Back To The 80s-Chapter 108 - 107: Countermeasures_1

Gu Xiaobei awkwardly smiled, saying, "I plan to let Jiujiu live with us later..." She finished speaking and looked uneasily at Lu Zhanguo.

Jiujiu also looked nervously at Lu Zhanguo, afraid that her serious uncle wouldn’t agree. She had spent the afternoon here and really liked it. There wasn’t endless work and no beatings.

Lu Zhanguo glanced at the two of them, frowned, and lowered his eyelids without speaking, turning to wash his hands by the basin.

Gu Xiaobei also kept quiet, having no idea in her heart. If Lu Zhanguo doesn’t agree, Jiujiu will definitely have to be sent back.

"What are we having for dinner?" Lu Zhanguo washed his hands and came over, asking Gu Xiaobei in a low voice.

While Gu Xiaobei was lifting the food cover, she instructed Jiujiu to sit on a stool and said, "We will eat rice, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised eggplant, tiger-skin green peppers."

Lu Zhanguo sat down and noticed Jiujiu with her eyes fixed on the eggs, but not daring to take them. He put all the eggs from the plate into Jiujiu’s bowl and said gently, "Eat up."

With this sight, Gu Xiaobei pondered. If Lu Zhanguo agreed to adopt Jiujiu, then she wouldn’t be able to have her own child, which was unacceptable. Having no children of her own would be too regrettable.

After finishing the meal with conflicting thoughts, Gu Xiaobei, afraid that Jiujiu, having arrived only that day, wouldn’t feel at ease at night, waited until Jiujiu fell asleep before returning to her room nervously.

Going into the room, she saw Lu Zhanguo leaning on the head of the bed reading. She tentatively sat on the edge of the bed, "Jiujiu is really pitiful. I bathed her this afternoon and her body is full of bruises. All black and purple." She then recounted Jiujiu’s experiences at the Chen Family and her own idea of adopting Jiujiu.

Lu Zhanguo kept frowning without uttering a word. Gu Xiaobei had no idea what he thought, and spoke softly, "Are you mad at me? I’m sorry. I was too impulsive today."

Lu Zhanguo looked at Gu Xiaobei intently, saying, "You were indeed too impulsive today, and we can’t adopt Jiujiu."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaobei froze. Her heart sank. She hadn’t expected Lu Zhanguo to reject her so directly, so she dropped her head in silence.

Seeing her drooping head, Lu Zhanguo knew she had misunderstood. He took her hand in his and said, "Jiujiu has relatives, her mother is still around. We can’t legally adopt her. Besides, if we really adopt Jiujiu, we won’t be able to have any more children. Leaving aside what I think for a moment, ask yourself, would you be willing?"

Gu Xiaobei shook her head. It would be such a pity to not have a child of her own. She couldn’t be that selfless yet.

"So, you can’t impulsively adopt Jiujiu, regret it later, and inevitably develop resentment towards her. By then, it would hurt Jiujiu instead and make her lose faith in familial love again," Lu Zhanguo explained patiently.

"What to do then? When I think of Jiujiu going back home to be punished, I feel upset," Gu Xiaobei said. She, too, agreed with his reasoning. She was patient with Jiujiu today, but what about in the long run? Will she vent her frustration on Jiujiu for not having a child of her own? Even if she won’t resort to verbal or physical abuse, the cold violence would be terrifying too.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei in dilemma, Lu Zhanguo sighed, pulled Gu Xiaobei into his arms, and said, "Foolish girl, you need to think carefully next time. We’re not adopting Jiujiu, we’ll let her foster in our home instead. She can go back to the Chen Family whenever she wants. When she’s grown up, her fourth sister-in-law wouldn’t dare beat and scold her anymore." Lu Zhanguo didn’t want to see Gu Xiaobei disappointed. This was the best compromise he could think of.

On hearing this, Gu Xiaobei’s eyes brightened. Yes, they could foster her in their home, so her household registration remains at the Chen Family. This won’t be an issue after all. Reflecting on her earlier misinterpretation of Lu Zhanguo, she lifted her head a bit shamefacedly and apologized, "Husband, I’m sorry."

"Hmm, who was the one jumping to conclusions and misunderstanding me just now?" Lu Zhanguo couldn’t help but tease Gu Xiaobei.

Gu Xiaobei playfully responded, somewhat abashed, "I was wrong, so you tell me what to do?"

Watching Gu Xiaobei act coy, Lu Zhanguo had a soft spot for her. Teasing her, he said, "What do you suggest?"

Gu Xiaobei chuckled and pounced on Lu Zhanguo, "How about I make it up to you?"

The story of a little bunny intentionally falling into a big wolf’s mouth was then in full swing...

...

The next day, Gu Xiaobei saw Jiujiu sweeping the floor when she came out. The bedding was also neatly folded and even the water for washing her face was ready. Gu Xiaobei felt a pang of sympathy, seeing how careful and considerate the child was.

Gu Xiaobei went over, gently held Jiujiu, and said, "Jiujiu, auntie didn’t bring you here to work."

Jiujiu gave a shy smile and said, "Auntie, I’m used to these chores, it’s okay."

This made Gu Xiaobei even more saddened. She said, "Well, you’re forbidden from doing chores as long as you’re at auntie’s place. You can play with your friends, eat whatever you want, do whatever you want to, just not housework." She pretended to scold Jiujiu in the end.

"Okay, got it," Jiujiu obediently agreed.

"Now sit here, auntie will wash her face and then make an egg pancake for you." Gu Xiaobei pulled Jiujiu to sit by the bed.

"Auntie, we don’t need eggs. I just had them yesterday. A big bowl of porridge is just fine," said Jiujiu considerately.

"From now on, you’ll eat whatever auntie says, no arguments." After feigning sternness, Gu Xiaobei went to wash her face. Jiujiu sat on the bed, covering her mouth with a hand and grinning, thinking to herself that her aunt was really nice.

...

That afternoon in Lu Zhanguo’s office, Shen Heng was smoking and grumbling, "Been here for half a day and not even a cup of water."

Lu Zhanguo kept silent, engrossed in his paperwork. Shen Heng never visited without business, there must be something new this time.

"Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?" Seeing Lu Zhanguo ignoring him, Shen Heng couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Say it if you want to, hold it in if you don’t," Lu Zhanguo responded without lifting his head. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Do you also speak to your wife like that?" Shen Heng was discontented. This was clearly preferential treatment.

Lu Zhanguo huffed and continued to ignore him. Shen Heng flicked ash off his cigarette, saying, "You know Li Hao, right? He was tricked into taking drugs by Gao Dailin’s men. Now, he’s completely under Gao Dailin’s control. They’re probably going to use Li Hao as a pawn soon. It’s been quiet for so long, there’s finally some movement."

Lu Zhanguo’s brows knitted. Li Hao, in the end, had taken the wrong path.

"What’s the situation for you this time?" When it came to work, Shen Heng looked serious.

"There’s a military drill in October, things look calm now," said Lu Zhanguo.

"I hope Gao Dailin isn’t trying to distract us with something else." Shen Heng thought if this continued, he might as well settle down and get married in T City.

"Hard to say. Stay cautious and warn Jin Cheng to be careful as well," Lu Zhanguo was worried about Jin Cheng’s hot-headedness.

"That kid, Jin Cheng, is really made for this line. He has matured a lot over these years," Shen Heng acknowledged. He was the one whom he least expected to be suitable for this job.

Lu Zhanguo said nothing and interlocked his hands in his lap, sinking into deep thought.

Shen Heng kicked the sack of snake skin he brought along. "I miss my sister-in-law’s fish. Here, I brought my own fish. Let her cook it for dinner tonight."

Lu Zhanguo cast him a cold look. The man had such thick skin.

When they both returned home in the evening, Shen Heng was amazed to see Jiujiu. He looked at Lu Zhanguo with horror and asked, "When did you two have such a big daughter?"