Back To The 80s-Chapter 560 - 552: Time_1

It wasn’t until sunset, when everyone was closing up shop, that Xiaopang and Mo Wang, still relishing the day, followed their parents home.

Throughout the journey, Xiaopang kept asking, "Dad, we’ll come again tomorrow, right?"

"Dad, can we come to see the little monkeys again tomorrow?"

"Dad, can we? Can we?"

Lu Zhanguo, carrying Xiaopang and looking at his daughter’s tearful eyes full of longing and regret, said with a smile, "When dad has time, he’ll take you and your brother to the zoo!"

Gu Xiaobei, holding Mo Wang’s hand, felt remorse for her, regretting that she had taken the children out so rarely that they had never even been to a zoo.

Mo Wang, walking quietly and hearing her father talk about going to the zoo, looked up to ask, "Mum, are there giraffes in the zoo?"

Gu Xiaobei wasn’t sure about the current offerings in the zoo, so she shook her head and said, "Mum hasn’t been there, so I don’t know if there are giraffes. When we go together, we’ll find out."

Mo Wang, with a satisfied smile on her face, wondered if the giraffes would look the same as they do on TV?

When they arrived at their residential complex, to their surprise, Xu Yanhong was downstairs with Erhu.

On seeing Gu Xiaobei, she came up with a smile, "You’re back from the stall, Sister-in-law?"

Gu Xiaobei, remembering the talks about the banquet at noon, couldn’t help asking, "I heard from your sister that you moved out to live? When did you come over?"

"Isn’t it Sunday today? Honghe and I came in the morning." Xu Yanhong said with a smile.

Lu Zhanguo, holding Xiaopang, watched Xu Yanhong with a calm and waveless gaze.

"That’s very good. The rented house you’re living in isn’t far away, is it?" Gu Xiaobei made small talk.

"Not far, about a twenty-minute walk. Once we’ve settled in, you can bring the kids over to play." Xu Yanhong replied with a smile, yet she couldn’t shake a cold feeling given Lu Zhanguo’s gaze. It felt like a sharp blade dissecting her.

Gu Xiaobei nodded with a smile, "Sure!"

Mo Wang, getting impatient as Gu Xiaobei kept chatting, said, "Mum, I want to go home. I’m sleepy."

Gu Xiaobei said goodbye to Xu Yanhong and hurried home with Mo Wang.

As Lu Zhanguo, holding Xiaopang, passed by Xu Yanhong, he noticed from the corner of his eye that her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly as if she had exhaled a breath of relief.

...

As soon as Mo Wang got home, instead of saying she was sleepy, she ran to find "Fairy Tale King," a book Gu Xiaobei had recently bought, from under the coffee table.

"Mum, tell the story of Schuck and Betta." Mo Wang said, waving the fairy tale book in her hand.

Gu Xiaobei had stumbled upon this book merely a couple days ago at a bookstore and couldn’t help but be delighted – she had grown up watching the animated version of it, even though it hadn’t been made into a TV show just yet.

"Why don’t you let dad tell it, while mum goes make dinner?" suggested Gu Xiaobei, stroking Mo Wang’s head.

Lu Zhanguo, having lazily glanced over the book, found it interesting but wasn’t sure about reading it to the children and felt a bit embarrassed.

Gu Xiaobei, seeing his hesitation, cheerfully added, "They say that a boy’s growth is better with the involvement and company of the father. So, storytelling must be different from a father too. Try giving it a go." With that, she quickly scurried off into the kitchen.

Mo Wang, holding up the book, said to Lu Zhanguo, "Dad, tell the story of Betta catching the mouse."

Lu Zhanguo had no choice but to sit down with Mo Wang on the sofa and try his hand at storytelling.

Xiaopang also cuddled up next to his dad to listen to the story.

Gu Xiaobei, leaning on the kitchen door, listened to Lu Zhanguo telling the story. From what she could make out, it didn’t sound like storytelling, but rather a recital of a text without any emotion and a slight stutter.

Shaking her head with a smile, Gu Xiaobei prepared to wash her hands and started cooking dinner.

By the time Gu Xiaobei had finished kneading the dough and chopping the vegetables and came out, she saw Xiaopang had fallen asleep in Lu Zhanguo’s arms, while Mo Wang was sitting, her eyes wide open, attentively listening to Lu Zhanguo’s story.

Lu Zhanguo’s voice was so low, so soft, careful not to wake Xiaopang in his arms.

Only when Gu Xiaobei walked over, did she clearly hear what Lu Zhanguo was saying.

"When you encounter a bad guy who catches you, what do you do? You mustn’t panic. If you are caught in a crowded place, you should scream loudly for help. If you are taken away and locked in a small room, you must not be afraid, you need to stay calm. If you cry and make a fuss, the bad guy will lose his temper and beat and scold you. You need to stay quiet, as long as you believe in your heart that your dad will come to rescue you, you won’t be scared."

"That’s what courage is. What about wisdom? That is, when a bad guy locks you in a small room, how can you inform the outside world? If the door is open, should you run away? If you run, but you’re not fast enough, then what do you do?"

Mo Wang listened very intently, and upon hearing Lu Zhanguo’s question she thought about it and said, "Like Betta, first hide, wait for Schuck to come in his plane, then together catch the thief."

Lu Zhanguo nodded, "Mo Wang, you’re great. So, as a man, you can’t solve problems by crying. You must use your brains. If you meet an opponent like yourself, you must strive to defeat them. If you meet a stronger opponent, you must learn to endure, wait until you grow stronger, then fight back."

Mo Wang nodded her head, though she only seemed to half-understand.

Gu Xiaobei, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, asked, "Why are you teaching him all this? He’s only three and a half."

But Lu Zhanguo felt it was necessary, "Mo Wang is a boy, and when he grows up, he will have the responsibility to protect his sister. Of course, he should learn more. Next time we can teach them how to save themselves in the event of a fire or other emergencies."

Gu Xiaobei massaged her forehead, wondering if it was too early to teach them all this.

Mo Wang, still eager for more, tugged at Lu Zhanguo’s hand and said, "Dad, tell another story about shooting guns."

Gu Xiaobei, unable to hold back, teased him, "Who tells better stories, mum or dad?"

"Dad’s stories are good, let dad tell." Mo Wang quickly replied with certainty.

Gu Xiaobei laughed and looked at Lu Zhanguo, "Our son appears to enjoy these thought-provoking stories. Well, you go ahead and tell Mo Wang another one. I’ll take Xiaopang to the bedroom and let him sleep. In half an hour, I’ll wake her up to eat."

Gu Xiaobei picked up Xiaopang and as she was leaving, Lu Zhanguo took Mo Wang onto his lap and asked, "What kind of shooting story would you like to hear?"

After tilting his little head and thinking for a bit, Mo Wang replied, "Dad, tell a story about a sniper rifle."

Boys have an innate love and fascination for cars and guns. Mo Wang listened very attentively as Lu Zhanguo began to weave a tale of a sniper’s path to becoming a sharpshooter.

...

Ou Tiannan was staring blankly at the locust tree outside his window. He didn’t know when the leaves on the tree had turned yellow. Now, with a slight breeze, they were falling in a rustle, mirroring his current predicament.

He still couldn’t believe that Ou Ruoshui had agreed to marry him!

In Nanhai City, when Ou Ruoshui had sought him out and asked him to spare Gu Xiaobei’s factory, he had set his terms - unless she married him!

Ou Ruoshui had stormed away in a fury at that time!

Ou Tiannan had assumed that their relationship had absolutely ended.

But he hadn’t expected that three days later, Ou Ruoshui had come to him of her own volition and agreed to his proposal!