Chapter 14

In this era, proving parent-child relationships was quite difficult, as there were no birth certificates or similar documents. Traveling relied entirely on an introduction letter.

However, since this man was not a direct relative of the child, and the baby was so young—unable to speak and particularly couldn’t recognize people yet—proving their relationship became even more challenging.

Moreover, looking around the entire train station, it was rare to see a man traveling with an infant just a few months old on a long-distance train; it was entirely normal for the ticket inspector to be cautious.

No wonder the man was sweating nonstop, repeatedly mumbling that if they didn’t check tickets soon, he would miss the train!

Wen Nuan was mainly concerned about the child, who was crying so intensely that his face had turned from red to a deep shade of blue, wailing as if his heart were breaking.

Wen Nuan clearly remembered that when she first arrived at this time, she had seen her daughter crying like this because she didn’t want to breastfeed her.

If the baby kept crying, he might faint from exhaustion.

Watching Gu Qinghan approach them, her worries began to subside; she had a feeling that Gu Qinghan would be able to help the man resolve the issue.

—o—o—

Gu Qinghan walked up to the ticket inspector and the soldier, then pulled an identification card from his military uniform pocket and showed it to them.

His voice was deep, and his tall frame loomed slightly over them, exuding a strong sense of authority in his straight military uniform: “Comrades, I am Gu Qinghan, the deputy squadron leader of the 76th Regiment of the 34th Air Division. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

The moment Gu Qinghan revealed his identification, everyone froze for a moment, especially the man holding the baby.

The man grabbed Gu Qinghan’s arm, with a look of joy appearing on his face. “You—you’re in the Air Force?”

After asking, he took a closer look at Gu Qinghan’s identification. Upon seeing the familiar emblem, his brow finally relaxed.

He immediately said, “Comrade soldier, I can verify the child’s parents’ jobs, but…”

“But I can only tell you this in private!” He leaned closer to Gu Qinghan, lowering his voice significantly.

Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow and then turned to the ticket inspector and the stationed soldier, asking, “Comrades, can I take care of this matter for you?”

The ticket inspector and the stationed soldier stood up straight in unison, nodding in agreement. “Of course, of course.”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the man holding the child, then signaled for him to step into a small room nearby.

The child continued to cry. Gu Qinghan looked at the child and said, “Let’s keep it brief.”

The man patted the child’s back as he paced back and forth for a couple of steps. Finally, he lowered his voice and said, “Comrade soldier, my name is Liu Mingfei, and I am the child’s second Uncle. The parents of this child are researchers at the 634 Institute of Aeronautics. The reason we cannot inform the ticket inspector outside is that their work is classified, and I cannot expose it. You are from the Air Force, so you must know that place.”

Gu Qinghan’s tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and he nodded. “I know.”

That research institute was indeed still under confidentiality. It was currently a critical period for the country’s aviation industry, with many researchers living incognito in deep mountains and forests, dedicating themselves to their work.

Liu Mingfei, fearing that Gu Qinghan might not believe him, opened a bag of diapers he had hanging from him and showed it to him. “Look, I have some supplies for the child here: diapers and little clothes, all with his name embroidered on them by his grandmother. His name is Liu Huaqing.

I swear I’m not a child trafficker; I also have a letter of introduction. It’s just that I don’t often return to my hometown, and the child has never seen me, so he has been crying non-stop.

Moreover, I’m just a single man and have never taken care of a child before, so I really am clumsy. I don’t know how to comfort him when he cries, which led the ticket inspector to misunderstand me.”

“By the way, I also have a special ticket issued by the base. I used it to buy a can of milk powder, which you can check at the ticket inspection point outside later.” Liu Mingfei said.

Gu Qinghan nodded, then recalled what Wen Nuan had just told him, which was basically consistent with what Liu Mingfei had said.

Moreover, there was indeed an aerospace propulsion expert with the surname Liu at the 634 Institute.

However, for safety’s sake, Gu Qinghan still carefully examined the child’s clothes and the family registration book; the names matched up.

 

—o—o—o—

In the end, he led Liu Mingfei and the child back to the ticket inspection point, where he openly checked the can of milk powder and the receipts in front of everyone. It was indeed a special supply.

After Gu Qinghan finished his inspection and confirmed that the child’s identity matched Liu Mingfei’s account, he said to the ticket inspector, “This comrade is indeed not a child trafficker.”

The ticket inspector then reassured, “That’s good to hear. Child traffickers are the most despicable; they cause countless families to be torn apart!”

He then looked at Liu Mingfei and apologized, “Comrade, I hope you don’t take offense. We were just being cautious, which is why we treated you this way.”

Liu Mingfei nodded, his expression much less tense than before. “I understand, I understand. It is precisely because of the vigilance of both revolutionary comrades that we can prevent criminals from having the chance to act. You’ve worked hard, comrades.”

Then, even while holding the child, Liu Mingfei saluted Gu Qinghan. “Thank you as well, Comrade Gu, for your assistance.”

—o—o—o—

After resolving Liu Mingfei’s situation, Gu Qinghan did not linger any longer and planned to get his ticket checked and board the train early.

However, Wen Nuan kept her eyes on Liu Mingfei and the child, seeming unable to bear the sight.

Gu Qinghan picked up several large bags of luggage and patiently explained, “Our train is going to depart in twenty minutes; if we delay any longer, we might not have enough time.”

Wen Nuan nodded, realizing that there was nothing she could do. She only felt pity seeing the child cry so pitifully.

“Okay, let’s get on the train first,” she said.

While holding the child, she followed Gu Qinghan onto the train, navigating through one crowded carriage after another, as if swimming through a storm of sardines.

Finally, they stopped in a sleeping berth.

Although the little one was cradled in her arms, she was still jostled along with the crowd. She had only cried for a short while, but when they arrived at the sleeper Bunk, she finally stopped.

At that moment, her eyes were wet and curious as she looked around at everything, taking in her surroundings.

“Let’s put the child down first; we have the lower berth,” Gu Qinghan said.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but ask, “It’s such a rush, yet you were still able to buy a sleeping berth ticket?”

She had thought that with the sudden military deployment, they would only be able to get hard seat tickets. If there were a lot of people, standing tickets wouldn’t have been out of the question either.

Who would have thought they could still get a sleeping berth, and in a four-person compartment, no less?

Gu Qinghan had no intention of hiding the truth, so he replied, “The organization took care of us since we have a small child, so they specifically requested sleeping berths.”

After saying this, he took the child from Wen Nuan’s arms and placed the little one onto the lower berth, allowing her to sit down.

“However, there’s only one berth,” Gu Qinghan said.

“Oh.” Wen Nuan pressed her lips together and smiled lightly. “That’s fine; we’ll be watching the luggage and the child anyway. We can take turns napping when the time comes.”

Having held the child for so long, Wen Nuan was already feeling sore all over.

Not caring about how would Gu Qinghan view her, she simply collapsed onto the sleeping berth, lying down next to the little one.

Seeing Wen Nuan lie down as well, the little one reached out and grabbed her hair, making her wince and hiss in pain.

Noticing her small face scrunching up in discomfort, Gu Qinghan quickly pried the child’s soft little hand away and scolded, “You can’t pull your Mother’s hair like that!”

However, the little one had been with Gu Qinghan the whole way, and now she was no longer afraid of him.

When he stopped her from pulling Wen Nuan’s hair, she began to grab at Gu Qinghan’s chin instead.

But perhaps due to his stubble, she only tried a couple of times before losing interest and switched to grabbing the bed linens instead.

Wen Nuan simply sat up and patiently explained to her that she shouldn’t “damage public property.”

As Gu Qinghan listened to Wen Nuan talking to the child, he took out a small blanket from a military green duffel bag and placed it on the berth. “If you’re cold, you can cover yourself with this,” he said.

Wen Nuan, having walked with the child and worked up a sweat, still smiled when she accepted Gu Qinghan’s blanket and said, “You’re really thoughtful.”

Then Wen Nuan asked, “Are you tired? Do you want to sit down and rest for a while?”

Although Gu Qinghan was tall and muscular, Wen Nuan could tell he looked tired after carrying the luggage for so long.

Unfortunately, his expression showed no signs of change, and his breathing remained steady and calm.

Before Gu Qinghan could respond, the familiar sound of a baby crying filled the carriage. It was Liu Mingfei from the ticket inspection point, holding a wailing child in one arm and struggling to carry several bags of luggage in the other. He panted as he looked around at the entrance of the sleeping car.

When Liu Mingfei saw Gu Qinghan, his tense face relaxed. “Comrade Gu, what a coincidence; I didn’t expect to run into you again.”

He then added, “Thanks for what you did earlier. Otherwise, I might have missed this train.”

Gu Qinghan also hadn’t anticipated such a coincidence. His expression felt a bit unnatural as he replied, “You’re welcome. It was actually my wife who observed carefully and reminded me.”

If it hadn’t been for Wen Nuan’s reminder, he probably wouldn’t have bothered with the matter. After all, it was not under his authority.

It was then that Liu Mingfei noticed the two people sitting in the sleeper compartment—a big one, strikingly beautiful, and a small one, cute and well-behaved.

He nodded at Wen Nuan, saying, “Hello, comrade. Thank you for your help.”

Wen Nuan noticed that the child in his arms was still crying intensely, and she couldn’t bother with pleasantries anymore. “Comrade, the child must be hungry, and the diaper needs changing… Why don’t you prepare a bottle of formula first?”

She had just noticed that the diaper inside the child’s open-crotch pants was a complete mess and hadn’t been wrapped properly at all.

Liu Mingfei gently laid the child down on the sleeper bed, then rummaged through his large and small bags. Finally, he found a baby bottle.

He pulled out a diaper but didn’t know how to proceed.

Wen Nuan walked over to his side and said, “Comrade, if you trust me, why don’t I help you change it?”

Liu Mingfei seemed to have tossed away a hot potato as he handed the diaper to Wen Nuan, saying, “I trust you, I really appreciate your help.”

He then added, “I’ll go get some hot water to prepare the formula.”

Wen Nuan turned to look at him and smiled. “That’s not a good idea; you need to stay here and watch the child.”

After all, if it were her, she would never let such a young child be out of her sight.

She then turned to Gu Qinghan and said, “Qinghan, could you help this comrade by bringing back some hot water?”

For some reason, Gu Qinghan found that when Wen Nuan called his name, it sounded particularly nice.

This was something that had never happened before.

His ears turned slightly red as he took the thermos from Liu Mingfei’s hands. “I’ll do it.”

Liu Mingfei was deeply moved by their kindness, tears welling up in his eyes. “I really met good people today. How should I repay you?”

Wen Nuan bent slightly, and in no time, she had changed the child’s diaper again. She smiled and said, “Comrade, it’s not big of a deal; it was just a small effort.”

The child’s cries finally quieted down a bit, and Gu Qinghan quickly returned with the hot water.

The man fumbled around, trying to mix the formula.

However, when it came time to feed the child, he started crying again, clearly refusing to be fed by Liu Mingfei.

In the end, it was only when Wen Nuan took the initiative to help that Liu Mingfei finally felt relieved.

Perhaps because Wen Nuan was still nursing, she had a calming presence that made the child settle down.

As soon as he was in her hands, he stopped crying immediately and began sucking happily on the bottle.

Before long, he had fallen asleep.

Wen Nuan carefully placed the child on the bed. “He must have cried himself out; he drank most of it and then fell asleep.”

Liu Mingfei looked at the little guy, who was now fast asleep, and gratefully said to Wen Nuan, “Comrade Wen, I will always remember your great kindness today. I, Liu Mingfei, will repay you in the future.”

Wen Nuan found the name Liu Mingfei somewhat familiar. A name briefly flashed in her mind—a future business tycoon mentioned in a book—who also seemed to be called Liu Mingfei.

She wondered if it was just a coincidence that they shared the same name.

Wen Nuan smiled and glanced at Gu Qinghan, who was teasing their daughter. “My husband is a soldier, and as a military wife, I will accompany him on the path of serving the people. If I can help you, that would be great.”

As she spoke, Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s smiling gaze, and his expression became a bit awkward. Yet, he couldn’t ignore the growing joy inside him.

 

—o—o—o—

The train headed north, and the temperature gradually dropped.

Despite the long journey, the child behaved well throughout.

The two little ones kept each other company, playing until they were tired, then sleeping, and waking up again to play together, having a great time.

With two sleeper berths available, Wen Nuan squeezed into one bed with the two little ones, while Gu Qinghan and Liu Mingfei took turns sleeping in the other bed and keeping watch.

—o—o—o—

Time was not unbearably long.

After two days of stops and starts, the green train finally reached its destination on the third day at noon—Beijing.

Gu Qinghan had previously mentioned that they would disembark in Beijing and then take a military vehicle to the Air Force base in the Northern Military District, so they would be staying in Beijing for one night.

Wen Nuan felt an immense sense of anticipation about the capital city of the 1970s, a place that, despite enduring centuries of turmoil, stood strong and resilient.

This city carried the hopes and dreams of countless sons and daughters of China.

She felt like a great dragon lying dormant between the mountains and rivers of time, waiting for the awakening of spring.

Wen Nuan stepped off the train while holding her child, and a fierce gust of wind-carrying snowflakes swept through.

She tightened her embrace around the little one and huddled her body.

She hadn’t expected Beijing in the 1970s to be this cold!

At that moment, Wen Nuan wanted to grab the cotton quilt from Gu Qinghan’s luggage bag and wrap it around herself.

Gu Qinghan followed behind with his large and small bags. Feeling the chill of the wind, he instinctively asked, “Are you cold?”

Wen Nuan gritted her teeth and shook her head. “Not cold!”

Then Wen Nuan bluntly said, “But I’m hungry.”

After days of eating dry pancakes and steamed cornmeal buns, her mouth felt bitter, and all she wanted now was something warm to eat!

Although the weather in the north was cold, Wen Nuan’s mood was entirely different at that moment; she felt a sense of anticipation for a new life.