Chapter 9

Gu Qinghan cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge and reheated the fish he had fried the previous night in another pot.

In a separate pot, he had also simmered fish head soup, using the leftover half of the fish head from last night.

Wen Nuan was not used to eating breakfast in the morning.

Her previous breakfasts typically consisted of congee, noodles, various buns, youtiao (fried dough sticks), and soybean milk.

Although Gu Qinghan’s dishes were quite good, she did not have an appetite for eating fish in the morning.

She only served herself a small bowl of rice.

Halfway through her meal, Gu Qinghan returned with the enamel basin, which was now empty; he had likely hung the clothes on the bamboo pole outside the door to dry.

Thinking of how he was cooking and doing laundry, Wen Nuan quickly stood up and went to the kitchen to serve him a bowl of rice.

Although she was unsure if Gu Qinghan was just temporarily inspired to do housework or if he was inherently a diligent person, he was certainly commendable compared to the other men in the neighborhood who would lie around like lords as soon as they got home.

It was as if he were a well-behaved child in kindergarten, deserving of a little red flower as a reward for encouragement.

When Gu Qinghan came out after placing the enamel basin down, he saw Wen Nuan rushing to the kitchen to grab bowls and chopsticks.

She rinsed them with hot water and finally brought a bowl of rice back from the kitchen.

Wen Nuan placed the bowl on the dining table and smiled at Gu Qinghan. “You should come and eat, too.”

After saying this, she picked up an enamel cup, poured him a glass of water, and set it next to the bowl of rice.

When the man met Wen Nuan’s smiling eyes, his steps, which had been headed toward the door, paused for a moment.

Then he went to the kitchen to scoop a bowl of soup, placing it at Wen Nuan’s spot before pulling out a bamboo chair and sitting down.

Wen Nuan still hoped to avoid eating fish that morning, but it seemed unavoidable.

It was their first time having a meal with just the two of them, and the silence felt a bit awkward.

Gu Qinghan was not a talkative person. Last night, with Zhao Wuzhu present, Gu Qinghan didn’t speak much on his own, but he would respond when Zhao Wuzhu asked him questions, preventing the dinner table from being too quiet.

However, Wen Nuan found herself at a loss for conversation and could only focus on eating small bites.

As she noticed that her bowl of rice was nearly empty, Wen Nuan racked her brain for something to say, but Gu Qinghan suddenly spoke up. “Does your brother visit you often?”

Wen Nuan, upon hearing this, immediately raised her eyes to look at him, nodding before shaking her head. “Once or twice a month, I suppose.”

Gu Qinghan’s expression grew a little colder, his dark eyes deepening. “Is he like that every time?”

Wen Nuan nodded, feeling a bit dissatisfied by “Wen Nuan’s” foolish behavior of subsidizing her family.

She could sense the implication in Gu Qinghan’s words; what he meant by “like that” referred to Wen Wenkang’s disrespect toward his elders, his arrogant words, and his demands on the woman.

Though Gu Qinghan was not often at home, Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong frequently wrote to him, so he must have already known about her financial support to her family.

“Wen Nuan”, who had previously acted like a ‘supportive sister’ for her brother, might have spoken up for her family. However, Wen Nuan calculated that since “Wen Nuan” had married Gu Qinghan over a year ago, she had given her family money almost every month, totaling more than a hundred.

“Wen Nuan” had been foolish enough to even give them tickets. Winter was approaching, and the children’s winter clothes had not yet been prepared.

Fortunately, she had managed to bring back some things last time. Although it wasn’t much money—just a few yuan—she had managed to reclaim various tickets, especially the fabric tickets.

She had also prepared two sets of winter clothes for the children in advance, so even if the temperature dropped tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to worry.

Gu Qinghan’s face turned ashen as he said, “If there’s a next time, come to me.”

“Understood,” she replied.

However, there was unlikely to be a next time.

After thinking for a moment, Wen Nuan worried that Gu Qinghan might misunderstand, so she added, “I haven’t touched the money you gave me before.”

Wen Nuan was currently being frugal, saving every penny in the hope of managing her family better in the future.

Gu Qinghan’s expression softened slightly as he responded with a simple “Mm.” He said, “You’re taking care of the child on your own, so keep some money on hand.”

Wen Nuan felt reassured; it seemed that the money Gu Qinghan had sent to her was indeed been meant for her, not for his brother Gu Qingsong’s bride price.

Before they could continue their conversation, the little one in the room woke up, possibly crying out because he couldn’t see Wen Nuan.

She began to wail loudly.

Zhao Wuzhu was also disturbed by the noise but merely turned over and fell back to sleep.

Wen Nuan had already scheduled the vaccinations in advance. She had heard on the radio that it had started snowing in the north. By the time they arrived in the Northern Military District, they would be in unfamiliar territory, making it inconvenient to get the child vaccinated. Plus, she was worried about the child catching a cold in the bitterly cold weather.

Zhao Wuzhu was also awakened by the child’s cries. Once she caught a whiff of the fragrant food, she could no longer sleep and decided to get up to eat.

The little one woke up and immediately sought out milk. Wen Nuan first fed the child until she was full, then helped her wash up.

Gu Qinghan waited in the living room, straining to listen to the sounds from the room. When he heard Wen Nuan talking to the child about washing her face, Gu Qinghan carried a basin of warm water into the room.

As Wen Nuan helped the child wash her face, Gu Qinghan stood by quietly watching Wen Nuan’s actions.

After the child’s face was washed, she seemed more spirited, rubbing her little eyes. She looked over at Gu Qinghan, who was standing in the room, and suddenly curled her pink, chubby lips into a smile.

Wen Nuan took the opportunity to tell the child, “This is Daddy. Soon, Daddy will take you to get your vaccination.”

In this era, there weren’t many vaccines for children, but the smallpox vaccination has been widely promoted in recent years. Wen Nuan thought it would be better to have one more layer of protection, so she wanted to have the child vaccinated for everything possible.

The little one probably didn’t understand what getting vaccinated meant, but upon hearing Wen Nuan speak, she began to wiggle and laugh, reaching out her little arms toward Gu Qinghan.

She seemed to have some expectation about getting vaccinated.

Seeing that the child wanted Gu Qinghan to hold him, Wen Nuan brought the child over to him. “He wants you to hold her.”

Gu Qinghan looked at the delicate, chubby little baby and suddenly felt a bit at a loss, not knowing how to approach the situation.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “She’s big enough now; you can hold her however you want. There’s no need to worry about hurting her.”

When the child was younger, she had been concerned about not holding her properly and injuring her neck. However, now that the little one could sit up, it was much easier.

Besides, breastfed babies tended to be chubby. This little one was round and plump, and Wen Nuan often found it tiring to carry her alone. Now that there was an extra pair of hands, she was happy to let him carry their baby.

The little one continued to giggle, reaching out her soft, round, and tender little hands toward Gu Qinghan. Her big, dark eyes were so charming that they could melt anyone’s heart.

Gu Qinghan carefully took the child from Wen Nuan, holding his breath in anxiety, afraid he might accidentally hurt the little one.

However, once he held the child securely, the soft and delicate baby didn’t cry or make a fuss. Instead, she smiled up at him, as her chubby fingers gently touched Gu Qinghan’s face.

At that moment, Gu Qinghan felt as though his heart had been struck by thunder.

Seeing that someone was helping to hold the child, Wen Nuan said, “Then let’s head out.”

Zhao Wuzhu had thought that Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan’s relationship was still as tense as before, but when she saw them going out together with the child, she nearly thought she was dreaming.

—o—o—o—

The family of three headed to the health station in their town. Wen Nuan figured that since there were two of them with one child, they wouldn’t need a baby carrier, so they brought the child in their arms instead.

Throughout the journey, it was Gu Qinghan who held the little one, leaving Wen Nuan completely hands-free.

The little one seemed to sense that Gu Qinghan was not a bad person, especially with Wen Nuan nearby, so she was very well-behaved the entire time.

However, when they arrived at the health station, the cries of children echoed inside, sounding as if the ceiling might collapse from the noise.

Wen Nuan’s heart sank a little.

She tugged at Gu Qinghan’s shirt and said, “Let’s get her vaccinated first, then she’ll need to take some sugar pills afterward.”

It was a plan of having something bitter before something sweet, which should help minimize the child’s crying.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the fleeting, delicate fingertips and nodded calmly before asking, “Then will you hold her, or…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Nuan replied, “Since the child wants you, then you should hold her.”

Wen Nuan remembered how a friend of hers had once taken her cat to the vet for spaying, leaving it to her to handle the cat during the procedure. It was only after the surgery that her friend came to pick it up.

As a result, the cat held a grudge against her!

Every time Wen Nuan visited her friend’s house, the cat would be afraid of her and wouldn’t let her pet it!

Since Wen Nuan had registered early, they didn’t have to wait long. When it was time for the little one, the nurse called out, “The child from Wen Nuan’s family!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan turned to the somewhat preoccupied Wen Nuan and asked, “Haven’t you chosen a name for the child yet?”

Wen Nuan smiled oddly at him, “I planned to discuss it with you before registering.”

Holding the registration form, she led the child and Gu Qinghan to the vaccination station. The little one was still oblivious to what was happening, his big eyes scanning everything around her curiously.

Since it hadn’t cooled down yet in the south, the child was only wearing a long-sleeved open-front shirt. Worried that the little one might suddenly throw a tantrum, Wen Nuan slightly bent down to unbutton the shirt, revealing a section of her soft, fair, lotus-root-like arm.

The little one still didn’t realize what was about to happen; she thought Wen Nuan was going to give her a bath. She giggled as she looked up at her mother with her big, sparkling eyes.

She loved playing in the water, especially taking baths. She always got particularly excited when it was time to take off her clothes.

Gu Qinghan held the child rigidly, planning to ask Wen Nuan if she wanted to take the baby instead when the nurse approached with a syringe, preparing to draw some medicine, while also getting the cotton ready.

Noticing that it was rare for a man to bring a child for vaccinations, the nurse’s tone softened considerably as she gently reminded him, “This little one is really well-behaved. Now, hold her legs tight and grab her arms.”

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips tightly together, his hands holding the child becoming stiff. His expression grew increasingly serious, even more so than when he had first piloted a fighter jet.

The nurse noticed his tension and smiled, saying, “It’ll be over quickly, just a moment.”

With that, she inserted the needle into the child’s soft, fair arm.

The little one still didn’t understand what was happening. It wasn’t until the medicine slowly entered her arm that she finally realized; she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, letting out a loud cry, “Waa—!”

Wen Nuan had been watching for the right moment. As soon as the nurse pressed the cotton ball to stop the bleeding, she quickly pressed down on the cotton and snatched the child back from Gu Qinghan’s still-tense embrace with remarkable speed.

As she helped the child adjust his clothes, she softly comforted him, saying, “Good boy, Mommy’s here. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

The child looked incredibly aggrieved, with her big eyes reddened and moist.

As soon as he caught a whiff of Wen Nuan’s familiar scent, she turned her head and buried it in the crook of her mother’s shoulder.

Wen Nuan gently patted the back of her hand, saying, “Good girl, Mommy will take you to eat some candy, something sweet that you’ll definitely like.”

Just as Gu Qinghan relaxed from his earlier tension, he caught a glimpse of a mischievous glint in Wen Nuan’s eyes that flickered for just a moment, causing his own eyes to sparkle.

An absurd thought crossed his mind, and he couldn’t help but pull his thin lips into a wry smile.

Wen Nuan didn’t notice his gaze; her attention was entirely on the pitiful little one.

She quickened her pace to leave the vaccination area and headed to another office where they distributed the polio sugar pills.

After the child had taken the sugar pill, she no longer looked quite as aggrieved, though her eyes remained damp and teary, making her all the more endearing.

Gu Qinghan remained silent the entire way, watching as Wen Nuan coaxed and held the child until she finally smiled again.

After leaving the health station, the two of them decided to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some pork, intending to make dumplings for dinner.

Before they could reach the cooperative, Wen Nuan spotted Gu Qingsong along with the rumored heroine, Lin Meizhi, tangled up in a conversation in the alley.

It seemed they were arguing about something.

Gu Qingsong appeared to notice them at the same time.

Upon seeing Gu Qinghan, he suddenly froze for a moment before saying something to Lin Meizhi and running over.

Gu Qingsong first glanced at Wen Nuan beside Gu Qinghan before hesitantly saying, “Brother, I need to talk to you about something. Can you come over for a moment?”

Wen Nuan realized that Gu Qingsong seemed to have something he didn’t want her to know, but she had a rough idea of what it might be. So she said, “I’ll go to the cooperative and wait in line first. You two can talk.”

As Wen Nuan walked away with the child, Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow and, with a displeased tone, said to Gu Qingsong, “Whatever it is, we can discuss it at home.”

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T/N: See you on Friday!

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