Back To The 80s-Chapter 176: Night (Laugh66 and Shi Bi Rewards Extra)_1
Seeing Shen Heng had arrived, Gu Xiaobei decided to finish cooking the pancakes and then stir-fry some sweet and sour cabbage.
Shen Heng followed Lu Zhanguo into the house and sat down. He was just about to take out a cigarette, but then remembered that Lu Zhanguo’s house was a no-smoking zone so he put it back in his pocket: "How can you stand this, not smoking at all when you’re at home?"
Lu Zhanguo poured him a mug of plain boiled water and chose not to react to his words. Instead, he asked, "Is everything ready on your side?"
"No problem. As we discussed in the meeting today, we are launching this operation with a dual strategy, ensuring ourselves with two layers of insurance," Shen Heng answered confidently.
However, Lu Zhanguo was less optimistic. Anything could happen before the end of an operation, so he warned Shen Heng cautiously, "You guys should be extra cautious. Gao Dailin seems to be the so-called ’small cat testing the water’. With Jin Cheng there, you must be careful."
Shen Heng nodded, "I have already arranged for people to secretly protect and assist Jin Cheng."
The voices of Gu Xiaobei and Jiujiu chattering came from outside. They could hear Jiujiu’s delicate voice asking Gu Xiaobei, "Auntie, our teacher asked us a question today. If there are ten birds in a cage and six were released, how many would be left in the cage?"
"What do you think, how many are left?" Gu Xiaobei asked as she sliced cabbage with a kitchen knife.
"Four. But then, the teacher asked us if there were ten birds in the cage and only four remained, how many were outside? I said I couldn’t count, but the teacher said I was wrong and made me stand for the entire class." Jiujiu said, a bit puzzled.
Gu Xiaobei put down the knife and patiently explained, "If there are ten birds and four remain, then there must be six outside. How could you not count that?"
Jiujiu blinked her big eyes and said seriously, "But there are also birds on the trees outside and swallows under the eaves. With so many birds, surely you can’t count them all?"
Gu Xiaobei was stunned. After thinking about it, she realized Jiujiu had a point. There was a flaw in the teacher’s question. If he had asked how many birds had flown out, the children probably wouldn’t have thought this way.
"Jiujiu, you’re right. The teacher’s question was not clear. You should explain this to the teacher."
In the house, Shen Heng couldn’t help but laugh at their conversation. Lu Zhanguo, on the other hand, fell into deep thought. He suddenly asked Shen Heng, "Do you think White Fox is an individual or an organization?"
Caught off guard by the question, Shen Heng asked, "Why would you ask that?"
Lu Zhanguo frowned slightly and said, "Liu Hongbing called me today. He confirmed that Du Chengjiang’s biological father is still alive and is probably also in T City. But from the people we’ve met so far, none of them are older."
"From the information we currently have, White Fox is described as a person of unknown gender, not an organization, right?"
"Nothing wrong with being cautious," Lu Zhanguo said. His years of combat experience had taught him to magnify and scrutinize every clue.
"Dinner is ready, Lu Zhanguo. Can you clear the table?" Gu Xiaobei said, peeking her head through the door.
After dinner, Shen Heng left. Gu Xiaobei cleaned up and then helped Jiujiu with her homework. After they were done and both had washed up, she went into the inner room.
Lu Zhanguo was lying in bed with his eyes shut, his brows slightly furrowed. Hearing the sound of Gu Xiaobei opening the door, he opened his eyes and sat up. "Is Jiujiu asleep?"
Gu Xiaobei walked over and sat next to the bed. Seeing the bloodshot whites of Lu Zhanguo’s eyes, she asked with concern, "Have you been busy lately? Is it related to Gao Dailin and his team?"
"Not entirely. We’re preparing for military exercises, so there are a lot of meetings," Lu Zhanguo said, taking Gu Xiaobei’s hand and pulling her into his arms. He felt grounded by her presence.
Feeling secure in his embrace, Gu Xiaobei said, "After you finish all this, I’ll cook good food for you every day to make up for it."
"Alright, try to stay away from town in the meantime. If you need anything, have Chang Yuan bring it over for you. And if anyone tries to tell you anything about me, don’t believe them. Remember, if anything happens, I will let the clerk notify you. Don’t trust anyone else," Lu Zhanguo said, having thought through every possible scenario, including the details.
Gu Xiaobei looked up at him, puzzled, "Why? Are you afraid they’ll try to use me?"
"Yes, I’m worried they might make a desperate move. You’re safest in the family courtyard," Lu Zhanguo answered, gently stroking her back.
"Okay, I’ll remember. Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble. Even if they capture me, no matter how harshly they try to interrogate me, I won’t betray you," Gu Xiaobei says seriously with a stern face.
Lu Zhanguo found Gu Xiaobei’s serious mini posture amusing and gently pinched her cheeks: "It won’t be that serious. I just don’t want you to get hurt."
"You should be praising me for my high consciousness instead of laughing at me." Gu Xiaobei rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction.
"Okay, I praise you," he said, holding her face and planting a kiss on her lips, "That’s your reward."
Gu Xiaobei’s eyes sparkled. This man was getting the hang of it, learning how to flirt.
Seeing Gu Xiaobei’s shimmering eyes, like stars in a clear night sky, Lu Zhanguo couldn’t help but lean down and gently brush his lips across hers, teasing her senses again and again.
Gu Xiaobei closed her eyes and hummed in dissatisfaction. Only then did Lu Zhanguo laugh softly and intensify the kiss.
The night was as enveloping as ink that couldn’t be erased, the story of the queen taming the leopard in the bedroom was on full display...
The next morning as soon as Gu Xiaobei woke up, she started wailing. True enough, one didn’t suffer unless they made mischief. Her back hurt and her waist ached.
It was past seven o’clock when she looked out the window and saw it was still somewhat dark. Probably going to be a cloudy day.
She went out to see that Jiujiu had already washed her face and was sitting at the table waiting for her.
"Auntie, it’s raining outside and it’s super cold. Uncle Gu said you should wear more layers," Jiujiu informed her.
Gu Xiaobei scratched her head, slightly embarrassed, in front of Jiujiu. This was somewhat damaging to her image of being all-knowing in Jiujiu’s mind.
When she took the basin to the washroom, there was a cool breeze that made her shiver because of the cold.
Li Fengmei was washing dishes in the washroom. "It’s raining today. Bundle up Jiujiu a bit more. Looking at the overcast weather, I’m afraid it’s going to snow. After the kids have gone to school, let’s bring in the cabbage from the cellar," she said to Gu Xiaobei.
"Okay, you think the cabbage will be okay after soaking in the rain all night?" Gu Xiaobei asked worriedly.
"Who knows? The weather has been changing so quickly. If the top layer got frozen, we can always just pickle it," Li Fengmei said, having only found out about the rain that morning.
Gu Xiaobei could only nod in agreement. That was the only plan they had now.
Gu Xiaobei helped Jiujiu put on thermal underwear, a woolen sweater and a thermal coat, worried that her cloth shoes might get wet, she even got Jiujiu to wear the recently bought rubber-soled fabric winter shoes.
"Jiujiu, are you cold?" Gu Xiaobei asked as she saw them off at the entrance of the military camp. The rain had already stopped, but the cold wind was piercing.
"Not cold! Feel my hand, it’s warm," Jiujiu grabbed Gu Xiaobei’s hand.
Upon feeling the warmth in Jiujiu’s hand, Gu Xiaobei felt at ease and told the children to take it slow.
