Chapter 390: Chapter 400: Visiting_1
After dinner, the wind began to blow outside, and Wen Xiuqing suggested that everyone stay in the small courtyard for the night.
Gu Xiaobei, needing to return to catch up on her work at the publishing house, decided to leave the two children behind, while she and her husband returned to the staff housings.
Xiaopang, hugging his mother’s neck tightly, refused to let go, no matter how much Wen Xiuqing coaxed, he did not want to be left behind.
Finally, they had no choice, but to wrap Xiaopang tightly in a small blanket, and carry him with them back to the staff housings.
On the way, Lu Zhanguo reached out to hold Xiaopang, who, for once, did not resist and let his father hold him.
Gu Xiaobei jokingly said, "I thought you were ignoring me."
Lu Zhanguo laughed and said, "I wasn’t ignoring you, I just thought you needed some space, so I didn’t bother you."
"Yeah, right. You still had that stern face at dinner." Gu Xiaobei muttered.
Lu Zhanguo was silent, he had to admit that he was feeling a bit sorry for his daughter at that time.
The two casually chatted in this way until they reached the doorstep. Before they could take out their keys, the door across the room opened.
Zeng Changzhi stood at the door and with a smile, he said, "I heard you two coming up the stairs, it is still early, come in and sit for a while."
Lu Zhanguo felt it was not polite to refuse, so he carried Xiaopang and followed Zeng Changzhi into the house.
Zhao Hongmei was holding a bowl and chasing Erhu around the room trying to feed him. Seeing Gu Xiaobei and the others coming in, she paused and asked with a smile, "Did you have dinner already?"
Gu Xiaobei, observing Erhu scampering around the room, chuckled and said, "We ate, this is Erhu, right? He’s robust." Just like his name, Erhu was stocky and husky-headed, and very adorable.
"He’s too naughty. Every mealtime is a struggle," Zhao Hongmei complained fully, but her tone was full of indulgence.
Gu Xiaobei didn’t say anything, instead, she followed Lu Zhanguo to sit on the sofa, helping him unwrap the blanket that Xiaopang was swaddled in. Since the house was warm, they removed his coat as well, leaving him in a pink sweater.
When Erhu caught sight of the little baby dressed in pink, he curiously moved closer.
Zhao Hongmei laughed and said, "This little girl is as pretty as a doll. She is so beautiful, let me hold her." As she said this, she reached out to hold Xiaopang.
Before she could secure her hold, Erhu started to fuss, crying, and hitting Zhao Hongmei’s leg, unwilling to let her hold Xiaopang.
Seeing this, Gu Xiaobei quickly took Xiaopang back, at which point Erhu stopped crying.
To pacify the child, Zhao Hongmei dashed back into the kitchen, washed an apple, cut it in half, and gave one half to each child.
Erhu, who was used to eating a whole apple, was unhappy to see his portion cut in half. He threw the apple on the ground in a fit of anger and started crying again. Zhao Hongmei picked up the apple, but could not soothe him, so she had no choice but to wash another apple and give it to Erhu, only then did he quiet down.
A bit embarrased, Zhao Hongmei explained, "I was worried he wouldn’t be able to finish one whole apple, but it seems he wasn’t happy when I cut it in half."
Zeng Changzhi also commented awkwardly, "This child, his mom spoils him too much, he has become too self-centered."
Gu Xiaobei, looking at Xiaopang peacefully eating an apple nestled in her arms, said with a smile, "All children are like that, it’ll get better when they grow older." She thought that children at this age might be starting to develop a sense of ownership, that these things belong to them. Moreover, she could understand why Zhao Hongmei doted on her child. After all, they had lost a child before, so it’s natural that they would cherish this one even more.
......
When the first snow fell in the provincial city, Gu Xiaobei received a large package from Bai Xiaolan. Weighing around twenty to thirty pounds and judging from the postmark, the package had been on its way for a whole month.
Bai Xiaolan’s package included dried wild mushrooms she had dried herself, a sheepskin shoulder coat for Lu Songyuan, a handmade cashmere shawl for Wen Xiuqing, a flower hat and felt boots for Xiaopang, and the same for Mo Wang, along with a sheepskin vest. Lastly, there were several pieces of Jade Mutton Fat and red dates.
Gu Xiaobei marvelled at how lavishly the girl spent, sending several pieces of Jade Mutton Fat in one go.
There were also two letters included in the package, one was written by Ji Xiangdong to Lu Songyuan and his wife, and the other was written by Bai Xiaolan to Gu Xiaobei.
Gu Xiaobei read the few pages penned lavishly by Bai Xiaolan, detailing her life and adventures in Shule River over the past month.
She wrote that she made a local friend named Ayinu, who taught her a lot of skills, and they went to the river to collect stones together.
She could now roll noodles and steam buns, albeit sometimes they came out a bit yellow, but Ji Xiangdong said they were delicious. She also learned to sew, although her stitching still looked a bit ugly. But she was confident that by the time she wrote to Gu Xiaobei again, she would be able to sew very well.
She shared that Ji Xiangdong took her to the snowy mountain, where she saw the snow lotus flower. Unfortunately, the snow lotus wilted by the time they reached the foot of the mountain. She suggested that next time Gu Xiaobei should come and she would take her to see the snow lotus on the mountain.
She also wrote about how she had truly learned to ride a horse. Ji Xiangdong took her many places on horseback. She had seen sunrise on the vast grassland, sunset on the boundless desert, and tasted a variety of delicious foods. The most amazing thing, she mentioned, was that she had eaten a whole roasted camel with a whole roasted sheep inside its stomach.
Gu Xiaobei read the letter with a smile, as if she could see Bai Xiaolan living carefree there, as happy as a bird returning to the mountains.
The letter Ji Xiangdong wrote to Lu Songyuan was not as cheerful. It was more reserved, inquiring about the health of Lu Songyuan and Wen Xiuqing, discussing his recent work conditions, and how he and Bai Xiaolan were doing well. He mentioned that if there were no accidents, they would arrive in the provincial city in December. Since the winters in Shule River were long and there was almost nothing to do in the farmlands, he would have time to take a long vacation.
This bit of news was most exciting for them. Wen Xiuqing immediately did the math and it was just twenty or so days until December. Excited, she asked Gu Xiaobei, "Did Xiaolan mention in her letter that she is pregnant?"
Gu Xiaobei shook her head and smiled, "No, and when they wrote this letter, it was only early October."
Wen Xiuqing laughed and said, "I will make a couple of new quilt liners and two new quilts for your brother and sister-in-law. Right, I’ll also make two new mattress pads; the ones in that room have been pissed on by Xiaopang and Mo Wang."
"We don’t even know how long they’ll be staying. Why are you preparing so much new stuff?" Lu Songyuan was still engrossed in the letter from Ji Xiangdong, but when he heard what Wen Xiuqing said, he hastily spoke up.
Wen Xiuqing ignored him and continued, "Xiaobei, see if you can find any of those pictures for sale, with a chubby baby on them. Buy two and we’ll put them up on the west room wall."
Gu Xiaobei agreed, thinking about how lively it would be with her entire family together again.
By the end of November, the New Year goods Gu Xiaobei had ordered started to arrive. Chen Zhao questioned curiously, "Sister-in-law, isn’t it too early to stock up now?"
"It isn’t. By doing it early, it allows us to adjust according to the market, as needed." Gu Xiaobei said with a smile. Also, to prevent any unnecessary accidents, she had not yet informed everyone how the New Year quots would be sold and how they would be combined.
She had also ordered some white gift boxes from a carton factory, which would only be picked up at the end of December. That way, even if others wanted to imitate her, it would be too late.
