Back To The 80s-Chapter 538 - 531

Gu Xiaobei looked in shock at Xiangmin who had rushed up to her.

Tears streamed down Xiangmin’s face as she pleaded, "Xiaobei, please, get Lu Zhanguo to find a way to let Guo Huaqiang off the hook." While speaking, she leaned forward slightly and stretched out her hands to grasp Gu Xiaobei’s arm.

Gu Xiaobei hurriedly took two steps back, avoiding Xiangmin’s hands while shaking her head, "Your begging is useless. Guo Huaqiang’s crime is by no means a minor mistake."

Upon hearing this, Xiangmin cried even harder. Tears and mucus dripped freely from her face. She didn’t care about maintaining her composure in public, continuing to plead relentlessly, "As long as Lu Zhanguo doesn’t pursue the matter, Guo Huaqiang could get a lighter sentence. I’ve asked around. Please, I beg you. Consider the fact that we once all lived in the same residential compound, let him go."

Gu Xiaobei shook her head, "The law isn’t child’s play, how can it possibly be bent to your will?"

Suddenly, Xiangmin fell to her knees in front of Gu Xiaobei, sobbing, "You could easily spare Guo Huaqiang, but you insist on pressuring him. You’re a mother too, think about it, how could Xinxin hold her head up high if her father is a criminal? Because of this, my mother-in-law won’t let me see my own daughter. Please have mercy on him just this time."

A crowd had gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Gu Xiaobei, infuriated by Xiangmin’s public distortion of the facts, retorted, "You’re worried about your daughter having a criminal for a father, but did Guo Huaqiang think about my children losing their father when he arranged to have Lu Zhanguo killed? Your child is important and needs a father, mine don’t? Your crimes are not minor; you tried to take my family’s lives, asking for our forgiveness is absolutely impossible!"

Having said this, Gu Xiaobei’s face was flushed with anger. It was a close call this time, but what if there was a next time? Why should she forgive people who hate her?

Xiangmin looked in shock at Gu Xiaobei, stammering: "No... you’ve misunderstood... "

Ignoring her, Gu Xiaobei shot back, "Xiangmin, I’m not a pushover that you can manipulate as you wish. From now on, let’s act as if we don’t know each other. Don’t keep bringing up our shared past as if it gives you the right to control me. Do you really think I’ll fall for that? Dream on!" Gu Xiaobei angrily finished and left with Ou Ruoshui.

In reality, she really wanted to curse Xiangmin. Couldn’t she stand up for herself? If she had a backbone, she could live a better life, gain some capital, and see if Ding Guihua would still prevent her from seeing her own daughter.

Ou Ruoshui looked at the fuming Gu Xiaobei and asked, "What’s the issue between you and that woman?"

Gu Xiaobei pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything for a long time. Eventually she responded, "Sister Xuerong, you know what? I suddenly realized why I work so hard. If one day a man lets me down, I have the ability to support my own children."

Ou Ruoshui stared at Gu Xiaobei, who seemed to have gone a bit nuts, and retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? You and Zhanguo are perfectly fine."

Gu Xiaobei gave a wry smile, "It’s just being prepared for a rainy day."

"Okay, don’t overthink it, let’s go pick up Jiujiu," Ou Ruoshui said with a smile.

After picking up Jiujiu, they went to wait outside Chen Gang’s school.

A whopping 15 years old, Chen Gang was now taller than Gu Xiaobei. He was a teenager in the throes of puberty, with acne sprinkled across his forehead. At 13 years old, Jiujiu had fully grown into a young lady.

Arm in arm with Gu Xiaobei on one side and Ou Ruoshui on the other, Jiujiu rejoiced, "Mom, auntie, how come you both came together?"

Gu Xiaobei smiled and said, "Jiujiu, today is your elementary school graduation exams, of course, your mother and I must come to pick you up to celebrate."

Jiujiu grinned and said, "I’ll go to junior high in the fall, and my sixth brother will go to high school. We will never be in the same school again."

Chen Gang laughed, "I’m going to be boarding in high school. I heard that if you stay for self-study in the evening, you can learn a lot. This way, I can take the college entrance exam in two years."

All of a sudden, Gu Xiaobei felt old. When had the children started discussing college?

...

That evening, when Lu Zhanguo came home, he found Gu Xiaobei lying on the couch with cucumber slices on her face. Their two children stood to the side. Xiaopang peeled the cucumber slices off of Gu Xiaobei’s face and onto her own, while Mowang kept grabbing slices from Gu Xiaobei’s dish to eat. Despite their antics, the three were getting along harmoniously.

"I went to mom’s place and she said you were home. How come you didn’t eat dinner over there?" Lu Zhanguo sat down next to Gu Xiaobei, taking over the job of replacing the cucumber slices that Xiaopang had taken.

"Auntie Xiaolan... said she wanted to eat porridge tonight, but Xiaopang wanted to eat noodles. I figured we might as well come home and eat noodles to avoid giving mom the trouble of cooking two different meals," Gu Xiaobei replied cautiously, careful not to open her mouth too wide and disturb her cucumber mask.

Xiaopang was standing there, constantly peeling cucumber slices off her mother’s face as they kept sliding off of her own.

Gu Xiaobei cried out, "Lu Zhanguo, watch your daughter, get her away from me!"

Lu Zhanguo calmly continued applying the cucumber slices, "You haven’t been visiting the courtyard much lately, isn’t there something you want to talk about?"

"Not at all! Once the factory matter was resolved, I felt at ease. Besides, with the weather hot as it is, I didn’t want to go out to the shop. It’s more comfortable to stay home with the kids, laying down whenever I want," Gu Xiaobei chuckled while pretending to dismiss the matter lightly.

Seeing that Gu Xiaobei wasn’t willing to talk about it, Lu Zhanguo probed, "Is it that you can’t stand some of Auntie Xiaolan’s actions?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Lu Zhanguo, when did you start gossiping like a housewife? Why are you stirring up trouble?" Gu Xiaobei retorted playfully.

Lu Zhanguo took the opportunity when the children weren’t looking and sneakily pinched her butt, whispering, "Informal as we are, shouldn’t blabber nonsense in front of the kids. I just don’t want you to feel wronged."

Gu Xiaobei laughed and said, "I’m not wronged. If I don’t like it, I’ll just lessen my time there. As for Auntie Xiaolan, it’s not like she’s staying here permanently."

"What if you bring the children over there when you’re busy, and bring them home when you’re free? Dine at our place, it’s more comfortable that way," Lu Zhanguo offered, lacking any better solution. After all, Zhou Siping was still an elder.

Gu Xiaobei, careful not to dislodge her mask, merely hummed in response. "I understand Auntie Xiaolan’s actions. Within family, there’s always someone closer and someone more distant to you. There’s no major issue. You don’t need to overthink this."

Lu Zhanguo gently ruffled her hair, "I’ll go make noodles now. What kind of soup do you want?"

"I want starch noodles, Xiaopang wants ground meat, and Mowang wants eggs. We’ve been discussing for half a day, you figure out how to make it work," Gu Xiaobei answered with a smile.

Now that both children were past their third birthday, they had become increasingly assertive and reasonable.

Lu Zhanguo contemplated for a moment, looking at his beloved wife and children. With a playful smile, he suggested, "How about we make pickled cabbage, egg and minced meat soup?"

"Is this combination even edible?" Gu Xiaobei asked doubtfully.

Lu Zhanguo chuckled and rolled up his sleeves, heading for the kitchen. As he left, he could hear from the living room:

"Xiaopang, stop taking cucumber slices off mom’s face!"

"Mowang, you’ve eaten almost everything."

"Mommy, Xiaopang’s cucumber slice fell off again... "