Back To The 80s-Chapter 15: Conspiracy_1

After a night of intimacy, their feelings for each other heated up quickly. By the time April arrived, the grass was green, and orioles fluttered in the sky. The weather warmed up, and there was no need to keep the stove lit indoors anymore. Gu Xiaobei loved this kind of weather; she would stroll around the courtyard after breakfast every day.

As usual, after eating today and seeing that the sunlight was just right, I prepared to go for a walk. According to the days, I should be three months pregnant by now. I hadn’t felt any different, except when I touched my belly, it seemed slightly rounded.

As for the child in her belly, Gu Xiaobei always felt it was Lu Zhanguo and someone else’s child; she didn’t have any particular feelings of like or dislike—just a sense of passive acceptance.

She walked slowly down the path lined with tall poplar trees on both sides. A gentle breeze brought the fresh scent of grass and wildflowers. Gu Xiaobei closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it was so comfortable. But when she opened her eyes and saw the two people turning the corner at the end of the road, she instantly felt displeased. Why were Chi Xiaoyue and Wang Chuanjiang together?

Gu Xiaobei turned around, intending to go back, but Chi Xiaoyue called out as if intentionally, "Sister-in-law, wait for me." If I walked away now, it would seem like I was the guilty one, so I turned back to wait for the two to approach.

Chi Xiaoyue said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, this is my cousin, Wang Chuanjiang. He’s looking for a job here. Today, I was telling him that we’re from the same school, and he insisted on coming to have a look, saying it’s likely we might know each other."

Wang Chuanjiang also looked at Gu Xiaobei with surprise, his glasses reflecting a sharp light, "Xiaobei, I didn’t expect to see you here."

"My husband is a soldier here, and I came to follow the military life. I remember telling you before," Gu Xiaobei revealed indifferently. The original host was really blind to have liked someone like him.

"You really know each other? That’s great; we’re practically fellow townsmen here. It’s good to look out for each other being so far from home," Chi Xiaoyue seemed a little excited.

"Yes, Xiaobei, suddenly I remember you told me you were going somewhere remote and desolate, but I forgot the name. I’m so happy to see you today. If you have any troubles, you can come to me," Wang Chuanjiang hurriedly said to Gu Xiaobei with a smile.

"Oh, my husband takes very good care of me, I don’t need the help of outsiders," Gu Xiaobei emphasized the word "outsiders" very heavily.

Wang Chuanjiang felt a bit embarrassed, remembering how Gu Xiaobei used to tone down her spoiled behaviour and act all coy and demure around him.

But the Gu Xiaobei in front of him now looked at him with disdain and mockery. Wang Chuanjiang thought he had been overly confident in coming here.

Chi Xiaoyue piped up from the side, "Sister-in-law, do you have some misunderstanding with Chuanjiang?"

Gu Xiaobei responded with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, "No misunderstanding, you know in the courtyard that I’m not good at socializing. As soon as I open my mouth I offend people." Having said that, she didn’t wait for them to respond, adding, "I’ve walked enough, and I’m a little tired, I won’t chat with you anymore, I’ll be heading back." Without waiting for their response, she turned and left.

Chi Xiaoyue looked at the retreating figure of Gu Xiaobei and said venomously, "Didn’t you say that all you had to do was beckon with your finger and Gu Xiaobei would come running? But she didn’t give you the time of day."

Wang Chuanjiang was also somewhat infuriated, "Stop talking about whatever, let’s go back and think about what to do."

After saying this, he left without looking at Chi Xiaoyue.

In the squadron leader’s office, Lu Zhanguo and Shen Heng each had a cigarette in their mouths. There was a haze of smoke inside, it was clear that they had smoked quite a bit.

"The top is asking us to check out the new outsiders in the town. The town isn’t big, so it isn’t too difficult to investigate. But I’m worried that this person might be someone we know, hiding right under our noses," Lu Zhanguo analyzed.

"Everything appears calm recently, but just as a tree longs for peace while the wind keeps blowing, there is very likely some big conspiracy waiting for us," Shen Heng shared his opinion.

"We can only react with calm," Zhanguo asked, "how is the investigation going with the military coat that you’re helping me look into?"

Shen Heng gave Zhanguo a profound look and said, "Turns out this is actually connected to your uncle. If you deal with Xiaodong, I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to explain to your sister-in-law. I’ve heard that the two siblings are very close."

"I’ll talk to Xiaobei. Do we have any evidence now?" Zhanguo also felt a headache coming on. Their relationship was still harmonious, but if anything happened to Xiaodong, he anticipated another falling out. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"There’s no direct evidence, but given his position as the head of the military district’s logistics, it’s impossible for him to remain untainted," Shen Heng said unconcernedly.

"I’m going to be leading a training exercise soon, keep an eye on this for me. And is that Wang Chuanjiang really Chi Xiaoyue’s cousin?" Zhanguo was somewhat skeptical.

"According to the investigation data, it is indeed the case, but the two families hardly ever interacted, and only recently started visiting each other," Shen Heng replied.

"How about a drink at my place tonight?" Zhanguo suggested.

"No thanks, I need to go to S City tonight. I can’t stay here too long; I’m worried that if the observant ones notice, they’ll be on guard," said Shen Heng. What he really wanted to say was that he was also afraid of seeing his sister-in-law’s eyes light up like a dog’s when it sees a bone – but he didn’t dare to say it out loud.

After sending Shen Heng off, Zhanguo noticed it was getting late and started walking toward the family quarters.

Even he hadn’t noticed how much more he’d grown to love coming home. Not seeing Xiaobei for even a day made him feel unsettled. He told himself it was just a habit, but he knew habits could be terrifying things.

Gu Xiaobei felt like her life was like that of a pig: eating and then sleeping, sleeping and then eating again. No one in the courtyard seemed willing to associate with her. Without television or a computer, she suddenly felt irritable.

She thought it might be pregnancy hormones; otherwise, how could someone as bright and usually cheerful as her feel such inexplicable sadness?

When Zhanguo came home, he found Xiaobei lying on a small bed in the outer room, heaving deep sighs. He sat down beside her, held her hand, and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Xiaobei said, "I can’t do anything. I want to make you a pair of shoes, knit you a sweater, but I can’t. Will you look down on me for it?"

Zhanguo pinched her cheek, "What nonsense are you thinking of? If you’re feeling bored, you could chat with the other families in the courtyard."

"They all don’t like me, as you well know," Xiaobei said, pouting with a sense of grievance.

Zhanguo thought for a moment. "Would you like to be a teacher? There’s a primary school in the village next to our station, just over twenty minutes’ walk away. If you want, I can talk to them and you could be a substitute teacher."

A substitute teacher? She had barely finished her master’s degree, only to end up as a substitute teacher. She was three months pregnant now, and by the time summer vacation came around two months later, she’d be too visibly pregnant to continue. That would be irresponsible to the students. She shared her thoughts with Zhanguo.

Zhanguo nodded. It indeed made sense. He pinched Xiaobei’s cheek again – he had become particularly fond of this gesture recently. Her soft, tender cheeks were very smooth to the touch.

"Alright, stop fretting over this. I’ll find you a couple of novels to read later. What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll cook."

Xiaobei quickly got up, "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen; I’ll cook," she said as she gave Zhanguo a peck on the cheek and ran off to make dinner with a laugh.