Back To The 80s-Chapter 345 - 355: Serenity_1

Bai Xiaolan heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Ji Xiangdong. She was so surprised that she quickly stuffed the bun into a drawer, embarrassed and feeling disheveled, "Brother Ji, what brings you here?"

With a warm smile, Ji Xiangdong held up a netted bag containing a lunch box, "My mom asked me to bring you some food. Why are you working so late?"

Bai Xiaolan embarrassingly rubbed her head, revealing two adorable small canine teeth with a smile, "Our director punished me with copying documents."

Ji Xiangdong gently made his way over, placed the chicken soup on her desk, pulled over a chair to sit down, and inquired, "What did you do wrong to be punished like this?"

Bai Xiaolan relayed the entire incident, feeling altered recently. Whenever she met Ji Xiangdong, it seemed like she enjoyed rambling about any small work matters.

Listening quietly, Ji Xiangdong’s heart filled with mirth. To him, Bai Xiaolan was acting like a child who had been wronged and this would only land her in more difficult situations. He spoke seriously, "Drink your chicken soup first, let me help you copy the documents."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaolan’s eyes gleamed in delight. It was such great news. She quickly handed over the manuscript and original documents to Ji Xiangdong, who sat at the side of her desk, leaned over, and instructed him on the areas to copy from and the parts to annotate with parentheses.

Ji Xiangdong watched as Bai Xiaolan’s delicate fingers hovered over the documents, a delightful scent wafting towards him and embedding itself within his heart.

Only after concluding her instructions did Bai Xiaolan finally sit back down and open the lunch box, sipping the delicious chicken soup delightedly. Watching Ji Xiangdong as he busily wrote at her desk, she wished the director would assign her more documents to copy - then Ji Xiangdong’s mother could send him over with chicken soup every day.

Under the dim light of the tranquil night, sweet happiness was subtly fermenting.

Observing Bai Xiaolan about to wash the emptied lunch box, Ji Xiangdong put down his pen and said, "Just leave it there, I’ll take it to the dormitory to wash later."

Bai Xiaolan took him up on his offer, acknowledging that the oily lunch box would require a bit of alkali to clean properly, which was not available there.

"Do you want to get along well with your office colleagues?" Ji Xiangdong looked at Bai Xiaolan and asked seriously.

Bai Xiaolan nodded, "Yes I do, but I won’t play favorites just to please them."

Ji Xiangdong chuckled, "In handling social relations, trying to win others over can be beneficial. The occasional favor can help, but it should not happen too often."

Bai Xiaolan shook her head, "That sounds like flattery. If we’re giving something, why not do it regularly?"

Ji Xiangdong laughed lightly, "You might consider it as flattery, but humans are greedy. If you give too often, they will come to expect it. Skipping an occasion will even invite resentment. Do it occasionally, and maintain a balance in your attitude."

Bai Xiaolan was still confused, yet she nodded, thinking that she needed to ponder over this later.

Looking at Bai Xiaolan’s baffled face, Ji Xiangdong warmly told her, "Moreover, occasional humility in social interactions doesn’t make you a pushover, it simply helps you accumulate strength for a stronger counterstrike. As a newcomer, you should aim to be humble, low-profile, and tactful, all while holding your ground. And when you finally establish yourself, you can retaliate against those who mistreated you."

Ji Xiangdong knew he couldn’t change Bai Xiaolan’s thinking in one go. In fact, he hoped that Bai Xiaolan would always maintain her current character.

Bai Xiaolan felt that Ji Xiangdong was more like a big brother than her own three brothers. Her eldest brother would always say, "As a young woman, don’t stir up trouble every day."

Her second elder brother would say, "Bai Xiaolan, if you fight again, I will tell mom."

Her third brother would always say, "Who dares to mess with you, tell third brother. I will take care of him."

Seeing Bai Xiaolan nodding with a confused look on her face, Ji Xiangdong smiled and said, "Alright, don’t worry about it anymore. If it’s too difficult, don’t force yourself. It’s getting late, I’ll take you home."

Having spent several years in semi-official circles, Ji Xiangdong knew all too well that an environment where people spoke both human and non-human languages was not suitable for Bai Xiaolan.

Bai Xiaolan rubbed her fingers, starting to tidy up the documents on the table. She liked Ji Xiangdong’s last compliment - don’t force yourself.

"I’ll come to pick you up after work tomorrow. Xiaobei invited you for dinner at his home." Ji Xiangdong accompanied Bai Xiaolan to the entrance of her dormitory building and paused to say.

Bai Xiaolan sighed inwardly - time flew by so fast - and nodded, her heart filled with a small excited flutter.

...

After spending a night at Xiaobei’s house, Lu Songyuan called a family meeting the following morning.

"When Zhanguo returns, just let him know. Your mother and I have decided to buy a small house nearby. If you are busy in the daytime, we can take Xiaopang and Mo Wang to our place. If not, your mother and I can come over to help look after the two kids." Lu Songyuan declared loudly while holding Mo Wang. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Gu Xiaobei was both surprised and touched. In this era, many older people still held onto the belief that children were the pillars of their old age and thus, living in their children’s home was justified.

Before Gu Xiaobei could react, Lu Songyuan continued, "My retirement package, along with the salary over the years, amounts to thirty thousand. The house in the Capital City belongs to the army. After my retirement, the house will have to be returned. Before I came here, I thought these thirty thousand could be divided between Zhanguo and his brothers, one thousand each. Your mother and I will be taken care of by you and the third child’s family."

"But after talking with your mother last night, we agreed that so long as we are able, we should live separately. Life is anything but smooth sailing. Conflicts may arise and it’s better to live apart to avoid that. Hence, nobody will feel put off by anyone. When we are too old to move, whoever takes care of us will have the house."

Gu Xiaobei’s eyes watered a bit as he tried to hold back tears, eventually managing to say, "Dad, we will definitely take care of you in your old age. This has nothing to do with the house."

Lu Songyuan nodded, "The two of us will look for a house in the next few days. We want a small courtyard where we can grow flowers and vegetables. This way, we can look after the children in peace while you focus on your work. I heard your mother say that you are writing something for a publishing house. That’s excellent. The future belongs to those who are cultured."

Gu Xiaobei laughed and replied, "Alright. Now that the weather is warmer, we can bring Xiaopang and Mo Wang along to see the house." Lu Songyuan’s idea of buying a small courtyard was in line with his expectations.

Come dinner time, Gu Xiaobei, holding Xiaopang, welcomed Ji Xiangdong and Bai Xiaolan with a beaming smile as they entered the house.

Bai Xiaolan blushed slightly, feeling somewhat guilty. However, Gu Xiaobei disregarded that, pulling her into the room and saying, "Come with me. I bought a piece of cloth for Xiaopang’s summer dress. Tell me if you think it’s nice."

Bai Xiaolan, feeling the obviousness of such a poor excuse, followed Gu Xiaobei into the bedroom.