Back To The 80s

Chapter 246: Chapter 256: Messy Cat (Additional content for 4002 monthly tickets)_1

Gu Xiaobei quietly observed Qu Yan, not missing the fleeting blush on her face. The idea of Qu Yan throwing herself at Lu Zhanguo was amusing to her. It was as if Qu Yan was flirting with a stone.

When Lu Zhanguo nodded slightly, Qu Yan decided to pull back a bit. She turned to Gu Xiaobei and said while smiling, "Well, sister-in-law, since the squad leader is back, I should get going."

"Wait a minute, let me clear this plate for you, so you won’t have to make another trip tomorrow." Gu Xiaobei said with a grin.

Qu Yan paused, nodded hurriedly, "It’s not far, making another trip is no biggie." But inwardly, she was a bit annoyed to lose an excuse to return.

After Qu Yan left with the plate, Gu Xiaobei, supporting her waist, murmured to herself, "Spring has come again, and the cats are in heat."

"Is there any cat in heat in our yard? I don’t think we have any cats?" Lu Zhanguo asked, puzzled.

Gu Xiaobei answered with a mysterious grin, "Some cats don’t make noises when they’re in heat." Seeing Lu Zhanguo still didn’t get it, she laughed, "Alright, let’s get ready for bed."

Gu Xiaobei wasn’t worried about what Qu Yan might do, because Qu Yan was out of her league. And Gu Xiaobei wouldn’t tell Lu Zhanguo about it since he was as dull as wood when it came to emotions.

Reflecting over what Sun Aiqin had said during the New Year about Qu Yan having an affair back in her hometown, Gu Xiaobei realized that Qu Yan was indeed trouble. She had a natural charm that attracted trouble wherever she went.

Lu Zhanguo who didn’t understand what Gu Xiaobei found funny obediently fetched water, letting Gu Xiaobei freshen up.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Zhanguo went to the barracks to drive. Gu Xiaobei rummaged around at home but couldn’t find a suitable coat to wear. Her sweaters could be stretched to fit, but her winter coats couldn’t close over her belly, leaving it completely exposed.

"Why bother? I’ll just get by with what I have. Buying new clothes doesn’t seem like a good deal. But I should probably get some elastic waistband sweatpants. The current ones can’t be buttoned up and I’ve had to use a red cloth belt to hold them up. If my waist gets bigger, even this won’t work."

Upon seeing Gu Xiaobei’s exposed belly, Lu Zhanguo was worried, "Aren’t you cold? If necessary, you could wear my military coat and buy a new one in the city later."

"Settling graciously into the car, Gu Xiaobei laughed and replied, "The cold won’t last long. It’s no big deal. Plus, if I wear your coat, it would swallow me whole."

"Then let me go get a blanket to cover your belly," Lu Zhanguo said. Without waiting for a response from Gu Xiaobei, he dashed back home to fetch the blanket.

Sitting in the passenger’s seat, Gu Xiaobei to caught sight of Qu Yan approaching from a distance. She thought amusingly, "life truly is full of surprises".

When Qu Yan walked up to the car door, she looked at Gu Xiaobei and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, where are you guys heading?"

Deciding to tease Qu Yan, Gu Xiaobei replied with a smirk, "Why are you up so early? Did you come to help Xiangmin watch the kids?"

Caught off guard, Qu Yan hurriedly nodded, "Yes, I came to see if my sister needed any help."

"You seem to have a good relationship with your sister. You should go check on her now. Xiangmin has to take care of the child all by herself and I don’t know if she’s had breakfast or not," Gu Xiaobei mischievously retorted.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Qu Yan wished she had gotten a lift from Lu Zhanguo. She harboured hopes of striking up a conversation with him. She had seen Lu Zhanguo’s car parked outside and Gu Xiaobei getting in, so she hurried over.

However, before she could request a lift, Gu Xiaobei had quietly managed to block her. She had no other choice but to agree, "Yes, she’s too busy taking care of the baby to even have a hot meal."

After fetching the blanket, Lu Zhanguo entered the car without acknowledging Qu Yan’s presence. He covered Gu Xiaobei’s belly with the blanket before announcing, "We are ready to go."

Gu Xiaobei said to Qu Yan with a smile, "We are leaving now. You should hurry up as well." With that, she rolled up the window and the car set off.

Qu Yan watched the car disappear into the distance. She was taken aback by Lu Zhanguo’s nonchalant attitude toward her, causing her to feel more unsatisfied.

Back home, all the men seemed to fall head over heels for her - all it took was a single seductive glance from her. She convinced herself that it was Gu Xiaobei’s presence that was keeping Lu Zhanguo at bay. So, she decided to approach Lu Zhanguo when Gu Xiaobei was not around.

While Lu Zhanguo was driving, he noticed Gu Xiaobei had been laughing non-stop ever since they had left the barracks front gate.

"What’s so funny?" he finally asked.

"Hmm, let me ask you something, would you still care for me if I still had the same personality as before and hadn’t changed?" Gu Xiaobei asked curiously, raising her eyebrows.

Lu Zhanguo glanced at her, answering simply and definitively: "There are no ifs."

Gu Xiaobei shoed away a playful pout, continuing to ask: "What if I looked different from now, would you still like me?"

This time, Lu Zhanguo’s answer was slightly extended: "This assumption is invalid."

Gu Xiaobei leaned back on her seat, laughing: "Lu Zhanguo, you’re really not cute like this."

Lu Zhanguo was concentrating on driving. After quite a while, he finally spoke: "That word is not suitable for me."

"Pfft!" Gu Xiaobei burst out laughing, "Right, the word ’cute’ doesn’t suit you, you are more suited to be called ’repressed.’"

Lu Zhanguo didn’t understand the meaning of ’repressed,’ but it didn’t sound like a complimentary word going by what it probably meant in terms of literal translation, so he decided to remain silent and let Gu Xiaobei have her laugh.

The road was clear of snow at this hour, and they were making good time. In a little over two hours, they had reached the city.

"Do you feel uncomfortable?" Worried that sitting for too long might make Gu Xiaobei’s stomach feel uncomfortable, he asked.

"Not that delicate, you take me to buy some meat first, then drop me off at Qin Li’s house." Gu Xiaobei suggested.

"Okay, but I might be a little late picking you up in the afternoon." As Lu Zhanguo drove towards the market, he informed her.

"Sure, I’m in no rush. Just be careful while driving," Gu Xiaobei said. The way she said it made her feel like a caring wife.

After they had bought some meat and fish, they noticed there were chives for sale at the market, so they bought 2 kilograms of that as well. Gu Xiaobei suggested, "Should we buy double so we can give one portion to Qin Li’s family and one to Aunt Jin?"

"Sure, you decide what to buy," Lu Zhanguo said as he stood behind her, guarding her against the onrushing crowd.

After having dropped Gu Xiaobei off and helped her upstairs, he drove off to Canger Cliff.

Gu Xiaobei first visited Zhuang Shuxian. Only Zhuang Shuxian was home as Jiujiu was at school.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei, Zhuang Shuxian was astonished, "Wasn’t she only five months pregnant? How could her belly be so big?"

"The baby must be taking in all the nutrients. I have been eating a lot, but haven’t gained much weight," Gu Xiaobei laughed.

Assessing Gu Xiaobei from head to toe, Zhuang Shuxian expressed her worry, "You should eat less. If you continue like this, your baby may grow too big and you’ll suffer during delivery."

Gu Xiaobei was a bit confused; "Shouldn’t that be fine?"

"The baby grows rapidly in the last two months, changing every day. Judging from the size of your stomach now, it is going to be much bigger. Considering your current size, the baby might weigh around eight or nine pounds at birth," Zhuang Shuxian predicted after evaluating Gu Xiaobei’s stomach.