Back To The 80s-Chapter 598 - 590: Acquaintance_1

Gu Xiaobei comforted with a smile, "Tiantian is turning one soon; things will get better."

Bai Xiaolan would window-shop every store she came across. Whether she bought anything was another story; she needed to indulge her eyes first.

"Look, this store is not crowded; let’s go inside!" Bai Xiaolan took Gu Xiaobei’s arm, preparing to enter the last store, only to be stopped by a meddling woman, who kindly said, "Avoid that place. A female ex-convict runs that shop." She even concluded of the woman’s part with a look of disdain.

Gu Xiaobei and Bai Xiaolan exchanged a glance. What was wrong with an ex-convict running a store?

Ignoring the well-intentioned woman, the two opened the shop’s door.

Gu Xiaobei was shocked when he saw the shop owner—it was Liu Mei! Formerly thin, she now looked even thinner, akin to a paper cut-out. Her short hair tucked behind her ears gave her a resilient vibe.

Liu Mei hadn’t expected to meet Gu Xiaobei there, so she froze, standing straight as usual.

"Are you doing okay?" Gu Xiaobei was the first to ask.

Liu Mei mockingly laughed, "There’s no ’good’ or ’not good’. As you can see, nobody dares enter my shop."

Gu Xiaobei’s lips quivered, unsure how to respond.

Bai Xiaolan curiously asked, "Do you guys know each other?"

Gu Xiaobei stammered, struggling to think of an introduction.

Liu Mei openly said, "I was Xiaobei’s former sister-in-law, just got out of prison."

Both Gu Xiaobei and Bai Xiaolan felt somewhat taken aback; they hadn’t expected Liu Mei to be so straightforward.

Watching their reactions, Liu Mei lightly chuckled, "It’s nothing, really. It’s better to be forthright than to hide. One wrong is a wrong."

Looking around the clothes in the shop, Gu Xiaobei lamented, "But, people will misunderstand you. You’re not a bad person."

"Let them misunderstand. Have you guys eaten? I’ll treat you to a meal." Liu Mei suddenly felt the need to unburden her thoughts. Gu Xiaobei was the third person she’d met since being released who hadn’t prejudged her—the other two were her parents.

Gu Xiaobei hastily replied, "I’ll pay; you’ve helped me before, and I haven’t thanked you yet."

"Are you worried that I can’t afford it?"

The statement embarrassed Gu Xiaobei, forcing him to share a late breakfast with Liu Mei.

At the table, Liu Mei barely ate, her gaze on Gu Xiaobei seemed distant. She disregarded Bai Xiaolan beside her and confessed, "I had a hard time in jail. I never told my parents about it because I didn’t want them to feel hurt. When I came home, my dad had turned all grey, and my mom could hardly see anything due to presbyopia. I felt so awful; I feel like I’ve wronged them. I used my father’s retirement savings to set up this shop. Look at what I’ve done to them. I sometimes wonder if I was such a burden in a previous life..."

The more Gu Xiaobei listened, the more uncomfortable he felt. Liu Mei seemed like she was giving up. He quickly tried to comfort her, "Liu Mei, why don’t you try doing something else?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Liu Mei scoffed, "No matter what I do, I’ll always be labeled as an ex-convict. Everywhere I go, I have to fill out paperwork at the local offices. Whenever they see my case file, their eyeballs nearly fall out."

"What about finding a job?" Bai Xiaolan tentatively suggested.

Liu Mei shook her head, "When I got out, my dad found me three jobs on credit, and I couldn’t keep any for a week. They all watched me as if I were a thief."

She’d once naively thought that after being released she would find a good job and stay at her parents’ side. Now she felt it might be better to spend the rest of her life in prison or even face the death penalty.

Gu Xiaobei didn’t know how to comfort Liu Mei, knowing how prideful she’s always been, always standing tall and looking indifferent, whether in good times or bad.

After the meal, they left the restaurant. Liu Mei pulled out a cigarette and lit it with expertise, making Gu Xiaobei uneasy. He said quietly, "Smoking is bad for your health, try to cut down."

Liu Mei didn’t respond and walked away, still smoking.

As Gu Xiaobei watched her shrinking figure, he thought a gust of wind could sweep her away at any moment.

Only when Liu Mei was out of sight did Bai Xiaolan ask, "What was she convicted of?"

"She was innocent; she just married the wrong man," Gu Xiaobei simply replied.

The two returned to the shopping mall, bought a few clothes, and headed home.

When they arrived home, it was past lunchtime. Lu Zhanguo, Xiaopang, and Mo Wang were also there.

Wen Xiuqing emerged from the kitchen to ask, "Have you eaten? We didn’t keep any food for you since you weren’t back by lunchtime."

"We’ve eaten; we went to a restaurant," said Bai Xiaolan, reaching into her pocket to pull out a twist snack for Xiaopang and Mo Wang.

Xiaopang wiggled his little butt, burying his face in his dad’s arms, refusing to take it.

Mo Wang didn’t want it, either, claiming he was too full.

Gu Xiaobei was curious as to why the little foodie appeared uninterested in food: "What’s wrong with Xiaopang?"

Wen Xiuqing also couldn’t figure it out: "He was fine just now; I don’t know why."

Lu Zhanguo was also unsure; Xiaopang had been fine until Gu Xiaobei walked into the yard, then he started to pout.

"Come here, Xiaopang, tell me what’s wrong," Gu Xiaobei pulled Xiaopang over to ask.

Glancing at his mother’s skirt, Xiaopang unhappily replied, "Mom, you’re wearing a skirt, why don’t I have one?"

Gu Xiaobei was taken aback, "Good heavens, you’re only a few years old? You’re so vain already."

Xiaopang continued to pout, unsatisfied.

"Okay, Xiaopang, don’t pout. Grandma will make you an even prettier skirt later," Wen Xiuqing cooed to appease him.

Only then did Xiaopang grin.

Gu Xiaobei exclaimed, "Whose vanity did my daughter inherit?"

Lu Zhanguo didn’t dare to say it was from Gu Xiaobei, but his eyes gave away his thoughts.

Xiaopang inherited Gu Xiaobei’s traits of being a foodie, vain, and a trickster in full measure. This caused quite a shock when Xiaopang brought a boyfriend home, making Gu Xiaobei almost drop a bowl in surprise.

After coming home that afternoon, Gu Xiaobei told Lu Zhanguo about the encounter with Liu Mei. Lu Zhanguo realized that Gu Xiaodong would be released soon. To prevent Gu Weimin from causing trouble in desperation because of Gu Xiaodong’s release, he planned to initiate preventive measures. He wanted to guard his family tightly under his wings.

...

Just as Lu Zhanguo reported back to the army, he received a call from his superior saying that Xu Yanhong wanted to meet him. Otherwise, she would not confess.

Lu Zhanguo really wanted to refuse, but he had to give face to his superior, so he reluctantly agreed. He didn’t think he had any connection with Xu Yanhong. Whether she decided to confess or not should be the responsibility of the interrogation department.

However, Xu Yanhong disagreed. She had seen Lu Zhanguo a long time ago. Unfortunately, Lu Zhanguo had either forgotten or had never paid attention to her back then.