Back To The 80s

Chapter 284: Chapter 294: Exposure (Additional update at 580 monthly tickets)_1

In the afternoon, once the two children were asleep and Gu Xiaobei was busy washing diapers, Lu Aiguo and Lu Zhanguo returned home. Xiaobei, not bothering to wipe her wet hands, anxiously asked, "How did it go? What did the doctor say?"

Aiguo replied from the side, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry, my brother’s condition is improving. The doctor said he’s recovering well. He just needs a bit more rest and rehabilitation, then he’ll be as good as normal. Regular physiotherapy would also solve his eyesight issue."

Xiaobei finally sighed in relief, the weight she was carrying in her heart finally easing.

Lu Zhanguo’s face also brightened up as he looked at Xiaobei and said, "The doctor said I could do some lightweight activities now."

Xiaobei chuckled, knowing he would be eager enough to wash diapers. Grinning, she said, "That’s great, there’s a tub full of dirty diapers in the bathroom. You can wash them but remember, no hot water, only cool water."

Lu Zhanguo nodded, went into the bathroom to wash the diapers, and as he left, Aiguo gave Xiaobei a thumbs-up for successfully managing Zhanguo.

Feeling a little bashful, Xiaobei went back into the room. She knew Zhanguo had been feeling smothered recently and it was about time she let him help, or else his masculine pride would take a serious blow.

Xiaobei intended to nap with the kids in the room, but she ended up falling asleep.

She woke up when Xiaopang snuggled against her. The light in the room had dimmed, indicating it was already late.

As she fed Xiaopang, soothing Little Mo Wang by her side, she heard a wailing sound from downstairs. It was a sound she was all too familiar with - Qin Ximei. Why were there such shameless people in the world?

If it weren’t for her duties as a mother, Xiaobei would have gone downstairs and given Qin Ximei a piece of her mind. Ever since the incident, she hadn’t had a chance to confront her.

After Qin Ximei’s failed attempt to kidnap the child, she had fled back to Capital City, but Lu Zhanguo’s threats had left her somewhat stroke-ridden, causing half her face to droop.

She had intended to sever ties with Wen Xiuqing, but complications regarding Yuan Qing’s marriage drove her to desperate measures.

Yuan Dahai suggested breaking it off if they couldn’t win over the man’s family. Qin Ximei, however, had a rotten idea - she wanted Yuan Qing to get pregnant first, thereby forcing the man’s hand in marriage. Unbelievably, Yuan Qing listened to her mother and did just that—becoming pregnant before marriage.

Even so, the man’s parents still refused Yuan Qing as their daughter-in-law. Their reasoning was simple: a woman who would go to bed with a man before marriage couldn’t be a good woman. These days, it wasn’t like the old times where they could accuse the man of being a promiscuous scoundrel. Losing one’s reputation would make it harder for Yuan Qing to get married.

With Yuan Qing visibly pregnant, Qin Ximei came up with another rotten idea—asking the Lu Family to take Yuan Qing as their foster daughter.

When Qin Ximei appeared with this proposal at the Lu Family home, she hadn’t expected Lu Zhanguo to be sitting in the living room. Struck dumb, she froze on the spot.

Lu Zhanguo shot her an icy look. The anger slowly built up inside him, making it seem like he was about to explode.

In the living room, Xiuqing was knitting. Upon seeing Qin Ximei, she barely frowned.

Qin Ximei quickly reacted, rushing to Xiuqing’s side and wailing, "Xiuqing, I’ve been too ashamed to see you lately. I had no idea my aunt’s daughter would try to steal Zhanguo’s child. If I had known, I would have intervened."

Xiuqing who was knitting paused, looked at Qin Ximei in disbelief and asked incredulously, "You wanted to steal Mo Wang?"

"No, it wasn’t me. It was Sun Erhui, my aunt’s daughter. She doesn’t have a son and seeing Xiaobei give birth to one, she... she had wicked thoughts." Qin Ximei regretted speaking out, seeing Xiuqing was oblivious to the plan.

Xiuqing’s face darkened, her hands clenched. Her fingernails dug deep into her palm. After a while, she sighed and said, "Never mind, as long as the child is safe."

Lu Zhanguo lowered his eyes, disappointed by his mother’s response. He said nothing.

Aiguo was not as patient. He sprang up, confronted Qin Ximei, and shouted, "You had the audacity to plan to steal our family’s child? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, it wasn’t me, it was Sun Erhui..." Qin Ximei, startled by Aiguo’s aggressive demeanor, was repeating her explanation.

Aiguo scoffed, "Do you think we’re fools? How did your cousin know Xiaobei was in T City and that she was expecting?"

In horror, Qin Ximei began to cry, "I didn’t know, Xiuqing. Don’t forget what I did for you back then."

Xiuqing seemingly calmed her emotions and said in a cold voice, "Aiguo, escort your Aunt Yuan home." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Aiguo grabbed Qin Ximei’s arm and pulled her towards the door, cursing, "Get out, stop ruining my day. And don’t ever step foot in our house again."

As she was hustled out, Qin Ximei cried out, "Xiuqing, you can’t forget old friendships. Do you not remember when...." She was cut off as Aiguo yanked her out of the house.

After he had thrown Qin Ximei out, Aiguo returned with an unsatisfied look and confronted Xiuqing, "Mom, her vein of thought has gone askew, yet you’re still on her side. What do you owe her to give her such consideration?"

Xiuqing looked calmly at Aiguo, then at Zhanguo who was sitting to one side with a sullen look, then asked, "Do you both think I’m siding with her?"

"Isn’t it true? Every time this woman causes trouble, you pardon her. Every time her kids fight with us, you scold me and Ruirui, and pardon her. If this is not siding with her, then what it is?" Aiguo voiced out his dissatisfaction.

Xiuqing saw Zhanguo nodding in agreement with his younger brother’s words, she sighed, "If I sided with her, Zhanguo, your wife today wouldn’t be Xiaobei, it would be Yuan Tan," and with that, she left the room and didn’t spare them another glance.

"What did mom mean by that?" Aiguo asked Zhanguo, puzzled.

Zhanguo shrugged; he didn’t understand how Xiaobei and Yuan Tan fit into all of this.

After feeding the two children, Xiaobei heard that the disturbances downstairs had ceased. She surmised Qin Ximei had left. She felt agitated, knowing that they’d probably encounter each other again in the future. But she decided to deal with it when the time came.

When Zhanguo went upstairs and saw Xiaobei lying on the bed, playing with the two kids, his expression softened somewhat.

Xiaobei looked up and asked, "Has Qin Ximei gone?"

Lu Zhanguo nodded. He sat on the edge of the bed and poked Xiaopang’s plump little face.

"How does she still dare to show her face here? Does mom know that she wanted to kidnap Mo Wang?" Xiaobei asked angrily.

"She does." Zhanguo answered quietly.

Xiaobei immediately got even more furious. She was unable to comprehend how Xiuqing, after knowing that Qin Ximei had tried to steal her own grandchild, could let her leave the Lu Family safe and sound.