Back To The 80s

Chapter 245: Chapter 255: Greed (An extra Chapter for 6000 recommendation votes)_1

Guo Huaqiang loved the army. He felt he would be of no use if he ever left it. After weighing it for a long time, he finally bit the bullet and reported Lu Zhanguo.

He believed that Lu Zhanguo, due to his familial background with his father holding a high-ranking military position, and his capability as he always came first in the military assessments every year, would still rise through the ranks without further education.

But this selfish act had led to his relationship with Lu Zhanguo plummeting to the lowest point.

In hindsight, he thought how foolish he had been. Even if Lu Zhanguo had minor issues, his superiors would not let him go to the military academy easily. In the end, he put all the blame on Xiangmin.

Their relationship had been freezing since he last hit Xiangmin. Xiangmin, a vengeful person, hadn’t spoken a single word to Guo Huaqiang since she woke up.

Guo Huaqiang has been living in the barracks lately, occasionally coming back to check on his child. Ding Guihua had also packed up her things and returned to her hometown. His life now was even more desolate than a bachelor’s.

This morning, seeing Lu Zhanguo return back to the barracks and just give him a perfunctory greeting, Guo Huaqiang felt an intensified sense of loss.

They had both fought on the same battlefield, faced life and death together, and should have been friends for life. Yet due to his own selfish desires, it had come to this point.

Upon working late in the office, he finally couldn’t handle it anymore and went to find Lu Zhanguo to explain.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Guo Huaqiang asked, feeling awkward.

Lu Zhanguo nodded: "Come in and sit."

Seeing Guo Huaqiang looking like he had something to say, Gu Xiaobei smiled at him and went into the inner room.

Guo Huaqiang didn’t know where to start. After an idefinite pause, he finally spoke, "Do you have any alcohol? Let’s have a couple drinks."

Lu Zhanguo raised his eyebrows and went into the room to bring out a bottle of sorghum liquor prepared for the New Year, handing it to Guo Huaqiang.

Guo Huaqiang unscrewed the bottle cap and placed two teacups in front of them. He poured half a bottle into each and lifted a teacup, gulping down half of it as if it were plain water.

After putting the cup down, he was silent for a while before managing to get out, "Lu, I’m sorry."

Lu Zhanguo lifted his cup, took a sip and said indifferently, "Let’s not talk about the past."

"Lu, considering all our years together, what do you think of me as a person? This all happened because I let my greed cloud my judgment," Guo Huaqiang said, sounding rather defensive.

Lu Zhanguo lifted his cup lightly touching his with Guo Huaqiang’s, "Come on, drink up. The past is the past. We have a long life ahead of us."

Seeing that Lu Zhanguo didn’t even mention the word ’forgive’, Guo Huaqiang felt a sense of urgency. He finished off the rest of the drink before he continued, "Lu, I don’t want us to have this grudge between us. It’s making me emotionally distressed."

Lu Zhanguo stared intently at Guo Huaqiang and replied slowly, "If you knew it would cause such trouble, you shouldn’t have done it to begin with. What if it becomes an unresolvable issue?"

"I let my craving for promotion cloud my judgment. You know how much I love being a soldier. Now, with the military cutbacks almost certain, if I can’t get promoted this year, I may very well be among the first to be let go," Guo Huaqiang said, clearly in pain and conflict.

Lu Zhanguo remained unmoved. Guo Huaqiang had already been put on his blacklist: a colleague he can work with, but never one he could fully trust again.

Seeing that Lu Zhanguo remained silent, Guo Huaqiang continued, "I also know that if it wasn’t for you shielding me from that bullet, I would have lost my life on the battlefield long ago...."

Lu Zhanguo raised his hand to cut him off, "I’ve already said, let’s not talk about the past anymore. It’s pointless. Let’s look forward. As for the cutbacks, there seems to be a trend indeed, but nothing’s certain as of now. Don’t overthink it. Just handle your family affairs and focus on your work."

He also heard from Gu Xiaobei that day about the recent happenings in the hospital.

Upon hearing this, Guo Huaqiang let out a sigh. "I’m afraid I won’t be able to get my family matters sorted out."

Lu Zhanguo said nothing and just scowled. Guo Huaqiang sat for a while, found it dull, and excused himself to leave.

Only then did Gu Xiaobei come out from the room. Seeing that Lu Zhanguo looked rather upset, she walked over and sat down next to him. "What happened? Why did Guo apologize?"

"It’s nothing, just some work-related issues." Lu Zhanguo looked at Gu Xiaobei, softened his expression, and touched her face, "You haven’t even taken a nap. Go to bed early tonight."

"What about you? What are you going to do?" Gu Xiaobei asked.

"I’m going to head to the battalion for a bit. I’ll be back soon. You go wash up and sleep." Upon seeing Gu Xiaobei’s curious wide-eyed expression, he couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss her on her cheek.

After Lu Zhanguo finished tidying up the dishes and left, Gu Xiaobei was about to wash up and to bed when Qu Yan showed up with a plate of dumplings.

Still processing, Gu Xiaobei was surprised by Qu Yan’s sudden enthusiasm.

"Sister-in-law, have you guys eaten yet? I made some dumplings at home and thought you might need the nourishment since you’re pregnant, so I brought them over," Qu Yan said with a smile, but there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes. How did she miss Lu Zhanguo again?

Gu Xiaobei politely responded, "We already ate. You don’t have to be so formal next time."

"It’s no trouble. We’re all in the same community. Shouldn’t we look out for each other? Isn’t the squad leader at home? Let’s have him try the dumplings," Qu Yan casually glanced over to the door to the inner room as she spoke.

Gu Xiaobei looked at Qu Yan suspiciously. Why did she blush when she mentioned Lu Zhanguo?

"He’s not home. He had some business at the battalion. Please, take a seat," Gu Xiaobei said carefully. After all, Qu Yan was a married woman, and her own husband was no shiny gem. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions hastily.

Qu Yan was disappointed. She had taken the time to carefully dress up before leaving her house. Without an eyebrow pencil, she made do by drawing her eyebrows with a burnt matchstick. She even curled her bangs with a hot tong.

All that was to make Lu Zhanguo see her beauty. In her view, Gu Xiaobei, pregnant and out of shape, was no match for her. And men, after all, would not resist an opportunity that came knocking at their door.

Qu Yan concealed her disappointment and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, why don’t you try some now? The dumplings are getting cold. I could heat them up for you."

"No need, I ate a lot for dinner. Just leave them there. I’ll eat them tomorrow morning." Gu Xiaobei quickly stopped Qu Yan’s overzealous actions.

Qu Yan sat down without any hurry. Instead, she started a conversation with Gu Xiaobei.

"Sister-in-law, have you prepared the baby’s clothes yet?"

Gu Xiaobei nodded, "Yes, everything’s prepared. I just need to make a small quilt."

"Why don’t I help you with the small quilt?" Qu Yan quickly interjected.

"That’s not necessary. It’s just two small quilts, and it’s getting warmer, so it won’t take long to make them. I was planning to move to the new house before starting to make them," Gu Xiaobei said cautiously, reminding herself of the adage ’beware of Greeks bearing gifts’, and maintaining caution with Qu Yan.

As they were talking, Lu Zhanguo returned. Seeing Qu Yan there, he was a bit puzzled, wondering why she was there again.

As soon as Qu Yan saw Lu Zhanguo, she quickly stood up and greeted him with what she thought was a charming smile, "Squad leader, you’re back."