Back To The 80s-Chapter 59 - 58: Story_1

Upon hearing her words, Lu Zhanguo really wanted to hold this little woman tightly and filled with affection in his arms. He looked at her seemingly carefree nature, yet her heart was indeed like a beautifully carved gem. He couldn’t help but let his lips curl into a smile, revealing his bright white teeth.

Feeling slightly dizzy, Gu Xiaobei noticed that this brooding man looked surprisingly dazzling when he smiled. She muttered under her breath, "Why are you grinning so creepily for no reason?"

Meanwhile, Uncle Wang, who had gone inside the house to clean up the dishes, noticed the ten yuan note Xiaobei had left at the bottom of a bowl. He hurriedly shouted, "Madame, come here quick!"

Aunt Wang, standing perplexed at the door, entered the room, looked at the ten yuan note in Uncle Wang’s hand, and asked, "Where did this money come from?"

"It must’ve been left by Zhanguo and his wife."

"No, I need to return it to them." Aunt Wang picked up the money and prepared to leave. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Uncle Wang stopped her, "Just accept it this time. Otherwise, these children will feel awkward visiting us. From next time, we’ll charge them normally. If we have extra money, we can save it and buy some meat to send to the soldiers. Don’t we just want to see them more often? Whenever they visit, I feel as if Zhuanshi and Zhuzhi have returned home. Recently, they haven’t visited much. I wonder if we’ve been too distant."

Wiping away tears, Aunt Wang agreed, "Let’s charge them normally next time. Our only request is that they visit more often."

As soon as Xiaobei returned home, she sprawled sloppily on the sofa due to the heat, missing the comfort of air conditioning. She wondered whether she should buy an electric fan instead. She wondered how much electric fans were and whether her payment for this manuscript would be enough.

Lu Zhanguo placed the groceries in the kitchen and fetched a damp towel for Xiaobei. He asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"When my payment arrives, let’s buy a fan," Xiaobei responded, draping the towel over her face. The coolness was enjoyable.

Lu Zhanguo noted that Xiaobei’s payment was still many days away and said, "I received my bonus already. We can buy it directly."

Xiaobei quickly pulled the towel off her face, replying sternly, "We should save that for our son in the future."

Lu Zhanguo burst into laughter, and offhandedly lifted Xiaobei onto his lap, causing her to exclaim, "Oh no, you scared me! What are you doing?" Xiaobei circled her arms around his neck, feigning annoyance.

"Going to the room to make a son," Lu Zhanguo replied solemnly.

A while later, Xiaobei’s voice echoed from the room, "Hey, why are you taking off my clothes in broad daylight?"

"Where do you expect your hands to..."

"Ouch, you’re hurting me with your biting..."

When Xiaobei woke up, the sky was already a bit dark. She grumbled as she got up, found her clothes, and put them on. Rubbing her sore waist, she slipped on her shoes and went out.

Lu Zhanguo was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper when Xiaobei came out. She walked over and flopped down onto the sofa. With wobbly bones, she leaned her whole body against Lu Zhanguo. Putting his newspaper aside, he picked up the teacup on the table and handed it to Xiaobei, "In a while, we’ll go have dinner with Shen Heng."

Xiaobei gulped down some water and agreed, "Okay. Were you and Shen Heng comrades before?"

"No, we grew up in the same military compound."

"Were you always this serious when you were little?" Xiaobei was genuinely curious about what Lu Zhanguo was like as a stern-faced, silent child.

"I was raised in the military by my grandfather since childhood." As his grandfather was strict and serious, he always held high expectations for his grandson. As a result, Lu Zhanguo adopted a disciplinary and cautious attitude from an early age.

Xiaobei gave a sudden snicker, as if she had had a sudden thought, "Nevertheless, it’s quite good, saving you from being attracted to many unworthy women."

Lu Zhanguo’s face darkened. He gave Xiaobei a light pat on her cheek and said, "Get ready, let’s go out."

Xiaobei put on a light blue, knee-length dress. As she looked in the mirror, she noticed a lovebite on the side of her neck. She shot Lu Zhanguo an exasperated glare before letting her hair down and covering her neck.

Lu Zhanguo felt a bit guilty after receiving the glare, vowing to be more careful in the future.

In the Northwest, though the midday sun may scorch, the mornings and evenings are considerably cooler. Xiaobei found it quite comfortable, even with her hair down in the breeze.

The couple first went to the hotel to find Shen Heng and then headed to the restaurant where Jin Cheng had treated them to a meal last time.

Opting not to book a private room, they chose a small table near the window.

Shen Heng observed Xiaobei, who was sitting obediently next to Lu Zhanguo. Recalling her calm demeanor during the robbery incident and her agile climbing skills afterward, he thought to himself that this young woman was indeed unpredictable. It’s no wonder she had captured Lu Zhanguo’s heart.

Lu Zhanguo looked at the menu and whispered to Xiaobei, asking what she would like to eat. Xiaobei, with her cooperative attitude, noticed Shen Heng’s exploring and calculating gaze.

Xiaobei wondered what Shen Heng could possibly be scheming. She had only met him yesterday.

After Lu Zhanguo ordered two jin of lamb, a plate of clamp-together meat, a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a plate of peanuts, he said to Xiaobei, "I forgot to bring cigarettes. Could you go and buy a pack for me?"

Understanding that Lu Zhanguo wished to speak privately with Shen Heng, Xiaobei agreed and went out.

"Speak up, what happened yesterday?" Lu Zhanguo cut straight to the point without beating around the bush.

Scratching his head, Shen Heng replied, "Yesterday really did seem like an accident."

With a cold huff, Lu Zhanguo responded, "Seem like one? This accident is too coincidental."

"The current investigation concludes that it was an accident. But that old hulk was indeed Chu Dabiao, the drug trafficker you arrested during a mission. And the man who killed him, called Jia Sanjiang, worked at a grain station. He became addicted to gambling and owed a lot of money, although he didn’t know Chu Dabiao beforehand." Shen Heng gave Lu Zhanguo a summary of the investigation results.

"Then it wasn’t an accident. Who did Jia Sanjiang owe money to? Did he take any usurious loans?" Lu Zhanguo contemplated briefly before asking.

"Brother, we’ve been investigating non-stop for 24 hours to find out this much. We need more time to get more detailed information," Shen Heng said plaintively.

"I’m on leave right now. Let’s keep in touch," Lu Zhanguo suggested as he saw Xiaobei entering the restaurant.

Watching Lu Zhanguo pour water for Xiaobei and pick dishes for her with a gentle expression, Shen Heng couldn’t help but compare it to the cold and ferocious demeanor Lu Zhanguo had shown him. He thought to himself, "What could have turned such a iron man into such a henpecked husband?"

While tucking into the dishes Lu Zhanguo picked for her, Xiaobei recalled seeing Liu Mei while purchasing the cigarettes.

At that time, Liu Mei was standing by the roadside alone, as though waiting for someone. Despite her slender and straight posture, her face was filled with desolation, her whole being seemingly engulfed in infinite sorrow. Xiaobei wondered what happened. Although she didn’t like Liu Mei, she didn’t detest her either, as she herself was the one in the wrong in their past encounters.

Since recently she was busy translating manuscripts, she had not seen her foster mother for a long time. Probably, the foster mother too didn’t have time to think about her as even in such a small city she never came to visit.

But why was she bothering about all of this? It wasn’t her business after all. Feeling relieved, she merrily proceeded to devour the lamb on her plate.

Shen Heng and Lu Zhanguo were discussing political tendencies. Listening to them, Xiaobei thought that she should’ve studied this era’s political and economical trends more carefully, had she known beforehand she would traverse time to this era.