Chapter 3

The child’s cries were sharp and loud, instantly drawing the attention of many people.

At that moment, it was the peak time for work. Whether on the street or inside the state-run restaurant, there were plenty of people. Upon hearing the child’s cries, they all turned to look.

Regardless of the era, gossiping had always been a favorite pastime of the people.

Even those dining inside the restaurant put down their bowls and rushed to the entrance, squatting down to watch the commotion.

Mother Wen had never seen Wen Nuan cry like this, and she was suddenly taken aback.

She hurriedly grabbed Wen Nuan’s arm, her voice flustered, “Xiao Nuan, what do you mean? Isn’t your Qinghan sending you money every month? How could you possibly not be able to buy even one piece of clothing? Don’t speak carelessly!”

The crowd grew larger, and Mother Wen felt increasingly guilty, forgetting to put on the façade of a pitiful mother.

Wen Nuan heard the child crying on her back and decided to unclip the straps, cradling her wailing daughter in her arms.

Wen Nuan sobbed as she held the child, “Mom, it won’t help if you pinch or hit me; I really have no money! I don’t have a job or any income; we all depend on the child’s father to support us. You said my brother wanted to marry someone, and I already gave you all my money and tickets. Now you come asking me for more money; where do you expect me to get it from?”

“Mom, I also want to ask you for some fabric tickets and cotton tickets. Winter is coming soon, and I don’t even have tickets to buy fabric to make a cotton jacket for my child.”

Wen Nuan remembered that Mother Wen had mentioned saving the fabric and cotton tickets for winter, as that was when the supply and marketing cooperative would restock. The autumn supplies were merely leftover stock from the previous year.

Wen Nuan guessed that Mother Wen likely hadn’t used the tickets she had received last month.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers began to murmur among themselves.

There were quite a few enthusiastic neighbors, especially some women who understood the hardships of managing a family. One immediately stepped forward, pointing at Mother Wen and scolding her, “Sister, how can you be such a mother and grandmother? Just look at your granddaughter; she’s so small! How can you bear to let a crying little baby go without even a piece of clothing?”

“Exactly! A baby this young could die if she gets cold in winter!”

“Bah! I’ve seen shameless people, but never someone as cruel and heartless as you! Bullying a little baby—what kind of monster does that? And you call yourself a grandmother? I think you’re more like the Big Bad Wolf!”

Someone who knew Wen Nuan stepped forward and said, “I see you’re just bullying your son-in-law because he’s rarely home, always coming here to ask for this and that. I’ve seen you come several times. Winter is almost here; why not have a little pity for the child?”

“Exactly! Just look at how pitiful the baby is crying; she must have been scared by all this pulling and shouting.”

Seeing the child cry so hard, the crowd pulled Wen Nuan behind them to prevent Mother Wen from getting physical and possibly hurting the baby.

Wen Nuan took the opportunity to hold her child tightly, stepping aside as she gently rubbed the baby’s back to soothe her.

Feeling Wen Nuan’s comfort, the child stopped crying, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes before burying her head in Wen Nuan’s shoulder.

It was such a pitiable sight that anyone who saw it would soften their hearts.

Mother Wen looked around at the crowd’s pointing fingers and various accusations, her face turning crimson, unsure of where to put her hands and feet.

She hurriedly explained, “This is unjust! I’m the child’s grandmother; I care about her too much to bully her!”

Wen Nuan didn’t give her any leeway, throwing back, “Mom, if you really care about the child, then return the fabric tickets to me first. Each person only gets six feet of fabric tickets and one catty of cotton tickets each year. I truly can’t manage any more!”

Mother Wen was taken aback, not expecting that this time she would leave without any money and would also have to hand over some tickets to Wen Nuan.

She absolutely refused to do that!

Meanwhile, the enthusiastic neighbors stepped forward, pointing at her and scolding, “Winter is approaching! Not only are you a grandmother who won’t get the child new clothes, but you’re also taking the child’s fabric tickets. That’s simply unacceptable!”

In these times, fabric and cotton tickets were scarce; each person received a fixed amount each year, making them even more precious than food tickets.

Whose clothes didn’t require sewing and patching for three years?

Mother Wen pretended to wipe her tears and innocently exclaimed, “Oh, this is so unfair! I don’t have any tickets! If I did, I would have made a few clothes for the child long ago!”

A neighbor who had just come from the supply cooperative stood up, saying, “I saw you at the supply cooperative just now. You were in line to buy fabric and cotton. The moment you saw your daughter and granddaughter, you hurried over. You definitely have tickets! Quickly return the tickets to the child!”

Mother Wen had always been one to bully the weak and fear the strong, desperately clinging to her pride. For years, Wen Nuan had held the upper hand, and she had never resisted; she never expected that today, in front of so many people, she would be humiliated.

As more and more people gathered around, it became clear that unless she produced something, she wouldn’t be able to leave this street today.

Reluctantly, Mother Wen rummaged through her pockets. After a moment, she pulled out a stack of tickets, not even bothering to see what they were. She handed them over to a neighbor beside her, who quickly shoved them into Wen Nuan’s hands, saying, “Here, take this back. How is such a tiny baby supposed to survive the winter without a decent cotton jacket? Don’t be so foolish in the future; don’t give everything away!”

Seeing the stack of money and tickets being taken from her, Mother Wen nearly stumbled in shock.

Wen Nuan accepted the money and tickets, not bothering to check what kind they were, tightly gripping them in her hand. “Big sister, thank you!” she said gratefully.

Then she lifted one of the child’s arms, waving it toward Mother Wen, “Sweetheart, let’s quickly thank Grandma!”

She added insincerely, “Look how good Grandma is to you,” deliberately emphasizing the word “good” in a mocking tone.

The child waved her arms, completely forgetting her earlier cries, and instead, she began to giggle.

Mother Wen found herself at a loss for words. Though she recognized Wen Nuan’s sarcasm, it wouldn’t be wise to escalate the situation now.

Moreover, she understood Wen Nuan’s temperament well—sometimes a bit willful, with a short fuse that could flare up occasionally.

It was likely that her outburst had something to do with the money and tickets Mother Wen had taken last month, which had left Wen Nuan feeling upset.

Perhaps the next time she came, she wouldn’t be so emotional.

She smiled at the child, gritting her teeth as she said, “I am the child’s grandmother. If I don’t treat her well, who will?”

The onlookers laughed and said, “That’s right; it’s only natural to cherish one’s own child.”

Mother Wen no longer felt like staying. Looking at Wen Nuan and the child’s smiling faces made her feel a sharp sting; her heart was filled with both anger and bitterness.

She casually found an excuse to leave.

Wen Nuan, not wanting to pretend to share a false mother-daughter bond with her, thanked the enthusiastic neighbor who had just defended her after Mother Wen departed.

Most of these neighbors had seen each other before and knew that Wen Nuan was Gu Qinghan’s wife, so they earnestly advised her, “Comrade, your Qinghan is a good man. He’s a soldier and often away from home. You should be a little cautious and not let anything slip outside.”

Wen Nuan nodded in understanding and said, “Aunt, I know. Thank you all.”

“No need for that. Just live well from now on; there’s plenty of time ahead,” the neighbor replied.

Wen Nuan retrieved some tickets and money but didn’t change her original plan; she still went to the state-run restaurant to have some wontons.

The food back then was made with genuine ingredients. Although the wontons cost only twelve cents a bowl, it was a generous serving, and there was meat visible in the filling, which was rare.

The little one seemed to be starving; she devoured all the wonton skins that Wen Nuan fed her.

By the end of the meal, the child picked up the chopsticks beside her and tapped them on the table, as if she wanted another bowl.

Wen Nuan took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and said, “That’s enough. If you eat more, you’ll really be sick.”

The little one had just learned to sit steadily, and now she was being held by Wen Nuan while eating. Hearing Wen Nuan’s words, she lifted her head to look at her, blinking her big eyes several times, which were round and wide.

Since she had just cried, her eyes were particularly bright, resembling two large gemstones.

Seeing her pitiable appearance, Wen Nuan chuckled, “Don’t play the pity card; you’re quite the little rascal.”

“Come on, Mommy will take you to buy some fabric and cotton to make you a new outfit!”

Although Wen Nuan planned to buy some fabric and cotton directly and head home, she hesitated when passing by the supply and marketing cooperative. The place was bustling with people.

This time in the morning, was the busiest for shopping at the cooperative because many vegetables and meats were supplied in the morning.

Wen Nuan thought about how she was carrying a small baby and didn’t want to squeeze into the crowd, so she bought some flour and decided to head home, planning to return in the afternoon.

After returning home, Wen Nuan counted the money and tickets she had just taken back from Mother Wen.

To her surprise, she had enough for eight feet of fabric and over a catty of cotton.

That was definitely enough to make two padded jackets for a small baby.

Since the child was still young, after a satisfying meal, she fell asleep again upon returning home.

She slept soundly until just after one in the afternoon.

Wen Nuan had a simple meal of pancakes at noon and then set out with her waking daughter.

However, Wen Nuan did not head straight to the supply and marketing cooperative; instead, she first stopped by the health station.

At noon, people from the street office had come to promote information about polio. Remembering her daughter’s experience in the book, Wen Nuan decided to take her child some sugar pills as a precaution and to give her a health check-up as well.

From birth until now, it seemed that the child had never had a health check-up, and Wen Nuan’s knowledge about childcare was also lacking.

The health station in the seventies was simple and cramped, with very old equipment. There was only one doctor in a white coat on duty.

As soon as the doctor saw Wen Nuan carrying the child, he asked, “What seems to be the problem?”

Wen Nuan stepped inside and replied, “There’s no problem; we just came to get some sugar pills and to have the child checked.”

“Come on in, then. First, let’s register the child,” the doctor said, inviting Wen Nuan to sit down. He then pulled out a form and a pen, asking, “What is the child’s name?”

Wen Nuan paused for a moment because the family registration book had always been with her mother-in-law. Zhao Wuzhu and “Wen Nuan disagreed over what to name the child.

Zhao Wuzhu insisted on naming her either Gu Zhaodi or Gu Pandi, while Wen Nuan was unwilling.

Names like Zhaodi and Pandi were truly headache-inducing at first glance, and the child would likely feel inferior as she grew up.

On the issue of naming, Wen Nuan could not budge, no matter what.

As a result, Zhao Wuzhu had simply hidden the family registration book, and the child had never been registered.

Wen Nuan had no choice but to muster her courage and reply, “We haven’t named her yet.”

The doctor looked at the child with a puzzled expression and, with a faint smile, said, “The child seems to be several months old already; you haven’t named her?”

However, the doctor was also professional and did not dwell on the naming issue, asking a few other questions instead.

Since there weren’t many people, the examination was completed quickly, and the child was found to be relatively healthy with no significant issues.

However, there was a queue for the sugar pills, as the supply of pills distributed to this area was a bit limited since it wasn’t a major city.

Wen Nuan took the notification and left the health station.

Once outside, she passed by the post office.

She glanced at the people waiting inside, thought for a moment, and then lifted her feet to walk in.

—o—o—o—

In a certain military unit in G Province.

Zheng Wei^[1]Political Commissar looked at Gu Qinghan across from him.

Eight years had passed, and he had watched Gu Qinghan transform from a naïve recruit into a steady, resolute, and robust man.

Remarkably, his handsome face had not diminished over the years.

Having served in the military for many years, Gu Qinghan was one of the most capable and sharp-minded individuals in the unit.

Otherwise, the organization wouldn’t have made an exception to select him for the Air Force base in the Northern Military District.

“Qinghan, Northern Military District is so far away from here; you might have even fewer opportunities to return home than in the past. Have you considered bringing your wife and child with you?” Zheng Wei pondered for a moment and added, “Now that you’re a regimental officer, you don’t have to worry about housing at all, and making a living shouldn’t be difficult either.”

Gu Qinghan almost instinctively shook his head, a cold face flashing through his mind. His fist tightened slightly as he replied, “No need. Let it go to comrades who need it.”

Zheng Wei chuckled, “No rush. Anyway, you have two days of leave before heading to the Northern Military District. Why not go home and discuss it first? Who knows, your wife might not want to part with you and might want to come along.”

Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow, his expression stoic as he pressed his lips together, remaining silent.

Just as the conversation ended, a few knocks sounded at the door. “Deputy Commander Gu, you have a telegram.”

Zheng Wei casually asked, “Where’s it from?”

“It’s from Deputy Commander Gu’s home,” the messenger replied.

At those words, Gu Qinghan raised his emotionless gaze. “Bring it in.”

Usually, when his family contacted him, it was mostly through his mother, and most of the time, his younger brother would help write letters. They hadn’t really sent telegrams before.

Could it be that something had happened at home?

Zheng Wei, curious, leaned over to look at the telegram in Gu Qinghan’s hand and joked, “It’s probably from your wife. She must have missed you after such a long time apart.”

The moment Gu Qinghan took the telegram, he almost immediately dismissed Zheng Wei’s words.

‘Impossible.’

He pulled out the telegram from the envelope, and the 6 short words written on it read: “Waiting for you to come home.”