Back To The 80s-Chapter 228 - 238: Wishful Thinking_1

Lu Zhanguo watched as Gu Xiaobei began to shop for the baby’s items, completely in a frenzy, touching everything that caught her attention. He couldn’t help reminding her: "Maybe we should buy less clothing. The baby will grow quickly; what if they don’t fit?"

Gu Xiaobei nodded in agreement: "You make a good point. I’ll just buy larger sizes. He’ll be able to wear them at some point."

Lu Zhanguo’s eye twitched. It seemed like he inadvertently encouraged her shopping spree.

Gu Xiaobei also bought a red sweater set for Yueyue. The style was extremely popular at that moment, a hand-knit jacket with a little white bunny knitted on the front.

Gu Xiaobei then suggested, based on her recollection of the modern city map, "How about we go for some hot pot mutton for lunch?"

Lu Zhanguo raised an eyebrow. She sure knew how to eat. Conveniently, there was a century-old traditional eatery around the corner, Dong Lai Shun Copper Hot Pot Mutton.

The mutton at Dong Lai Shun was exclusively sourced from the black and white sheep of Dongwuqi and Xiwuqi in Xilinguole League. Then, with a chef’s expert knife skills, the mutton was thinly sliced into paper-thin, soft-as-cotton pieces. It was ready to eat in an instant and never became tough, however long you cooked it.

Lu Zhanguo handled the cooking while Gu Xiaobei did the eating. She seemed to think that the taste was hundreds of times better than what it would be in the future.

With fresh and unpolluted air, and with food rarely containing additives, the flavor sure was much more authentic and tasty.

"You should eat too. Don’t just serve me, otherwise there won’t be any left for you," Gu Xiaobei said somewhat embarrassed. She’d already eaten two and a half plates of the three.

"Yeah, it’s fine if you eat it all, just try to drink less of these cold drinks." Since entering the restaurant, Gu Xiaobei had been excited by the tiny glass bottled orange juice and had already downed three bottles.

The orange juice, kept outside in winter, was as icy as if it had been chilled. The tangy and cold beverage paired with the spicy and fragrant hot pot mutton excited Gu Xiaobei; she felt like she couldn’t stop eating.

"Alright, I’ll just drink one more bottle, then I’ll stop. Besides, your son says he’s not satisfied yet," Gu Xiaobei shamelessly said.

Lu Zhanguo just kept quiet and continued serving her.

After dining, they strolled around the square and visited the Forbidden City gates. The red walls and yellow tiles were magnificent and mysterious.

There weren’t many tourists at this time. Residents nearby were using the space by the city walls for leisure activities. Some were playing with diabolos, some were flying kites, and some were singing Beijing opera. Gu Xiaobei watched with great interest the different scenery of Capital City at this pre-21st Century time.

They spent the entire day touring around and only returned home after dark.

The moment Gu Xiaobei stepped into the courtyard, she heard Qin Ximei’s annoying laughter. This woman really had some thick skin; after causing all that commotion yesterday, she dared to show up again today!

Walking into the living room, she noticed that Yuan Qing didn’t come today; Qin Ximei came alone, holding a baby in her arms.

"Wow, you two really know how to enjoy life, huh, travelling the whole day once you’re out." Qin Ximei greeted Lu Zhanguo and Gu Xiaobei casually, as if nothing happened the day before.

Gu Xiaobei, ignoring the woman, greeted Wen Xiuqing and headed straight upstairs.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Qin Ximei asked as she watched Lu Zhanguo carrying multiple bags, "What did you buy? So many bags."

Lu Zhanguo only nodded and followed Gu Xiaobei upstairs.

After changing her clothes, Gu Xiaobei brought down the clothes she bought for Wen Xiuqing. Just as she was about to go downstairs, she heard Qin Ximei saying, "See, these two spent so much on shopping yet didn’t bother buying anything for you."

"Mom, Zhanguo and I bought a dress for you from Ruifuxiang. See if you like it." Gu Xiaobei quickly responded while walking downstairs.

Qin Ximei immediately felt embarrassed. Ruifuxiang was a century-old boutique where even a casual dress could cost quite a few dozen yuan.

Gu Xiaobei brought out a light green, silk, embroidered jacket with a small plate button front. The design was simple, elegant, and fashionable.

The glint of admiration in Wen Xiuqing’s eyes was caught by Gu Xiaobei, confirming that the dress was a good choice.

Qin Ximei, on the other hand, remarked from the side, "I think the color is a bit light. If you wear it, it might make you look pale."

Gu Xiaobei chuckled, "That’s no problem. My mom is fair-skinned, she looks good in anything." Since ancient times, flattery has always been the best policy.

As expected, a faint smile appeared on Wen Xiuqing’s face after Gu Xiaobei’s comment.

Feeling outplayed, Qin Ximei looked at the baby in her arms and said, "Xiaobei, look at this baby. Isn’t he adorable?"

Gu Xiaobei glanced dutifully. Something about the baby blanket seemed familiar. Upon closer inspection, she realised it was the baby they had encountered on the train, the one who was nearly abandoned.

How did he end up in Qin Ximei’s arms? Could it be that the relatives mentioned by the grandmother and mother-in-law were actually Qin Ximei?

"This child, oh, so very endearing and so well behaved," Qin Ximei praised.

Gu Xiaobei stayed silent, seating herself on the other side of the sofa. She was curious to see what new trick Qin Ximei was going to pull today.

With a sigh, Qin Ximei spoke mournfully, "But this child’s fate is hard; he lost his parents as soon as he was born, and his grandpa and grandma are too old to take care of him."

Gu Xiaobei felt like laughing. The story Qin Ximei cooked up didn’t seem pitiful enough.

Wen Xiuqing seemed to understand Qin Ximei’s intentions, and remained silent, her expression stern.

As Qin Ximei observed no objection from Gu Xiaobei and Qin Ximei’s silence to her suggestion, she grew puzzled. Wasn’t Gu Xiaobei naive and sympathetic? She had even adopted two kids.

Unable to hold back, she asked, "Xiaobei, when’s your due date?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Probably in the fall," Gu Xiaobei replied nonchalantly.

Qin Ximei nodded, "How about this? You take the baby. When your baby is born, you can register them together. Say they are twins."

Gu Xiaobei scoffed at the absurd suggestion, glaring at Qin Ximei for a while before declining, "No way."

Qin Ximei was unhappy and protested, "You’ve already adopted two kids; one more won’t make a difference. Besides, the two you’re raising are already grown up and may not remember what you did for them. But this child, he’s different. He’s young, ’whoever breastfeeds me is my mother’, they say. If you raise him, he’ll treat you like his birth mother."

Gu Xiaobei shook her head, "Aunt Yuan, based on what you’ve said, you are the most suitable to raise this child. See, you only have Qingqing by your side. In a few years, Qingqing will be married and with this child, you won’t be lonely."

Gu Xiaobei knew Qin Ximei was trying to cause trouble in their lives, probably because of Yuan Ye’s sisters.

Qin Ximei huffed in response and complained to Wen Xiuqing, "Your daughter-in-law is quite vexing."

Wen Xiuqing kept quiet, feeling the silky material of her new dress. Qin Ximei was annoyed at Wen Xiuqing’s lack of support for her.

The baby in Qin Ximei’s arms suddenly started crying loudly. Along with the wailing, a foul odor filled the air.

Qin Ximei opened the diaper to find that the baby had made a mess. She disdainfully placed the baby on the white sofa cover and began changing the diaper.

Wen Xiuqing’s color changed immediately. She wanted to blow up in anger but held herself back. Especially when Qin Ximei accidentally smeared some of the baby’s feces on the white sofa cover; Wen Xiuqing seemed like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Gu Xiaobei quietly watched Wen Xiuqing’s reaction: why was there so much anger and a trace of fear? Ordinary people would feel disgusted in this situation.