Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 801 - 796: Reaching an Agreement

Undeniably, Mrs. Liu’s proposal really caught Zhou Yunmei’s attention, but to be safe, she still asked skeptically, "Hmph, how can you guarantee that? Are you a relative of Xiutao?"

Mrs. Liu didn’t deny it, nodded directly and said, "You’re quite right, I am indeed family to Xiutao."

"You..." Zhou Yunmei wanted to know what exactly the relationship was between Mrs. Liu and Xiutao, planning to continue questioning.

But Mrs. Liu stopped her right away, "Don’t concern yourself with the specifics, just do as I tell you, and you’ll definitely benefit."

Staring at Mrs. Liu, Zhou Yunmei hesitated deeply.

She had to admit that many things Mrs. Liu said were quite true. Though she previously refused to acknowledge it, through the many events happening these days, she realized that given the current situation, whether or not Luo Zhiyong and Xiutao recognize each other, it’s unlikely that Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying will ever be close to her again.

Moreover, she was aware that before she lived with Luo Dashan, Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying gave quite a bit of money to Luo Dashan every month, often using living expenses and pocket money as excuses to give over a hundred dollars monthly.

But ever since she moved in with Luo Dashan, that side was completely cut off economically, only giving Luo Dashan five to ten dollars a month through Luo Honglan as living expenses.

And it was usually five dollars more often; the ten dollars only appeared during festive months, which made it clear that they were blatantly ensuring she didn’t take advantage of Luo Dashan.

If she wasn’t even allowed to benefit from them, it was even less likely that she’d gain any advantages from Fang Pingying.

Previously, she was left with no choice, harboring a slight hope that one day, with time passing, Fang Pingying and Luo Zhiyong would forgive her.

But now, if she truly got those three thousand plus dollars, she wouldn’t have to worry about Fang Pingying’s attitude anymore, or whether they’d ever forgive her.

Because she calculated that she secured a sum from Xu He, and this would be another big amount, adding up to over ten thousand, based on Fang Pingying giving Luo Dashan five dollars or ten dollars monthly, even if she squandered a bit, this over ten thousand dollars would be enough to last her for decades, which essentially settled her life; why should she just watch helplessly as this money slips away?

She must get this money, she absolutely must have it!

Besides, Mrs. Liu was quite right, helping Xiutao and Luo Zhiyong reconcile wasn’t anything morally wrong, why shouldn’t she do it?

Of course, Zhou Yunmei thought this way just to find an excuse for taking the money with peace of mind, but in reality, she knew it definitely wasn’t that simple.

No matter how good Xiutao’s family was, they wouldn’t offer such a large sum just for such a simple goal; she was sure there were ulterior motives or a conspiracy behind Mrs. Liu’s offer, likely a huge plot against Luo Zhiyong and Fang Pingying.

But a conspiracy, after all, targeted Fang Pingying and them; what did it have to do with her?

If she couldn’t get money from Fang Pingying and them, what did her relationship with Fang Pingying and them matter?

Nonetheless, she was still somewhat hesitant; with such an enormous sum, she feared what might actually be involved.

Yet considering the stakes, Zhou Yunmei gritted her teeth, almost ready to agree, but in that instant, greed took over, she said to Mrs. Liu, "If you really want me to help, fine, add another US$ 500, and it’s settled; I’ll consider it as doing a good deed."

"Fine, it’s just US$ 500," Mrs. Liu seeing Zhou Yunmei agree, smirked slightly. To bind Zhou Yunmei, she swiftly handed over cash, "That makes a total of 4,000 yuan; I’ll first give you a US$ 500 deposit as a show of our sincerity."

"Okay." But Zhou Yunmei wasn’t foolish; after accepting the deposit, fearing Mrs. Liu would back out, she had Mrs. Liu write a note, a promissory note for 3,500 yuan.

Originally, Zhou Yunmei intended to use this note to protect her interests, but she couldn’t have known that ultimately, this note would be the key that led her down the final path.

Having made the agreement with Mrs. Liu, Zhou Yunmei’s next step was naturally to start arranging the reconciliation.

Initially, Zhou Yunmei started maneuvering from Luo Dashan’s side.

After waiting a day, observing Luo Dashan in a good mood, especially having had favorable interactions with him lately, she intentionally brought up past years in conversation, leading into the main topic, "Dashan, didn’t you once say that Zhiyong’s birth mother might have come from the provincial city to our countryside? Do you think she might be living in the same city as us now?"

Luo Dashan, upon hearing this, recalled his encounter with Xiutao, his expression subtly shifted, looking puzzled as he said to Zhou Yunmei, "Why suddenly bring this up? Haven’t you always been reluctant to mention her?"

"Ah, it’s been so many years, why hold onto so many grievances." Zhou Yunmei deliberately sighed, feigning understanding, "Sometimes I just think it’d be nice for Zhiyong to meet her. After all, she is his birth mother, and presumably, they still care for each other."

"What’s gotten into you today?" Luo Dashan instinctively felt something was off about Zhou Yunmei; she had never stated it, but he sensed she was unwilling for Luo Zhiyong to acknowledge his birth mother, after all, she had raised him herself, which he understood and didn’t push.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yunmei immediately waved her hand, deliberately dragging Luo Cuilan and Luo Zhiming into the conversation as shields, "Nothing, just that Cuilan and Zhiming came back the other day and mentioned it to me, persuading me a bit. When I think about my own son, not seeing him for a few days drives me to thoughts. For Xiutao and her son, several decades apart, how could she not miss him?"

Then she let out a long sigh, as if she had suddenly come to terms, "If there’s a chance, let them meet. I’m fine with it; after all, I feel being a foster mother and a birth mother don’t conflict, like in Pingying’s family, where the two mothers get along quite well."

Luo Dashan, surprised that Zhou Yunmei could even use Fang Pingying’s family as an example, was truly moved, "Ah, it’s rare for you, Yunmei, to be so understanding now; seems you’ve really changed."

"I’ve already said I’m turning over a new leaf, naturally I’m different from before," Zhou Yunmei smiled wryly, "After all, I’m a mother too."

Thus, Luo Dashan was truly taken aback, honestly telling Zhou Yunmei, "Actually, Yunmei, since you don’t mind, let me tell you the truth: I’ve long known about Xiutao’s whereabouts, and I’ve even met her."