no matter what, it would be more than enough, and mom could save some."

Luo Zhiyong also did some calculations. In town, meat is a little more than one yuan per jin. With five yuan, you can buy at least three jin of meat, which is indeed enough for a family to eat for a month.

In fact, in this era, if a family eats meat worth two to three yuan a month, that's already quite decent.

And considering the meals, it's extremely good; in the countryside, not many families can afford to eat meat so frequently. Many families go months without a glimpse of meat. Pingying is doing quite well by her family.

Pingying continued, then remembered her plans for doing business, and spoke to Luo Zhiyong, "Also, did you see the hawthorns I put in the yard when you just got back? I plan to try making some hawthorn jam and hawthorn cakes with Hong Lan after breakfast to sell in town. If these sell well, I want to save up a bit of money so when I join you in the city, I can do some business on my own."

Luo Zhiyong was very supportive of Pingying's desire to do business as she had mentioned it before and he had agreed.

He was still a bit worried about the money for the household, since they would be cutting twenty yuan all of a sudden, and he was concerned about Zhou Yunmei's disagreement.

But then, he thought about it and felt that Pingying's words made sense. He nodded and said, "Okay, you're all planned out for the business, let's give it a try. As long as the money we give home can cover expenses, there shouldn't be a problem. I'll talk to my mom about it, and no matter what, it's time for her to learn to save and not to be extravagant anymore."

Pingying knew Luo Zhiyong hadn't fully agreed, but since he was open to the idea, it meant he was aware of the issue as well. So, she didn't press further, just reminding him, "Yes, that's the case. Besides, we're married now and will have our own children and family to look after in the future."

"Having children..." Luo Zhiyong repeated, his eyes shining as he looked at Pingying. They hadn't yet approached the matter of having children. Where would children come from?

Pingying's face flushed, she slapped him lightly, "Don't get lost in thought, hurry and go out to talk to mom, or else I fear she might come to find you soon."

As soon as Pingying finished speaking, they heard Zhou Yunmei calling from the courtyard, "Zhiyong, what are you doing? Come out for a second, I have something to tell you."

Pingying knew even with her toes what Zhou Yunmei wanted to talk about. She glanced at Luo Zhiyong with a raised eyebrow, indicating she had arranged everything and it was up to him to talk to Zhou Yunmei.

Regardless of how Luo Zhiyong spoke to Zhou Yunmei, she didn't make a scene. However, when Pingying came out, Zhou Yunmei's face looked extremely unpleasant, but when she saw Pingying, she acted as if she saw nothing.

Fang Pingying had long guessed that with Zhou Yunmei's temperament, she would definitely be upset about suddenly relinquishing control of the household finances to someone else.

Fang Pingying then didn't bother with her and went to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.

After breakfast, Luo Dashan shouldered his hoe and went to the fields. Regardless of whether there was work to do or not, Luo Dashan didn't like to stay at home and mostly spent his time in the fields.

Probably feeling upset, Zhou Yunmei, after eating, took a piece of cloth from the house and called Luo Cuilan to join her. They said they were heading to the village tailor to have Luo Cuilan's wedding clothes made.

As for Fang Xiu and Luo Zhiming, they stayed in their room without coming out at first. Since everyone at home was around, no one paid attention to the noises from their room.

Once the family members left and the courtyard quieted down, one could hear a woman's suppressed screams coming from their room.

Fortunately, at that time Luo Honglan was washing dishes in the kitchen and only Fang Pingying and Luo Zhiyong were sitting in the courtyard.

Though neither of them had been in an actual battle, they weren't totally ignorant. Their faces turned red from embarrassment upon hearing such noises.

Finally, when Fang Xiu's room quieted down, Fang Pingying called Luo Honglan to come to the courtyard to help her select hawthorns and instructed Luo Zhiyong to go to the small shop at the entrance of the village to buy some rock candy and white sugar to bring back.

Making hawthorn jam wasn't difficult, but the process was a bit complicated.

First, cut the washed hawthorns in half, put them in the pot, then add clear water—enough to cover the hawthorns. Cook them over medium heat until soft, then while hot, strain them through a sieve.

Fang Pingying brought over a bamboo sieve, under which she placed a wooden bowl. The hawthorn puree would drip into the bowl through the holes of the sieve. Because the hawthorn was too viscous to easily pass through the sieve, Fang Pingying continued to dilute the puree with the water used to cook the hawthorns to squeeze through.

After finishing, only the fruit skin and seeds remained in the sieve, with a bowl of hawthorn puree obtained.

Pour the puree back into the pot, add white sugar and rock candy, continue heating, and keep stirring until the wooden spoon leaves a thin coating. Fang Pingying drew a line with her finger—if the puree didn't flow back together, the hawthorn jam was ready.

For the small portion of the remaining puree, Fang Pingying considered making some hawthorn cakes. She continued to heat it in the pot until the wooden spoon could hold a thick paste. While hot, she poured it into a small porcelain bowl greased with a thin layer of oil. After completely cooling down and being inverted, the hawthorn cake would be ready.

Because Fang Pingying wasn't sure about the taste of her creation, she didn't dare to make a large amount for the first time. She merely tried making a small batch for the family to taste. If it turned out to be a viable product, Fang Pingying would need to buy some necessary items from the town.

The jam was relatively simple to make. Once it was ready, Fang Pingying shared some with Luo Zhiyong and Luo Honglan to taste.

After tasting, both said it was delicious. Luo Honglan even laughed, saying she had never tasted anything so delicious in her life. The sour and sweet flavor was especially appetizing, and if it were spread on steamed buns or other sweets during hot weather, it was certain to be an excellent treat.

When the hawthorn cake had cooled down, Fang Pingying let them try it, and they said it was even better than the jam and could be eaten as a snack.

Hearing their comments, Fang Pingying felt relieved. In fact, she was merely experimenting today by adding the simplest ingredients. Tomorrow she would go to town to buy things like honey or, if available, lemons for flavoring, which would only improve the taste.

Thank you to Princess's mom, SEVEN玖9, Xuan'er Feifei, and the peace charms from you three dear ones.