Back To The 80s-Chapter 138: Joy_1

Gu Xiaobei frowned: "Why didn’t you change your clothes before coming out?"

Sun Aiqin glanced down and said carelessly: "I’m nursing the baby; all mothers look like this."

Gu Xiaobei immediately lost interest in chatting: "You carry on with what you were doing. I’m going upstairs."

"Sister-in-law, don’t forget to save the small clothes that Jiujiu has outgrown for us." Sun Aiqin added before Gu Xiaobei left.

Gu Xiaobei pretended not to hear and continued making her way upstairs.

Lu Zhanguo had already set down his bag and was rolling up his sleeves to prepare lunch, assuming Jiujiu and Chen Gang would soon be returning.

Gu Xiaobei walked over and wrapped her arms around Lu Zhanguo’s waist, murmuring. Lu Zhanguo lifted the bowl of flour with one hand while stroking Gu Xiaobei’s head with the other: "What’s wrong? Weren’t you okay just now?"

"We haven’t seen each other for two days and now nobody is at home. Why don’t you hug me?" Gu Xiaobei said, her head buried in Lu Zhanguo’s chest. She was determined to turn this man into a romantic one.

Lu Zhanguo could not help but chuckle. He wrapped his free arm around Gu Xiaobei and said: "Alright, I’ll hug you properly tonight. We need to start cooking now; the kids will be home soon."

Gu Xiaobei rolled her eyes internally, checked the time, and let go of Lu Zhanguo, allowing him to get on with the cooking. She began to unpack her things.

She folded her new clothes and put them away in the wardrobe. The rest were piled on the small bed for Jiujiu and the others to see before she tidied them away.

As Lu Zhanguo was preparing the dough, he looked surprisingly at the mountain of clothes on the small bed. How did they all fit in her bag?

Jiujiu and Chen Gang returned home. Seeing Gu Xiaobei, Jiujiu exclaimed excitedly: "Auntie, you’re back!" He noticed the pile of new clothes: "Wow, so many new clothes!"

Gu Xiaobei smiled and said: "Come and see, these are all for you two." Then she displayed each item one by one - thermal underwear, corduroy pants, corduroy jackets, cotton-padded jackets, overcoats, sneakers.

"Auntie, why did you buy so much? We already have clothes." Chen Gang, looking at all these clothes, felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Your clothes will be too small for you after the New Year. You two have grown a lot recently." Gu Xiaobei said proudly, noticing that Jiujiu’s face was starting to look healthier, and that Chen Gang was visibly growing stronger.

"Auntie, if our clothes become short, we can just lengthen them. There’s no need for you to buy us so many new clothes." Chen Gang said awkwardly.

Gu Xiaobei knew this child had a strong sense of pride. She laughed and said: "In that case, you better aim to get into middle school next year. Once you start working, you must remember to contribute to your auntie from your salary."

"Okay." Chen Gang nodded earnestly.

Jiujiu was more naive and didn’t think too much. When he saw the two pink hair ornaments on the pillow, his eyes lit up: "Auntie, are these for me?"

"Yes, come here, let me put them on for you." Gu Xiaobei took the hair ornaments and pulled Jiujiu over. She made two small braids and adorned each one with an ornament.

"They look great!" Gu Xiaobei turned Jiujiu around to have a better look.

Watching the three of them interacting happily, Lu Zhanguo felt a sense of joy. This was what the warmth of a family should be like, he thought.

For lunch, Lu Zhanguo made hand-pulled noodles and eggplant stew. After the children finished their meal and started revising their lessons, Gu Xiaobei carried the bowl to the sink to wash it.

Li Fengmei happened to be washing dishes as well: "I heard chatter in your room. I guessed you must be back."

"I arrived around noon. I brought a piece of cloth for you, it’s in a pattern you can’t find in our town. I’ll bring it over to you this afternoon." Gu Xiaobei said with a smile.

Li Fengmei said in surprise: "How can you be so carefree? Your husband Lu is still under investigation for corruption." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Investigation for corruption?" Gu Xiaobei was taken aback. That’s when she realized that Lu Zhanguo had been on leave for quite some time.

"You weren’t aware? Someone reported your husband Lu for embezzling funds." Li Fengmei was surprised that Gu Xiaobei didn’t know.

"Embezzlement? When did my husband Lu ever take bribes?" Gu Xiaobei said angrily.

"Someone’s jealous because your family is living comfortably, having quality food every meal, frequently eating meat, and even raising two almost grown-up children." Li Fengmei whispered.

"What’s the connection between these things? How can people be like this?" Gu Xiaobei’s mind was racing. It could very well be Xiangmin and Chi Xiaoyue who were at fault; they were the only ones who despised her. But that didn’t seem right, even if they had a feud with her, they wouldn’t target Lu Zhanguo.

Li Fengmei cautioned her: "People resent those who have and laugh at those who don’t. They’re just envious of your good life. You should be careful, it’s different in the military. If you’re not cautious, Lu’s future could be ruined."

Gu Xiaobei felt angry. It was her own hard-earned money she was spending, yet she had to be cautious even about that. She was even more upset with Lu Zhanguo for not telling her about this serious matter.

She finished washing the dishes and returned to the room with a scowl. Lu Zhanguo was puzzled: what happened now?

After the children left for school, Gu Xiaobei said sternly: "Lu Zhanguo, you kept such a big thing from me."

"What thing?" Lu Zhanguo was confused.

"You’re still pretending! Didn’t I tell you to be honest with each other? But now such a big thing has happened, the entire compound knows about it, yet I was the last to find out." Gu Xiaobei was very angry, extremely angry.

"I didn’t keep anything from you." Lu Zhanguo was still confused.

"You’re still denying it. Why are you suspended pending investigation?" Gu Xiaobei was both upset and concerned. This man was bearing such a huge burden by himself, yet he was still trying to make her happy every day. As she thought about this, her eyes began to well up.

Lu Zhanguo pulled Gu Xiaobei to sit down before he began to explain: "Yes, someone did accuse me of corruption, but I’ve already clarified it with the higher-ups. It’s all good now."

"Then why aren’t you going to the barracks and staying at home all day?" Gu Xiaobei was skeptical.

"Because they assigned me a task and told the outside world that I was being investigated."

"Really?" Gu Xiaobei was doubtful.

"Yes, you cannot discuss this with anyone, including Li Fengmei. No matter what others say, do not try to explain." Lu Zhanguo warned.

"You’re not trying to comfort me by lying, are you?" Gu Xiaobei still didn’t believe him.

"I would never lie to you. About anything." Lu Zhanguo assured her.

Only then did Gu Xiaobei feel relieved. She then asked, "Do you know who reported you?"

"I’m not sure yet, but we’ll find out soon." Lu Zhanguo sincerely hoped it wasn’t the person he suspected.

"How despicable! How can people be so envious of others?" Gu Xiaobei said indignantly.

"Alright, go take a nap. I’ll head to the barracks and check on things." Lu Zhanguo said, stroking Gu Xiaobei’s back.

"No, you stay with me." Gu Xiaobei demanded, taking advantage of the fact that Lu Zhanguo was currently suspended.

"Okay, once you’re asleep, I’ll go." Lu Zhanguo, resigned to his fate, let Gu Xiaobei drag him inside and up to bed.

Of course, Lu Zhanguo didn’t make it to the barracks. Instead, he spent the afternoon discussing with Gu Xiaobei how babies are made.

Gu Xiaobei woke up from her afternoon nap around five. She lay in bed for a while before deciding to go to the vegetable garden to pick a cabbage.

Once she reached the vegetable garden, she was instantly livid. Seven or eight rows of cabbage had been pulled out. Right now, the heart of the cabbage hadn’t yet formed. Picking out so many all at once was just waste!