Back To The 80s-Chapter 35: Embarrassment_1

Li Hao paced around the yard, contemplating whether he should enter Xiaobei and her colleagues’ office, but the thought of Gao Dailin being there held him back.

Lunch wasn’t ready until almost one o’clock. After everyone sat down, Gao Dailin glanced at the dishes on the table and his face soured. Patches of pork were cut inconsistently, and its color was a sickening, stark white. The fish looked like it had been burnt to a crisp. The only palatable dish appeared to be stir-fried potatoes.

Xiaobei couldn’t help but grimace, wondering if she could eat this.

Looking utterly dissatisfied, Li Hao felt a flush of embarrassment - he glanced angrily at Cuicui. With the meal turning out this way, he felt he had lost face.

Ling Yun stepped in to diffuse the situation: "Alright, let’s sit down and eat. This is Cuicui’s first time cooking at the office, so it’s natural she’s a little nervous," she said.

After taking a bite, Gao Dailin put down his chopsticks and left the room with a sullen expression.

Seeing this, Cuicui was on the verge of tears. Xiaobei felt sympathetic and comforted her, "No worries, you’ll get better after cooking a few more meals."

Ling Yun also joined in to encourage her with a smile, "Indeed, tuck in. You can always ask for my help if you struggle next time."

Not wanting Cuicui to feel awkward, Xiaobei picked up a chunk of fat and ate it. The pork was bland, insipid, and extremely greasy. Swallowing with discomfort, she managed to keep a straight face and said, "It’s alright, this is far better than cornmeal bread."

Ling Yun laughed and added, "Exactly, as long as the meat is cooked, even simply dipping it into salt is fine."

The atmosphere lightened considerably. Uncle Zhang, who hadn’t said anything, had two helping of rice and quite a few dishes.

Seeing Xiaobei eating the dish he found repugnant without a hint of distaste on her face, Li Hao couldn’t help but admiring her even more.

After lunch, Ling Yun pulled Cuicui aside and offered her some cooking tips. Then, patting her hand with a warm smile, she said, "These are things we learn slowly. No one’s born knowing how to cook, so take your time."

Blushing, Cuicui nodded and felt that Xiaobei and Ling Yun were genuinely kind-hearted - not only were they good-looking, but they were also down-to-earth people.

Seeing Xiaobei enter the office and with Gao Dailin already gone, Li Hao also followed her in to make conversation, "Are you also from T City?"

As Xiaobei calculated expenses, she found Li Hao to be unpleasant and replied indifferently, "No, I moved here with the military."

Taken aback, Li Hao hadn’t expected that Xiaobei was not only married, but also to a military man.

He regained his composure soon, laughing as he said, "I was in the military too, discharged just last year." Embarrassed to admit that he was just sent home only a few days ago, he conveniently pushed his discharge date back to last winter. He hoped that sharing this common experience with Xiaobei would give them more topics of conversation.

Most of the military spouses he knew would suddenly become warm and friendly when they encountered someone who had also served.

But Xiaobei was unlike them and her reaction was negligible. She just acknowledged it with a "hmm".

Li Hao found it a little awkward but seeing Xiaobei like this, it only made him more determined to win her over. Morality was never something he considered.

Ling Yun came in, looking a little displeased when she saw Li Hao, "What are you still doing here? Go and comfort your wife."

Hearing this, Li Hao quickly left the room.

"What a man! He looks shady. What was he talking to you about?" Ling Yun grumbled.

"Oh, just asking where I’m from. I told him I moved with the army, he said he was in the army too." Xiaobei replied truthfully.

"Stay away from him in the future, he doesn’t seem like a decent person." Ling Yun warned, she had noticed how Li Hao had been ogling Xiaobei during lunch.

"Hmm, I generally avoid him. Cuicui marrying him is a waste." Xiaobei muttered under her breath then went back to calculating expenses. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Li Juan was especially happy to hear that not only had her brother gotten married, but the couple had also started working in T City.

She said to Wen Dong, who was washing his face, "Why don’t we invite your platoon leader, deputy platoon leader and instructor over for dumplings tomorrow night? I’ll go to the town and get about 2 pounds of meat."

"Alright, is there a special occasion?" Wen Dong saw the delighted expression on Li Juan’s face and knew some happy event must have occurred.

"Yeah, it’s a grand occasion, don’t forget," Li Juan stressed repeatedly.

"Alright, just make sure to prepare enough dumplings, so the wives can come too," Wen Dong knew his wife was usually stingy.

"Sure, and Aunt Fengmei can bring the kids too!" said Li Juan, she wished the whole world would know about this news. Moreover, she wanted to show Lu Zhanguo and his group that even without their help, her brother was doing well. Working in the city was far better than being in the military.

The next day, Li Juan asked Chi Xiaoyue to help make the dumplings. On hearing that Lu Zhanguo was coming, Xiaoyue happily agreed. She dressed up and wore a bright pink long skirt for the occasion.

Seeing Xiaoyue’s attire, Li Juan complimented her, "Xiaoyue, you look like a film-star from a poster. You’re incredibly beautiful."

"Sister, you’re just flattering me!" Xiaoyue replied modestly, trying to hide her satisfaction.

"I’m not kidding. Lu Zhanguo really lacks good judgment. He left a beauty like you for someone who looks like a little girl," Li Juan used every opportunity to belittle Xiaobei, especially now when she felt she didn’t need her anymore.

While chatting, the two women made about four to five hundred pork and bok choy dumplings.

After they were done, they cleaned up the table, boiled some water, and Wen Dong brought Lu Zhanguo, Guo Huaqiang and Zhang Lijun home. Since Xiangmin was still upset with Li Juan for not helping Li Hao the last time, she excused herself by saying she was unwell and didn’t show up. Fengmei also didn’t come because she was helping her kids with their homework.

Wen Dong asked Li Juan to boil the dumplings and send them upstairs first, adding, "There are two young boys at Aunt Fengmei’s house, remember to give them more."

The six of them comfortably sat at the Eight Immortal Table. Chi Xiaoyue deliberately took a seat beside Lu Zhanguo. When Lu Zhanguo saw this, he rose to his feet and said to Lijun, "Let’s swap seats. I tend to sweat when eating; sitting near the door will be cooler for me."

Understanding Lu Zhanguo’s intentions, Lijun got up and swapped seats with him.

Xiaoyue felt so insulted that she was on the verge of crying. Lu Zhanguo’s blunt reaction was a big blow to her.

Seeing the situation, Wen Dong quickly shifted the focus, "Li Juan, since we’re all here, why don’t you share the good news with us? Then, we’ll all have a reason to drink and celebrate."

Li Juan smiled and said, "My brother Li Hao just got married. Isn’t that good news? What’s more, both he and his wife found jobs in T City. Isn’t that more good news?"

After Li Juan finished, everyone’s faces showed different reactions. Wen Dong frowned and said, "For such a big event, why didn’t you discuss it with me first? Li Hao just came back to his hometown, and then he ran away. What kind of behavior is this?"

"Li Hao isn’t a criminal, so why can’t he leave his hometown once he’s returned?" Li Juan got a little angry.

Guo Huaqiang intervened immediately to ease the tension, "Well, we may consider it a good thing. What company is Li Hao working for in T City?"

"The Fuhai Group, a big company," said Li Juan, looking proud.