Back To The 80s-Chapter 63 - 62: The End of the Beginning _1

Gu Xiaobei suggested they go out for a walk. The summer days were long, and it was still light after dinner. Without a TV or internet, time was hard to pass. The two of them left the residential area and strolled towards the Moat.

It had just rained during the day, and the air was filled with a mix of muddy and grassy smells. Gu Xiaobei found it incredibly pleasant. The air was fresh, without any haze. It was the kind of air people in the 21st century longed for.

She couldn’t resist taking a deep sniff, and said to Lu Zhanguo: "Take a deep breathe, who knows if we’ll have air this good thirty years from now."

Lu Zhanguo didn’t understand how the air could be any different in thirty years.

Suddenly Gu Xiaobei exclaimed, nudging Lu Zhanguo and saying, "Look, isn’t that Liu Mei?"

Liu Mei stood quietly at the edge of the small square, looking at the children playing in the center. Gu Xiaobei followed her gaze and saw Liao Qing with Little Liao Zhe in the square.

Gu Xiaobei wondered. Did Liu Mei know Liao Qing? Or was she there by coincidence because she liked children?

Liu Mei stared at the children on the square with a blurred gaze, her thoughts immersed in her own world, she didn’t notice the couple nearby.

Gu Xiaobei whispered, "The woman in the white dress with pink flowers, I know her, her name is Liao Qing. I happened to see her several times, she has a child, it’s quite pitiful."

Lu Zhanguo squinted his eyes and examined Liao Qing from top to bottom. He never believed in coincidences. He felt that every coincidence would have an inevitable result. It was always intentional.

Gu Xiaobei continued, "Also, Liao Qing insisted the child call me aunt."

Lu Zhanguo always thought quickly. Gu Xiaodong, Liu Mei, Liao Qing, a child... did these people have any connection? "Perhaps she wants to acknowledge you as her niece. It’s getting late, let’s go home." Lu Zhanguo changed the subject.

Gu Xiaobei also agreed they should go home quickly. The mosquitoes were rampant after the rain, and she felt like her exposed arms and legs had been bitten with several bumps in the short period of time.

Looking at Lu Zhanguo next to her who didn’t seem to react, she asked, "Aren’t you getting bitten by mosquitoes?"

"I’m used to it, I don’t feel their bites." Lu Zhanguo thought of the times he had been submerged in swamps and mud pits for training, where the mosquitoes were much larger and more poisonous, joking that three mosquitoes were enough for a plate.

Gu Xiaobei rubbed the bumps on her arm and rolled her eyes. This man was really thick-skinned, used to everything.

"The more you scratch, the itchier it gets. When we get home, rinse it off with cold water and apply some old-fashioned Mosquito lotion." Lu Zhanguo suggested.

Gu Xiaobei wished she had some mosquito repellent or mosquito spray. At this time in history, the old-fashioned Mosquito lotion was the cure-all: it could relieve itching, prevent heat rash, be used as an air freshener, and even as perfume.

As for Liu Mei, she didn’t snap back to reality until Liao Qing left with the child. Then she slowly made her way home. Chen Qiumei was watching TV on the sofa, not bothering to spare her a glance when she walked in.

Liu Mei didn’t say a word. She entered the bedroom and saw Gu Xiaodong leaning against the bedhead reading the newspaper. Seeing Liu Mei, Gu Xiaodong asked, "Why are you back so late? Where did you go? Have you had dinner yet?"

Liu Mei glanced at Gu Xiaodong and said, "I’ve eaten. In a few days, you should bring your dad here too. I see your mom is lonely being here by herself every day."

"My dad might not want to come. He can’t bear to leave his opera friends." Gu Xiaodong’s father was a drama enthusiast and often went out to rehearse.

"Discuss it with your mom. Xiaobei is also here, how nice it would be for the whole family to stay together?" Liu Mei suggested.

"Okay, I will talk to my mom about it later. But my dad’s temper isn’t very good, you should..." Gu Xiaodong thought about his parents’ tempers and felt a headache coming on.

"Mmm, I know, don’t worry, I will try to meet their expectations." Liu Mei smiled faintly.

Looking at the ordinary face in front of him, when she laughed like that, Gu Xiaodong thought she was quite charming.

"Liu Mei, thank you." Gu Xiaodong said sincerely in that moment.

"You don’t need to thank me. As long as we can live a good life together, that’s enough." Liu Mei calmly responded.

A common sentence, yet it gave Gu Xiaodong palpitations. After all, he had a guilty conscience and always feared that Liu Mei would discover something. He had to make arrangements for Liao Qing and her son as soon as possible, lest more complications arise.

Lu Zhanguo also suspected a relationship between these people. He planned to visit Shen Heng to discuss. Although he was currently on vacation at home, there were things that weren’t convenient for him to handle personally.

With her wet hair spread out for Lu Zhanguo to dry, Gu Xiaobei laid on the sofa with a plate of cucumber slices, her neck rested on the wooden armrest.

Lu Zhanguo crouched there drying her hair as she placed cucumber slices on her face, slipping a slice into her mouth every now and then.

"What are you doing this for?" Lu Zhanguo asked curiously.

With her eyes closed and cucumber slices on her eyelids, Gu Xiaobei hummed, "I want to stay young and beautiful forever so that you won’t be tempted to stray."

Lu Zhanguo was silent for a while before saying, "I won’t." His rough hands with their callouses moved through her soft hair, giving him a heartwarming and tickling sensation.

Gu Xiaobei remembered something and, not daring to open her mouth too wide, she hummed, "I received a call at the company once. The person spoke Italian."

Startled, Lu Zhanguo’s hand stopped as he asked seriously, "Does anyone else know?"

"No, I was alone in the office that morning. The person on the phone said ’The ship docks at 10 pm’ and then hung up." Gu Xiaobei sat up abruptly and pulled off the cucumber slices on her face as she spoke.

Sitting next to Gu Xiaobei with a furrowed brow, Lu Zhanguo said, "You can guess some things, and there are some things that I cannot explain. If you can’t handle it, you should quit your job.

Gu Xiaobei held Lu Zhanguo’s hand and said, "Okay, I’ll go back with you after you finish this vacation."

Lu Zhanguo frowned, realizing she was still planning to go to work for a few days. He was somewhat at ease, knowing that he was also in T City recently. Moreover, it was impossible to persuade Gu Xiaobei otherwise.

Gu Xiaobei threw herself into Lu Zhanguo, rubbing his face and said, "I promise I\’ll be alright. I still want to spend my life with you."

Lu Zhanguo held her hand and instructed, "You need to be careful, don’t be too curious. Discuss any problems with me when you come back." Lu Zhanguo felt like everything was about to resurface.

"I know." Gu Xiaobei agreed verbally, but in her heart, she said, ’You don’t even know I climb trees at night for investigation. If you knew, you would be scared.’

Looking at the evasive expression on Gu Xiaobei’s face, Lu Zhanguo shook his head. How brave could this girl be? Why doesn’t she know how to be scared?

This time, Gu Xiaobei had other plans. If she could use her language proficiency to get some useful information, especially from Ling Yun? She felt that he had been a bit off since that night. Maybe it was just her imagination. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She always felt that Ling Yun’s recent enthusiasm was polite but distant. If Lu Zhanguo knew what she was thinking, he would definitely lock her up at home and not let her go to work.