Back To The 80s-Chapter 217 - 227: Back to Beijing_1
Fortunately, there were two households between Ge Chunling’s and theirs, so they didn’t have to interact much with the old lady.
On the evening of the 4th, after Lu Zhanguo came back, he told Gu Xiaobei to prepare some stuff as they were going to go back to Capital City in a few days.
"Why so sudden? Didn’t we agree not to go back for the holidays?" The spoon Gu Xiaobei was using to serve rice paused mid-air, she asked, somewhat surprised.
"Something came up at home. It will be a round trip taking half a month. We are still spending the New Year here." Lu Zhanguo wasn’t quite sure, all he knew was that Wen Xiuqing had been crying on the phone about some urgent matter and asked him to go back. When he called his father’s office, his secretary told him that he had been sent down to the army.
Lu Zhanguo thought that Wen Xiuqing had always been a strong character and this was the first time he had seen her break down like this. Therefore, he decided to go back and see for himself, especially since he wasn’t too busy at the camp recently. After confirming his leave with his commander Min Zhonghua, he came back to inform Gu Xiaobei.
"Alright, when do we leave? I’ll send the manuscripts before we go." Gu Xiaobei agreed without asking further questions.
"The train for Capital City is the day after tomorrow night. I’ve asked Liu Hongbing to buy tickets for us." Lu Zhanguo looked worried: "You’re pregnant, can you handle such a long train ride?"
"No problem, you’ll be there with me, right?" Gu Xiaobei replied optimistically.
Gu Xiaobei planned to wear one set of clothes and pack two more. If those aren’t enough, she could always buy more in Capital City. Thinking she wasn’t sure if she could withdraw money in Capital City with the bankbook she had, she also carried 1000 yuan with her assuming that there might not be internet banking there yet. It’s always good to be prepared in advance.
Zhang Lijun drove them to the train station. Because the weather was bad, they left early for the city. He didn’t want to risk any unexpected issues along the road that could delay their train.
They reached the city in the afternoon. Lu Zhanguo suggested buying some biscuits for the journey as Gu Xiaobei’s current appetite was astonishing.
After buying some biscuits, they had claypot rice before slowly making their way to the train station. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
In winter, there seemed to be more people than normal choosing the train as a safe mode of transport.
Gu Xiaobei was fortunate to have Lu Zhanguo with her this time. She lied down and fell asleep as soon as she boarded the train. Lu Zhanguo covered her with his army coat.
The following morning, the train miraculously arrived on time at the capital of the province, and Lu Zhanguo had already packed up everything.
They planned to spend the day in the capital before boarding the night train to Capital City. The journey to Capital City would take them three days and three nights.
Having slept the whole night, Gu Xiaobei was now full of energy. She was dressed in thick layers and trudged alongside Lu Zhanguo ensconced in her scarf and coat.
As Gu Xiaobei looked at Lu Zhanguo on her side, she couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked in his uniform.
Lu Zhanguo glanced at her with the corner of his eyes. This girl couldn’t hide the gleam in her eyes. She did not act like a woman about to give birth at all.
They bought some pastries, biscuits, and a roasted chicken. They didn’t need to worry about the food spoiling as it was winter.
Lu Zhanguo made another call to Liu Hongbing from a phone booth to ask him to bring the tickets and have lunch with them.
Upon receiving the call, Liu Hongbing agreed and they decided to meet at the restaurant where he had treated Gu Xiaobei last time.
The restaurant had a large stove lit at each corner, so it wasn’t cold. Considering that only three people would be dining, they didn’t book a private room and instead chose a table next to the window.
Gu Xiaobei kept telling Lu Zhanguo, "The lamb here is super tasty. It doesn’t smell at all."
"Then let’s order a portion to take onto the train later." Lu Zhanguo smirked when he saw how Gu Xiaobei was salivating while she described the food.
"Won’t it get cold?" Gu Xiaobei was tempted.
"I have an idea, I promise you can enjoy it warm."
"That’s why I love you! You can solve any problem!" Gu Xiaobei leaned over to Lu Zhanguo, her smile appeasing.
"Oh you..." Lu Zhanguo chuckled at the sight of Gu Xiaobei’s cheeky smile and could not resist pinching her face.
Just as Jiang Jiahua walked into the restaurant, he witnessed this sweet moment. Gu Xiaobei was looking at Lu Zhanguo with joy radiating from her eyes, basking in happiness. Lu Zhanguo, seen as cold by others, was full of affection for her.
Jiang Jiahua felt a pang of jealousy towards Lu Zhanguo, who was immersed in such bliss. Pushing his thoughts aside, he approached Gu Xiaobei and Lu Zhanguo.
"Comrade Gu, what a coincidence!" Gu Xiaobei was joking with Lu Zhanguo when she heard someone greeting her. She looked up to see Jiang Jiahua standing near their table. Surprised, she stood up and said, "Editor Jiang, what a coincidence indeed."
The smile on Gu Xiaobei’s face was instantly replaced with a polite one that was obviously distanced. This was naturally thanks to her previous work experience. "Editor Jiang, this is my husband, Lu Zhanguo. Zhanguo, this is Jiang Jiahua, our province’s publishing house editor."
Lu Zhanguo also stood up and politely shook hands with Jiang Jiahua.
"Editor Jiang, please take a seat." Gu Xiaobei offered him a seat politely.
Jiang Jiahua looked at the polite, distant smile on Gu Xiaobei’s face and felt a sense of loss. He sat down and asked, "Are you here on business or...?"
"We are just passing through the city. We’ll be taking the night train to my mother-in-law’s in Capital City." Gu Xiaobei replied with a smile.
Without saying a word, Lu Zhanguo sat quietly by her side, continually pouring hot water for her.
"Oh, by the way, Comrade Gu, I read your manuscript last month. It’s very creative. Have you sent the one for December?" Jiang Jiahua tried to start a conversation.
"It’s been sent. I mailed it yesterday."
"Well, is there any novelty in this one? I hope you can make each short story a little bit longer." Jiang Jiahua found that only by talking about work could he engage in more conversation with Gu Xiaobei.
"Let’s discuss this after I return from Capital City, Editor Jiang. Did you come here alone for lunch or is someone joining you?" Gu Xiaobei didn’t enjoy talking about work during her personal time and didn’t want to leave Lu Zhanguo out by discussing work with Jiang Jiahua.
"I’m meeting someone. They should be here soon." Jiang Jiahua looked at his wristwatch.
"That’s too bad. If you were alone, we could have had lunch together." Gu Xiaobei was not just being polite. It would have been fine to eat together and chat, but talking about work and ignoring Lu Zhanguo was not acceptable.
Gu Xiaobei believed in one life principle from her past life: work is for living a better life.
After a few polite words, Jiang Jiahua stood up to leave because he noticed that although Lu Zhanguo didn’t say anything, his occasional cold gazes seemed to see right through him and made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Soon after Jiang Jiahua left, Liu Hongbing arrived hurriedly, "I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. Just as I was about to leave, an inspection team arrived."
"No worries, we’re taking the night train, so we’re not in a hurry." Lu Zhanguo understood the unpredictability of work in the military.
"Why are you suddenly going back to Capital City?" As soon as Liu Hongbing sat down and handed the train tickets to Lu Zhanguo, he couldn’t help but ask.
