Back To The 80s-Chapter 89 - 88: Night Visit_1

When Lu Zhanguo came home, the faint twilight had already set in. Gu Xiaobei had already prepared dinner, and was at the table translating documents while waiting for him to come home for dinner.

Lu Zhanguo found this feeling very heartwarming. Seeing Lu Zhanguo entering the door, Gu Xiaobei’s face immediately lit up with a smile, "You’re finally back, quick, wash your hands and let’s eat. I’m so hungry my stomach’s about to cave in."

Lu Zhanguo looked at her warmly, "You can start eating, you don’t have to wait for me."

Gu Xiaobei cheerfully washed her hands and started serving the food, then said, "Watching you eat makes the food taste especially delicious."

Lu Zhanguo was flabbergasted, what kind of analogy was that? Was he a chili oil dish that went well with rice?

For dinner, Gu Xiaobei made scallion pancakes and had prepared mung bean soup earlier in the afternoon. It had been chilling in a basin of cold water, which she changed several times, so it was refreshingly cold now. She also made a dish of scrambled eggs with chili and a cucumber salad. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Upon seeing the scrambled eggs with chili, Lu Zhanguo frowned, "Didn’t I tell you to eat less chili?"

Gu Xiaobei nonchalantly replied, "The chili was made for you. I only eat the eggs inside."

She served Lu Zhanguo a bowl of mung bean soup and then sat down, eating the chili without missing a bite. Seeing Lu Zhanguo about to say something, she chuckled and said, "For some reason, the chili just keeps finding its way onto my chopsticks."

Lu Zhanguo, who was drinking the mung bean soup, nearly choked. Could this girl’s skin get any thicker?

Halfway through dinner, Shen Heng arrived. Gu Xiaobei looked at the food that was almost finished and got up to make some more, glad that they had an abundance of food at home.

Shen Heng waved her off, "There’s no need, sister-in-law. I’ve already eaten."

Seeing Shen Heng insist, Gu Xiaobei didn’t argue with him and just served him a bowl of mung bean soup, then asked, "Where’s Yuan Tan?"

"She’s probably got a bit of heat exhaustion. She went straight to bed after skipping dinner." Shen Heng said as he sat down.

Lu Zhanguo put down his chopsticks and said to Shen Heng, "Didn’t you want to discuss something with Xiaobei? Speak up."

Shen Heng looked at Gu Xiaobei and asked, "Sister-in-law, did you notice anything unusual when you were at Fuhai?"

Gu Xiaobei thought about it and said, "Have I ever told you about the peculiar crates at Fuhai?" She couldn’t remember if she had discussed this matter with Lu Zhanguo before.

"The crates are peculiar?" Shen Heng was puzzled.

Gu Xiaobei nodded, "The first time they brought in crates for the glass jars, they were made of seven-ply ’A’ type corrugated paper."

Seeing Shen Heng and Lu Zhanguo’s puzzled expressions, she explained, "Actually, three or five layers of corrugated paper would have sufficed for the outer packaging of glass products. The seven-layer ’A’ type corrugated paper meets the export standard."

Export? Shen Heng and Lu Zhanguo exchanged a glance, both remembered the batch of cultural relics.

Unaware of their thoughts, Gu Xiaobei continued, "The strangest thing was, all these crates and jars suddenly disappeared overnight."

"Disappeared?" Shen Heng was puzzled, "What do you mean they abruptly disappeared?"

"Gao Dailin said the factory needed them urgently and had them hauled off in the middle of the night. But Mr. Zhang, who lives in the security booth, and Li Hao, who lives next door to the office, didn’t hear a thing." Gu Xiaobei also couldn’t understand how all three of them could sleep so soundly they didn’t hear the noise of the trucks.

A thought flashed in Lu Zhanguo’s mind. He said to Shen Heng, "Remember what we said about Ground Evasion? Do you think there might be something under the warehouse?"

Shen Heng slapped his thigh, "Exactly, the most dangerous place is the safest. They must know we’re watching Fuhai, so Fuhai is the safest place now."

Lu Zhanguo wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Xiaobei, he decided not to.

Gu Xiaobei, unaware of these considerations, continued, "Gao Dailin has been giving Li Hao three hundred yuan a month to deliver goods to the south. Why would they give him so much?"

The more Gu Xiaobei thought about it, the stranger these things seemed.

Lu Zhanguo frowned. Li Hao was clever but never used his intelligence in the right way. It seemed he was about to be used as cannon fodder this time.

Shen Heng took out a cigarette, preparing to light it. Lu Zhanguo gave him a cold look, "If you want to smoke, go outside!" He noticed that Gu Xiaobei always choked and coughed, tearing up whenever she smelt smoke. So now, he only smoked outside before coming home.

Shen Heng stared at Lu Zhanguo as if he were a peculiar creature, thinking that marriage was frightening.

Gu Xiaobei chuckled as she lowered her head, her heart filled with an effervescent joy that seemed to be bubbling over.

After sitting for a while longer, Shen Heng prepared to leave and Lu Zhanguo showed him out.

Only after they had left the residential compound did Lu Zhanguo speak again, "Tell Jin Cheng to be careful. If there’s something going on under Fuhai, make sure he doesn’t act impulsively."

Shen Heng nodded. He took out a cigarette, placed one in his mouth, and then handed one to Lu Zhanguo. Seeing Lu Zhanguo take it, he joked, "I thought you’d given up smoking."

Lu Zhanguo gave him a cold look, lit his cigarette and said, "You better head back. Yuan Tan might start looking for you later."

"You’re still suspicious of Yuan Tan?" No matter how Shen Heng looked at her, he didn’t find Yuan Tan suspicious.

"I’m not suspicious, it’s just a critical period right now. It’s better to be cautious." Lu Zhanguo didn’t want to believe that a child from their own community could commit a grave ideological mistake.

When Shen Heng returned to the guest house, he saw Yuan Tan pacing back and forth in the dark.

"Where’ve you been?" On seeing Shen Heng return, Yuan Tan promptly asked.

"Did you need something?" Shen Heng chose not to share where he had been, but instead asked her a question in return.

"You were at Lu Zhanguo’s home, weren’t you?" Yuan Tan interrogated, somewhat infuriated.

"Yes." Shen Heng found Yuan Tan’s aggressive demeanor somewhat distasteful.

"Why didn’t you bring me along then? Didn’t I come here to see Lu Zhanguo?" Yuan Tan pouted, angry.

Shen Heng laughed in spite of himself, "Lu Zhanguo is already married, and it’s a military marriage at that. You’ve been abroad. Don’t tell me you think our country is very open-minded and people marry and divorce all willy-nilly."

Yuan Tan’s face darkened, and she glared at Shen Heng, "It’s none of your business."

"It’s indeed not my business. But I thought I’d advise you, considering we’re from the same residential compound." Shen Heng was also getting a bit irritated. This girl really didn’t listen to reason.

After saying this, he turned and walked into the guest house without looking back. Yuan Tan stomped her foot in anger.

Meanwhile, Gu Xiaobei was sitting on the bed, her eyes shining brightly as she watched Lu Zhanguo wipe his bare upper body.

She tutted inwardly. He was so well-proportioned, with his sturdy arms, firm abs, and the scars on his bronze skin, which were now damp, made him irresistibly sexy.

Lu Zhanguo felt like Gu Xiaobei’s frank stare was about to bore a hole in him. He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This girl had never been one for subtlety.

"Do you like what you see?" Lu Zhanguo suddenly asked.

"Yes, I do." Gu Xiaobei instinctively nodded.