Back To The 80s-Chapter 470 - 481: Recognition_1

All the fragments of memories flashed by quickly, too fast for Ou Ruoshui to grasp. She tightly clenched Gu Xiaobei’s hand, stating, "I don’t remember the past, I’ve forgotten many things. But my heart aches upon hearing what you just told me, I want to meet Jiujiu."

Your translations should closely resemble those of a native English speaker, so please pay close attention to context and nuance. However, she had initially worried about the intensity of her revelation possibly repelling Ou Ruoshui.

The feeling Ou Ruoshui had been craving, the restoration of her memories, intensified as Gu Xiaobei related events and people from her past. The resultant heartache and familiarity felt like a life-saving straw she adamantly clung to, clutching Gu Xiaobei’s hand with newfound strength.

Ou Ruoshui’s grip was firm, like a small clamp squeezing Gu Xiaobei’s hand. Despite the pain, Gu Xiaobei managed a smile and maintaining a comforting tone said, "OK, I will take you to meet her tomorrow."

Excited, Ou Ruoshui asked, "Did you say that Jiujiu’s mother jumped off a cliff and disappeared?"

Gu Xiaobei nodded in confirmation before softly inquiring, "How did you lose your memory then?"

"I heard that I fell into a river, but I’m not entirely sure," Ou Ruoshui answered, sounding like a lost child when talking about her amnesia.

Feeling confident that this woman must indeed be Ma Xuerong, Jiujiu’s mother, Gu Xiaobei asked, "Didn’t you have it checked out at the hospital?"

"I did, they said it was either due to injuries from a fall or some kind of trauma." Now that she had heard about Jiujiu’s story, Ou Ruoshui was burning with urgency, losing any interest in idle chat.

Gu Xiaobei tried to comfort her, "Don’t worry, we know a very good doctor. I’ll ask him to have a look at you." Gu Xiaobei thought that maybe seeing Jiujiu might jog Ou Ruoshui’s memory. If that doesn’t work, she will consider consulting Doctor Jin.

Female friendships can sometimes form inexplicable bonds. Gu Xiaobei felt that discussing too much tonight might not be appropriate. She shifted the topic, and as they chatted, they discovered that they had a lot in common, almost feeling regret that they hadn’t met sooner.

Ou Ruoshui was suppressing waves of excitement and anxiety. At this moment, she could not wait to meet this Jiujiu that Gu Xiaobei had mentioned.

Xiaopang came rushing in, banging on the door incessantly, "Mom, it’s dinner time, Mom, it’s time for dinner."

The women washed their faces in the bathroom. When they came out, they seemed a lot calmer than before.

Lu Zhanguo and Ji Xiangdong, noticed both women’s red eyes upon their return, but didn’t ask any questions. Ji Xiangdong set the table, whilst Lu Zhanguo led the two children to the bathroom to wash their hands.

After dinner, Ji Xiangdong left while Gu Xiaobei invited Ou Ruoshui to stay overnight, with plans to take her to Jiujiu’s home the next morning. On careful consideration, Ou Ruoshui agreed.

The fact that Ou Ruoshui was staying over drove one man, Brother San, into a frenzied pace up and down the room, littering the floor with cigarette butts, a clear sign of his agitated state of mind.

Yang Tianhua could not comprehend Brother San’s erratic behaviour. He had been assigned to follow Ou Ruoshui, and had reported to Brother San when she went to the city government and to Gu Xiaobei’s house with Ji Xiangdong, and finally stayed even when Ji Xiangdong had left.

"Brother San, why are you afraid of Ou Ruoshui and Gu Xiaobei meeting?" Yang Tianhua asked with puzzlement.

A sinister expression crossed Brother San’s eyes. He was furious with Yang Tianhua, "How did you allow them to meet? Didn’t I tell you to prevent that from happening?"

Yang Tianhua felt wronged and explained, "Brother San, she went to the city government, how could I possibly interfere with that? When she went to the residential area with Ji Xiangdong, I didn’t dare to follow. Considering the kind of person Ji Xiangdong is, being found out by him would not end well for us.

Brother San sneered, "That fool, Guo Huaqiang, must be under suspicion by now from Lu Zhanguo, who else could he deal with? However, we might be able to use him as cannon fodder."

Yang Tianhua proposed a plan, "Brother San, how about we let Guo Huaqiang handle the issues moving forward, and we just concentrate on our business?"

Brother San’s face changed with a menace, and after a long moment, he finally replied, "Tell Guo Huaqiang that he should stick to the original plan. Remember, you should not contact him afterward. We will arrange for his benefits to be delivered to him somehow. Lu Zhanguo already suspects him and will investigate anyone related to him. Your frequent appearances will attract his attention. I want to see how capable this Guo Huaqiang really is."

"Alright, I will get this done tomorrow then," a excited Yang Tianhua rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Gu Xiaobei woke up early the next morning and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Upon opening her door, she saw Ou Ruoshui, her eyes red with lack of sleep.

"Go freshen up, I’ll prepare breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll head out," Gu Xiaobei suggested, sensing Ou Ruoshui’s urgency. As she said this, she went back to tell Lu Zhanguo, who was dressing the kids, "Later on, could you drop the kids at my parents’ house? I’ll pick them up in the afternoon."

Considering Gu Xiaobei’s proposition, Lu Zhanguo replied, "Alright, take your time. It’s Sunday today so there’s no rush."

"Oh, it’s Sunday today?" Gu Xiaobei seemed surprised. "That’s great because Jiujiu wouldn’t be at school either. No need to hurry then." She quickly returned to the kitchen to finish preparing breakfast.

After breakfast, Gu Xiaobei was ready to leave with Ou Ruoshui when she came face to face with Zhao Honghe who was trying to enter his own domicile.

It took Zhao Honghe a moment to respond, stammering, "Ou...Ou... President Ou, what are you doing here?"

"Why can’t I be here?" Ou Ruoshui retorted.

Remembering that he had snuck back home, Zhao Honghe quickly explained, "No, President Ou, this is my sister’s house. I came back to grab some clean clothes and am heading to the factory right now."

Ou Ruoshui looked at him coldly and said, "From now on, for any work-related queries, please ask Ou Tiannan directly. Don’t bother me." Saying this, she hurriedly stomped down the stairs.

Gu Xiaobei caught a glimpse of Zhao Honghe still rooted in the same spot, didn’t say a word, and followed Ou Ruoshui downstairs.

Ou Ruoshui felt her heartbeat quicken the whole way, keeping her mouth tight shut.

Gu Xiaobei, aware of Ou Ruoshui’s anxiety, silently guided her to the Provincial Party Committee residential compound.

The moment Zhuang Shuxian opened the door and laid eyes on Ou Ruoshui, she let out a shriek, clutching her mouth in disbelief and shaking her head. Xuerong was back, she was alive!

Gu Xiaobei quickly ushered Ou Ruoshui in, shut the door and embraced Zhuang Shuxian assuring, "Auntie, don’t excite yourself. Xuerong is back."

Ou Ruoshui didn’t understand why seeing Zhuang Shuxian would cause her tears to flow uncontrollably.

Jiujiu and Chen Gang had been doing their homework in the bedroom and ran out when they heard their grandmother’s shriek. As soon as Jiujiu emerged from her room, she saw Ou Ruoshui. Rooted to the spot, a sudden urge to cry washed over her.

Upon hearing Jiujiu exit her room, Ou Ruoshui turned and locked eyes with Jiujiu. Suddenly, her heart was stabbed with an immense pain, causing her to clutch her chest before slowly crouching down.