Back To The 80s-Chapter 595 - 587: Jade Pendant_1

Lu Zhanguo’s affection for Xiaopang was so great that it felt like he held her in his heart. He knew that his daughter had been wronged greatly in his absence, but now that Xiaopang managed to bounce back by her own, he let her be.

Once they’d ascended the stairs and walked into the house, Gu Xiaobei seriously warned Xiaopang, "Xiaopang, don’t be so impolite; saying things like that can hurt their feelings."

Xiaopang was nestled on Lu Zhanguo’s shoulder, pouting as she said, "But Papa said it’s okay to be impolite to those who are impolite."

Gu Xiaobei fell silent. She was afraid that Xiaopang, because of her young age, might pick up bad habits and had not expected Lu Zhanguo to teach her that blunt lesson.

Xiaopang hugged her daddy tightly and gave him a huge smooch on his cheek before bursting into laughter.

"What’s for dinner?" Gu Xiaobei asked upon entering the house as per her usual routine.

Lu Zhanguo thought for a moment before answering, "Anything’s fine."

Gu Xiaobei shot Lu Zhanguo a dirty look before heading into the kitchen to cook.

At dinner time, there appeared a dish made impartially, causing Lu Zhanguo to flinch at the sight of it - boiled white cabbage with wood ear mushrooms, and tofu!

Gu Xiaobei giggled and pointed, saying, "Here, this is ’anything’. Next time you say ’anything’, this is what you’ll get."

The kids were served tomato and egg soup.

Lu Zhanguo ate his meal with an unchanged expression, calmly devouring his food, before suddenly stating, "On Sunday, an old friend of mine will be coming over for dinner."

"Who is it?" Gu Xiaobei curiously questioned.

Mo Wang exclaimed excitedly, "Is it the uncle who can imitate the cuckoo’s call?"

Lu Zhanguo nodded in confirmation.

Mo Wang suddenly became chatty, "Mom, that uncle is truly amazing! He can mimic the cuckoo’s call, and dad is just as amazing - he can understand it! The soldier left with the uncle."

Gu Xiaobei was curious, "Is he from your own unit?"

"No, he was transferred from another unit, he will be leaving in a few days," Lu Zhanguo said while handing a piece of meat in his bowl to Gu Xiaobei.

"Your sister-in-law also mentioned that she’d be bringing Tiantian over for a bath on Sunday, perhaps I should tell her to come over on Saturday instead?"

Lu Zhanguo thought for a moment. Lone Wolf was also a man of few words. With so many people at home, he might feel uncomfortable. He nodded in agreement, "Yes, tell them to come over on Saturday."

Mo Wang was in a state of joy, and besides his father, the person he admired most now was that uncle.

On Sunday morning, Gu Xiaobei sent Lu Zhanguo to look after the kids while she went out to buy some meat, half of which was destined for the neighbours in the small courtyard, and also to pull out some vegetables on the way.

Bai Xiaolan left Ji Xiangdong in charge of watching Tiantian, and helped Gu Xiaobei with pulling vegetables.

"Let’s go shopping the day after tomorrow." Bai Xiaolan suggested.

"What inspired you to go shopping all of a sudden?" Gu Xiaobei was curious.

Bai Xiaolan lightly touched her waistline, "Look, I’ve lost weight, none of my old clothes fit me anymore, I’ll have to buy a couple of new ones."

"Didn’t notice you were getting skinny until you mentioned it, you’ve got a waistline now."

Bai Xiaolan proudly proclaimed, "I worked very hard to lose weight, I even had Xiangdong massage my legs at night, and do sit-ups because we’re going back to Capital City this autumn, it’s my father’s 66th birthday, my mom insisted that we go back for a visit. Surely, I cannot go back looking like a slob."

"Huh, why didn’t you mention anything before?"

Bai Xiaolan kept her head down as she gathered veggies, "It’s not a big deal, besides, it’s still a long time away, isn’t it?"

As Gu Xiaobei finished picking vegetables and was rushing back home, the Lone Wolf had already arrived with the soldier.

Mo Wang and Xiaopang stood in front of Lone Wolf like two little soldiers, staring straight ahead at LoneWolf with their eyes wide open. The excitement and admiration in Mo Wang’s eyes were undeniable, while Xiaopang was simply following Mo Wang’s lead for the fun of it.

Lone Wolf felt embarrassed as two little kids continued to stare at him; he didn’t know how to handle it because he had no experience with children.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s return, he quickly stood up, straightforward and standing tall, he greeted Gu Xiaobei, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Gu Xiaobei smiled back, "Hello, please sit." She found LoneWolf to be much younger than imagined, his face was handsome yet carried a sternness and maturity beyond his years.

"May I know your name?" Gu Xiaobei asked while she was seated next to Lu Zhanguo.

"Sister-in-law, my name is Li Duo," LoneWolf replied.

Xiaopang and Mo Wang stood as if they were still two little soldiers, rigid in front of Li Duo.

Gu Xiaobei quickly pulled Xiaopang away, she felt if the kids kept staring, Li Duo wouldn’t know where to place his arms and legs.

Mo Wang, with his eyes wide open, approached LoneWolf and asked, "Uncle, can you teach me how to mimic the cuckoo’s call?" That way, if he ever found himself in danger, he could use the call to relay information to his dad.

For the sake of joining the fun, Xiaopang chimed in, "Me too, me too."

Feeling awkward, Li Duo turned to look at Lu Zhanguo, not knowing how to handle the two kids.

Lu Zhanguo pulled Mo Wang closer, then softly said with a smile, "Wait till Daddy has time, Daddy will teach you."

Gu Xiaobei went into the kitchen to cook, thinking of making dumplings and a few other side dishes consisting of two cold dishes and two stir-fry dishes. The baby cabbage they had picked today could be blanched in boiling water, chopped, and used as a filling for the dumplings.

After satisfying their curiosity, Xiaopang and Mo Wang started throwing around a ball in the living room.

After a short while, Xiaopang was already drenched in sweat. She called out to Lu Zhanguo, "Dad, I’m hot, I want to take off my clothes."

Lu Zhanguo chuckled as he helped Xiaopang remove her little shirt, underneath it was a pink, sleeveless vest with a jade pendant hanging from her neck, which was now visibly dangling outside her vest.

Having removed her shirt, Xiaopang ran back to play and create a ruckus with Mo Wang.

Li Duo watched the two children with tender eyes, finding their playful antics amusing.

Tired out from playing, Xiaopang ran over to the tea table next to Li Duo, picked up the enamel mug, and gulped down water.

This time, it was Xiaopang’s jade pendant that caught Li Duo’s attention.

The jade pendant looked wet and clear, radiant with a pale green glow.

Li Duo’s body suddenly stiffened up, he couldn’t help but ask Xiaopang, "Can I have a look at that jade pendant around your neck?"

Xiaopang touched her jade pendant then walked over to Li Duo with a grin on her face, saying, "This belongs to my brother, it’s not mine."

Li Duo picked up Xiaopang’s jade pendant and looked at it carefully. The longer he looked, the more surprised he became. He too had a similar one, both of them carved in the shape of a mythical beast called Pi Xiu.

Li Duo remembered his mother once telling him, the Pi Xiu that he wore was actually part of a pair. One Pi Xiu stood on its legs, the other was lying down, which had been passed down by their ancestors. He wore the upright Pi Xiu, while the other lying down Pi Xiu stayed with his biological father.

Noticing Li Duo’s serious expression while he examined Xiaopang’s jade pendant, Lu Zhanguo wondered, does Li Duo’s past have a connection with this jade pendant?

Before Lu Zhanguo could ask, Li Duo started explaining, "I also have one like this, a Pi Xiu standing on its legs, my mother mentioned that this was originally a set, the other piece with the crouching Pi Xiu is with my father."

Lu Zhanguo, suppressing the sudden thoughts cropping up in his mind, asked, "Your father?"

"I don’t remember, I was very young when my mother and I were sent to live with my third uncle in X province. My mother was mentally unstable. This is the one thing she would always say when she was lucid. I was ten when she suddenly fell ill and passed away," Tear welled up in Li Duo’s eyes as he spoke of his mom.

Following up, Li Duo added, "I don’t know if this pendant happen to have been the pair of my pendant."