Back To The 80s-Chapter 424 - 434: Jujube Tree_1

Bai Xiaolan was fussing about, helping pack up Ji Xiangdong’s luggage. This was the first time she would be away from him since their marriage, and it would be for quite a while. Adding the fact that she was pregnant, she felt even more distressed at heart.

Ji Xiangdong sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Bai Xiaolan folded sweaters and placed them in a carry-on bag. She would often take them out again, only to replace them with a thicker one. He suggested, "Just take a thicker sweater. There’ll be thinner ones over there. Plus, you won’t have to carry them back. Oh, and it snows late in winter over there. My mom said the weather might get chilly again after warming up, so I’ll just pack your wool socks."

The usually straightforward Bai Xiaolan was behaving unusually fussily, something she attributed to her pregnancy.

Ji Xiangdong simply smiled, watching her hustle and bustle without interfering. He knew that she was sad and was using busyness to mask her emotions. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Meanwhile, in the next room, Lu Songyuan was sternly lecturing Lu Aiguo. "Little Brother, remember, don’t pick up any bad habits back in the city. Especially that Mahjong, try not to play. It’s not a good pastime. As the old saying goes, addiction leads to loss of ambition."

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Lu Aiguo looked begrudging as he scratched his ear, not convinced by his brother’s words. His logic was simple: how was recreational fun a loss of ambition?

Seeing his casual attitude, Lu Songyuan warned him sternly, "Don’t assume you can do whatever you want just because your mom and I aren’t around. If you cause any trouble, I’ll break your legs."

Promptly, Lu Aiguo put on a playful smile, "I wouldn’t dare! Isn’t Fang Jing keeping an eye on me all the time too? Am I not the Monkey King, unable to jump out of your palms on Mount Wuzhi?"

After seeing off Ji Xiangdong and Lu Aiguo’s family, Lu Zhanguo couldn’t return home due to a field training exercise.

The courtyard quieted down significantly without Lu Aiguo’s daily antics, reducing the lively atmosphere.

Gu Xiaobei decided to live in the courtyard with her two children, returning to the residential compound every two days to take a shower.

On the twentieth of the first lunar month, Qin Li returned from T City. She didn’t even stop by the Jin Family home and hurried straight to the courtyard.

Qin Li didn’t seem to have gained any weight over the festive period. Instead, her face appeared more gaunt, and she seemed listless, as though she has lost a part of herself.

Without even having to think, Gu Xiaobei could guess why. At her home in T City, where Jin Cheng had once lived, would be reminders of him everywhere. It must have been even more painful for Qin Li.

As soon as Qin Li saw Gu Xiaobei, she took her hand and entered the vacant west room. She closed the door behind them, and the tears began to fall.

Gu Xiaobei was taken aback, "What happened?" Even when Jin Cheng passed away, she remained strong and did not shed a single tear.

"Sister Xiaobei, the jujube tree is gone," said Qin Li, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

The jujube tree is gone?!

Gu Xiaobei’s heart ached. That jujube tree was Qin Li’s last hope. She knew that Qin Li and Jin Cheng had planted it together. Losing the tree was like ripping out Qin Li’s heart. Gu Xiaobei was at a loss for words, for the first time struggling to find the right thing to say.

Choking back a sob, Qin Li continued, "When I got back, all that was left was a hole. The jujube tree was nowhere to be seen. Neither my parents nor my neighbors knew anything about it. The security guard said he saw someone carrying a tree out in the middle of the night, but he thought it was a dead tree, so he didn’t pay it any mind. Where am I supposed to look for it now? Who stole my jujube tree?"

Gu Xiaobei’s eyes reddened. Taking Qin Li’s hands in hers, she said stiffly, "You must stay strong, or else the elders would worry."

No longer able to hold back her tears, Qin Li clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs, so as not to alert the others outside. Her tears streamed down her face.

Watching her, Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but shed tears as well. Holding Qin Li close, she whispered, "If you want to cry, just let it out. You’ll feel a little better after crying."

Qin Li could no longer hold back. She clung to Gu Xiaobei’s neck, crying into her shoulder.

With the disappearance of the jujube tree, everything tangible that Jin Cheng left behind in this world was gone. She didn’t expect the tree to bear fruit or flowers. The tree’s existence simply reassured her that Jin Cheng was still there, accompanying her to witness the budding of spring and the falling leaves of autumn. But now, she had nothing...

Wen Xiuqing and Bai Xiaolan heard Qin Li’s cries from the next room but didn’t dare enter. Silently, they walked out of the room and led the two playing children into the kitchen.

The sound of Qin Li’s crying rang out loud and long. The sorrow that had been deep within her finally erupted.

Gu Xiaobei started crying too.

.........

In a small town in the south where it was like spring all year round, vibrant flowers were visible everywhere, and the delightful fragrance permeated the entire town.

In a small, inconspicuous courtyard at one corner of the town, the same varietal roses were used as fence fillers, blossoming attractively in the breeze. The scent of flowers carried with it a hint of medicinal herbs.

The courtyard was filled with wooden frames, each one loaded with sieves full of drying herbs.

A young man with a wrapping cloth around his head was sitting in the yard, grinding medicinal herbs.

The door creaked open, and an emaciated old man walked out, muttering to himself, "All this time and no sign of waking up. He even shed tears just now, which is strange. But there’s still no indication he might wake up."

The young man looked up at the older man and naively said, "Father, I think it’s very unlikely he’ll survive. We can’t save everyone. Perhaps we shouldn’t bother."

The old man stroked his goatee, voicing his determination, "There’s no one in this world that we Miao doctors can’t save. I will save him. As long as he breathes, I won’t give up."

"Father, we could open a pharmacy in the county town now that the policy has relaxed. We’ll surely make money," the young man suggested.

The old man dismissed it, "No, did you forget our predicament a few years ago? When businesses go wrong, we risk being reported. We’re better off staying put. I’ll prepare more medicinal herbs for him to soak in."

.........

Qin Li’s cries gradually subsided. As she sat up, Gu Xiaobei quickly left to fetch a warm, wet towel, and gently wiped Qin Li’s face, saying softly, "After crying, we still have to carry on with our lives. When you’re feeling down in the future, come and find me. It’ll be better after a good cry."

Qin Li, her eyes red and swollen, and her nose stuffed up, replied, "Sister Xiaobei, don’t worry. I won’t give in to despair. I promised to care for Uncle and Aunt Jin in their old age. I’ll protect Jin Cheng’s family for him, to give him peace in the next world." Even as she spoke, her eyes welled up with fresh tears.

Gu Xiaobei brought lunch into the west room, where she ate together with Qin Li.

Qin Li could only manage half a bowl of noodles before feeling her stomach weighed down. She couldn’t swallow another piece.

Gu Xiaobei frowned. No wonder Qin Li had lost so much weight; she was barely eating. If this went on, her health would inevitably deteriorate.

"If you can’t swallow it, force yourself to. If your health fails, you won’t be able to keep any of your promises. Without a healthy body, how will you take care of Uncle and Aunt Jin?" Gu Xiaobei said seriously. She knew that if she didn’t jolt Qin Li out of her melancholy, it would be a long time before she could recover.