Back To The 80s

Lu Zhanguo was a bit surprised when Gu Xiaobei suggested they return to the Capital City. It was initially his idea, but considering his mother’s attitude, he had some doubts.

Gu Xiaobei stared at Lu Zhanguo and said seriously, "The medical resources in Capital City are better. Plus, since we’re going back anyway, you can have a thorough check-up and it’s convenient to attend therapy sessions.

In addition, Mo Wang and Xiaopang are already quite old, and it’s time for us to introduce them to my parents. Even though my mother doesn’t like children, my dad does. As their children, we shouldn’t let anyone question our responsibilities."

The main intention of Gu Xiaobei was to take advantage of the better medical resources in the Capital City. Before Dr. Jin returned to T City, he had informed her that Lu Zhanguo needed therapy. She also wanted to evaluate the commercial development of the Capital City.

If Lu Zhanguo really could relocate to the provincial city in the coming year, she would definitely seize the opportunity. This was a good chance for her to learn as much as possible.

Of course, she would not tell Lu Zhanguo about this in order to spare his male pride. She didn’t want him to feel like an invalid who needs his wife to take the lead.

Listening to Gu Xiaobei’s analysis, Lu Zhanguo’s feelings shifted from shock to delight. He impulsively gave Gu Xiaobei a huge kiss across the table.

"You’re so thoughtful. You make me feel a bit ashamed," Lu Zhanguo said, his eyes focused intently on Gu Xiaobei’s face.

Gu Xiaobei smiled and said, "I have always said I am a gem." Then she expressed her concern: "Can you handle three to four days on a train?"

"No problem. The train tickets are in high demand now, but I’ll get Liu Hongbing to book them tomorrow. Hopefully we can get sleeper tickets," Lu Zhanguo replied. He wasn’t worried about himself but about his two little treasures. He was concerned the heating on the train wouldn’t be sufficient and he didn’t want them to catch a cold.

Gu Xiaobei nodded and said, "We should bring some extra diapers. There is no place to wash them on the train. If they get dirty, we can just throw them away." Talking about diapers reminded Gu Xiaobei how troublesome it would be to bring the two little ones back to the Capital City. They would have to carry extra clothes and diapers, and figure out how to feed them in public. Gu Xiaobei suddenly lost her enthusiasm for the trip.

When they had finished discussing their return to the Capital City, Gu Xiaobei began to worry about what to bring and how to deal with unexpected situations.

When the children were asleep the next day, Gu Xiaobei first called Liu Hongbing about the train tickets, then went shopping for paper for the journey and some thin cotton cloth to use as disposable diapers.

When she left the store, she saw Liao Qing again. But this time Liao Qing didn’t notice her. Liao Qing was talking to a man in his forties while walking forward.

When Gu Xiaobei saw the man’s face clearly, she was surprised. He turned out to be Zhan Hezhi, whom they had met on the train last winter. How did Zhan Hezhi know Liao Qing?

Looking at the way Liao Qing spoke to Zhan Hezhi and the smile on her face, Gu Xiaobei had a bold thought. Could Zhan Hezhi be having an extramarital affair? And is Liao Qing his lover?

Gu Xiaobei was shocked by her own bold thought. If that really was the case, Mrs. Tong would be so pitiful.

After watching the two disappear into the distance, Gu Xiaobei came back to her senses. She quickly went to the market to buy some vegetables and hurried home. She didn’t notice that she was being quietly followed by Jiang Jiayan.

Jiang Jiayan had been becoming increasingly angry these days. Never had she been so humiliated. She wanted to wait for the right opportunity to take revenge on Gu Xiaobei. She had visited the hospital but had found out that Gu Xiaobei’s husband had already been discharged. Today, unexpectedly she saw Gu Xiaobei on the street. So she quietly decided to follow her.

Jiang Jiayan followed Gu Xiaobei secretly and saw that she was entering her brother’s new apartment. Suspicion filled her mind. She rushed upstairs to check it out.

As soon as Gu Xiaobei went in and put down her groceries, she heard a thunderous knock at the door. It was so loud that the children in the room started crying.

Gu Xiaobei opened the door angrily and saw Jiang Jiayan standing there. She snapped, "What now?"

Jiang Jiayan responded with a sneer, "I never expected to see you living in my brother’s new apartment. Do you have your sights set on my brother now? Thinking of replacing your man?"

Gu Xiaobei found Jiang Jiayan’s remark quite disgusting. Hearing the crying of the two children in the room, she didn’t want to argue. She replied nonchalantly, "I’m renting this place from your brother. You better watch how you speak. If you don’t, you could end up in a burlap sack somewhere, clueless about how you got there." After that, she slammed the door.

Unable to retort, Jiang Jiayan saw Gu Xiaobei shutting the door and refused to give up. She began knocking on the door violently.

The door was opened again, and this time Lu Zhanguo, with a dark face, was standing there staring coldly at her. He said nothing.

Jiang Jiayan, under his glare, retreated a few steps, trembling with fear. She murmured, "Wait and see!" Then she turned around and ran downstairs. She was afraid that if she stayed a minute longer, Lu Zhanguo’s eyes would kill her.

Lu Zhanguo closed the door. He couldn’t believe this woman dared to slander his wife, spewing filth about her.

Gu Xiaobei was nursing Xiaopang and saw Lu Zhanguo come in with a dark face. She smiled and said, "She’s like a mad dog barking for no reason. Why are you getting angry?"

Lu Zhanguo finally said after a long pause, "When we have time, I’ll teach you some self-defence skills. If you ever meet such an unreasonable person, you can beat them up."

Gu Xiaobei was amused by Lu Zhanguo’s words, "You’re not afraid I will become a shrew, fighting all the time?"

"I am not afraid if you fight. What I’m scared of is you being bullied." Lu Zhangguo picked up Mo Wang, who was lying on his stomach, and murmured.

Liu Hongbing was very efficient and brought the train tickets for the day after tomorrow that evening, all lower berths.

"You can leave anything you can’t take with you at my place." Liu Hongbing said, looking at the bedding on the Kang bed.

Lu Zhanguo nodded and thought for a while before saying, "Once you get to the office, give Aiguo a call. Tell him when we will arrive. If he’s busy, ask him to arrange someone to pick us up."

Liu Hongbing agreed to the plan, then looked at the two children worriedly, "It’s going to be a tough journey for you guys. I’ll find someone to help you the day after tomorrow when you leave."

Lu Zhanguo didn’t refuse. With two children and a lot of luggage, it would indeed be easier to have another person help with boarding the train.

Once everything was settled, Gu Xiaobei began to prepare the food for the train journey. She sent her manuscript to the publishing house first. Even though they were in the same city, she didn’t have time to go to the publishing house herself.

She also bought a bag of milk powder in case the food on the train was too dry and there was no breast milk. Lu Zhanguo also needed to maintain his nutrition.

She prepared some dried meat and cooked some yeast pancakes. She planned to boil a dozen tea eggs and buy some apples and biscuits. She estimated that that would be enough food.

Before leaving, she called Jiang Jiahua to tell him they were going back to the Capital City and asked him to come and get the house keys.