Back To The 80s-Chapter 146: Doubts (Requesting Monthly Tickets)_1
After listening to Gu Xiaobei’s brazen words, Lu Zhanguo rolled over and pressed on top of her, "Good idea, when we’re both free, we can plant some green beans, and will keep tending on them until they sprout."
Gu Xiaobei chuckled to herself, looking at this man, impressed by how she’s been able to develop his sense of humor.
The room was full of the feeling of spring, which helped to ward off the chill of the autumn night to some extent.
Early in the morning, Gu Xiaobei went to the entrance of Lu Zhanguo’s military camp to drop off Jiujiu, watching as she walked away with Da Dong and Xiao Dong.
As she was preparing to leave, she saw the military’s supply vehicle slowly pulling out and stopping at the entrance. Chang Yuan, on his way to sign in at the gate, stopped when he saw Gu Xiaobei, and smiled at her, "Sister-in-law, you haven’t been to town recently, have you?"
Gu Xiaobei watched as Chang Yuan suddenly welcomed her with a smile, knowing it must’ve been because Sun Aiqin had told him that she’d been bringing food for them. Realizing how practical this man was, she politely offered, "There hasn’t been much to buy recently. How about today, could you help me buy two pounds of meat? I’ll pick it up from the commissariat later and then pay you."
"Sure, just come by to pick it up later," said the beaming Chang Yuan, once again appearing very friendly.
"All right, then thank you," Gu Xiaobei said.
"No problem, Sister-in-law, you’ll need to come a bit later to pick up the meat. I have to pick up the new military doctor in town, which may delay me a bit," Chang Yuan suddenly remembered he had another task to attend to.
"A new military doctor? Are we running short of doctors in our medical team?" Gu Xiaobei asked curiously.
"Dr. Chi is taking a 40-day annual leave, and we’re just in time for the upcoming military drill where we need an accompanying doctor. So, they’ve transferred a doctor from the military hospital," Chang Yuan explained patiently.
"Oh, I see. You guys should go ahead, I’ll just come by later to pick up the meat," Gu Xiaobei, who didn’t understand these things, quickly urged him when she saw how much he was explaining.
By midday, Gu Xiaobei went to pick up the meat. Thinking that Lu Zhanguo wouldn’t be home for dinner until late, she decided to cook a little less for lunch and prepare a hearty meal for him at night. Recently, because of the upcoming drill, the intensity of his daily training had become higher, and he’d been coming home later. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Unexpectedly, Lu Zhanguo came back home just as she was cooking.
"Huh, how come you’re back at noon?" Gu Xiaobei asked, surprised.
"We have a three-day field training exercise. We’re heading out after lunch."
"Are you eating lunch at home then?" Gu Xiaobei said, relieved to hear it was just a field exercise.
"Yes, I’m eating at home." Lu Zhanguo said, and then went to fetch water with a washbasin.
Gu Xiaobei decided to stew all two pounds of meat, added a handful of green beans and glass noodles, and steamed some rice.
During mealtime, Gu Xiaobei casually mentioned, "We’ve got a new military doctor, huh? Why do they decide to give Chi Xiaoyue a month’s leave during the military exercise? Why not just refuse her the leave?" Gu Xiaobei snorted in her mind, ’She’s going to flaunt this like a peacock now.’
Lu Zhanguo paused mid-bite, a ripple flashed in his dark eyes as he handed Gu Xiaobei a piece of lean meat, without a word.
Gu Xiaobei didn’t expect Lu Zhanguo to answer her casual remark. Watching Chen Gang and Jiujiu hungrily eat their food, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
After they had finished eating, Gu Xiaobei handed Lu Zhanguo a new sweater she had bought in the provincial city. "The temperature drops significantly at night and it can get very humid on the mountains. Make sure to wear something warm."
"By the way, I washed your fleece pants on a sunny day. Remember to take them with you," Gu Xiaobei suggested, with a touch of concern.
Lu Zhanguo watched his diligent and concerned wife. Though he wanted to tell her it was unnecessary because he was used to dealing with harsh weather as a soldier, he didn’t want to shatter her concern. So, he just stood aside and affectionately watched her busy figure.
After seeing off Lu Zhanguo, Gu Xiaobei took the time to tutor Chen Gang. She found that Chen Gang was very good at mathematics. After just one explanation, he could apply the concepts flexibly. Moreover, his logical thinking was very strong. He could easily solve fifth-grade application questions. It seemed that there would be no problem with him passing the middle school entrance examination next year.
When Lu Zhanguo returned to his office, he didn’t rush to assemble the team and set off. Instead, he called Guo Huaqiang and Zhang Lijun to his office.
"Who’s the new military doctor?" Lu Zhanguo hadn’t had time to look at the new doctor’s information, so asking Guo Huaqiang was quicker.
"Zhang Lifeng, he’s 32, an experienced surgeon from the military district hospital," Guo Huaqiang, who had personally processed the transfer order, was clear on this.
"Why is Chi Xiaoyue taking annual leave at this time?" Lu Zhanguo thought Gu Xiaobei’s unwitting comment at noon made a lot of sense.
"Due to personal health reasons, she’s fainted several times during work," Guo Huaqiang had also confirmed this with the head of the medical team.
Lu Zhanguo was silent, wondering if Chi Xiaoyue’s illness and leave were a coincidence or a deliberate act. He decided he needed to have Shen Heng confirm this.
After a moment of silence, Guo Huaqiang seemed to remember something and said, "Now that you mention it, I remember that Chi Xiaoyue said she was planning to go to the provincial city. Since your sister-in-law is admitted to the hospital, she volunteered to take care of it. I agreed since we are too busy to handle that."
Lu Zhanguo’s eyes flickered, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Lijun, gather the team, invite the new doctor along, and get them to adjust to the new setting. Lao Guo, you stay behind. I can take them to the mountains. If you have time, go and see my sister-in-law. Pregnancy isn’t easy."
"Okay, be careful," Guo Huaqiang didn’t refuse. If he didn’t visit Xiangmin every day, there would be a temper tantrum awaiting him.
Once Guo Huaqiang left, Lu Zhanguo called Shen Heng. Chi Xiaoyue’s leave seemed to have some kind of purpose.
Gu Xiaobei checked the calendar. There was still no word from the publisher in the provincial city. It seemed like her plans might not pan out. After translating her current manuscript, she would have to devise a new plan. She couldn’t just sit at home and wait for the money to run out.
Living in this remote countryside, she didn’t have any good plans for the time being. Starting a business here certainly wouldn’t work. The transport was just too inconvenient.
On the night that Lu Zhanguo led the team to the mountains, it started to rain, bringing the cold of the deep autumn to the Northwest a little earlier.
Early in the morning, Gu Xiaobei woke up to find the rain still falling steadily. When she opened the door, a gust of cold wind swept over her, making her shiver. On such a day, she couldn’t help but worry about Lu Zhanguo and his team on the mountain and felt a prick of pain in her heart.
As the weather had turned cold, Gu Xiaobei took out the fleece clothes for Jiujiu to wear.
Just after breakfast, Da Dong and Xiao Dong came to pick up Jiujiu for school. Xiao Dong smiled and said, "Jiujiu sister is getting prettier and prettier."
Li Fengmei joked from the hallway, "She’s your older sister, stop calling her younger sister all the time."
Xiao Dong pouted, not convinced, "She’s shorter than me, and she expects me to call her older sister?"
Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but chuckle at this, which helped to dispel her gloomy mood from the morning.
Watching the three children go to school, Li Fengmei turned to Gu Xiaobei and said, "You didn’t sleep well last night, right? You look quite pale."
"It rained all night, I couldn’t sleep peacefully. I kept thinking about how the guys on the mountain were faring," Gu Xiaobei sighed.
