Back To The 80s-Chapter 32: Renting a House_1

As Gu Xiaobei was still in the postpartum period, she tried to tease Lu Zhanguo before going to sleep, but seeing him unmoved, she could only sleep feeling unexcited.

Early the next morning, Gu Xiaobei got up early because she was worried about finding a house. But she noticed dark circles under Lu Zhanguo’s eyes and curiously asked, "What kept you up last night?"

Lu Zhanguo glanced at the bewitching little creature who had gotten him into trouble, almost suffering from internal injuries. He had claimed that he didn’t bring pajamas and didn’t want to sleep in clothes, lest they wrinkle, so he had to sleep naked. Although he had a warm jade in his arms, he could not do anything. It was a test of his willpower all night long.

After a simple washup, they had breakfast on the street and started looking for a house.

After checking out over ten houses, they finally found a satisfactory one—it was a one-bedroom house in the residential compound of the Ministry of Finance. The old couple who owned it were planning to retire to the provincial city to help their son look after his children, so they decided to rent out the house instead of leaving it empty.

Though the room wasn’t large, it was rather clean, with a ready-made bed, sofa, and table and chairs inside. The rest of the items were moved by the old couple to the basement for storage.

The rent was fifteen a month, making it the most expensive house they had seen. Nevertheless, Lu Zhanguo was extremely pleased with it—the house was on the third floor, and the windows even came with protective nets. Lu Zhanguo even went to shake the nets to check if they were sturdy.

Gu Xiaobei whispered to herself, questioning if this setup was meant for a wife or a daughter—Lu Zhanguo seemed to be suspicious of everyone, as if they were all out to steal his daughter.

After confirming with the landlord and paying the rental fee, Gu Xiaobei and Lu Zhanguo decided to have lunch first, before purchasing bedding, pots, pans, and other necessities. Though Gu Xiaodong already had them, Gu Xiaobei didn’t want to take advantage of his family.

Gu Xiaobei preferred simple and clean bedsheets and duvet covers, which were hard to come by in that era. After searching for half a day without finding anything suitable, she felt somewhat disappointed—life in this seemingly backward era was indeed challenging.

Finally, they decided to go and check if any of the fabric shops had suitable materials for sale.

At one of the fabric shops, they picked out a piece of pale aqua-colored cloth with a faint checker pattern. Although it wasn’t exactly what she wanted, it was the only piece of cloth with a simple and elegant design.

"Pick out two more pieces of fabric to make a pair of dresses," Lu Zhanguo suggested, yet his tone was a firm command.

Of course, Gu Xiaobei didn’t refuse. She chose two pieces of fabric—one was white with a light green leaf pattern, and the other was a similar color to Tiffany blue in modern times. She planned to use them to make two dresses.

After buying everything they needed, they collected the customized bed sheets and duvet covers.

"Let’s bring everything back to our house first. I’ll rinse the sheets and covers in water, and I can move there tomorrow," Gu Xiaobei suggested, thinking it wouldn’t be much trouble since there weren’t many things to move—just a few sets of clothes. She planned to bring them to work the next morning and head straight to the new home after work.

"When you’re at home alone, don’t open the door to strangers. Remember to lock the doors and windows before you go to bed every night," Lu Zhanguo advised, feeling like a worrywart for the first time.

"Yes, I know," Gu Xiaobei replied, her heart warming up inside. In her past life, she had always rented houses on her own and never had anyone worrying about her like this.

While buying rice, flour, and cooking oil, Gu Xiaobei also bought a pound of meat, a pack of Chinese black fungus, a bunch of Chinese chives, and a dozen or so eggs, planning a housewarming dinner for Lu Zhanguo that night.

After returning home, while Gu Xiaobei cooked, Lu Zhanguo tidied and cleaned the entire house. He also used soap to give the sheets and duvet covers a simple wash.

As she cooked, Gu Xiaobei watched Lu Zhanguo bustle about and felt warmth in her heart. From her past life to this one, she considered herself rather unambitious. She didn’t yearn for a big house or lots of money. All she wanted was a little nest of her own, with company from her loved ones and a simple, warm lifestyle.

For dinner, Gu Xiaobei made red-braised pork, scrambled eggs with Chinese chives, and a cold dish of mixed Chinese black fungus. The dishes were simple but the colors were well-matched, making them look particularly appetizing.

"I’ll be busy with training next week and won’t be able to come over, so be extra careful. If anything happens, find Shen Heng," Lu Zhanguo was still somewhat worried.

"Don’t worry about me. You need to pay more attention to what you eat and not just make do with anything because you’re alone," Gu Xiaobei said, feeling a bit uncomfortable inside. Even though she always teased him, she was someone who knew her limits.

After dinner, Lu Zhanguo escorted Gu Xiaobei home but she didn’t let him go up because she didn’t want him to deal with Gu Xiaodong’s harassment.

Only after watching Lu Zhanguo’s car drive away did she turn around to go up to the apartment. When she entered, she saw Gu Xiaodong and Liu Mei watching TV in the living room while Chen Qiumei was nowhere to be seen.

"Where’s mom?" Gu Xiaobei asked as she took off her shoes.

"She said she wasn’t feeling well and went to bed," Gu Xiaodong glanced at her and responded without looking away from the TV.

Gu Xiaobei sat down on the single-seater sofa and said, "I’ve found a house and I’m moving out tomorrow."

"Was that your idea or Lu Zhanguo’s?" Gu Xiaodong asked, looking at Gu Xiaobei critically. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Does it matter? We’re a couple, and we need to have a home of our own," Gu Xiaobei snapped.

"It’s good you’re moving out. It’s inappropriate for a married sister-in-law to keep living in her brother’s house," Liu Mei scoffed from the side.

"Enough, if you can’t speak kindly, then don’t," Gu Xiaodong said annoyedly.

"Well, I might not be able to speak kindly, but at least I know how to behave," Liu Mei sneered at Gu Xiaobei and left the room.

Gu Xiaobei felt like she was being attacked for no reason—the sparks from the fight were landing on her, completely uninvited.

"Don’t take my wife’s words to heart. It’s better for you to move out and avoid her constant nitpicking," Gu Xiaodong, who was tired of always witnessing Liu Mei’s tantrums, said.

"It’s okay. I’m going inside to check on mom," Gu Xiaobei was unaffected. After all, the words of someone she didn’t care about couldn’t hurt her.

She walked into the room and saw Chen Qiumei sitting up in bed, leaning against the pillows. Her face was pale.

"What’s wrong?" Gu Xiaobei asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Nothing, I just feel uneasy," Chen Qiumei heaved a sigh.

"Your face doesn’t look good. Do you want to go to the hospital?" asked Gu Xiaobei. Despite not being fond of this stepmother, she couldn’t just ignore her completely.

"Go to the hospital for what? It won’t make me a grandmother any sooner. You know your Aunt Lee, right? She called me today to tell me she’s become a grandmother. She only got married last spring. Look at your brother, he’s been married for years and there hasn’t been any news yet," Chen Qiumei complained.

"It all depends on fate just like it did with me—I did get pregnant, but ultimately there wasn’t enough fate to allow me to keep the baby," Gu Xiaobei said, a bit resentful at the mention of children—she wondered why the whole thing felt so mysterious.

Chen Qiumei was a bit uncomfortable when Gu Xiaobei mentioned her pregnancy. After a pause, she said, "Don’t feel sad. You’re still young. You can have another one once you’ve recovered."

Of course, Gu Xiaobei didn’t miss the unconformable look on Chen Qiumei’s face. She suppressed the urge to ask what was wrong and lowered her eyes saying, "It’s getting late, mom. You should go to sleep."

Feeling somewhat guilty, Chen Qiumei merely hummed in response and fell silent.

Gu Xiaobei got up to wash up and then lay down on the bed across from her. She had a strange feeling, as if a massive net was slowly closing in on her.