Back To The 80s

Lu Ruixue looked at Wen Xiuqing in shock as she finished her long tirade, shaking her head and crying as she exclaimed, "I just knew I wasn’t your real child! You’re always blaming me! Why don’t you say anything about my third brother’s unfairness!"

Wen Xiuqing was fuming, her body quaking slightly as Ruixue insinuated that she wasn’t her real mother. Her face paled, and she stuttered out in anger, "Ruixue, you really haven’t had enough of being wronged, have you? How many times must you suffer before you realize, without self-reliance, there’s no way to survive!"

At this point, Lu Ruixue had lost her ability to think logically. She felt that Wen Xiuqing was blaming her and favouring Lu Aiguo; furiously, she wailed, "What good have you done for me? It was the maid who nursed me with rice soup when I was born."

"Whenever I got into fights as a child, you never asked about right or wrong. You just said I was useless, dumb."

"At eight years old, you sent me and my third brother to our aunt’s house, justifying it as you needing re-education. We understood that but for years, you never visited us. You had time to visit the Yuan sisters, yet you never spared a moment for me or my brother."

"Do you know what life was like for my third brother and me at our aunt’s? We starved. My brother took me to the fields to catch and roast rats. Did you know that?"

"Fortunately, we didn’t starve to death. And you finally remembered you had two children and took us back home. But then what? Did you ever treat us well?" Lu Ruixue was sobbing, voicing all her grievances.

"Even though Yuan Tan, Yuan Qing and I are about the same age, you always gave them the best food first. Whenever you saw me and my brother, you always had a cold face, but when you were with them, you were all smiles."

"I seriously doubt whether you’re my real mother or theirs!"

"My eldest brother is gone, and it wasn’t my second brother’s fault. But you’re even more ruthless; for all these years, you never cared about my second brother. Even when he got married, you faked illness to lure him back."

"Otherwise, he might have ended up with Bai Xiaolan..."

Gu Xiaobei had been listening from the side, but now that Bai Xiaolan’s name came up along with the possibility of her marrying Lu Zhanguo, he puzzled – what was going on? When did this happen?

Gu Xiaobei looked at Lu Zhanguo, and indeed, Lu Zhanguo looked completely bewildered while cradling his son.

Lu Ruixue showed no signs of stopping and continued, "And, my third brother..." but before she could finish, Lu Aiguo bolted down the stairs. He grabbed Lu Ruixue’s arm and pulled her towards the exit.

"Lu Ruixue, have you lost your mind? Are you blind or heartless? You should get out of here with this loser and never come back!" Lu Aiguo cursed as he forcefully dragged Lu Ruixue out.

"Lu Aiguo, why are you dragging me? Just because you have put up with it all these years, acting like a good guy now..." Lu Aiguo ignored her and dragged her out the door. Chen Dajun saw this and quickly followed behind them.

Wen Xiuqing stood in place, feeling severe shock and looking deathly pale. Her expression was full of torment. Lu Zhanguo handed their son to Fang Jing and went over to support Wen Xiuqing, saying, "Mom, why don’t you go lie down for a while?"

Wen Xiuqing didn’t protest; she complied and let Lu Zhanguo help her to her room.

Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing looked at each other, each holding a child. The kids, however, seemed bold, staring with big eyes and babbling cheerfully.

Lu Aiguo flung Lu Ruixue out the door and muttered to himself as he came back in. Before he could sit down, Fang Jing quickly asked him, "Who has the house that belonged to Ruixue’s family now?"

"I have it," Lu Aiguo answered casually.

Fang Jing threw him a sharp glance and said, "Have them pay you and hurry up and return the house to them. Do you want them to come here and make a scene every day?"

"Pay? Chen Dajun can’t afford it. Even if he sold his mother’s bones, he wouldn’t make two thousand yuan," Lu Aiguo sneered.

Fang Jing was annoyed. "You’ve really done it this time. Just wait for them to come knocking every other day."

Lu Aiguo shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Ruixue is ungrateful. I did all this for her own good. Following Chen Dajun will only bring her hardship. Once Chen Dajun does come into money, Ruixue would still suffer. Shouldn’t I leave her a way out?"

Fang Jing was even more infuriated. "Why don’t you tell it all to Ruixue? Why create all this drama?"

"If I told Ruixue, she’d sell me out without a second thought. Let her suffer a bit more," Lu Aiguo replied nonchalantly, pinching Little Mo Wang’s face and making faces at him.

Lu Zhanguo came out of Wu Xiuqing’s room and took Little Xiaopang from Gu Xiaobei, preparing to take the kids upstairs to sleep.

Suddenly, Lu Aiguo said, "Second brother, don’t blame mom. She’s suffering inside too."

Fang Jing looked at Lu Aiguo in surprise. "When did you become so understanding?"

"I’ve always been understanding. You just haven’t noticed," Lu Aiguo nonchalantly replied.

Lu Zhanguo nodded while carrying Xiaopang, and Gu Xiaobei took Little Mo Wang from Fang Jing and followed Lu Zhanguo upstairs.

Through all this drama, Gu Xiaobei realized how much shocking news Lu Ruixue had spilled, piquing her curiosity. However, right now, she was mostly concerned about Bai Xiaolan.

Upon entering the room, Gu Xiaobei curiously asked, "Who’s Bai Xiaolan?"

Lu Zhanguo frowned in thought before finally saying, "I don’t remember. I don’t even know if we’ve met before."

Gu Xiaobei pouted, slightly jealous, "But you almost married her. How can you forget someone like that? From what Ruisue implied, I was the one who ruined your happiness."

Lu Zhanguo responded seriously, "Don’t spread rumors in front of the children. It’s not a good influence."

Gu Xiaobei laughed. She wasn’t even afraid of doing that in front of these little ones.

Looking at Gu Xiaobei, who was lying on the bed hugging Little Mo Wang and laughing, Lu Zhanguo suddenly remembered that his mom had called Gu Xiaobei to her bedroom. "Mom called you to her room, what was that about?" he asked.

Her mother-in-law’s conversation brought a smile to Gu Xiaobei’s face and she was curious to see Lu Zhanguo’s reaction when he heard about it. "Guess?" she teased.

Lu Zhanguo shook his head. He really had no clue, especially since Gu Xiaobei had whispered something to Fang Jing.

Smiling, Gu Xiaobei finally said, "Mom was asking us how we’re practicing birth control and suggested I get a small procedure done."

"What surgery? Why do you need surgery when you’re perfectly healthy?" Lu Zhanguo’s focus was immediately drawn to the word "surgery", causing him to worry.

Gu Xiaobei rolled her eyes at this fool’s reaction, beckoning him to lean in to which she whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing Gu Xiaobei’s words, Lu Zhanguo turned red and fell silent, obviously embarrassed.

"Does that surgery hurt? Are there no other options?" Lu Zhanguo thought for a moment before asking.

Laughing, Gu Xiaobei teased him, "Yeah, there is another option. Do nothing."

Lu Zhanguo realized he’d been played by Gu Xiaobei again and, carrying little Xiaopang, he sat down in silence.