Back To The 80s-Chapter 22: Cold and Unfeeling_1

Gu Xiaobei had slept for three days straight. Lu Zhanguo gently wiped her hands and her face with a warm, damp towel, and asked quietly, "Are you hungry? Why don’t you wake up and have some porridge?"

After hearing this, Gu Xiaobei realized she did, indeed, feel a bit peckish. "Sounds good," she said, nodding.

Lu Zhanguo grabbed the thermos from the bedside cabinet and poured out some porridge into a bowl. He wasn’t sure when Gu Xiaobei might wake up and wanted her to have something warm once she did, so he kept the porridge in a thermos, replacing it once a day.

Gu Xiaobei chuckled gently, "That’s a clever solution."

Lu Zhanguo helped Gu Xiaobei up and fed her the porridge. Neither of them brought up the matter of the baby. Gu Xiaobei felt terrible guilt for not being able to protect their unborn child, while Lu Zhanguo worried about her becoming upset and blaming herself.

No words were exchanged until the doctor came for a round. The obstetrician was a forty-ish woman with a warm and gentle demeanor. After examining Gu Xiaobei, she said, "You’re recovering nicely. City girls like you are so delicate, lacking exercise. Women out here in the pasture still roam around picking wild mushrooms even when they’re about to give birth. But it’s good you’re young. Take care of yourself and then plan for another baby." The doctor then left the room after her well-intentioned advice.

Gu Xiaobei’s face darkened after the doctor left. Yesterday, before heading into the mountains, she hadn’t been feeling well. Moreover, the presence of a red flower on the stove at Gu Xiaodong’s home made her feel a chill along her spine. How could she cope with this deep-seated hatred where a brother, and even a mother, planned to harm her?

Assuming Gu Xiaobei was unhappy due to the doctor’s comments, Lu Zhanguo held her hand and reassured her, "Don’t overthink it. Our living conditions are not the best right now. The child would have had a hard time too. Our base is about to build new family apartments. We can start planning for another baby after we’ve moved into our new home."

With a deep, long look into Lu Zhanguo’s eyes, Gu Xiaobei finally said, "Take me back to T City."

Lu Zhanguo looked at her in confusion. The people they had sent to Chen Village did arrest those who had buried land mines in the middle of the night but the detainees insisted they were just after gophers. Without evidence that linked Gu Xiaodong to the crime, they handed the suspects over to the police station. If Gu Xiaobei went back, Gu Xiaodong would certainly vent his anger at her for what happened, and this worried Lu Zhanguo.

Seeing Lu Zhanguo stay silent, Gu Xiaobei continued: "When I left, my brother didn’t know I was going to see you. Besides, he is, after all, my brother." She then told Lu Zhanguo about how she had eavesdropped their conversation and escaped without mentioning the matter of the red flower. She intended to seek proof on her own to protect the marriage between her and Lu Zhanguo.

Lu Zhanguo’s face was dark. He never imagined that Gu Xiaodong would be rash enough to take action on his own. If Gu Xiaobei hadn’t overheard the conversation and warned them, the lives of the soldiers and even the occasional villagers that pass by the mountain path could have been in danger from the hidden landmines. For Gu Xiaodong to ignore the lives of soldiers and civilians out of personal spite, how cruel could he be?

"Alright, I’ll find a car now to take you to Gu Xiaodong’s house." Lu Zhanguo thought it was better for Gu Xiaobei to stay at Gu Xiaodong’s place for now since Chen Qiumei was also there, and Gu Xiaobei could have her confinement there. Meanwhile, he had to be busy tackling matters related to Gu Xiaodong.

"No, could you get someone trustworthy to help me admit into T Hospital instead? Backdate my admission for three days and get someone trustworthy to inform my mother. That way, my brother won’t suspect that I left T City," Gu Xiaobei suggested.

Lu Zhanguo looked at Gu Xiaobei admiringly. From how she discovered the plot to her calculation to leave and now her strategy to come back home, her thinking was intricately detailed, something not all women could manage. "I’ll call Shen Heng to arrange it," Lu Zhanguo decided after some thought. Whenever Shen Heng traveled, he kept in touch by leaving the phone number of the hotel he was staying at.

After Lu Zhanguo completed the necessary arrangements and the discharge process, he entered the ward to find that Gu Xiaobei was already dressed and waiting for him.

After three days of rest following her miscarriage, Gu Xiaobei now felt somewhat slack but not too uncomfortable. The baby was young, and Gu Xiaobei had a healthy constitution; hence her recovery was quick.

Seeing Lu Zhanguo enter, Gu Xiaobei tried to rise, but Lu Zhanguo was by her side in an instant. He scooped her into his arms, "Don’t move. I’ll carry you."

Gu Xiaobei blushed a little but felt sweet inside. The stern man can be tender too, she thought. Wrapping an arm around Lu Zhanguo’s neck, she looked at his rugged profile and said while giggling, "Once you lift me, it’s for a lifetime. You can’t put me down ever after."

Lu Zhanguo was a bit embarrassed, This little miss sometimes spouts nonsense, regardless of the situation, he thought, but he hummed in response anyway.

Gu Xiaobei held no more expectations from her so-called brother and mother. In this world, the only person closest to her now was Lu Zhanguo and she would never let anyone harm him.

She still couldn’t understand why a blood relation could be so cold that they’d harm their own kin.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s solemn and serious face during the whole ride, Lu Zhanguo thought she was caught between her family’s loyalty due to him and didn’t know what to say to console her.

The car didn’t drive into the city but stopped at a fork leading towards it. Lu Zhanguo turned to Gu Xiaobei and said, "I’ll drop you off here. Shen Heng will be here soon to pick you up. I can’t go into the city right now."

Gu Xiaobei understood the reasons and nodded, "Alright, come to pick me up in a few days. I still like our home more, it’s more comfortable."

While they were talking, Shen Heng arrived in his jeep. Lu Zhanguo got out of the car and had a roadside discussion with Shen Heng, both men looking troubled.

Shen Heng was astounded by Gu Xiaodong’s audacity. This was a direct challenge! Who gave him the courage, who was backing him from behind? Thoughts of Deputy Commander Liu, who was behind Gu Xiaodong, made him shudder with fear.

Of course, Lu Zhanguo realized this possibility but found it hard to believe that a revolutionary veteran like Liu, who had been through fire and brimstone, could falter in times of peace. So, it was more likely that Gu Xiaodong was taking advantage of his father-in-law’s power, and Deputy Commander Liu had no knowledge of it.

The two exchanged their thoughts briefly. Lu Zhanguo then helped Gu Xiaobei into Shen Heng’s car and they parted ways.