Back To The 80s-Chapter 37: Returning Home at Night_1

Gu Xiaobei couldn’t just stay silent, so he had to console Chen Qiumei, "Mom, don’t be angry anymore. It’s not like my brother doesn’t care about you. Dad’s home alone, you should go back and see him."

Chen Qiumei cried, and then fell silent. Gu Xiaodong was also extremely frustrated. After sitting for a while without saying goodbye, he got up and left.

Gu Xiaobei wanted to leave too, but he was afraid that if he did, mother and daughter-in-law might start quarreling again.

Chen Qiumei stopped crying when she saw her son leave and said angrily, "If I go back like this and people ask me if I have a grandson yet, won’t the neighbors laugh at me?"

Gu Xiaobei stopped persuading and just leaned on the sofa. After all, his stepmother was like an indestructible cockroach, bound to bounce back in no time.

Sure enough, before long, Chen Qiumei said, "I don’t know if your brother will come back for dinner tonight, I’d better go buy some groceries."

Gu Xiaobei kept silent, indeed, putting her son first in everything.

"You should have dinner at home too, and if it’s late, just stay over." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"No, I better go back now, I’ve still got clothes soaking in a basin." Seeing that Chen Qiumei seemed fine, Gu Xiaobei planned to head home.

Chen Qiumei didn’t say much and went downstairs with Gu Xiaobei.

Gu Xiaobei went to a nearby vegetable market and bought some vermicelli, a small handful of spinach, and a few apples for snacking on. He planned to make hot and sour vermicelli for dinner.

Dinner for one was simple; he ate and washed the dishes. The northwest wind was heavy with sand, making Gu Xiaobei’s face feel dry. After thinking it over, he took an apple, peeled it, and mashed it into a pulp. He made himself a face mask and applied it.

Then, with his face upturned, he leaned against the pillow and closed his eyes to rest. He unexpectedly fell asleep until a knocking sound startled him awake.

Gu Xiaobei opened his eyes groggily; it was already deep into the night. Nobody should be visiting at this hour; had he imagined it?

Then he heard the knocking again—soft and not very urgent. Gu Xiaobei found it strange; he didn’t know anyone here, so who would it be this late at night? But he wasn’t scared either, since he was used to living alone in his past life.

Walking to the living room door, he asked quietly, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Zhanguo." Lu Zhanguo replied softly from outside.

When Gu Xiaobei heard this, he opened the door happily, and Lu Zhanguo twitched as he saw the person who greeted him.

All Gu Xiaobei’s face was covered with a dry brown mud-like substance. Only his sparkling eyes and brilliantly white teeth, revealed when he smiled, were visible.

Even Lu Zhanguo, who had gone through all kinds of tough and dangerous missions without changing his expression, showed complete astonishment now.

Gu Xiaobei, seeing the shock on Lu Zhanguo’s face, felt it was odd. Returning in the middle of the night without a happy expression to see him was one thing, but why did he look as though he’d seen a ghost? He asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Your face..." Lu Zhanguo, having regained his composure, pointed at Gu Xiaobei’s face.

"Ah..." Only then did Gu Xiaobei realize what was going on, cried out in surprise, and rushed into the bathroom.

Looking at his sorry state in the mirror, he couldn’t help but chuckle. He quickly washed his face and came out without feeling embarrassed, still laughing happily.

Lu Zhanguo sat in front of the sofa, flipping through some comic books Gu Xiaobei had bought.

Gu Xiaobei sat down next to Lu Zhanguo, leaning against him bonelessly, and asked curiously, "Why did you come back in the middle of the night? Have you eaten?"

"I’ve eaten. I came for a meeting in the military zone," Lu Zhanguo answered any questions asked.

"So, have you been staying at home all week?" Gu Xiaobei asked excitedly.

"Mhm, I’ll also come back for dinner."

"Hehe, that’s great." Gu Xiaobei felt they had spent too little time together, which certainly wasn’t good for fostering their relationship. Especially for someone like Lu Zhanguo, who was so reserved, she needed to ensure his unwavering loyalty before she could feel at ease with them living apart.

Lu Zhanguo glanced at Gu Xiaobei’s calculating expression and his lips curved into a slight smile.

"By the way, I went to Gu Xiaodong’s place today. My mom let it slip that Gu Xiaodong has started a company outside. Aren’t military personnel not allowed to engage in business? Have someone check it out, and it’s best if you can get him thrown in jail," Gu Xiaobei said indignantly. After all, he wasn’t her blood brother, and he was such a harmful person.

Lu Zhanguo’s mouth twitched, that’s your own brother, you know? Saying it so casually. But he still took what Gu Xiaobei said seriously.

"Even if he started a company, it’s probably just in the form of shareholding. It would still take a lot of effort to investigate. You shouldn’t probe into these matters in the future." Although Gu Xiaodong was her blood brother, he was also concerned that Gu Xiaodong might get desperate and turn against them if pressured.

"Oh, I got it." Gu Xiaobei was always a master of saying one thing and doing another. And with the issue of Gu Xiaodong causing harm to Lu Zhanguo’s child, she certainly wasn’t going to let it go at that.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s nonchalant response, Lu Zhanguo knew that this girl wouldn’t listen. He said somewhat helplessly, "If something happens, you must find Shen Heng."

"Who is Shen Heng? Why do you always say to find Shen Heng if there’s an issue, as if he’s very capable?" Gu Xiaobei didn’t understand.

"Mhm, he’s much more capable than you think." Lu Zhanguo didn’t want to disclose Shen Heng’s occupation, so he spoke vaguely.

Gu Xiaobei, though curious, didn’t ask further. When her parents died in a car accident in her previous life when she was just five, she was fostered by her uncle and learned to read people’s faces and get by from an early age.

The two of them stopped talking and just leaned against each other quietly. The light was soft and yellow, casting a warm and serene glow over them both.

At Gu Xiaodong’s home, Gu Xiaodong didn’t come back for dinner, and Liu Mei didn’t come out of the bedroom.

Chen Qiumei didn’t have the appetite to eat and had been waiting until Gu Xiaodong finally came back after ten o’clock.

"Why are you back so late, have you had dinner?" Chen Qiumei looked at Gu Xiaodong with concern.

"I’ve had some. Mom, what have you thought about?" Gu Xiaodong asked tiredly.

"Thought about what? You’re my son; isn’t it only right that you provide for me when I’m old?" Chen Qiumei got a bit angry when she heard he might want her to go back home.

"Mom, I’m not saying I won’t provide for you, but it would be good for you to keep Dad company at home, right?" Gu Xiaodong was at a loss.

"I can send a telegram to your dad and have him come over too, right?" Chen Qiumei had her plans.

Gu Xiaodong felt a headache coming on. Before he could speak, Chen Qiumei continued, "If not, I’ll move to Xiaobei’s place."

The bedroom door opened, and Liu Mei came out. Looking at the two of them, she said, "Mom, just stay here. If you moved out, people in the courtyard would think I can’t accommodate you. It would make our Liu family look like we lack parental guidance."

Liu Mei had clearly heard their conversation from within the bedroom.

"However, I hope that nothing like today’s incident happens again. Otherwise, whether you move out or not, I will file for divorce," Liu Mei also set her condition.

Although Chen Qiumei was reluctant, she did not want to lose face by returning to her hometown; she could only suppress her anger and say, "Fine, I won’t interfere in your matters from now on."

Liu Mei’s narrow eyes looked impassively at Chen Qiumei and said, "I hope so." Then she went back into the room.

But Gu Xiaodong felt there was something off about Liu Mei, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.