Back To The 80s-Chapter 455 - 465: Reporting News_1

Gu Xiaobei sighed, slipping on a nightgown and looking at Zhao Hongmei who was still standing at the door without stepping in, she asked, "Sister-in-law, is something the matter? Come in and have a seat."

Zhao Hongmei looked left and right, eventually entering and closing the door behind her. She frantically said, "Erhu is home alone, so I came to tell you something important. You need to watch out for my brother’s boss, he seems to be planning on stealing your business."

Initially, Gu Xiaobei found Zhao Hongmei’s lack of tact a little irritating, but after hearing what she had to say, she was taken aback, "Sister-in-law, did something happen?"

A mix of angry and guilty, Zhao Hongmei said, "Honghe boasted to me the other day, he said that his boss plans to take down your tea factory in three months time. They have also been buying a lot of tea at very low prices recently. I must admit, I didn’t understand everything."

Gu Xiaobei was stunned, her mouth agape. After a moment she managed to compose herself and gratefully said, "Sister-in-law, thank you. I appreciate you coming over so late to tell me this."

Zhao Hongmei waved her hand dismissively, "I’ve wanted to tell you for days, but Honghe has been home. He had something to do today and hasn’t returned, so I came to warn you as soon as I could so you can be on guard."

Gu Xiaobei nodded, sincerely expressing her gratitude once again, "Thank you, sister-in-law, I understand."

As Zhao Hongmei was leaving and opening the door, she said, "I need to go, Erhu is sleeping alone at home." By the time she finished speaking, she had already reached her own front door.

Gu Xiaobei watched as Zhao Hongmei entered her house before closing her own door. She always knew Zhao Hongmei had a good heart, despite her loose tongue. However, this unexpected warning did shock her.

Additionally, Gu Xiaobei began thinking about Zhao Hongmei’s mention of the tea business, reminding her of a newly opened tea shop. Could that be the shop that Honghe’s boss opened? She would have to look into this matter further to see what was really going on.

"Did something happen with the tea?" Lu Zhanguo had also heard Zhao Hongmei’s words from the bedroom. Seeing Gu Xiaobei enter with a straight face, he quickly asked.

Gu Xiaobei shook her head, "Not yet. She just mentioned that Zhao Honghe had threatened to push out our business within three months."

Lu Zhanguo took her hand and comforted her, "If we lose the business, we lose the business. We can always do something else."

Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but laugh, "You think this is child’s play? Don’t worry, though. I’m not worried about our business being taken over. Competition is what causes progress."

"That’s what makes my wife incredible." Lu Zhanguo patted her head gently, praising her.

"Smooth talker!" Gu Xiaobei shot a glare at him, pretending to hum irritably.

Lu Zhanguo pulled Gu Xiaobei into his arms, flipped her over, pinning her beneath him, grazing her nose with his own. He teased, "You’re the real smooth talker, sent by the enemy."

Gu Xiaobei chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Okay, but you need to resist temptation. Don’t fall for my charm."

Unable to argue with Gu Xiaobei, Lu Zhanguo decided to prove his point through action, accepting this sweet temptation.

...

Ji Xiangdong had said he would return before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Seeing that it was already the 14th of August and Ji Xiangdong was nowhere to be seen, Zhou Siping spoke his worries to Bai Xiaolan, "Could something have happened to Xiangdong? Tomorrow is the 15th of August, why hasn’t he come back yet?"

Bai Xiaolan, who was kneeling on the bed carefully cutting Doudou’s nails with a pair of scissors, nonchalantly said, "If he doesn’t return by the 15th of August, there is still the 16th. He will definitely return."

"You gave birth without him present, the Mid-Autumn Festival is tomorrow and he still isn’t here. Our child is almost two months old and hasn’t even met his father yet," Zhou Siping said reproachfully.

Looking at her son’s small and tender face, Bai Xiaolan playfully nibbled him and stood up to put the scissors away. She said, "Xiangdong didn’t just go out to have fun. If he can’t make it back, there must be something important holding him up. Let’s wait until our son gets a little cuter, I lose a bit more weight, then it will be better when Xiangdong comes back." As she finished speaking, she playfully pinched some fat on her stomach.

Zhou Siping found it hard communicating with his naive daughter, so he didn’t bother saying anything else. He picked up Doudou and looked out the window at Xiaopang and Mo Wang playing in the yard. He whispered, "Xiaobei has sold all the mooncakes, and made quite a profit, right?"

"Yes, she made quite a bit of money," replied Bai Xiaolan, uninterested.

Zhou Siping couldn’t resist saying, "Why don’t you discuss it with Xiaobei? You can invest the money and go into business together? That way, you could improve your situation."

Bai Xiaolan blinked, shaking her head. "It won’t work. Xiaobei was right about one thing, it’s easy for a partnership between relatives to end up in conflict. If I want to make money, I can find my own way. Why would I have to partner with someone?"

"You’re being silly. People who are stingy often fight over business matters, but you and Xiaobei are both generous individuals. There wouldn’t be any conflict between you two." Zhou Siping disagreed, seeing his daughter only spending money without making any. He was understandably anxious.

Bai Xiaolan simply pouted, choosing not to respond. Once Xiangdong returned, she planned to discuss her own ideas with him. She couldn’t just sit at home and watch the money run out. However, she wasn’t keen on going into business with Gu Xiaobei as she believed it would change their current good relationship.

Seeing that he couldn’t convince Bai Xiaolan, Zhou Siping shook his head. Indeed, children have their own luck and will do what they want to do regardless of what their parents say.

During dinner in the evening, Wen Xiuqing couldn’t help but ask, "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, if Xiangdong hasn’t returned by tomorrow morning, then it seems he’s not coming back."

Bai Xiaolan bit her chopsticks silently. She was missing Ji Xiangdong too but she knew how far Shule River was and how difficult the journey back was. If the car broke down at any point along the way, it could delay their return by a day or two. So, she just hoped for Ji Xiangdong’s safe return, even if it was a few days late.

Zhou Siping sighed deeply, "Yes, indeed. It would be great if he could just stay once he gets back this time. It’s so far away and very inconvenient to communicate."

Lu Songyuan couldn’t help but speak up this time, saying to Lu Zhanguo, "Zhanguo, make a call to Shule River tomorrow. See if you can get through and if they’ve set off yet, and when they left."

Lu Zhanguo nodded, taking on the task, then focusing his attention on Xiaopang, who was having trouble eating noodles with chopsticks. He was struggling so much that Lu Zhanguo picked up his bowl and started feeding him.

Gu Xiaobei silently mused how being a doting father could spoil a child. The goal was to train both kids to eat by themselves. Just look at Little Mo Wang, endeavors to get some noodles into his mouth on his own.

...

Xiaocao Lake in X Province is famous for its strong winds. The wind around Xiaocao Lake was so strong that even in the Tang Dynasty, a poet once wrote about how it could pick up and hurl pebbles about like a chaotic storm. The region experiences severe windstorms of grade eight or above for more than a hundred days in a year.

The train Ji Xiangdong was on was passing through Xiaocao Lake when it found itself caught in a brutal windstorm of over thirteen grades.

The fierce wind instantly flipped ten of the train carriages, resulting in three deaths and over forty severe injuries. Countless others sustained minor injuries.