Back To The 80s

Chapter 280: Chapter 290: The Way Back (Additional Chapter for 560 Monthly Tickets)_1

After hanging up the phone with Gu Xiaobei, Jiang Jiahua was lost in thought. The day before yesterday, Jiang Jiayan had stormed home in tears complaining that he had given away their wedding home to another family to live in.

Jiang Jiayan had exaggeratedly told their mother that Gu Xiaobei was suffering from a severe illness and that his living in the new home brought bad luck. Upon hearing this, their mother, naturally unwilling, had dragged Jiang Jiahua to the new house to evict the Gu family.

Furious, Jiang Jiahua retorted fiercely, warning her not to trouble the Gu family or he would abandon their own. His mother, having only him to depend on for her old age, kept her complaints to herself. And thus, the matter was resolved.

Now, receiving a call from Gu Xiaobei saying that they were about to move out, he assumed that it was due to Jiang Jiayan’s actions and felt guilty. He planned to visit them after work. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Gu Xiaobei asked Lu Zhanguo to watch the children as she packed their luggage, separating things they needed to take with them and those to be left at Liu Hongbing’s place. She even meticulously scrubbed the kitchen stove with soda ash, feeling guilty as she remembered that this was Jiang Jiahua’s new home.

By the time Jiang Jiahua arrived with a bag full of apples, Gu Xiaobei and her family had finished packing and were ready to leave.

Gu Xiaobei was dressing the children in cotton coats when Jiang Jiahua awkwardly apologized, "Sorry about everything. You don’t need to take my sister’s words to heart, or rush to move out."

Gu Xiaobei politely smiled and responded, "We’re going back to my mother-in-law’s place in Capital City. So, Editor Jiang, there’s no need to blame yourself."

Not knowing what more to say, a smiling Jiang Jiahua offered, "Do you need any help? Let me take you all to the train station."

Lu Zhanguo, holding Xiaopang at his side, politely replied, "No need to trouble yourself. My comrade will come to take us. We’re sorry for all the inconvenience we’ve caused you during our stay here. When we come back from Capital City, we’ll treat you to a meal."

"No need to be polite." Jiang Jiahua tersely replied before running out of words. Gu Xiaobei was puzzled by the unusually artificial polite tone of her husband.

Fortunately, Liu Hongbing and his friend soon arrived, breaking the awkward tension. Jiang Jiahua helped them carry their stuff downstairs. Just before boarding the car, Gu Xiaobei turned to say, "Editor Jiang, I left fifty yuan under the mattress as rent. Please remember to take it."

Already too late to refuse, all Jiang Jiahua could do was to sadly nod his head and bid farewell to Gu Xiaobei and her family.

Thanks to the help from Liu Hongbing and his friend, Gu Xiaobei and Lu Zhanguo, each holding a child, managed to squeeze onto the crowded train.

Gu Xiaobei, who had even brought a sheet from home, used it to cover her side of the bunk, making it more convenient to breastfeed her children. At night, she first fed Mo Wang until he was full, then let Lu Zhanguo cradle Mo Wang to sleep while she slept holding Xiaopang.

Overall, the children behaved well during the journey except when they needed to poop, causing displeasure among the other passengers in the carriage. Gu Xiaobei felt embarrassed, but it was something she couldn’t control.

Xiaopang, who ate a lot, pooped a lot, at least twice a day, coinciding either with lunch or dinner. The young man in the upper bunk was unwilling to suffer through the smell and cursed, "Dammit! It’s like living in a toilet, can’t one live in peace?"

Gu Xiaobei smiled apologetically, "Sorry, the kids are young and it’s troublesome to take them out. But please bear with us."

While those with kids could understand her predicament, the young man didn’t seem to accept this reason and continued to complain. "If you know what it’s like, then stay at home. It’s just disgusting how it happens every day."

Lu Zhanguo’s face turned dark as he coldly gazed at the young man in the upper bunk. However, Gu Xiaobei still managed a smile, "We don’t want it to be this way, either. It’s just that we had no option but to travel. Also, comrade, please avoid using foul language."

The young man became offended and jumped down from the bunk to argue with Gu Xiaobei standing in the aisle. However, he suddenly noticed Lu Zhanguo, holding a child, staring daggers at him. Feeling deflated, he huffed and walked away.

Gu Xiaobei again apologized to the others in the carriage, feeling that traveling with a young child was indeed inconvenient.

To her relief, the young man quieted down upon his return. Lu Zhanguo watched him go back to his bunk and spotted the glint of a trained, but rogue spirit in the young man’s agile movements.

The train arrived late at midnight. A chilling northwest wind blew outside as they got off at Capital City. Gu Xiaobei carefully wrapped the children in the blanket to shield them from the cold, but she was worried about their luggage. With each of them holding a child, how were they supposed to carry three pieces of luggage?

Unexpectedly, Lu Aiguo came to meet them at the platform. Ever since he heard from Liu Hongbing that they were coming, he had been excitedly waiting for them. After work, he had borrowed a car and driven straight to the train station.

"The train was delayed quite a bit, huh? I’ve been waiting in this cold northwest wind for a while now," Lu Aiguo said with a smirk, picking up their three bags.

"You should have waited in the waiting room since the train was supposed to arrive in the evening," Gu Xiaobei responded feeling guilty.

Lu Zhanguo carefully wrapped their daughter, along with her blanket, inside his heavy coat to protect her from the wind. Gu Xiaobei had to turn Mo Wang’s face into her chest to shield him from the wind.

Curious, Lu Aiguo asked, "Do the siblings look alike? Our dad knew you guys were coming back, so he asked us to come and stay as well. He said we will stay as long as you guys are here. By the way, Brother, I heard you got injured. Is it serious?"

Out of everything that Lu Aiguo had babbled about, Gu Xiaobei only honed in on one thing: they would be living with the entire family in the upcoming days.

Lu Zhanguo intervened, "Let’s get home first before we discuss anything. The wind is too strong, we don’t want the children to get cold."

Lu Aiguo was pleasantly surprised. His brother really seemed to have developed a caring, fatherly aura.

When they reached home in the early morning hours, Lu Songyuan was also waiting in the living room. Seeing Lu Zhanguo and Gu Xiaobei enter with their children, he eagerly remarked, "Are the kids asleep? Put them on the couch quickly, I want to see them."

This was the first time Gu Xiaobei had met her father-in-law, Lu Songyuan, since arriving in this timeline. While her husband and his brother clearly took after their father’s appearance, she had expected Lu Songyuan to be strict and stern, not so amiable and approachable. This eased her worries a bit.

However, when she heard Lu Songyuan suggest putting the children on the couch, she instinctively glanced at Wen Xiuqing. Standing by the sofa, Wen Xiuqing showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, was that a hint of expectation in her eyes?