Back To The 80s

The house was a large square, divided evenly into four smaller squares, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Each room was about the same size, and the bathroom was located between the two bedrooms.

Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but smile at the layout of the house. The difference between the master bedroom and the secondary bedroom was that the master bedroom had a large balcony.

Lu Zhanguo looked around and asked, "What do you think? Are you satisfied?"

Gu Xiaobei nodded, "I’m very satisfied. Although there are some defects in the layout and the floor is made of cement, at least it’s spacious and bright."

Gu Xiaobei looked at the secondary bedroom and said, "Let’s build a raised platform bed in this room. In the future, when our child is crawling on it, we won’t have to worry about them falling off."

"Alright, you figure out what we need to buy, and we’ll go to the city to buy them someday," agreed Lu Zhanguo.

Gu Xiaobei initially planned to buy a refrigerator and a TV. However, remembering the inconvenience caused by his last report, he was concerned about the gossip if they suddenly bought many appliances. After thinking, he said, "Just buy a sofa and coffee table. Our bed from the old house is still usable. For everything else, when the need arises, it won’t be too late to buy it then."

Lu Zhanguo agreed. He wasn’t sure how long they could live here. Buying too much furniture would be a hassle when moving.

Gu Xiaobei looked at the kitchen and suggested to Lu Zhanguo, "Let’s get a folding table. After dinner, we can stash it away, it won’t take up space. Our old Eight Immortal Table can be used as a surface table."

"Okay." Lu Zhanguo fully trusted Gu Xiaobei at this point, and he agreed no matter what she suggested.

Gu Xiaobei glanced at the walls, which had been brushed with lime and were easily marked with white if touched. She planned to buy some plain fabrics to make some wall covers.

Having decided on everything they needed to buy, Gu Xiaobei and Lu Zhanguo went to look at their vegetable plot located behind the apartment building. It was still filled with waste bricks and wood; they hadn’t cleaned it up yet.

Gu Xiaobei was quite satisfied with it. The nearby scenery was good, and the children would have a place to play in the future.

The two went for a walk around the plot before strolling back home.

When they reached the entrance of the army compound, they happened to meet Guo Huaqiang riding back home on his bike. Seeing the couple, Guo Huaqiang hopped off his bike to greet them, but he didn’t look to be in good spirits.

Seeing Guo Huaqiang’s downcast demeanor, Lu Zhanguo asked, "Aren’t you on duty? Where did you go?"

Guo Huaqiang heaved a sigh, "I went to send a telegram to my mom to have her come and care for the child."

Lu Zhanguo furrowed his brows, "You didn’t send anyone to check if Xiangmin went back to her parental home? There are always ups and downs in a couple’s life. As a political work officer, shouldn’t you be more understanding?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Guo Huaqiang shook his head with a bitter smile, "I’m a joke right now. I’ve asked Xiangyang. Xiangmin didn’t go back home, we don’t know where she went. She probably doesn’t want to be with me anymore. Let her go. Just let my mother and me raise Xinxin well." His voice carried a deep and inexplicable sorrow.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaobei felt a pang of sadness. It was tragically unfortunate for the child to lose her mother at such a young age.

Lu Zhanguo wasn’t sure what to say. "Alright, you go on. If anything comes up, just call me."

Upon hearing Lu Zhanguo’s words, Guo Huaqiang was a bit embarrassed. He nodded uncomfortably and pedaled away.

Gu Xiaobei watched Guo Huaqiang leave and wondered, "Do you think Xiangmin will return after some time? Maybe she just needed a break?"

Lu Zhanguo shook his head, "It’s hard to say. Xiangmin has a strong personality. If she left, she probably didn’t plan on coming back."

Gu Xiaobei looked seriously at Lu Zhanguo and said, "If you ever upset me and I decide to leave, you better come chasing after me as soon as possible. Because I can’t walk fast or far."

Lu Zhanguo tapped her on the head and said with a gentle laugh, "What kind of nonsense are you talking? Let’s go home. I’ll make chicken soup for you."

In the middle of April, the flowers were in full bloom, and the spring weather was perfect. They didn’t need to light the fire in the house anymore. Chen Gang came over after school at noon, bringing with him a bag of bird eggs the size of quail eggs. He seemed even blacker and taller, which made him look thinner.

Gu Xiaobei was impressed, "Where did you get so many bird eggs?"

"I took them from the cliffs by the river dam." Chen Gang felt that he was never able to repay Gu Xiaobei’s kindness. When he was fetching water by the river dam, he saw wild birds nesting on the cliffs, so he would occasionally go check for eggs as a gift for Gu Xiaobei.

Gu Xiaobei was moved but also worried, "Don’t climb the cliffs to get bird eggs anymore. It’s too dangerous."

Chen Gang smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I’m used to it. There won’t be any danger."

Gu Xiaobei still mentored Chen Gang and Dadong during lunchtime. Originally, she thought about letting Chen Gang live at her home, as it would be convenient for school and tutoring. On reconsideration, Lu Zhanguo was often not at home, and Chen Gang was already a teenager. Living together might not be appropriate, so she didn’t mention it.

By the middle of April, the weather finally stabilized. When Lu Zhanguo was off work, he planned to plant all the vegetables at home and Gu Xiaobei, having nothing else to do, decided to join him.

As they were going downstairs, they ran into Ding Guihua sitting in the courtyard sunbathing, holding her child. She seemed to have aged several years all at once. When she saw Gu Xiaobei, she greeted with a smile, "Are you going to plant vegetables?"

Gu Xiaobei stopped and smiled back, "Yes, the weather is getting warm. It’s time to plant vegetables." She couldn’t help but play with the child in Ding Guihua’s arms. Three-month-old Xinxin couldn’t interact with people yet and was just staring at Gu Xiaobei with her bright eyes.

Looking at Gu Xiaobei’s belly, Ding Guihua said, "Your belly is as big as those women who are about to give birth. You should be careful when you go up and down the stairs."

"Auntie, I’m always careful," Gu Xiaobei reassured her, knowing that Ding Guihua was a prickly person with a soft heart.

Lu Zhanguo saw them chatting and went ahead to the field with a hoe and a shovel. At the doorway, he ran into Qu Yan who was in a hurry. Upon seeing Lu Zhanguo, Qu Yan immediately composed herself, smiling at him and saying, "Squad Leader, are you going to plant vegetables?"

Gu Xiaobei heard Qu Yan’s voice. She quickly turned around and watched Qu Yan change into this calm and composed demeanor. Gu Xiaobei didn’t rush over and instead quietly observed Qu Yan’s actions.

Lu Zhanguo gave Qu Yan a cold glance. This woman seemed gentle on the surface, but the flutter in her eyes immediately put her on Lu Zhanguo’s blacklist. He just grunted an affirmative and started towards the field.

Qu Yan shouted after him, "Squad Leader, Xiangyang said that he will go to the city to look at furniture next Sunday. Do you want to come with us?"

Lu Zhanguo didn’t even turn to look at her and said coldly, "You can ask your sister-in-law about this." Then, without looking back, he continued on to the vegetable field.

Qu Yan was unhappy about this and turned to see Gu Xiaobei looking at her with a smile, which startled her. She didn’t want to reveal her intentions, so she quickly hid her ulterior motives and walked towards Gu Xiaobei.