Back To The 80s-Chapter 230 - 240: Dinner Party (Extra 340 Monthly Tickets) _1
Gu Xiaobei was somewhat surprised; her sister-in-law was not giving any face to her own husband.
Lu Zhanguo walked half a step behind Gu Xiaobei, cautious in case she’d slip on the icy winter roads.
As it was a family gathering, Lu Aiguo specially booked a private room.
Winter was just the season for roast duck, as the old saying goes: fat ducks in autumn and winter, fat chickens in the cage. This is when the duck meat is at its juiciest.
Summer, however, is the worst season for roast duck. Beijing’s heat causes the ducks to lose weight, making their skin less crispy and flavorful.
Although the roast duck was delicious, the atmosphere at the table was not. Ever since Lu Aiguo saw Chen Dajun, his face had stiffened, not even looking at him directly.
During the meal, Wen Xiuqing sat at the head of the table, with Lu Zhanguo and Lu Aiguo on either side. Gu Xiaobei naturally sat next to Lu Zhanguo. Yueyue insisted on sitting with her second aunt, so Fang Jing and Yueyue ended up sitting next to Gu Xiaobei.
On seeing this, Lu Ruixue hurriedly squeezed in next to Fang Jing, unwilling to sit next to her hostile elder brother.
As a result, Chen Dajun ended up sitting next to Lu Aiguo.
Lu Aiguo gave Chen Dajun a dagger-like stare before starting to order dishes.
Chen Dajun involuntarily slid his chair closer to Lu Ruixue’s side. When he was sober, he was quite afraid of Lu Aiguo.
As the dishes came, a roast duck chef came over to carve the duck. Gu Xiaobei watched with fascination. Though she’d seen it before in her previous life, she felt this was more interesting.
No one mentioned Zhanguo’s birthday during the meal, it seemed like just an ordinary family gathering.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Aiguo and Chen Dajun were chugging drinks as if in a competition.
One cup after another, Lu Aiguo even taunted Chen Dajun verbally: "Don’t turn tail halfway through."
Lu Ruixue was a little displeased with this. She glared at Lu Aiguo: "Third Brother, don’t you know about Dajun’s alcohol tolerance? Are you doing this on purpose?"
Lu Aiguo gave his ungrateful little sister a side-eye: "Yes, I’m doing this on purpose. I just can’t stand this bloke."
Chen Dajun, a bit tipsy, lost his submissive composure. He yelled to Lu Ruixue beside him: "This is between men, stay out of it, woman." Then he turned to Lu Aiguo, "Come on, Third Brother, let’s drink. You don’t like me, right? If you’re capable, drink me under the table."
Lu Aiguo poured two more glasses of wine, saying: "Whoever bails out today, is a wimp!"
Lu Ruixue was slightly annoyed. She glared at Chen Dajun, "If you freeze to death outside today, I can consider remarriage." Despite her harsh words, she had a point, as every winter, especially during the Spring Festival, many people freeze to death due to drinking.
Getting together with friends and family often meant coaxing each other to drink more than they should. The "achievement" lay in getting a non-drinker to drink, even to the point of overdoing it.
Those who got drunk and wobbly often ended up falling asleep in the snow on their way home. By the time people found them, the bodies were frozen stiff.
Wen Xiuqing was trying to suppress her anger as she watched the two men: "Stop making a scene in public!"
Lu Aiguo waved his hand dismissively: "Mom, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."
Wen Xiuqing couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore and calmly continued eating. Occasionally, bright, thoughtful eyes would glance at Lu Zhanguo.
Fang Jing shot Lu Aiguo a harsh look then said to Gu Xiaobei in a low voice: "These two always argue and drink until they’ve had too much."
As she was speaking, Lu Ruixue pulled at Fang Jing’s clothes, "Third sister-in-law, you should look after my third brother. Isn’t he just looking out for Dajun?"
On hearing this, Fang Jing became slightly unhappy: "Ruixue, your words are unfair. If Dajun doesn’t want to drink, could your third brother force him to?"
Lu Ruixue was upset by this comment. She felt it was implying that Chen Dajun couldn’t control his drinking. Slamming her chopsticks down, she stood up, dragging Chen Dajun out, "Haven’t had enough to drink yet? Stop embarrassing yourself, let’s go home."
A bit drunk, Chen Dajun was suddenly being stubborn, and shouted to Lu Ruixue, "Leave me alone!"
Caught in a tug-of-war, the two made quite a scene. And still, Lu Aiguo spurred them on from the side: "Ruixue, you see? This is the spineless man you chose."
Gu Xiaobei finally understood why this couple could start a fight, with an instigator next to them, not fighting was hard.
As expected, Lu Ruizue created a fuss, she grabbed Chen Dajun by his collar and dragged him out. Chen Dajun, already dizzy from alcohol, mumbled and cursed as he followed Lu Ruixue out of the private room.
Seeing this, Lu Zhanguo stood and followed them out. Wen Xiuqing then voiced her displeasure at Lu Aiguo: "You are a brother, should you not accommodate your sister and brother-in-law a bit?"
As if not hearing, Lu Aiguo called Yueyue: "My darling, come, sit with Daddy."
The dinner ended in disharmony. On the way home, Lu Zhanguo drove. Upon arriving home, Wen Xiuqing, inexplicably upset, went straight to her bedroom.
Fang Jing dragged Lu Aiguo with her, leading Yueyue to their old bedroom upstairs for some rest.
Considering today’s troubling birthday, Gu Xiaobei felt sorry for Lu Zhanguo and was somewhat resentful at Lu Aiguo for causing trouble at such a time.
Seeing Gu Xiaobei sitting unhappily on the bed, Lu Zhanguo closed the room door, walked up to her, and asked, "What’s the matter?"
"Nothing."
Looking at Gu Xiaobei’s pouting, Lu Zhanguo knew that she had taken to heart what happened that day. He said, "Aiguo and Dajun are always like this when they meet, you’ll get used to it." Gu Xiaobei sighed, realizing that she hadn’t yet wished Zhanguo a happy birthday.
Gu Xiaobei turned her head and looked at Lu Zhanguo. Her eyes, as bright as stars in the night sky, flashed a dazzling light. After a long pause, she finally said earnestly, "Darling, from me and our baby, Happy Birthday!"
Lu Zhanguo responded with a "mhm," but inside felt touched.
Over the next two days, Lu Zhanguo took Gu Xiaobei to visit few relatives before preparing to return to T City.
The night before they left, Lu Aiguo, Fang Jing, Yueyue, Lu Ruixue, and Chen Dajun all came over.
Mrs. Li cooked a grand farewell dinner. That evening, Wen Xiuqing talked more than usual.
"Zhanguo, you’ve been abroad for quite some years. Your dad can transfer you back and you can finish official formalities here, it’s not like we’re using backdoor connections." Wen Xiuqing’s tone was affirming, not at all consultative.
"Mhm." Lu Zhanguo paused with his chopsticks and responded with a noncommittal "mhm," without arguing.
Wen Xiuqing then turned to Gu Xiaobei, "You should try not to cause trouble for Zhanguo. Stay at home and look after our child. Be more thrifty in spending, don’t be so extravagant."
Gu Xiaobei nodded obediently, "Mom, I understand."
This time, Lu Aiguo didn’t argue with Chen Dajun because as soon as they entered the house, Wen Xiuqing declared that there would be no drinking tonight.
After dinner, Wen Xiuqing called Gu Xiaobei, "Come with me."
