Back To The 80s-Chapter 498 - 509: Mind’s Eye_1

When Chen Qiumei heard what Gu Xiaobei said, she went blank for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Weimin, who was sitting aside.

Gu Weimin cleared his throat and said, "Back then, your mother and I took your nephew to your aunt’s place in the countryside, and somehow we missed you."

Chen Qiumei quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, that’s how it was." Then, she looked at Xiaobei, her eyes turned red involuntarily. She said, "Xiaobei, your father and I were not good to you in the past. You don’t know how much we’ve missed you these past two years. Look at your dad, his hair has turned white."

Xiaobei felt a bitterness in her heart but showed no emotion on her face. The couple in front of her were the biological parents of the original owner of her body, and now her legal parents. She wouldn’t mind taking care of them if they had genuinely changed. However, if they were pulling some "pity card" trick on her, she had to guard against it.

Thinking of this, Xiaobei hardened her heart and lowered her eyes without speaking.

Seeing Xiaobei lowering her eyes, a stubborn look on her face, Chen Qiumei got angry. If it wasn’t for someone saying that her daughter was making a lot of money here, and suggesting they might be able to get some money from Xiaobei to bail out Xiaodong from jail, they wouldn’t be here. Furthermore, they were shown a photo of Lu Zhanguo’s family of four ice-skating by the Yellow River, and their radiant smiles had angered her to the point where she wanted to tear the newspaper photo.

Gu Weimin coughed lightly and struck up a casual conversation with Lu Songyuan, "Old leader, what illness has stricken you down? You seem pretty energetic."

Lu Songyuan waved his hand, "I’m done for. It’s my brain."

"No worries, just take your time to recover." At that time, brain hemorrhages and similar ailments were relatively few. Gu Weimin didn’t know exactly what was wrong with Lu Songyuan, so he just said something reassuring.

Lu Songyuan nodded, "I need to recover slowly, and it also means causing trouble for my children."

Chen Qiumei secretly sneered, glanced at Mo Wang and Xiaopang, who were standing in front of Xiaobei, and immediately changed the topic, smiling and saying, "Xiaobei, what are the names of these two kids and how old are they?"

"The boy is called Mo Wang, the girl is called Xiaopang, they are both two and a half years old." Xiaobei answered every question.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Wen Xiuqing felt it was only right since they were her kin. So she said to Xiaobei, "You should ride your bike to buy some meat and vegetables. I can’t ride a bike, and walking is too slow."

Xiaobei nodded and was getting ready to stand up, but Xiaopang grabbed hold of her clothes and said, "Mama, Xiaopang wants to come too."

After giving it some thought, Xiaobei picked up Xiaopang and said, "Alright, mama will take Xiaopang." Then she looked at Mo Wang and said with a smile, "Little Mo Wang, is it okay if you stay at home?"

Mo Wang wanted to go too, but since his mother said he should stay, he could only nod his head. He walked over to Wen Xiuqing, looking rather unhappy.

Xiaobei went inside to grab some money while holding Xiaopang, then she put Xiaopang in the child seat at the back of the bike. This seat, which had railings, was created after a day’s work by Lu Zhanguo and Ji Xiangdong. After putting the child in it, and using a red cloth strip to secure her to the back of the seat, there was no worry that the child would sway and fall.

With her child on the bike, Xiaobei set off. Only then did Chen Qiumei start to complain to Wen Xiuqing, "My daughter really has a big heart. Couldn’t she have brought her son along? Why did she bring her daughter and leave her son at home?"

Wen Xiuqing laughed and said, "We don’t discriminate like that in our family. Boys and girls are the same to us."

Not convinced, Chen Qiumei thought to herself that this was only because they now had grandsons, and that’s why they were trying to sound magnanimous. She then turned to Bai Xiaolan and smilingly said, "You’ve been here for quite a while and haven’t uttered a word. You’re the wife of their eldest son, right?"

Wen Xiuqing was a little surprised. It was said that Xiaobei didn’t have any contact with them, so how did they know about their family? Nodding, she said, "Yes, our eldest son’s wife, Xiaolan."

Bai Xiaolan smiled politely at Chen Qiumei while holding Doudou. She really didn’t like the way Chen Qiumei looked at her as if she were under the spotlight.

"This must be your son too, right? He looks so prosperous, you’re a lucky family." When Chen Qiumei said this, there was a hint of sour envy in her voice. How could Wen Xiuqing have such good luck? She even found her lost son.

Wen Xiuqing just laughed and didn’t say anything. She felt very blessed indeed.

After sitting for a while, Bai Xiaolan felt a slight discomfort in her abdomen. She stood up holding Doudou, planning to walk around. Her little one in her belly was already over three months old, and apart from her waist thickening a bit, it was not yet obvious that she was pregnant,

But Wen Xiuqing was worried that Doudou might kick Bai Xiaolan’s belly. She couldn’t help saying, "Xiaolan, give Doudou to me, you go to the kitchen and help to peel the potatoes. When Xiaobei comes back, she can start cooking right away." She was quite particular and didn’t want outsiders to know about their unborn child.

Bai Xiaolan smiled and gave Doudou to Wen Xiuqing, then she took Mo Wang’s hand and said, "Let’s go, we’re going to the kitchen to help Auntie."

The kid, Liao Zhe, that Gu Weimin was hugging, was already restless and crying, wanting to go play with Mo Wang.

Seeing this, Chen Qiumei quickly thought of a plan. She cooed and comforted Liao Zhe, "Good grandson, don’t cry. Let’s go, grandma will take you to play with brother Mo Wang."

In the kitchen, Bai Xiaolan took out a few potatoes and started peeling them with a knife, letting Mo Wang watch by her side.

Chen Qiumei entered the kitchen with a beaming smile, let Liao Zhe sit next to Mo Wang to watch, and laughingly said to Bai Xiaolan, "Does your entire family eat together every day?"

Bai Xiaolan nodded, "Yes, it’s more lively this way."

Chen Qiumei hummed, "It’s really lively, but it also costs a lot. Can you all manage with just your father’s pension? You all must also contribute to the living expenses, right?"

Bai Xiaolan blinked her eyes. While she may often appear to be confused about many things, she was not about this. Having lived with her eldest aunt since she was little, she could tell some "roundabout" things, "Yes, we all contribute."

"You don’t even work, and with just your husband’s salary, after you contribute to the living expenses, you can’t have much left, right? My Xiaobei runs her business well, it’s worth it for her to shoulder the living expenses. Moreover, her in-laws help her watch the children every day, how can she be so tight-fisted? I need to have a word with her." Chen Qiumei said, looking very righteous.

Bai Xiaolan laughed and said, "Auntie, who told you she makes a lot of money?"

Chen Qiumei was taken aback and said, "A neighbor visited us and they told me when they saw her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know."

Bai Xiaolan held a potato in one hand and a knife in the other, and said to Chen Qiumei, "Well, that’s nonsense. Xiaobei borrowed money from me and she hasn’t paid me back till now." From Chen Qiumei’s flickering eyes and trace of calculation, she knew that Xiaobei’s mother wasn’t a kind person at all.

"What? She even borrowed money from you? Did her business take a hit?" Chen Qiumei asked anxiously.

Lowering her head to continue peeling the potato, Bai Xiaolan answered, "She didn’t lose money, but she didn’t make any either. It’s just the beginning, and it’s not easy to make money. You don’t know how hard it is to do business right now, people don’t have much money. Every time Xiaobei stocks up her inventory, it takes a long time to sell all of it."