Back To The 80s-Chapter 136: See _1 Again

"Hehe, Liu Hongbing will buy my ticket for tomorrow night, and I’ll be home by the next morning. Could you come to pick me up? Otherwise, I could take a bus back to the town and you can meet me there," Gu Xiaobei thought about the early train arrival, guessing Zhanguo would have to rush to the city in the middle of the night.

"No need, I’ll pick you up from the train station. Just be careful on your way," Zhanguo replied.

"Mm-hmm, got it."

"Don’t go out after dinner and have an early rest. Lock the door when you go to bed," Zhanguo advised before finally hanging up.

After ending the call, Xiaobei sighed to herself, thinking about how much she appreciated Zhanguo’s nagging. Maybe she had an Oedipus complex?

Because she hadn’t slept well on the train, Xiaobei had a deep sleep this night. She slept like a log until morning.

First thing in the morning, she noticed her watch had stopped. She had forgotten to wind it before sleeping, so after a quick mental slap, she went to the reception desk to ask for the time. She also called Liu Hongbing to tell him she would probably be back around four o’clock.

After breakfast, she dashed straight for the Red Flag Building, ready to start a shopping spree.

The Red Flag Building had five floors, the first two floors were state-owned, with expressionless salespeople sitting behind chest-high wooden counters. Seeing this, Xiaobei went straight to the third floor, where half of the floor was privately rented and the service was noticeably better.

Xiaobei bought two sets of autumn clothes for Jiujiu, an anorak made of tender yellow acrylic wool, and a tracksuit for Chen Gang.

She bought herself a light grey half-length wool coat with a bouquet of flowers embroidered on the right chest. Xiaobei decided to remove the flowers when she got home.

When she saw hair accessories for girls, she bought them! Scarves, she bought them! Shoes, she bought them! Puffy jackets, she bought them!

After an extensive shopping trip, Xiaobei ended up carrying two large bags, both bought at the mall. Most importantly, she hadn’t bought the sweater for Zhanguo yet.

With two large bags in her hands, she went shopping for Zhanguo’s sweater. She was tired of carrying so many heavy things so she decided to hang one bag over her shoulder. She squatted down to adjust her bag, but when she stood back up, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Are you blind? Didn’t you see me?" a woman’s voice shrieked from behind her.

As soon as Xiaobei heard the voice, she knew she had run into that eccentric lady again. She calmly turned around and said, "Sorry, I’m not blind. I just can’t see from behind."

Jiang Jiahua was also there, standing next to a woman who appeared to be around fifty, presumably his mother.

"Why is it you again? I’m so unlucky, always running into you," said Jiang Jiayan irritably.

Xiaobei didn’t feel like arguing with such an unreasonable person and decided to get away from there.

However, Jiayan was reluctant to let her go and grabbed Xiaobei’s bag. "You think you can just leave without apologizing?"

When Jiahua, initially slightly thrilled to see Xiaobei, saw his sister’s unreasonable behavior, he reprimanded, "Jiayan, let go."

Xiaobei had no choice but to glare at Jiayan, "You’d better let go." Did she travel all this way just to keep fighting her?

Infuriated, Jiahua stepped forward and grabbed his sister’s wrist. "Let go, what’s gotten into you lately?"

Their mother was not pleased. "Jiahua, how can you take sides with a stranger and let them bully your sister?"

Now Xiaobei understood, this eccentricity was hereditary. Jiahua felt a little embarrassed in front of Xiaobei and said, "Sorry about that."

He then grabbed Jiayan, who was shouting loudly, and made a swift exit, followed closely by his mother who gave Xiaobei a harsh look before leaving.

Xiaobei knew she had made an enemy out of Jiayan and only hoped that they wouldn’t cross paths again to avoid fighting like a shrew.

With bags in her hands, Xiaobei resumed her search for a suitable sweater for Zhanguo.

After a while, she found that there were even fewer men’s clothes, apart from the old-fashioned suits and Zhongshan suits, which were the most common. Only one or two stores sold sweaters, and after much consideration, she bought a dark blue pure wool sweater with a V-neck.

Xiaobei knew that a traditional man like Zhanguo would never wear bright colors. She did not know when she would finish knitting the wool she had bought.

Carrying two large bags of clothes, she returned to the guest house and remembered she hadn’t eaten lunch. She bought a baked wheat cake from a vendor at the door and had it with a glass of hot water.

She then rearranged her luggage and the newly bought bags into two bulging large tote bags.

When Liu Hongbing saw the bags, he was shocked. "Did you go shopping for a house move, sister-in-law? How did you manage to buy so much?" Xiaobei just laughed; she could have bought even more bags if she weren’t mindful of the expenses.

After checking out of the room, Liu Hongbing decided to take Xiaobei to dinner before taking her to the train station.

Xiaobei didn’t refuse his offer; she knew that since Zhanguo could ask Liu Hongbing for a favor, they must have a special relationship.

The most famous dishes in G province are hand-held lamb ribs and lilies. The lamb ribs are prepared from young sheep that have been reared for a year and slowly cooked on low heat with clear water, Sichuan pepper, dried tangerine peel, and bay leaves. The meat, alternating between fat and lean cuts, is savory but not greasy, tender without being tough. It’s a dish that leaves a delightful aftertaste.

Xiaobei enjoyed her meal very much and found that the lamb could be delicious without chili, especially when paired with a mouthful of fresh lily pear soup - it was extremely enjoyable.

When Jiang Jiahua came out of the private room, he saw Xiaobei eating dinner with a soldier in a window seat. She was smiling happily and seemed truly satisfied. Her smile was different from the polite and formal one she gave him. This time, her smile was like that of an innocent child, which made him stare in admiration.

It wasn’t until his mother called from inside the private room that he came back to reality. He gave Xiaobei one last look before turning to rejoin his mother.

It was the day for Jiang Jiayan to meet her future in-laws, and Song Tiezhu’s parents had also come from the countryside. Jiang Jiahua was absent-minded throughout the dinner. He had no idea what was being said around him, his mind filled with the image of Xiaobei’s smiling face.

When they went out after dinner, Xiaobei was no longer in the seat she was before. Jiahua felt an emptiness inside but couldn’t explain why.

Xiaobei witnessed the advantages of privilege. Liu Hongbing had used his military connections to get a train ticket for her at the last minute. The train conductor even arranged a spare bunk for her that was meant for the train staff.

Xiaobei felt a little embarrassed and asked Liu Hongbing in a low voice, "I don’t look like a soldier; won’t they find out?" She was worried that if they found out she was a fraud, it would be embarrassing.

"Don’t worry, they’re aware. They just turn a blind eye," replied Hongbing, laughing.

Xiaobei nodded, kind of understanding what he meant. She finally felt at ease. She was carrying so many bags; she looked less like she was on official duty and more like she was fleeing.

This time she didn’t run into any eccentric people, and the journey was quite peaceful.