Back To The 80s-Chapter 415 - 425: Spider Silk_1

Lu Aiguo was taken aback, this was not what he expected, Bai Xiaolan hugged Mo Wang and burst out laughing without reservations: "Lu, the third, I knew the chicken had to be drained of blood before being thrown out, you’ve forgotten in your excitement, right?"

Ji Xiangdong laughingly instructed Dahuang to retrieve the chicken that had run into the middle of the yard.

Gu Xiaobei, holding Xiaopang, was also laughing as he watched the scene.

Bai Xiaolan watched Dahuang bring back the rooster and said to Ji Xiangdong: "Pluck some feathers from the neck of the chicken, we’ll make some feather shuttlecocks later."

Ji Xiangdong rolled up his sleeves, took the rooster from Dahuang’s mouth, listened to Bai Xiaolan’s words, and began to pluck the feathers suitable for making shuttlecocks from the rooster’s body.

Lu Aiguo learned his lesson and slaughtered the remaining three chickens, scalded the feathers with hot water, and prepared to pluck them.

Ji Xiangdong plucked a handful of feathers and handed them to Bai Xiaolan, checked the time, washed his hands in the kitchen, changed his clothes, greeted Bai Xiaolan and Wen Xiuqing, and then left the house.

Ji Xiangdong planned to visit Bai Pingtian’s house, it would be better to attack actively than to wait for death.

Following Shen Heng’s directions, Ji Xiangdong quickly found the residence of the Provincial Grain Bureau.

Bai Pingtian was somewhat surprised by Ji Xiangdong’s sudden visit, he held the door handle, regained his senses after a while, and said with a smile: "What brings Commander Ji here?"

Ji Xiangdong smiled lightly, with a piercing gaze upon Bai Pingtian, and slowly said: "Commander Bai, standing in the doorway, are you not welcoming me?"

"Not at all, not at all, please come in, it seems like the weather is changing, it must be quite cold outside?" Bai Pingtian quickly let go of the door handle and ushered Ji Xiangdong into the house.

Bai Pingtian’s wife, seeing a visitor, quickly went into the kitchen to boil water for tea.

Ji Xiangdong entered the room, looked around, and then settled down on a single sofa, saying to Bai Pingtian: "Indeed, the weather is changing, and the chill is creeping into one’s heart."

Bai Pingtian let out a dry laugh, ran his hand through his immaculate slicked back hair and said: "It’s getting cold, Commander Ji, you should have come earlier, now is when the chill is settling in, I’m afraid it’s going to get even colder later."

Ji Xiangdong laughed softly but did not reply.

Bai Pingtian’s wife made two bowl teas with lids, smilingly served them to the two men, and then retreated to the bedroom.

Ji Xiangdong picked up the bowl of tea with his left hand, and with his slender right fingers picked up the lid of the bowl, gently scraped the tea leaves in the bowl, and took a light sip, saying: "Good tea, a little bitter at first, but sweet once swallowed."

Bai Pingtian laughed and said, "I didn’t expect Commander Ji to know tea. I wonder why Commander Ji is here today?"

Ji Xiangdong calmly took a few sips of tea, then said: "No wonder our ancestors said that tasting tea is like tasting life, the hundred states of human life can be found in this bowl of tea."

Bai Pingtian asked somewhat perplexedly: "I, Bai, am a crude man, I just think the tea tastes better than plain boiled water. I don’t understand anything about life."

Ji Xiangdong put down the tea bowl, his gaze locked onto Bai Pingtian’s forehead, and he said: "Is it better for life to be bitter before sweet, or sweet before bitter? Commander Bai, having left your household and career to garrison in such harsh conditions in the 124 Division, you must know the benefits of experiencing bitterness before sweetness."

Bai Pingtian burst out laughing: "It’s all for the construction of our great Northwest, there’s nothing about bitterness or sweetness."

Ji Xiangdong changed the subject: "Your wife’s tea brewing skills are quite skillful, if the water temperature is too high, it would ruin this good tea."

Bai Pingtian naturally understood the hidden meaning in these words, his smile faded from his face, and his gaze grew cold: "Is Commander Ji planning to lecture me? I wonder what wrong I’ve done in the eyes of Commander Ji, that made you come all the way here in such cold weather to give me a tea brewing lesson."

Ji Xiangdong dropped his eyelids with understanding, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Commander Bai, I hope our cooperation won’t end in mutual dissatisfaction."

Their conflict was no secret, over the years, Bai Pingtian had openly and secretly hindered Ji Xiangdong many times.

Bai Pingtian’s face turned a bit gloomy, picked up a box of cigarettes from the tea table, and started smoking. If he didn’t get promoted soon, it would be very difficult to find another opportunity. His only obstacle was Ji Xiangdong, who was always one step ahead of him. Even their superiors tacitly accepted Ji Xiangdong as the next deputy division commander.

Thinking of this, Bai Pingtian unintentionally tightened his grip on the cigarette pack in his hand. Since the paper-thin facade was already broken, there was no need to pretend any longer. He sneered: "You have today thanks to old man Ji’s scheming and strategizing behind you. You took his achievements as your own, how are you any different from me?"

Ji Xiangdong was not angry, he quietly watched Bai Pingtian, knowing that there were some things that even if he asked, Bai Pingtian wouldn’t tell. Fortunately, he had already figured out his way out, there was no need for hesitation any longer. He could use Bai Pingtian’s actions to facilitate his smooth transfer.

Bai Pingtian no longer spoke, and the two of them stood off against each other. In the end, it was Bai Pingtian who backed down and said to Ji Xiangdong in a cold voice: "It seems you’re also determined to be the deputy division commander."

Ji Xiangdong gave a smirk, and the curve at the corner of his mouth reminded Bai Pingtian of a fox in the desert. He was a crude soldier, not good at strategizing and even worse at enduring. This opponent, he had never understood him.

"Alright, it’s getting late, I won’t disturb you any longer. I hope that when we meet again, we can drink tea together in peace." Ji Xiangdong said no more, got up, bid farewell and left.

Leaving the gate of the Provincial Grain Bureau’s residence, Ji Xiangdong squinted at the people hurrying home on the road. Things didn’t seem as simple as he thought they were. Considering Bai Pingtian’s behavior today, there must be someone else behind the scene manipulating everything, because Bai Pingtian was too impatient, he couldn’t play a good game of chess, at most, he’s just an inconsequential discarded piece? Who exactly is behind all this?

Ji Xiangdong bought a pack of cigarettes from a small shop and started smoking under the street light. He rarely smoked, only when he was deep in thought would he take a few puffs.

Casually breathing out smoke rings, he ruminated on all the grudges he had encountered over these years, lost in thought, he didn’t even notice the gently falling snowflakes.

Bai Xiaolan looked out for Ji Xiangdong for the fourth time, wasn’t he just going out for a while? Everyone at home had finished dinner and it was already dark, but he still hadn’t returned.

She couldn’t help worrying. On her fifth time running out, she saw Ji Xiangdong coming from a distance under the dim street light, a layer of snowflakes sticking to his body.

Bai Xiaolan rushed to Ji Xiangdong’s side and asked anxiously: "Why are you back so late, is there anything wrong?"

Ji Xiangdong laughed and ruffled the snowflakes from Bai Xiaolan’s hair: "Why are you so silly, you didn’t even put on a hat when you went out."