Back To The 80s-Chapter 438 - 448: Awesome_1

After Gu Xiaobei understood, she quickly took action by asking Xiao Hong to help find some young girls, with priority given to the Hui people.

She had a plan to design the packaging bags at a place that specialized in making packaging materials. She decided to use paper bags for individual packaging which could be glued together once printed. Without a complete assembly line, she had to rely on manual labor.

Xiao Hong was very efficient. Within a few days, she managed to recruit a dozen girls, with five or six of them being Hui girls.

Gu Xiaobei wanted to use the residence permits of the Hui girls, which made them hesitant. Their families were secretive about their work and would definitely not provide the permits if demanded.

To solve this, Xiao Hong went to get the residence permits of some neighbors and friends for Gu Xiaobei.

With the permits, Gu Xiaobei was able to successfully register a brand with a Halal symbol.

Lunch was provided, and the Hui girls took turns shopping and cooking.

With everything settled, it was already April.

April was the most beautiful season in the Capital city, and the city flower, the bitter rose, was blossoming gorgeously.

Gu Xiaobei was also in high spirits with the arrival of spring. Although her business was not as booming as before, thanks to stable prices, she still had quite a few regular customers who kept buying her products. After covering expenses, she was still able to save some money.

In the warehouse yard, Gu Xiaobei had everyone research about tea brewing before the packaging materials arrived. The Hui girls, who often brewed tea at home, made better tasting tea. Gu Xiaobei recorded the weight of tea leaves they used each time in a balance scale, and chose the weight that everyone agreed upon as the standard for future brewing.

Zhao Honghe, who had always wanted to suppress Gu Xiaobei, was becoming worried. The goods he placed in Ma De’s shop were selling very slowly. A large amount of stock was nearing its expiration date, the money was not coming in, and yet he could not report to Ou Ruoshui since she had asked to study the market before making any decisions.

Zhao Honghe finally made a phone call to Ou Ruoshui with a perfect excuse. "Ou, our product initially sold well, but our competitors have recently lowered their prices, which puts ours at a disadvantage."

Ou Ruoshui interrupted him before he could finish, "I’ll be visiting the Capital city in May. Let’s talk about it then." After hanging up, she rose from her seat and stood by the window, quietly watching a blooming kapok outside.

When Ou Tiannan walked in, he saw the slender silhouette of Ou Ruoshui. Her red dress made her look as elegant and serene as proud winter plums in the snow. He could not understand why she loved wearing red, especially in summer when all her dresses, long or short, were of that color.

Ou Ruoshui turned around to see Ou Tiannan and gave a faint smile, "Brother Nan, can we go to the Capital city in May?"

"Do we really have to go? Can’t we wait a little longer?" Ou Tiannan frowned in response.

Ou Ruoshui nodded determinedly, "I want to go."

Ou Tiannan looked at Ou Ruoshui and once again conceded. "You go first. I have some matters to attend to lately. Remember to stay put in the Capital city, don’t wander off on your own." In his mind, since Tiannan was in T City, as long as she stayed within the Capital city, everything should be fine. He would instruct Zhao Honghe to keep a close watch on Ou Ruoshui and prevent her from leaving the Capital city.

Ou Ruoshui felt relieved when she heard that Ou Tiannan would not be going. She was increasingly finding it difficult to face him.

...

In mid-April, Lu Zhanguo and his team went on a mission to Shule River, accompanied by not only Cheng Qijia but also a military doctor named He Jing.

Cheng Qijia was a bit confused as to why they would need a military doctor.

Lu Zhanguo didn’t say where exactly they were headed except that it would be a long-term mission.

The orders they received were to start from Shule River, head through Yecheng, pass through hundreds of kilometers of uninhabited areas, and travel thousands of kilometers into Tibet’s Ali region to carry out a secret manhunt. Then they would return to Southern Sichuan from there.

The average altitude of the new Tibet highway was above 4,500 meters and they would have to pass over several mountains with even higher altitudes. Given the difficult conditions and treacherous roads, the military area specially requisitioned He Qin to accompany them. He Qin was distinguished for his excellent military skills and high medical expertise, as well as training experience in high altitude and cold conditions in E country.

Shortly after Lu Zhanguo left, Zhou Siping and Bai Mingzhu came rushing with a lot of baggage.

Bai Xiaolan was still lying in bed, thinking of calling her mother someday. She was surprised to see her mother and aunty suddenly swoop down from the heavens, nearly falling from the bed in shock.

"Mom, auntie, what brings you here?" Bai Xiaolan asked, sitting up in bed in astonishment.

Zhou Siping glared at her accusingly, "You did not even inform us about such a big event. We wouldn’t have known if your cousin hadn’t told your Auntie."

Wen Xiuqing, who followed behind, was also taken aback when she saw them. She managed a laugh and said, "Xiaolan was going to tell you once the weather got warmer, so that you wouldn’t suffer the cold when you come."

"At least she’s considerate." Zhou Siping remarked, torn between worry and anger.

Bai Mingzhu, a woman in her fifties with a plump and wealthy appearance, scanned the room and asked, "Xiaolan, why are you still in bed at this hour? Are you not feeling well?"

Bai Xiaolan was scratching her head while sitting in her quilt. She wanted to get up early, but Wen Xiuqing disagreed. Except for when she had to go to the bathroom, eat, or clean herself, Xiaolan was ordered to lay down until she reaches the fifth month of her pregnancy, when the baby is more stable, then she can get off the bed and move around.

"Laying down all the time is not good for giving birth. You need to walk more when you’re feeling up to it," Bai Mingzhu commanded authoritatively.

Wen Xiuqing quickly took little Xiaopang’s hand and walked up to the bed to explain, "Xiaolan showed some signs of miscarriage early on, so the doctor advised her to rest in bed more."

"What? How could there be signs of a miscarriage?" Bai Mingzhu’s voice grew higher, then she suddenly looked down at Xiaopang who was standing beside the bed and complained, "Is it because you carry the baby when there’s no need to?"

This accusation made Zhou Siping and Wen Xiuqing slightly embarrassed.

Bai Xiaolan quickly waved her hand and explained, "Auntie, what are you talking about? Xiaopang and Mo Wang can both walk and are very obedient; they don’t need anyone to carry them."

Xiaopang was scared by the fierce look Bai Mingzhu had given him when she spoke. Clinging tightly to his grandmother’s hand, his big eyes blinked as if he was about to cry.

However, Bai Mingzhu continued to question, "Can you explain why you had to marry such a distant man while refusing to marry in the Capital city? Now that you’re pregnant, he’s not even by your side. What on earth were you thinking?"

Zhou Siping was so angry she felt a pain in her chest. "Sister, don’t start criticizing as soon as you arrive. I think Xiangdong is quite good, and we know the Lu Family well. Both Xiaolan’s father and I are very pleased with this marriage."

Bai Mingzhu snorted coldly, "I just don’t understand why she had to marry an outsider."

Bai Xiaolan got out of her quilt in discontent and said, "Auntie, can you please stop boasting about being superior all the time? The Qing Dynasty collapsed almost a hundred years ago. What does that have to do with you? What’s wrong with here? At least here no one will hold a chamber pot at the door asking if you’ve eaten. If you’re not satisfied, you should go guard Qingdongling tomb."