Back To The 80s

Tian Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Our formal name is Liu Kun, but we call him Jiajia."

Gu Xiaobei laughed, "Why have they given us a girl’s name, Jiajia?"

Tian Yuanyuan, who had a cheerful disposition, smiled and said, "When I was pregnant, everyone said I was carrying a girl. So, I just gave him a girl’s name. Who knew I would give birth to a naughty boy? But I was too lazy to change the name, so I call him Jiajia, it was actually his grandpa who gave him the formal name."

Gu Xiaobei looked at little Jiajia with sympathy - this would subject him to so many jokes in the future. However, he forgot that his own daughter also has an unusual nickname.

Seeing Lu Zhanguo, Liu Hongbing asked with concern, "How are you doing with your recovery?"

"Almost all recovered, have a seat." Lu Zhanguo pulled a chair over for Liu Hongbing and placed it by the heated brick bed.

Gu Xiaobei told Tian Yuanyuan to put Jiajia on the bed. He then introduced them to his children–the girl outside and the boy inside.

Just then, Mo Wang and Xiaopang woke up. Xiaopang was sitting there munching on his little hands, at which Jiajia, upon getting on the bed, spotted two moving "toys". He wriggled over with surprising speed and bit Xiaopang’s cheek, finding the pale, tender little ball tempting to taste.

Seeing this, Liu Hongbing laughed and said, "In the future, let your daughter marry into our family, I promise she won’t be treated poorly."

Before Lu Zhanguo could say anything, he quickly picked up his precious daughter, afraid that she might take advantage of her again. This teasing remark had everyone laughing again.

Gu Xiaobei told Tian Yuanyuan with a smile, "You guys take a seat. I’ll go and finish up the rest of the dumplings with Chunling. We’ll start dinner soon."

Hearing this, Tian Yuanyuan responded, "We’ll group together. Let the two new dads look after the children." With that, she followed Gu Xiaobei into the kitchen, leaving the three kids in the care of their fathers.

While making the dumplings and chatting, Tian Yuanyuan asked Gu Xiaobei, "Since your husband, Lu, has been injured, there must be changes to his work. Will this impact his future training?"

Gu Xiaobei, realizing that she had overlooked this, pondered for a moment and said, "I’m not sure, but if he isn’t allowed to train, he’s likely to be frustrated."

"I’ve heard from my husband that after the New Year, your husband and mine were supposed to be transferred together to a new division in the provincial city. However, it is doubtful if they can still move together after this. If they do, we will be neighbors then." Tian Yuanyuan excitedly said.

However, Ge Chunling’s face masked a light sadness as she sighed, "It would be nice if we could all be together. We’re probably doomed to go back to our hometown."

Gu Xiaobei consoled, "Aren’t all these just hearsays? No point pondering too much about it."

Tian Yuanyuan, catching a glimpse of the situation, reassured her, "Yes, things in the army are unpredictable. All these are not certain."

In the bedroom, Lu Zhanguo was holding his daughter and refused to put her down. Liu Jiajia turned around and crawled toward Mo Wang. Sitting up, he playfully beat on Mo Wang’s belly. Liu Hongbing, worried that the little ones might be too heavy-handed, quickly brought his son back. Liu Jiajia wasn’t happy about that and started crying while looking at Xiaopang, who was in Lu Zhanguo’s arms. He then tried to approach them again.

From the kitchen, Tian Yuanyuan heard her son’s cry and helplessly said, "My son is particularly prone to crying. Slightly upset and he cries, really not like a boy."

Gu Xiaobei, laughing, commented, "Isn’t this the age when children are supposed to cry? He’ll be fine when he grows up. My Xiaopang also cries a lot."

Tian Yuanyuan sighed, "You don’t understand, my son, I don’t know who he takes after, he can cry for half a day over the smallest thing and is especially sensitive."

"Don’t set such high expectations for an eight-month-old baby." Gu Xiaobei didn’t understand why Tian Yuanyuan would describe such a small baby as sensitive. In her view, what mattered most to a toddler was to be well-fed, well-dressed, and healthy.

"I hope that he gets better as he grows older and not continue to be as delicate as a girl. I wonder if it’s because I gave him a wrong name?" After Tian Yuanyuan finished saying this, all three of them burst out laughing.

After dinner, Liu Hongbing took Tian Yuanyuan and their son home. Resting against the quilt, Lu Zhanguo thought about what Liu Hongbing had said at dinner. If he was transferred to the provincial city after the New Year, he would be joining the elite forces of the G Army District. However, due to his current physical condition, he wasn’t sure whether he would pass the assessment.

After Gu Xiaobei helped Ge Chunling clean up the kitchen and entered the room, she saw Lu Zhanguo looking thoughtful and worried.

Walking over with concern, she sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, "What’s wrong? You’re frowning so hard."

Lu Zhanguo sat up, afraid of waking the children on the side and softly replied, "It’s nothing, just some work issues."

Recalling what Tian Yuanyuan had said while they were making dumplings, Gu Xiaobei asked, "Is it because you can’t be transferred to the provincial city?"

Lu Zhanguo was surprised that Gu Xiaobei knew about this, and responded, "It’s still uncertain, I need a health check-up and an assessment."

"Are you worried that your health won’t pass the assessment?" Gu Xiaobei held Lu Zhanguo’s hand, expressing his concerns.

Lu Zhanguo fell silent. He was indeed concerned about his health. While he didn’t care about his position, he did love his career.

Seeing that Lu Zhanguo didn’t respond, Gu Xiaobei gently said, "You just need to recover well, there should be no problems. And don’t forget, miracles do happen."

Lu Zhanguo caressed Gu Xiaobei’s face. The fact that he had survived was already a miracle, how could he dare to hope for another one?

As Lu Zhanguo touched Gu Xiaobei’s soft, smooth skin, and appeared to be about to kiss her, at that moment, Lu Xiaopang woke up and started crying loudly. Lu Zhanguo was startled and quickly let go of Gu Xiaobei.

Gu Xiaobei giggled, crawled towards her daughter and picked her up, thinking how her daughter always had a way of reading the situation accurately.

The following day after dinner, Liu Hongbing came over to take Ge Chunling to the train station. Gu Xiaobei, who had to look after the two kids, did not accompany them to the station.

Only after Ge Chunling had left did Gu Xiaobei realize how important it was to have an extra pair of hands. Every day, she had to get up early to buy groceries, then come back to clean, tidy up the house, cook, and wash a pile of nappies and clothes.

Every time Lu Zhanguo tried to help, Gu Xiaobei would stop him.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei working tirelessly like a top, Lu Zhanguo suggested hiring a nanny to help. But after thinking about it, Gu Xiaobei decided against it. At that time, there were no nanny agencies, so she wouldn’t know where to find a nanny. And if they didn’t get along, Gu Xiaobei would be even more tired.

And so, their busy days continued until mid-November. Lu Zhanguo was almost healed, but had almost harmed his heart in the process, so he still needed a period of rest and recuperation.

Gu Xiaobei was also busy. Every day she found time to write a bit, and every little helps. Moreover, living in the provincial city was more expensive.

Lu Zhanguo, thinking that he needed another two to three months to recover, discussed with Gu Xiaobei about going back home.

Gu Xiaobei, who was sprawled across a low table on the bed writing, heard Lu Zhanguo’s proposal, thought about it, and said, "Let’s go back to Capital City."