Back To The 80s-Chapter 614 - 607: The Grand Finale (Part 1)_1

Listening to Liu Mei’s words, Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. Sometimes, just a single sentence can decide someone’s fate.

Liu Mei gulped down the rest of her drink and said, "Anyway, I want to thank you."

Gu Xiaobei wanted to ask her about Jiang Jiahua, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s hesitant face, Liu Mei smiled and said, "You want to ask me about Jiang Jiahua, don’t you?"

Gu Xiaobei, feeling a bit embarrassed, nodded.

Liu Mei sighed and said, "When I first came here, my father immediately arranged a blind date for me with Jiang Jiahua. Because Jiang Jiahua’s mother heard about my family’s connections, she secretly agreed and forced Jiang Jiahua to meet me. Neither of us felt anything special. After finding out that I was a labor reformer, Jiang Jiahua’s mother caused a commotion at both mine and the matchmaker’s houses, accusing us of deceiving her."

She swallowed and continued, "It should’ve ended there, but one day, Jiang Jiahua casually came into the store to buy clothes for his mother, and we chatted politely. After he left his bag in the shop, I returned it to him and he expressed his gratitude by inviting me to dinner. As our meetings increased, we started to find each other more agreeable. However, we are not in any relationship as of now."

Following her confession, seeing Gu Xiaobei’s dubious look, she added, "Really, even if both of us were interested, his mother would be a significant problem."

Gu Xiaobei laughed and asked in return, "Then, are you afraid?"

Whether it was because she had a bit too much to drink or for some other reason, Liu Mei defiantly replied, "I, Liu Mei, am not the least bit intimidated by an old woman."

Gu Xiaobei chuckled and said contentedly, "That’s the spirit. I can’t wait to drink at your wedding. Mo Wang will stand on ceremony for you. And I’m certain you will give birth to a chubby son next year."

Liu Mei chided her with a glare, "You’ve had too much to drink. You’re spouting nonsense."

Gu Xiaobei giggled and nodded, "Yeah, I have had too much. But I know someone who’s going to be a bride soon." She laughed together with Qin Li after saying this.

Liu Mei also laughed, blushing radiantly from either the drink or perhaps from embarrassment, like a blooming rose.

As the three of them each drank a bottle of beer, they continued on until four in the morning, continually laughing and chatting, sharing their joys and sorrows of the past years. Liu Mei, after loosening up, shared her experiences. When the conversation veered towards her challenging times, she sobbingly cried into the table.

Years later, Gu Xiaobei would still remember how Liu Mei was that day. She believes all girls should be like angels, deserving happiness, and even if their wings were broken, they should find their own sky.

When Gu Xiaobei went to the courtyard to pick up her children, Wen Xiuqing said Lu Zhanguo had already taken them home. Gu Xiaobei did not enter the courtyard, deciding instead to head straight back home.

On her journey, she took a couple of deep breaths to see if she still smelled of alcohol, worried that Lu Zhanguo would nag her about it.

Once she arrived home, Lu Zhanguo was making ice skates for the kids while Xiaopang and Mo Wang watched silently from the side.

Gu Xiaobei, throwing off her cotton coat, ran over excitedly, "What are you guys doing?"

Lu Zhanguo frowned, "Have you been drinking?"

"Just a little." Gu Xiaobei sprinkled her words with laughter and downplayed the matter.

Lu Zhanguo was able to smell a faint hint of alcohol from Gu Xiaobei. Confirming she didn’t drink much,he casually asked, "What made you start drinking?"

Gu Xiaobei, loving to stir the gossip pot, replied, "Guess who I drank with? Liu Mei and Jiang Jiahua. They are undoubtedly an item."

Lu Zhanguo, while working on the ice skates, thought about Gu Xiaodong’s release from prison, about him taking Gu Weimin and his family, including the children, to Beidahuang, and decided not to tell Gu Xiaobei of it yet.

Xiaopang was gleefully telling Gu Xiaobei, "Mom, dad is planning to take us skating. Do you know how to skate?"

Gu Xiaobei pouted, "Your dad is really unfair. He never taught me. I’m quite upset about this."

Xiaopang chuckled and retorted, "Mom, I’ll skate for you, so you won’t feel upset." His face was full of smugness.

Mo Wang then suddenly chimed in, "Mom, I’ll let you use my ice skates later."

Gu Xiaobei, poking Lu Zhanguo with her index finger, sported the same smug face as Xiaopang, "Look, look, a son is definitely more considerate than his father."

Lu Zhanguo was left speechless, thinking to himself, ’What an ungrateful little woman.’

.................

By the 23rd of the twelfth month in the lunar calendar, Lu Aiguo, accompanied by Fang Jing and Yueyue, arrived back home.

As soon as Yueyue came in, he couldn’t stop bragging to everyone, "Grandma, I’ve been on an airplane. I saw the clouds."

"Auntie, Second Auntie, I’ve been on an airplane. The people on the ground look as small as ants."

"Xiaopang, Mo Wang, the airplane flew so high, I could even touch the sun."

Xiaopang pouting, voiced his dissatisfaction, "I’ll have my dad take me on an airplane, too, so that I can touch the sun."

Mo Wang, however, standing aside in contemplation, announced after a while, "When I grow up, I want to fly an airplane."

Wen Xiuqing, laughing, commented, "See, our Mo Wang is the one with a plan. He knows that if you can fly a plane, you can fly in the sky every day."

Fang Jing brought many toys for all the kids, all made by their own factory and hence, cost-free.

Lu Aiguo got watches for his two brothers, both Rolex, and mysteriously said, "These were quite expensive. I had to pull some strings to get them from Hong Kong. You should be nicer to me from now on."

He presented Wen Xiuqing and Lu Songyuan with cashmere coats and gave Gu Xiaobei and Bai Xiaolan Hermès handbags each. Not forgetting to remind them, "These are also from overseas, and they’re very expensive too. So, you guys should also be nicer to me."

Bai Xiaolan didn’t take much notice and merely snorted in response, "So expensive, you should’ve simply given me the money. This bag will break within two years; what’s the point?"

Lu Aiguo sighed and said, "Big brother, look at your wife. She doesn’t appreciate anything."

Gu Xiaobei, touching the super soft bag, also felt it was too luxurious. The value of the bag would not be fully utilized if she carried it daily to the market and the store. It would be better to keep it as a collectible instead.

Wen Xiuqing, on the side, watching the playful kids, couldn’t help but feel a sadness welling up in her eyes. ’Wouldn’t it be so good if everyone in the family were here?’ she thought. Her daughter having run away on that cold day, whether she was alive or dead was still unclear. At this thought, she heaved a sigh and exited the room.

Watching Wen Xiuqing leave, Lu Aiguo muttered, "She’s undoubtedly thinking about that little snake Lu Ruixue. Heaven knows where she wandered off."

On New Year’s morning, Lu Aiguo took charge of the group of kids to put up the Spring Festival couplets.

Wen Xiuqing, joined by Gu Xiaobei and Bai Xiaolan, was in charge of cooking lunch.

Tiantian, who was just over a year old, also joined in the lively crowd behind his siblings, wiggling about as he tried to keep up.

Wen Xiuqing, watching the bunch of kids in the courtyard, naturally donned a smile on her face.

She took a basin of dirty water to dump outside the main door.

As she stepped out of the gate, the basin dropped from her hands onto the floor, spilling dirty water all over her pants. She stood there, staring blankly at the family of three in front of her.

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