Back To The 80s-Chapter 528 - 520: Conversation_1

Gu Xiaobei ignored it as if he had seen or heard nothing.

Chen Qiumei seemed to realize she had said too much. Looking at Gu Xiaobei, she said, "We’ve been here for half a day, and you haven’t even poured us some water."

Gu Xiaobei not only poured them water, but also prepared their midday meals.

Having had lunch, Gu Weimin and Chen Qiumei left in a hurry, ignoring the rain outside.

This made Gu Xiaobei believe his suspicion: these two were visiting under the pretense of helping with the children, but they had other motives!

...

The rain continued for three days, and Gu Xiaobei couldn’t go out to the markets with the two kids. Wen Xiuqing came by early in the morning every day to bring some vegetables and meat.

Gu Xiaobei looked at the gloomy sky and sighed to Wen Xiuqing, "This rain never stops, and Xiaopang and Mo Wang are pacing around inside the house all fretful."

Wen Xiuqing put the vegetables in the kitchen, then came back out and gave Mo Wang a big hug, saying, "Well, we’re not little mice, why would we squeak? Doudou gets restless at home too. Whenever the rain briefly stops, I take her out to walk a couple of laps in our yard."

"And what about Zhanguo? With such heavy rain, he must be holding up in the mountains, and his wound is not fully recovered yet." Gu Xiaobei expressed his worries.

Wen Xiuqing echoed him, saying, "You’re right. Yesterday, when I nagged about this to your father, he argued back, saying things like how they endured much harsher conditions back in his days. But these situations just can’t be compared."

Before long, Wen Xiuqing had to leave in order to prepare lunch.

...

It wasn’t until the fifth day that the sky finally cleared up, and Lu Zhanguo and his team returned from Cat Mountain.

Upon arrival at the base, Lu Zhanguo didn’t rush home but took a bath in the communal bathhouse, put on the clean clothes he had kept in the office, and sent a messenger for Luo Renliang.

Luo Renliang had just finished his bath. As he was drying his hair, he heard that Lu Zhanguo was summoning him. His heart jolted, and he hastily ran the towel through his hair a couple of times before quickly putting on an overcoat and heading for Lu Zhanguo’s office, his steps increasingly slow and heavy the closer he got.

When he reached the door of Lu Zhanguo’s office, Luo Renliang squared his shoulders and composed himself before knocking and announcing his presence.

Lu Zhanguo was sitting in his chair, his eyes closed as he listened to Luo Renliang’s footfalls approaching -light to heavy, swift to slow- and his pause at the doorway before knocking.

Upon hearing Luo Renliang’s voice, Lu Zhanguo remained silent, his eyes shut, not saying anything to invite him in.

Thus, they found themselves in a standoff, one sitting inside the office, the other standing outside the door.

Under such circumstances, the psychological pressure was extraordinary. Only when Luo Renliang felt he was reaching his limit did he hear a voice from inside the office, saying, "Come in."

Luo Renliang took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Company captain, you wanted to see me?"

Lu Zhanguo quietly looked at Luo Renliang for a few seconds, then pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Sit."

Luo Renliang sat down across from Lu Zhanguo, hands placed on his knees, back straight.

Lu Zhanguo looked at the list in his hand and asked, "Among the four staff members in your office, three have enrolled in the military region’s training program. Why didn’t you participate?" After saying this, he looked up at Luo Renliang.

Luo Renliang breathed a sigh of relief, his previously taut back slightly relaxing, a small change that was more than enough for Lu Zhanguo to notice.

"Report to the company captain, I’m already forty. This kind of learning should be left to the younger generation," Luo Renliang humbly replied.

"Learning isn’t about age. It’s always good to learn. If you’re interested, I can add your name to the list." Saying this, Lu Zhanguo picked up his pen as if to make a note on the list.

Luo Renliang quickly intervened, "Company captain, no need, I won’t participate. Besides, considering my years of military service, it won’t be long before I transition to civilian work, so I don’t want to waste this opportunity." Saying this, he reached across the table and placed his hand on the list in front of Lu Zhanguo as if worrying that he would make a note.

Lu Zhanguo silently watched the hand resting on the list, then slowly raised his gaze to meet Luo Renliang’s. His eyes were probing and playful.

Luo Renliang was startled and quickly released his hand. He straightened up in his seat and awkwardly said, "Company captain, I really won’t participate."

Lu Zhanguo didn’t dig deeper into the matter, saying, "Okay, if it’s inconvenient for you, you don’t have to."

Luo Renliang nodded, his heart racing, and didn’t dare to relax.

Afterward, Lu Zhanguo shifted the conversation to a more casual topic: "Did you participate in the battle of Muluo Town in 1979?"

Luo Renliang nodded, "Yes, we were in the second brigade of the Special Warfare unit at the time, providing cover for the first brigade."

"That battle yielded quite a few good spoils, including several Type 79 sniper rifles," Lu Zhanguo said with interest.

"Yes, though by comparison, the Type 79 sniper rifles we seized were not as good as the Type 85 sniper rifles we use now. But at that time, they were valuable like treasures. Our company even secured one," replied Luo Renliang, unaware of any hidden motives and speaking freely. This was the most splendid and proud moment in his life.

"The Type 79 did fall short, but someone still managed to achieve a distance of 1400 meters with it," Lu Zhanguo said.

Luo Renliang’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Yeah, we tried later on too, but we just couldn’t reach that level of accuracy."

Lu Zhanguo then pivoted away from the topic, saying, "Alright, that’s all. You may leave."

Luo Renliang was taken aback by Lu Zhanguo’s sudden change of topic. He saluted stiffly and left the room.

Watching Luo Renliang close the door behind him, Lu Zhanguo turned his attention to the file beneath the list. It was Luo Renliang’s personal record. He was once an excellent sniper, but in 1983, he transferred to a clerical role of his own accord.

A sniper’s love for their rifle often exceeds their own life. Luo Renliang’s reaction just now, his deep affection for sniper rifles inadvertently revealed, suggested there was a reason for his transition behind the scenes.

Upon leaving the office, Luo Renliang realized he had broken out in a cold sweat. Lu Zhanguo’s probing gaze, his seemingly insignificant small talk -now, everything seemed to carry deep implications.

...

After sitting quietly in the office for a while, Lu Zhanguo finally got up to go home.

The moment Xiaopang saw Lu Zhanguo enter the house, she joyfully bounced over, chirping, "Daddy, where have you been? Daddy, why haven’t you come home for so long? Daddy, I miss you."

With a smile, Lu Zhanguo bent down to pick up Xiaopang, all the while changing his shoes, asking, "Have you been behaving at home?"

"I behave, I behave! Daddy, shall we go and buy popsicles later?" Xiaopang said, barely able to contain her excitement.

Gu Xiaobei came out of the kitchen at the sound of their voices, saying, "I thought you’d be home soon. Xiaopang, come down and let your father rest."

Xiaopang rejected the idea with a firm "no", still clinging to Lu Zhanguo’s neck.

Laughing, Lu Zhanguo looked at Gu Xiaobei, "Let me hold her for a while. We haven’t seen each other for a week." The soft, tender body of his little girl in his arms made him feel incredibly stable. No matter how tumultuous the weather outside could be, the warmth in here always stayed the same.