Back To The 80s-Chapter 351 - 361: Trivial Matters_1

As for the hospital, the moment Ji Xiangdong stepped into the hospital, he abandoned his usually mild exterior, listening expressionlessly to the unreasonable requirements listed by Zhang Chunlan’s husband. Their last word, a demand of a thousand yuan to consider the matter closed.

Ji Xiangdong raised a devilish, cold smile: "Would you dare to spend this money?"

Mister and Missus Zhang Chunlan were upright and honest folk, who’d only stumbled on this plan because a well-meaning friend had suggested it. They thought they could extort some money, or resort to reporting the incident to the authorities. But faced with Ji Xiangdong’s cold demeanor, they hesitated. Although it was a time of peace, the hard of heart feared the ruthless, and the ruthless feared those ready to lay down their lives.

The man standing before them was emitting an aura as icy as a merciless reaper from hell itself, causing them to feel apprehensive.

Ji Xiangdong was no stranger to desperate situations, having walked out of a pile of corpses himself. He wasn’t new to dealing with people like the Zhang couple, either. Not wanting to give them a hard time, and seeing their fear, he gave them a hundred yuan and had them write a note stating the issue was solved. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even receive a single penny, and would have to face the consequences.

Mister and Missus Zhang Chunlan found a hundred yuan satisfactory—it was more than enough for their hospital fees—and hastily penned their note, wishing for this sinister presence to leave as swiftly as possible.

Bai Xiaolan, now aware that Ji Xiangdong had taken care of everything, looked at him full of admiration: "You’re absolutely incredible. I’m going to treat you to ramen noodles later."

"Alright." Ji Xiangdong looked at Bai Xiaolan, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

..........

Lately, Lu Zhanguo was coming home very late each day, sometimes not returning until the following evening.

Observing Lu Zhanguo come home covered in mud and grime in the middle of the night, Gu Xiaobei said with concern, "Aren’t you a high-ranking officer now? Can’t you let someone else take over the training? Why are you working yourself so hard?"

Petting her face, Lu Zhanguo replied, "I’ve just transferred to a new unit, and we have added a lot of new training programs this year. I need to get familiar with them first to command respect among the crew." He then took some clean clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Xiaopang, who had been asleep, heard the noise and sat up. He blinked his large eyes and called out, "Dad, dad!"

Gu Xiaobei, worried that Xiaopang would wake Mo Wang, quickly picked him up and whispered, "You really are your dad’s little lover, always seeking his attention."

After taking his shower, Lu Zhanguo picked up his daughter and said, "You should visit Chunling when you get the chance."

"What happened?" Gu Xiaobei hadn’t seen Ge Chunling in about a week due to the hecticness of their move—they now lived only a few buildings away.

"Guanghan’s mum has arrived. I think they are having some conflict - you should go and check. Guanghan’s been distracted at training because of this, and it’s dangerous for him." Lu Zhanguo replied with some resignation.

Gu Xiaobei nodded, "Alright, my parents will be here tomorrow, I’ll check on Chunling after that." Thinking about the cunningness of the Wu family, Gu Xiaobei developed a headache.

The following morning, as soon as Lu Songyuan and Wen Xiuqing arrived, Gu Xiaobei went to Ge Chunling’s home.

Ge Chunling appeared to be in good spirits. Seeing Gu Xiaobei, she smiled and said, "I was thinking of paying you a visit but I knew your in-laws were staying with you, so I didn’t."

The matriarch of the Wu Family, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard noises and came out on her tiptoes, saying smilingly, "You came? It’s been some days!"

"Your complexion is improving, you look rejuvenated!" Gu Xiaobei replied with a smile.

The matriarch of the Wu family sighed and said, "I’m not fine at all. I’m worried. People are saying that Chunling is expecting a girl."

Upon hearing this, Ge Chunling’s face darkened; she countered in discontent, "So what if it’s a girl? I would never get an abortion!"

Realising the severity of the issue, Gu Xiaobei quickly intervened: "Not even experienced doctors can accurately determine the sex of the baby this early, let alone outsiders. Don’t listen to gossip. Besides, daughters bring fortune. Look at the Gu Family, it’s the daughter who holds the reins."

Wu’s matriarch moved her lips as if to refute but remained silent, though the discontentment was visible on her face.

Gu Xiaobei took Ge Chunling’s hand and suggested, "I was thinking about buying some fabric. Why don’t you come with me?"

Ge Chunling nodded, bid the matriarch farewell, and left with Gu Xiaobei.

They didn’t walk far before stopping under a large tree. Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but ask, "What happened? It’s only been a few months, how can one know the gender of the baby?"

With a hopeless look, Ge Chunling explained, "My sister-in-law got someone at home to predict the sex of the baby. They said I would be giving birth to a girl. My sister-in-law is such a sinister woman. She knows my mother-in-law is illiterate, so she drew a picture of a girl in my womb on a piece of paper and showed it to her."

Gu Xiaobei sighed and said, "This is affecting Guanghan. They are often tasked with dangerous missions, and bringing emotional baggage leaves him vulnerable. What if he gets distracted?"

Ge Chunling responded somewhat helplessly, "Mother-in-law is grumbling about it every day in front of Guanghan, saying that our Wu family will not have any male descendants, and how she has lost all hope in life and wishes to die."

Seeing that the problem lay with the matriarch, and there was nothing she could do, Gu Xiaobei suggested in consolation, "Try to console Guanghan when you get back. Spend time outside instead of cooping up at home, you could come to my place."

Ge Chunling nodded, regretting her decision to inform her folks about her pregnancy.

In the last couple of days, Gu Xiaobei prepared all the necessary materials and planned to meet Jiang Jiahua. She wanted to decide whether they should collaborate or directly sell the copyrights to a publishing house. She urgently needed the money for Qin Li’s venture. Thus, if the price was right, she planned to sell the copyright.

Jiang Jiahua was surprised by Gu Xiaobei’s sudden visit. Over the past two months, Gu Xiaobei had only mailed her manuscripts, along with a note saying that she would collect the payment when she came back.

"When did you come back?" Jiang Jiahua asked Gu Xiaobei excitedly.

Gu Xiaobei replied politely, "It’s been a month. I came today to collect my manuscript fee. Kindly check with finance and let me know a convenient time for me to collect the payment. Also, there’s another matter I want to discuss—I’ve come up with a new proposal." Gu Xiaobei handed over the proposal to Jiang Jiahua.

Accepting a stack of paper, Jiang Jiahua couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at them. This petite woman always managed to surprise him.

Sitting down, Jiang Jiahua carefully went through the pages. Gu Xiaobei had meticulously written about market prospects, conflict of interest, risk assessment—everything in a very organized manner. Furthermore, she provided multiple sub-branches under each main premise. For instance, under market prospects, Gu Xiaobei had not only analysed the existing market precisely, but also mapped out potentially prosperous avenues and delved into their multifaceted and multichannel development.

Jiang Jiahua looked at the bold font on the paper, marveling inwardly about how she managed to do all these. Once he was done reading, he looked at Gu Xiaobei with satisfaction and asked, "Do you have any demands?"

Without any pretense, Gu Xiaobei answered, "As long as the money is satisfactory, everything else can be managed."

Jiang Jiahua laughed. Many writers act haughty and pretend to disdain money despite wanting it. Gu Xiaobei, however, was frank about it. He asked in a deep voice, "How much do you think your proposal is worth?"

"Fifty thousand." Gu Xiaobei did not hesitate and named her price without batting an eyelid.

Jiang Jiahua was taken aback, and with a laugh, he asked, "Isn’t fifty thousand too high?"