Back To The 80s-Chapter 406 - 416: Visit_1

The family of Gu Xiaobei has become a stunning scene on the Yellow River coast, radiating happiness and joy that even passersby could feel.

A photojournalist, who was taking pictures of Yellow River ice, couldn’t resist capturing this scene.

After running for a while, Lu Zhanguo asked Xiaopang and Dabing to stop, and asked Gu Xiaobei, "Aren’t you cold?"

Merrily brushing the snow off her children’s hats, Gu Xiaobei laughed, "Not cold, not cold at all, it’s so much fun."

Xiaopang, sitting in the middle, eagerly yelled, "Play, play, Fangfang, run." Xiaopang did not know how to pronounce ’Dahuang’, she just called ’Fangfang’.

Lu Zhanguo smilingly squatted down, touched Little Mo Wang’s small hands and face, and said, "Let them come down and play for a while. Otherwise, they’ll get too cold sitting still."

Xiaopang and Mo Wang both insisted they wouldn’t leave the sledge.

Out of options, Lu Zhanguo took off his jacket, wrapped it around Mo Wang and Xiaopang, told Gu Xiaobei to hold them, and then signaled Dahuang and Dabing to start running, while he followed by their side.

From a distance, He Qin stood still, mesmerized by this scene. A blissful family of four, their smiling faces were warm enough to melt the surrounding snow and ice.

If only she had been braver back then, would she also be this happy? Unfortunately, the past is past, things have changed.

The sledge stopped not far from He Qin. Gu Xiaobei laughed and had Lu Zhanguo put on his jacket, then picked up the children. After a few rounds on the sledge, she felt a bit numb in her butt.

As soon as Gu Xiaobei alighted from the sledge and took a few steps, she saw He Qin standing not far away, lost in thought. As they weren’t close, she didn’t feel comfortable enough to greet her.

However, when He Qin saw Gu Xiaobei looking over, she slightly nodded at her and then turned to leave.

Gu Xiaobei asked Lu Zhanguo, "Do you remember that Doctor He?"

Lu Zhanguo held a child in each arm, and unclearly asked, "Which Doctor He?"

"The one who was our attending physician when we were hospitalized in Guanghan," Gu Xiaobei said, pointing out He Qin’s retreating figure.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Zhanguo looked blank, "I don’t remember, why?"

Gu Xiaobei found talking gossip with Lu Zhanguo difficult, they were just not on the same wavelength. She laughed and said, "No problem, no problem. I was just curious why she’s always so cold."

Lu Zhanguo was not interested in this, and said, "Should we go home or continue strolling?"

"Let’s change their diapers first and then go to the market to buy some groceries," said Gu Xiaobei, fearing that the children would get too excited and wet their pants.

After changing their diapers, and carrying the two children to the market to buy groceries, Gu Xiaobei bought two kilograms of mung bean sprouts, planning to make bean sprout pancakes later.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the residential quarters, they saw Qin Li, Chen Gang, Jiujiu and Zhuang Shuxian walking towards them.

Upon seeing them, Qin Li laughed and said, "I’ve been knocking on your door for so long but didn’t get any response. Your neighbour finally told us you were out. Almost got a wasted trip."

"We didn’t expect you to come today. We were even thinking of visiting you in a few days," Gu Xiaobei, hugging Mo Wang, said to Zhuang Shuxian with a smile.

Zhuang Shuxian waved humorously, "You have two children, it’s not convenient for you to leave the house, it’s better we come to see you." Looking at the child in Gu Xiaobei’s arms, she said, "This must be our Mo Wang, he looks like a little grownup now." She then extended her hands to hold Mo Wang.

Chen Gang and Jiujiu also greeted Gu Xiaobei and Lu Zhanguo with smiles.

Gu Xiaobei, clutching Qin Li’s arm, said, "Come on, let’s go inside. We just slaughtered a rooster a couple of days ago, we can make it for lunch."

They all went upstairs together. Jiujiu had always been curious about Mo Wang, and she was softly asking Zhuang Shuxian, "Nana, our little brother looks different from the last time we saw him. He’s become much more handsome."

Zhuang Shuxian laughed and said, "Back then, Little Mo Wang was still a baby, now he can run everywhere."

Seeing the crowd, Xiaopang got excited and ran to Jiujiu, wanting her to carry him.

"Sister Jiujiu can’t carry you, let your brother carry you instead," Zhuang Shuxian intervened, afraid that Jiujiu might drop Xiaopang again.

All kids love playing with older kids. Chen Gang and Jiujiu played origami frogs and hide-and-seek with the two kids, who ran all over the house, having a blast.

Zhuang Shuxian laughingly remarked, "It’s more lively with more kids around. Zhanguo, if you have a mission and your parents haven’t returned, just ask us to come over and look after the kids, we have nothing better to do anyway. And both Jiujiu and Chen Gang are on winter break now."

Chen Gang suddenly stopped himself, and said to Gu Xiaobei, "Auntie, Auntie Lily told me you were very busy a few days ago. If you need help, you can call me next time. I can move boxes too." He then went back to chasing Xiaopang and Mo Wang.

Zhuang Shuxian laughed, "They’re such good kids, always eager to do housework at home. Chen Gang even carried Jiujiu’s school bag for her, one on each side."

Gu Xiaobei watched the children play, and thought that Chen Gang must be very lucky to have met the Zhuang family. It surely has rewritten his fate.

Lu Zhanguo went to the kitchen to chop the chicken, and Gu Xiaobei followed, preparing to knead the dough and spread it on the chicken later.

After chopping the chicken, Lu Zhanguo helped to peel the garlic, cut the onion, and scrape the potato skin, while watching Gu Xiaobei slickly stir-fry the sugar into caramel and quickly poured the blanched chicken into the pot. The chicken pieces immediately turned a dark, shiny red.

Lu Zhanguo, watching Gu Xiaobei with her hair casually tied behind her head, a few strands sticking to her fair face, beads of sweat on her nose, stirring the pot with concentration, was reminded of the first time he had her Big Plate Chicken. It was a time when they were still on bad terms, he thought about how fast time flies and couldn’t help saying, "Let’s go shopping tomorrow, I want to buy you a couple of outfits."

"Sure," Gu Xiaobei casually agreed, without lifting her head. She made sure the chicken was covered evenly in caramel sauce before adding the Sichuan peppers, ginger, green onion, and garlic to stir-fry.

In the living room, Zhuang Shuxian was chatting with Qin Li, "When are your parents coming? We should buy houses next to each other. I don’t find living in these buildings as comfortable as in our old family quarters downtown, there’s not even a vegetable garden."

Qin Li shook her head, "I don’t know. It seems like they want to wait for the elections in March. My mum said that if my dad could retire, it’d be better for him to live in the provincial capital."

Zhuang Shuxian nodded, "Your uncle Jin should indeed retire, but given that Chen Gang and Jiujiu are still young, and the organization wants him to serve a couple more years, well, it won’t hurt to do so and meanwhile build some more connections for Chen Gang and Jiujiu."

Qin Li grinned, and said all smiles, "No need. Wait and see, Chen Gang and Jiujiu are definitely going to achieve great things."

At lunch, Xiaopang and Mo Wang, who were enjoying themselves to the fullest, had burned off a lot of energy with all the running around and both ate quite a lot of noodles.

After lunch, Zhuang Shuxian and others were ready to leave, but Xiaopang refused, crying and grabbing his mum’s hand, wanting to leave with them.

Gu Xiaobei had no choice, and dressed Xiaopang in his cotton jacket, intending to take him to the main gate for a short walk, then return home.