Back To The 80s-Chapter 551 - 543: Inviting Guests_1

Gu Xiaobei had her fill of playing with her children and started preparing dinner. Mimicking Gu Xiaobei, Xiaopang rolled up his sleeves, revealing his tender little arms, and exclaimed, "Mom, I’ll help you cook."

"Sure, why don’t you and your brother peel garlic for Mommy?" Gu Xiaobei never dampened the children’s enthusiasm.

Xiaopang and Mo Wang sat at the small table in their kitchen, each facing a head of garlic, peeling quietly.

The children, lacking strength in their tiny hands, unanimously decided to use their mouths to chew off the garlic skin. They occasionally bit into the garlic and grimaced due to its taste.

Gu Xiaobei chuckled heartlessly watching their little faces scrunch up.

Lu Zhanguo, hearing the laughter from the kitchen, couldn’t help but smile.

Zeng Changzhi came over and knocked on their door, inviting them over for dinner.

Lu Zhanguo, standing at the door and hearing the chopping sounds from his kitchen, politely declined, "Xiaobei is cooking. We’ll not come over."

Zeng Changzhi warmly suggested, "We just got back from the grocery store. My sister-in-law is preparing dinner too. Tell Xiaobei not to bother and cook whatever she’s cutting tomorrow morning."

"Maybe some other time," Lu Zhanguo thought about their last meal at Zeng’s place and decided not to bring the kids.

Zeng Changzhi was persistent, "Why postpone it? Let’s do it today. I’m going over to Liu Hongbing’s place now. Hurry up, do me this small favour!"

Having been pressed this far, Lu Zhanguo could only nod. Satisfied, Zeng Changzhi ran downstairs to Liu Hongbing’s place.

Lu Zhanguo went to the kitchen and told Gu Xiaobei that they are going to eat dinner at the neighbor’s place.

"Why are they suddenly inviting us over?" Gu Xiaobei was curious.

"Not sure. Cover the food and we’ll eat it tomorrow. Let’s take the kids and go have a look."

Thinking that Zeng Changzhi was not a bad person and they had been personally invited, Gu Xiaobei decided it would be impolite not to go. If it didn’t work out, they could always come back for another meal.

When they arrived at Zeng Changzhi’s place, two people were already present, Zhao Honghe and his new bride, Xu Yanhong.

Xu Yanhong, as radiant as her name suggested, dressed brightly with a red long skirt, her hair curled into large waves, held in place at the back of her head with a floral bandana. Her bangs were styled upward, secured with mousse. Her big, alluring eyes were matched by bright red lipstick.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s family, Zhao Honghe immediately pulled his wife to her feet and exclaimed cheerfully, "Captain, sister-in-law! You’re here!"

Gu Xiaobei found it strange to see such a polite Zhao Honghe, a rare sight.

Zhao Honghe then introduced his wife to Lu Zhanguo and Gu Xiaobei.

Xu Yanhong greeted Gu Xiaobei, pouring on compliments, "So these are your kids? I’ve heard Honghe talk about them. They make such a lovely pair."

Xiaopang was curious about the large white earring Xu Yanhong wore, while Mo Wang stepped uncomfortably behind Gu Xiaobei, finding the lady’s appearance rather unsettling.

Gu Xiaobei felt perplexed. With her charm, why would Xu Yanhong look favorably upon Zhao Honghe? Politeness, she just smiled and said, "The two of them can be quite mischievous sometimes."

As Zeng Changzhi was coming back home with Liu Hongbing and his family.

Walking through the door, Zeng Changzhi cheerfully announced, "Since my new brother-in-law, who just got married, is visiting today, I thought we might make it a lively gathering." He noticed that Zhao Hongmei had bought plenty of groceries and meat, so he assumed it would suffice to compensate for the awkwardness of their last meal. When he suggested the gathering, he didn’t expect Hongmei to agree so readily.

Lu Zhanguo and Liu Hongbing chatted with Zeng Changzhi on the couch about the army.

Gu Xiaobei and Tian Yuanyuan sat on chairs at the side, keeping an eye on the children.

But dining at their place was nevertheless a safer choice, especially with the unpredictable nature of their folks.

Lu Zhanguo, nodding, agreed, "Sure, let’s minimize any chances of causing another loss of face to Zeng. On our way home, Liu said the last incident might have embarrassed Zeng."

Zhao Hongmei had indeed put in considerable effort for the dinner, preparing chicken and fish, along with a small pot of braised pork.

A table full of dishes, with six or seven meat dishes. Zhao Hongmei enthusiastically urged them to dig in, "I had to rush the preparation tonight, so just make do with what’s there."

Liu Hongbing joked, "Sister-in-law, you’re too kind."

Zeng Changzhi was urging Lu Zhanguo and Liu Hongbing to join him for a few drinks.

Zhao Hongmei keep urging Gu Xiaobei and others to help themselves to the food, adding, "Yanhong, please eat. These sisters of mine are my good friends."

Xu Yanhong responded with a smile, "Sister, it’s clear from looking at these sister-in-laws that they are kind-hearted and easy to get along with. Having such neighbors makes life much more comfortable."

Gu Xiaobei, unaware of when she became Zhao Hongmei’s good friend, exchanged a glance with Tian Yuanyuan as they quietly continued to eat.

Xu Yanhong didn’t talk much during dinner, always wearing a smile on her face. She kept serving her husband, pouring him water, and reaching out to him.

The more Zhao Hongmei saw this, the prouder she felt; however, Gu Xiaobei felt that there was no real emotion behind Xu Yanhong’s affectionate actions.

Throughout the dinner, Zhao Hongmei made no mention of her brother’s recent marriage.

When they left after dinner, Gu Xiaobei and Tian Yuanyuan didn’t leave any money behind.

Entering their house, Mo Wang couldn’t help but blurt out, "Mommy, that lady is a spy."

Gu Xiaobei was both amused and frustrated. Mo Wang has been watching war dramas with Lu Songyuan, so he tends to confuse characters from TV shows with real-world people.

"She’s not a spy, sweetie, just an aunt," Gu Xiaobei explained.

Mo Wang insisted, "She is a spy. Look at her hair."

Lu Zhanguo ruffled his son’s hair, "Mo Wang, you’re quite observant."

Gu Xiaobei, laughing, helped the children change their clothes. Xiaopang, who was otherwise intrigued, asked, "Mom, does it hurt the aunt to have a bracelet on her ears?" Considering Xu Yanhong’s earring to be similar to the silver bracelet on her wrist.

"Surely it doesn’t, or she wouldn’t be wearing them, right?" Gu Xiaobei answered earnestly.

Disconcerted, Mo Wang and Xiaopang didn’t say anything but appeared lost in thought.

.......

Having splurged on the guests, Zhao Hongmei had trouble sleeping that night, tossing and turning.

Disturbed by this, Zeng Changzhi asked, "What’s the matter with you?"

Distressed, Zhao Hongmei said, "We spent over ten dollars on just one meal tonight, half of our monthly food budget. How could Honghe be so reckless?"

"What did you say? The money was from Honghe?"