Back To The 80s-Chapter 584 - 576: Giving _1

Ou Ruoshui had no idea Ou Tiannan would resort to such despicable thoughts. Seeing May Day approaching, she didn’t find anything suspicious about him, which made her anxious. Is she really going to marry Ou Tiannan? Her first hurdle would be the wedding night, which she definitely could not cross.

Ou Tiannan, somehow, managed to get the money to fill up the investment pit he had promised for the provincial city, and is now considered a successful man in the province.

Ou Tiannan picked a Sunday to visit the Jin Family with gifts.

On the surface, he was there to discuss wedding details with Ou Ruoshui and the couple Jin Xueping, but deep down, he wanted to see Jiujiu. Now that it was spring, his heart was already itching.

Ou Ruoshui was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t seen Ou Tiannan for several days, so why did he suddenly appear at her house?

"I came to see Uncle Jin and Aunt Jin," Ou Tiannan said as he walked in with a smile, glancing around the living room. "Are they not here?"

Ou Ruoshui brushed off her feelings and left the door ajar, smiling, "Hmm, they’ve gone grocery shopping. You can sit first." She then went to pour some water for Ou Tiannan.

In a casual manner, Ou Tiannan asked, "Where are Jiujiu and Chen Gang? Are they studying inside?"

"Chen Gang has a class this morning, and Jiujiu has gone out to buy some notebooks." As soon as Ou Ruoshui finished speaking, Jiujiu burst through the door. She was panting from running, and her adorable little face, rosy like peach blossoms in April, caught everyone’s attention. Her thin sweater clung to her developing chest which heaved with each breath.

Ou Tiannan’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Afraid Ou Ruoshui might notice, he quickly lowered his gaze and pretended to be drinking water.

Jiujiu walked in to see Ou Tiannan sitting on the couch. Her face, previously full of smiles, immediately soured. She quickly addressed her mother, "Mom, I’m going back to my room to do my homework."

Ou Ruoshui nodded and closed the door to the living room that Jiujiu had left open, leaving a small gap before returning to sit down on the single sofa next to Ou Tiannan.

Ou Tiannan softly commented, "Jiujiu is very sensible. How are her grades?"

"Hmm, pretty good," Ou Ruoshui responded to all his queries dutifully.

Having finished his tea, Ou Tiannan, momentarily not knowing what to say to Ruoshui, regrouped his thoughts and asked gently, "May Day is less than two weeks away. Shall we hold our wedding ceremony at home or at a hotel?"

"Either way is fine," Ou Ruoshui answered unhappily, fiddling with her fingers.

Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Ou Tiannan chuckled and proposed, "Let’s host the wedding at a hotel then. What home appliances would you like to buy?"

"Let’s not buy anything for now. There are a lot of things you need money for."

Ou Tiannan smiled, "I’ve got enough money for that."

Jiujiu, who had left her door open while doing her homework, was listening to the conversation between Ou Ruoshui and Ou Tiannan in the living room. Anger surged within her and she pressed so hard on her notebook with her pen that she tore it. Suddenly, she stood up and went out to tell Ou Ruoshui, "Mom, why haven’t grandma and grandpa come back yet? I’ll go downstairs to check."

Meanwhile, Ou Tiannan was grinning and beckoning Jiujiu, "Jiujiu, come here. I have a gift for you."

Ou Tiannan realized that Jiujiu had been ignoring him, so he suddenly called out to her, making sure to put on a genial, uncle-like demeanor.

Jiujiu wanted to slam the door and leave, but her grandma had always taught her to be polite. She reluctantly walked over and stopped four to five steps away from Ou Tiannan.

Ou Tiannan smiled at Ou Ruoshui and said, "Look at this kid, still shy around me. After all, we’re going to be family soon."

Jiujiu pursed her lips and remained silent, refusing to call him ’uncle’.

Ou Tiannan took off a brown rope from his neck, at the end of which was a jade Guanyin pendant. He reached out and handed it to Jiujiu, saying, "Here, take this. It’s a family heirloom from my side. It can ward off evil and bring good luck."

Jiujiu looked at it disgustedly and not only did she not reach out for it, she even took a step back.

Ou Ruoshui sharp gaze fell on Ou Tiannan. Alarm bells were ringing in her mind. She told Jiujiu, "Jiujiu, go see why Grandma hasn’t come back yet. Maybe she’s chatting downstairs."

Jiujiu nodded and ran out.

Ou Tiannan felt somewhat embarrassed. He explained to Ou Ruoshui, "I thought of giving Jiujiu a Guanyin pendant for protection. I planned to give you jade bracelets to wear on our wedding day, but I forgot to bring them because I was in a hurry today."

Ou Ruoshui gave a small laugh, "Jiujiu is still a student. What’s the point of giving her these things? Besides, this isn’t Nanhai City. People here don’t have much belief in Buddhism."

Ou Tiannan quickly came up with an idea, "How about you keep it for Jiujiu until she grows up and give it to her as part of her dowry? After all, she is our daughter."

Ou Ruoshui didn’t refuse and took the jade Guanyin, hoping it would expose Ou Tiannan’s ulterior motives.

Ou Tiannan always acted with extreme caution. The jade Guanyin he gave Ou Ruoshui was something he had bought in Nanhai City in order to ensure his business would go smoothly. Seeing Ou Ruoshui accept the Jade Guanyin, he smiled and said, "I’ll bring the jade bracelets for you another day. From now on, all the jewelry in the house will belong to you and Jiujiu."

......

After a spring shower, the peach blossoms began to fall. Xiaopang was upset looking at the fallen flowers all over the ground. He wasn’t sure whether he missed his father too much or if he had caught a cold, but he suddenly got a high fever and kept calling out for his father.

Far away in Miaojiang, Lu Zhanguo constantly thought about his wife and children. Fortunately, he had a family picture of the four of them in his pocket, which he would take out and look at every now and then.

Wu Guanghan, who shared a dormitory with Lu Zhanguo, saw Lu Zhanguo always looking at the photo whenever he had time and commented enviously, "When I get home, I’ll also take a family picture. I only have a baby photo of Xiaobao. Our family has never taken a picture together. I used to think it was a waste of money, but now I realize its importance."

Lu Zhanguo didn’t respond, but he was satisfied just looking at the smiles of Gu Xiaobei and their two children in the picture. Xiaopang’s cute face peeking out from where he was draped over Lu’s neck and smiling mischievously at the camera made Lu Zhanguo feel his age and his growing longing for home.

"Captain, will you go to see Jin Cheng tomorrow?" Wu Guanghan asked.

"No, there’s likely to be action soon. We need to stand by and prepare to set off at a moment’s notice."

Since Lu Zhanguo had met Jin Cheng, he would go see him whenever he got a chance. On sunny days, he would take him out to sunbathe, and on cloudy days, he would massage him like an old man.

He didn’t know how to express his feelings, but every time he met Jin Cheng, he would sit in silence. He would sit in silence and watch Jin Cheng, sometimes for hours on end.

Unable to make phone calls or write letters, he had no one with whom to share his encounter with Jin Cheng.

He fantasized that if Jin Cheng returned to the provincial city and saw Qin Li, might he wake up? Or maybe if someone kept talking to him, they might be able to rouse the dormant Jin Cheng.