Chapter 7

Ever since the door was made, it has never been replaced, so, when opened, it creaked loudly.

Usually, no one would enter her room, and when she wasn’t sleeping, she rarely locked the door.

Once again, the old wooden door emitted a sharp “creak—” as it was closed, restoring silence to the room.

Outside, Gu Qinghan’s muffled voice came through, sounding as if he had done something wrong—his voice was low and heavy.

“Sorry.”

Wen Nuan felt as if her throat were stuffed with cotton, her voice trembling slightly as she replied, “It’s fine.”

Then she added in a passive tone, “The rice should be in your Mom’s room. You can go check there.”

Zhao Wuzhu knew that Gu Qinghan sent money to Wen Nuan, so, she usually stored away the grains to prevent her from being “wasteful” and consuming all the food.

In the past, “Wen Nuan” had received money sent by Gu Qinghan but didn’t enjoy cooking; she often ate out.

As a result, she had no idea where the food at home had gone.

“Okay.”

Outside, footsteps gradually faded away. Wen Nuan let out a slight sigh of relief and reached up to touch her slightly warm face.

Meanwhile, the little one in Wen Nuan’s arms, sucking eagerly, tightly gripped her clothing with one hand.

She half-closed her eyes, savoring her  “delicacy,” beads of sweat glistening on her forehead as if nothing had just happened.

Once the footsteps outside the door faded away, Wen Nuan let out a small sigh of relief.

She picked up a clean cloth from the side and wiped the sweaty little girl’s forehead.

When she remembered what happened earlier, she felt quite embarrassed.

However, she thought to herself that if she were to follow Gu Qinghan to the army in the future, such a situation would likely be unavoidable.

Moreover, they were legally married, and when the child was younger, she could find excuses to avoid marital duties. But as the child grew older, it would be harder to find justifications for her avoidance.

Wen Nuan remembered that Gu Qinghan was only around 25 or 26 years old now—he was in his prime, and his strength and energy were at 100%.

If they settled down in the Northern Military District in the future, such situations would be inevitable.

Wen Nuan prepared herself mentally, feeling that there was nothing to be embarrassed about anymore.

Compared to staying here, being drained by her maternal family, schemed against by her mother-in-law, and having to outsmart her sister-in-law, there was no doubt that she needed to go to the Northern Military District.

After the little one had eaten and drunk her fill, she blinked her eyes a few times. With her tiny fists clenched, she began to feel drowsy.

Once Wen Nuan had lulled her to sleep, she quietly got off the bed.

—o—o—o—

Upon stepping out of the room, she noticed that the sky outside had darkened.

She caught the smell of smoke from the kitchen—Gu Qinghan had likely found the rice and started cooking.

Wen Nuan grabbed the vegetables she had just bought from the neighboring village. She plans to wash them, but when she reaches the kitchen, she finds that Gu Qinghan has already washed the vegetables.

Gu Qinghan was busy preparing the large fish she had just bought.

Wen Nuan caught a glimpse of the flames flickering on the stove; it seemed that he had already started cooking.

Thinking about the chopped chili fish head she had been craving for a long time, Wen Nuan quietly said to the tall man at the chopping board, “Chop off the fish head; I’ll steam it to make a chopped chili fish head.”

As she spoke, she grabbed a small plate from the shelf and indicated for him to place the fish head inside.

Gu Qinghan glanced at her briefly but didn’t say a word. With a swift motion, he chopped the fish head and set it on the plate.

However, he only chopped off half of the fish head, leaving the other half intact for an unknown purpose.

Without waiting for Wen Nuan to say anything, Gu Qinghan took a handful of red chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onions from the basket in the kitchen. He washed them and chopped them finely, spreading them evenly over the fish head.

Wen Nuan had intended to lend a hand, but Gu Qinghan skillfully mixed the soy sauce and salt before placing the dish into the pot where the rice was cooking.

After sealing the rice pot again, Gu Qinghan crouched down in front of the stove to tend to the fire.

The kitchen was dimly lit, but the flickering flames illuminated Gu Qinghan’s serious focused well-defined face.

Wen Nuan felt a bit useless just standing there watching someone else work; it felt odd not to be doing anything herself.

After hesitating for a moment, Wen Nuan walked over to the cupboard and retrieved two large plates.

She filled them with hot water to rinse them out, then placed them beside the chopping board where the fish was still resting.

Gu Qinghan glanced at her again and picked up the large knife once more, saying in a neutral tone, “You can go watch the child; I can handle it here.”

Wen Nuan felt a bit uncomfortable with both of them in the kitchen, so she nodded and replied, “Oh.”

Just as she stepped out of the kitchen, she heard the child babbling a few sounds.

Realizing it was getting close to evening, Wen Nuan decided to give the child a bath first.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinghan in the kitchen, whether in some special sense or not, seemed to have anticipated the noise from the room. He carried in half a bucket of hot water and half a bucket of cold water, placing them beside the bed.

This time, Gu Qinghan knocked on the door.

Gu Qinghan noticed that Wen Nuan was holding the child’s change of clothes and a towel and asked, “Do you need any help?”

Wen Nuan had always taken care of the little one on her own, and even Zhao Wuzhu rarely lent a hand. So, bathing the child didn’t require any assistance.

Besides, Zhao Wuzhu didn’t seem to have returned yet, and Gu Qinghan probably hadn’t finished cooking either.

Wen Nuan placed the clothes and towel on the bed, then picked up the child, shaking her head gently as she replied, “No need; you focus on your work.”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the well-behaved and adorable child in Wen Nuan’s arms, who was neither crying nor fussing. He said, “If you need more water, just call for me.”

With that, he walked back out.

Wen Nuan looked at the two buckets of water that Gu Qinghan had brought in. Not only was it enough for the child’s bath, but it would also suffice for her own.

Since arriving in the 1970s, Wen Nuan had found bathing to be one of her biggest headaches.

The bathroom at home was very simple and cramped, making it difficult to turn around. Moreover, the door was rickety and couldn’t be locked.

With Gu Qingsong, such a large man, around, Wen Nuan felt somewhat uncomfortable. Whenever she didn’t have to go out, she would skip bathing altogether, opting to just wipe her body in the room instead.

Bathing the child was more convenient since she could bring the water into the room and wash him in an enamel basin.

However, that basin wasn’t very large; it was only the size of a wash basin, and two or three scoops of water would be enough.

Gu Qinghan unexpectedly brought in two half-buckets.

That was fine; she would take a shower later.

She would wash her hair as well.

When she finished her shower and stepped out, Zhao Wuzhu returned, carrying two bundles of green vegetables.

Upon seeing Wen Nuan come out of the bathroom, he remarked sarcastically, “Damn it, Aunt Zhao from the next courtyard dragged me to pile coal for the entire afternoon; it nearly exhausted me. Now I have to go home and cook. Why does my life have to be so hard…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Qinghan’s tall figure emerged from the kitchen, holding a plate of fragrant chopped pepper fish head, topped with a layer of red chopped peppers that made one drool at a single glance.

Zhao Wuzhu quickly set down the basket he was holding, wiped his hands on the hem of his shirt, and smiled broadly, “Oh, isn’t this my eldest son?”

“When did you come back? Why didn’t you send a letter to Mom? She could have bought some meat in advance to make you a good meal!”

Gu Qinghan placed the aromatic chopped pepper fish head on the Eight Immortals table in the living room and said to Zhao Wuzhu, “Mom, I just got back too.”

“The meal is already prepared; wash your hands and come eat.” Gu Qinghan then asked, “By the way, where is Qingsong?”

Zhao Wuzhu raised his voice and replied, “Oh, Qingsong is on the night shift these days; there’s no need to wait for him.”

Once Zhao Wuzhu walked away, Gu Qinghan turned to Wen Nuan, who had just stepped out of the bathroom. The warm yellow light in the room fell upon her, making her look even more delicate after her shower.

Her fair cheeks were tinted with a light blush, and her eyes glistened with moisture. The two of them exchanged glances, and a moment of silence passed between them.

Gu Qinghan shifted his gaze and said to Wen Nuan, “You can eat now.”

Wen Nuan nodded, “Mm, okay.”

After speaking, she prepared to bring the child from the room.

Zhao Wuzhu felt happy about Gu Qinghan’s return home. While they were chatting, he had already brought out the child, who had been playing on the bed.

As he walked, he said, “Zhaodi, look who’s back! Your daddy is home! Come on, let’s let Daddy hold you, okay?”

The child usually did not let Zhao Wuzhu carry him. When held, she squirmed around and, upon seeing Wen Nuan, reached out her arms toward her.

Wen Nuan instinctively glanced at Gu Qinghan, who seemed momentarily taken aback. He said, “I’ll go serve the food.”

Guessing that the child had shown some fear of him earlier in the evening, Gu Qinghan was now hesitant to try holding the child again.

—o—o—o—

During dinner, Zhao Wuzhu kept chatting with Gu Qinghan, mostly asking questions while Gu Qinghan provided answers.

They discussed matters related to his military service and the trip to the Northern Military District.

Wen Nuan found it hard to join the conversation as she had to take care of the child while eating and didn’t know what to say.

Moreover, she hadn’t figured out how to broach the topic of accompanying Gu Qinghan to the Northern Military District, especially not in front of Zhao Wuzhu.

Although Zhao Wuzhu didn’t have a particularly good relationship with her, Wen Nuan understood that he did not want her to accompany Gu Qinghan to the military.

After all, that would mean that Gu Qinghan’s allowance might eventually end up in her hands.

If she didn’t accompany him to the military, Gu Qinghan’s allowance would at least guarantee that a sum of money would reach Zhao Wuzhu’s hands every month.

After dinner, Gu Qinghan was the first to stand up and collect the bowls and chopsticks, calmly taking them to the kitchen.

Although Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help but feel that washing the dishes was something a woman should do, he had signaled to Gu Qinghan a few times to ask Wen Nuan to wash them.

However, Gu Qinghan didn’t catch on and quickly washed the dishes until they were spotless.

Zhao Wuzhu had nothing more to say; as long as it didn’t fall to her to do, she was fine with it.

There were only two rooms in the house; she and Zhao Wuzhu each had one, while Gu Qingsong had set up a bed in the living room.

Wen Nuan had just heard Zhao Wuzhu mention that Gu Qingsong was on the night shift, so she figured she wouldn’t have to sleep in the same bed with Gu Qinghan that night.

Just the thought of lying on the same bed made Wen Nuan a bit nervous.

She took the child back to the room early, preparing for bed.

However, Zhao Wuzhu acted even more quickly. After glancing at Wen Nuan, he said, “Tonight, I’ll take care of the child. You and Qinghan can go to bed early.”

Saying this, he snatched the child from Wen Nuan’s arms, adding, “Zhaodi, Grandma will take you to sleep!”

The child, having eaten and drunk well, didn’t fuss and allowed Zhao Wuzhu to carry her away.

As Zhao Wuzhu passed by Gu Qinghan, he whispered, “Qinghan, you should go back to your wife early. Take advantage of these days off to have a son.”