Back To The 80s-Chapter 359 - 369: Engagement_1

Lu Zhanguo nodded with drooping eyelids, taking a while before he said, "We can’t slack off on this matter either, it still needs to be investigated. Now onto another matter, we need to adjust next week’s training plan. Our team’s code-breaking expert will be reporting to us next week, and we should incorporate them into our field training as well..."

By the time Lu Zhanguo arrived home, it was midnight and Lu Aiguo and his family of three were already asleep.

Gu Xiaobei was sprawled out on a small heated table, writing a manuscript, while their two children were sound asleep underneath their small blanket.

Lu Zhanguo quietly entered, guiltily looking at Gu Xiaobei and said, "Why didn’t you go to sleep first? You don’t have to wait up for me next time."

Gu Xiaobei put down her pen, tilted her head and grinned at Lu Zhanguo, "If I did that, we wouldn’t see each other for days. You come back late and I’m already asleep. When I wake up in the morning, you’re already gone. I’m afraid you’d forget what I look like awake."

Lu Zhanguo sat down, pinched her cheek and said, "You’re so playful even after becoming a mom." He then glanced at the thick stack of manuscript papers on the table and said, "Why have you been writing so much recently?"

Gu Xiaobei packed up her manuscript and pen, smiled, and said, "Because if I get my manuscript in quickly, I can get paid. It turns out that starting a company requires a registered capital of 30,000, so I need to earn money quickly."

"You don’t have to push yourself so hard. It’s enough to earn some money every month by writing," said Lu Zhanguo, with concern, noticing the dark shadows under Gu Xiaobei’s eyes.

Stretching her arms and kneeling on the kang, Gu Xiaobei moved towards Lu Zhanguo, curled her arms around his neck and said, "I don’t want to keep writing for the publisher. Besides, writers eventually run out of creative juice. I want to earn money so that our children can have better living conditions in the future."

Lu Zhanguo was still concerned. "This is too hard. Why don’t we wait until the child is older and in school before you start?"

Nuzzling against his neck like a kitten, Gu Xiaobei grumbled, "Don’t worry, I plan on starting slowly bit by bit. I won’t rush into things. At the moment, I’m just preparing."

The couple dared not speak any more when Xiaopang on the kang turned around in his sleep, fearing they might wake him. They promptly went to sleep.

Bright and early on Sunday, Gu Xiaobei got their two children into their new clothes, getting ready to attend Ji Xiangdong and Bai Xiaolan’s engagement banquet.

Not long after waking up, Lu Aiguo began to grumble. "Starting today, I have to call that young lady my older sister-in-law. I’m really not ok with that. Second Brother, you have to teach me some tricks. I want to best her for once."

Fu Jing laughed and scolded from the side, "Can you be a bit more mature? Besides, can you even beat Big Brother? And you still want to bully your sister-in-law? Hurry up, pack up, and get ready to leave."

The group of them made their way to the small courtyard amidst their laughter and banter.

Lu Songyuan went out early to buy fish and meat and even bought a rooster. He was now busy de-feathering it in the yard.

Wen Xiuqing, who had already marinated the fish, was now cleaning vegetables in the kitchen. The smile on her face was impossible to hide.

Upon their arrival, Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing didn’t rest but hurried over to help prepare the vegetables. Seeing her two daughters-in-law, Wen Xiuqing couldn’t help but say, "For your Elder Brother’s wedding, we’re thinking of giving him 5,000 yuan. Do you two have any objections?"

Gu Xiaobei shook her head, how could she have any objections? Even if they gave ten thousand, that money still belonged to the parents.

Fang Jing laughed and said, "Mom, don’t worry. Xiaobei and I definitely have no objections. Moreover, my Big Brother has suffered a lot throughout these years. It’s only right that he gets a bit more."

Wen Xiuqing let out a sigh of relief, "Primarily because your Elder Brother currently doesn’t have a house and he just got married, so we’re thinking of giving more. If you have any thoughts, just voice it directly. Don’t feel uncomfortable about it later and bear a grudge."

Fang Jing waved away her concerns, "Mom, don’t worry, If it were before, I might have had some thoughts about it, but not now. My mom often told me, as long as our family is harmonious and happy, that’s better than anything else."

Gu Xiaobei agreed wholeheartedly with Fang Jing’s words, "Yes, as long as we support each other, our lives will only get better."

When Bai Xiaolan entered the kitchen, the whole room seemed to light up. Bai Xiaolan was wearing a hot pink gauzy blouse; the neckline was tied with two same-colored bows.

Fang Jing teased her, "In red clothes, you really look like a bride."

Bai Xiaolan giggled non-stop while Zhou Siping who was standing nearby laughed and said, "We didn’t have much time and didn’t buy any nice clothes. When they get married, I will get Xiaolan a silk cheongsam made from Ruifuxiang in the Capital City."

Bai Xiaolan cheekily replied, "Mom, that dress can only be worn for a day. You might as well just give me the money."

"Look at this, she’s not even married yet and her heart’s already wandering off, planning to grab things from her parents’ home." Zhou Siping fondly looked at Bai Xiaolan while laughing and scolding her.

Seeing this scene, Gu Xiaobei felt a twinge of envy. Such enviable mother-daughter affection, something she could no longer experience. She could only strive to be a good mom and save up as much dowry as she could for Xiaopang in the future.

Wen Xiuqing personally handled cooking the lunch, which was even more plentiful than the meals they would have at the school canteen. Pan-fried stuffed tofu, sweet-scented Osmanthus fish, braised chicken in brown sauce, garlic flavored ribs, Dongpo pork, and a few vegetarian dishes with a southern flavor. For Xiaopang and Mo Wang, egg dumplings and steamed tofu were prepared.

Looking at the spread on the table, Lu Aiguo exclaimed, "Even the landlord’s family probably doesn’t live this well, right?"

As Fang Jing set the dishes on the table, she gently kicked Lu Aiguo, "You sure talk a lot. Go boil some water for tea."

Ji Xiangdong watched all of this with a smile, a deep sense of excitement stirring within him. He hadn’t expected to not only return home after a little over half a month but also be getting married.

When Bai Xiaolan sat down at the table, she blushed a bit, but her shyness didn’t last more than a minute before Lu Aiguo blasted it away.

While pouring wine, Lu Aiguo said, "Come on, female warrior, you have to bring the same spirit you had back in the Hat Hutong, where you drank six guys under the table."

Baring her teeth at Lu Aiguo, Bai Xiaolan’s eyes were brimming with promises of retaliation.

Ji Xiangdong gently defended, "Don’t worry, Aiguo has to go through me first."

"Hey, that’s not fair! Big Brother, after all I’m still your biological brother. You can’t do this to me," Lu Aiguo pleaded with a distressed expression.

The atmosphere at the dining table immediately lightened. Lu Songyuan had bought a folding table and, when combined with their existing one, could fit the entire family for a meal.

Lu Ruixue didn’t make a sound, just sat quietly to the side. No one knew what she was thinking.

Because they didn’t have many relatives in the provincial city, they decided not to have a big wedding. On July 1st they would first get their marriage certificate, then when Ji Xiangdong got a vacation, they would return to the Capital City to hold their wedding. Zhou Siping agreed verbally, but felt a bit sad inside that her daughter’s wedding didn’t even have a ceremony.

Seeing a flash of sadness pass over Zhou Siping’s face, Ji Xiangdong pulled out a bankbook from his pocket, handed it to Bai Xiaolan, and said, "This is the money I saved over the years. It’s not much, but from now on I’ll leave it to you to manage." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Bai Xiaolan’s eyes shone as she said, "Aren’t you afraid that I’ll spend it all at once?"

Zhou Siping, who was initially a bit upset, immediately brightened when she saw Ji Xiangdong hand over all of his earnings. But hearing her daughter’s words, she felt a little headache. Whose child was this, lacking common sense like this?