Chapter 17.2

When the family of three headed out, the training ground was already filled with the sound of synchronized footsteps and various morning training commands.

However, it was a bit cold, and besides the soldiers, only a small number of family members had gotten out of bed, squatting at their doorsteps to brush their teeth.

Some early-rising military wives noticed the unfamiliar figure of Wen Nuan and curiously scrutinized her. A few wanted to approach and greet her, but when they saw Gu Qinghan’s cold expression, they dismissed the idea.

First, Gu Qinghan took her to handle the household registration. In that era, obtaining a household registration wasn’t difficult, especially when following Gu Qinghan’s military credentials; a stamp was all it took.

After finishing the household registration, they headed to the vegetable station. It seemed that the newcomers among the military wives were being considered, as Gu Qinghan mentioned that there would be supplies of cabbage, potatoes, and radishes at the vegetable station today.

Upon arriving at the vegetable station, they encountered Deng Juxiang, whom they had met the day before on the truck. She called out to Wen Nuan first and said, “Sister, I guessed you would come to buy vegetables today. Stick with me, and I’ll help you grab some!”

Wen Nuan replied, “Sister Juxiang, what a coincidence!”

Then she curiously asked, “Is it really that competitive for vegetables?”

Deng Juxiang laughed as she looked at her. “Digging deep and storing grain—otherwise, how can we survive the winter? Once the heavy snow falls, it’ll be tough to buy vegetables again. Don’t worry, stick with me, and you’ll definitely get some!”

“Oh, wait, you’re bringing your daughter. How are you going to grab anything?” Just then, she noticed Gu Qinghan’s figure heading towards the vegetable-buying line.

When Wen Nuan went out, she carried the child on her front. She originally intended to follow Gu Qinghan to familiarize herself with the family compound’s layout and hadn’t really planned to grab vegetables.

Besides, it seemed that Gu Qinghan didn’t need her to lift a finger.

Sure enough, Gu Qinghan was already standing in line. As a tall and sturdy man among a crowd of female comrades, he stood out conspicuously. Some military wives looked at Gu Qinghan, covered their mouths, and chuckled before whispering to each other.

However, Gu Qinghan appeared indifferent to others’ opinions as he was standing upright and gazing straight ahead.

Every now and then, he would glance at Wen Nuan and the child out of the corner of his eye.

Deng Juxiang laughed, saying, “Look at my memory! I forgot how your man cares for you so much; how could he let you carry a little one out to buy vegetables?”

“Since your man is in line, I won’t nag you any further. I’ll go line up myself.”

Wen Nuan stood to the side with the child on her back, drawing attention.

Liu Meili and Huang Yueying, who were already in line, had long since noticed her.

Huang Yueying saw Wen Nuan standing to the side with the child on her back while Gu Qinghan went to line up to buy vegetables. She immediately felt a pang of jealousy and whispered to Liu Meili beside her, “Look at her, needing a man to buy vegetables. If one didn’t know better, they’d think she was some pampered young lady.”

Liu Meili, who had been feeling down since she couldn’t switch houses and had heard from Chen Jiawei the night before that Gu Qinghan also refused to exchange, huffed, “She’s just lucky! Just look at whether your man would come to buy vegetables!”

After all, when Liu Meili had her period and was rolling on the ground in pain, her husband, Chen Jiawei, didn’t even lift a finger to help her or care for her!

Huang Yueying scoffed and said disdainfully, “Not necessarily! I heard from my man’s comrades that Wen Nuan is well-known back in their hometown for being lazy and gluttonous. She doesn’t cook or do housework, not even washing the baby’s diapers. Her mother-in-law disliked her so much that she sent her to North City with the army.”

“Just look—she used to stay behind in her own province instead of following Deputy Commander Gu, and only came to this frigid North City. Isn’t that just asking for trouble? The conditions in the G Province army are much better than here.”

Liu Meili frowned and quickly interjected, “You shouldn’t speak carelessly!”

In truth, Huang Yueying had long been excited, but since there were many people around, she was afraid others would gossip about her behind her back.

That was not her style!

Huang Yueying seriously added, “How could I possibly speak carelessly? My man’s comrade is from their hometown and lives on the next street over. You wouldn’t believe it—people in the army think she and Deputy Commander Gu are deeply in love, but that’s really not the case!”

Then Huang Yueying leaned closer to Liu Meili and whispered, “Everyone knows over there that their marriage happened because Wen Nuan was trying to avoid going to the countryside, and she latched onto Deputy Commander Gu. I bet he has his own struggles to bear!”

Liu Meili was stunned, her eyes widening in shock. “Really?”

Huang Yueying nodded. “Of course it’s true. My man heard it from his comrades while drinking, and he wouldn’t make something like that up!”

Liu Meili nodded, still astonished. “Well, this is their private matter. Let’s just talk about it and leave it at that.”

Huang Yueying chuckled, “It’s just some casual gossip; it’s not like we can interfere with their matters. It’s just a pity for Deputy Commander Gu, to be stuck with such a lazy and gluttonous wife. Life will be tough for him! As a pilot, he has to spend so much time on household chores—how will he find time to train in the future?”

In fact, Huang Yueying had intentionally sought out some connections to learn about Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan’s situation, just to get closer to Liu Meili.

But this was merely light gossip; she didn’t truly want to embarrass Wen Nuan into fleeing back to her hometown.

—o—o—o—

Gu Qinghan, being tall and capable, naturally found it much easier to buy vegetables than she would have. Before long, he had gathered a large pile of cabbages, radishes, and potatoes, asking the comrades at the vegetable station to help weigh them.

Wen Nuan looked at the enormous heap of vegetables and estimated that it probably weighed around two hundred catties in total. There were only three of them, and Lele wouldn’t eat much, so they should be set for the winter.

Gu Qinghan suddenly approached her with a serious expression and asked, “Do you have money?”

Without thinking, Wen Nuan reached into her pocket and pulled out over twenty yuan, handing it to him in one motion. “Is this enough? If not, I can go back to get more.”

“It’s enough. I still had over ten yuan left from last night,” he replied before running back to pay.

Several military wives who had been watching the scene stifled their laughter behind their hands.

Wen Nuan felt a bit puzzled about what was so funny.

After Gu Qinghan finished buying the vegetables they would store, he waited for Li Daxiang to bring over a cart to transport everything home.

Wen Nuan followed Deng Juxiang into the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some daily necessities, but as they walked, they got separated.

Just then, Huang Yueying and Liu Meili ran into Wen Nuan and were the first to greet her.

Although Wen Nuan had a disagreement with Liu Meili the day before, she smiled and greeted them, realizing they would need to coexist in the family compound. “Hello, sisters-in-law!”

Huang Yueying noticed that Wen Nuan had bought several glass tea cups and tea leaves, so she curiously asked, “Wen Nuan, are you preparing to host a housewarming party?”

Wen Nuan didn’t know anyone here, and Gu Qinghan probably only knew a few people, so she shook her head, saying, “No we’re not. My family’s Qinghan hasn’t mentioned it either.”

If they were hosting, he would have told her by now.

Huang Yueying pointed to a military wife who was buying things ahead of them and subtly remarked, “That one is also a new military wife. She called a lot of people to her home this morning and said she would make some hometown dishes for us to try. I thought you were planning to have a party too. If you do, I will definitely come to help you with your housewarming.”

Then she made eye contact with Liu Meili, who had been silent nearby, as if to say: Look, she probably can’t even cook!

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Thank you, sister-in-law, for your kind offer, but my house isn’t organized yet. I will invite you over to sit down later.”

After a few emotionless casual exchanges, Wen Nuan bid them farewell. After buying a kettle and a spoon for the child, she returned to Gu Qinghan’s side.

Wen Nuan recalled the earlier incident and asked him, “Since we just moved in, should we invite people over to warm the house a bit?”

Gu Qinghan was busy arranging cabbages with Li Daxiang. He carefully stacked the vegetables one by one, and only after finishing did he softly reply, “No need. Lele is still so young; I’m afraid too many people will scare her.”

That was true; when men drank, they often lost all restraint, and the last thing she wanted was to frighten the child.

Wen Nuan didn’t really insist on holding a housewarming party anyway; after all, it meant spending money. Thinking about her increasingly thin wallet made her heartache.

No, after this winter, she definitely needed to go out and earn some money!

But at that time, the child would only just be starting to walk. What kind of job could she find?

She felt a wave of melancholy.

Unable to hide her worries, Wen Nuan asked Gu Qinghan, who was busy beside her, “Are there any jobs available in the family compound?”

When the man heard this, he furrowed his brow, seemingly searching his mind for suitable jobs for her. After a long while, he still didn’t say anything.

Li Daxiang, standing nearby, asked, “Sister-in-law, are you looking for a job?”

Gu Qinghan then remarked, “Lele is still so young; who will take care of her if you work?”

Wen Nuan frowned; that was true.

Lele seemed to have understood their conversation. Sensing that Wen Nuan wanted to go out and find a job without taking her along, she reached out and grabbed Wen Nuan’s face, stomping her little feet and making loud noises with great force.

Wen Nuan quickly said to her, “Okay, okay, I’ll make sure to take you with me. Just stop making a fuss!”

The little one clearly understood the meaning behind her words.

When she heard her mother say this, she opened her mouth wide and smiled.

‘What a clever little one!’

Gu Qinghan glanced at his daughter with satisfaction and continued with his work.

Li Daxiang noticed that the two of them were silent and straightforwardly said, “Sister-in-law, the jobs in the family compound are highly competitive. Even if you want to find one, it may not be possible. Many families don’t have jobs.”

Wen Nuan thought about it and agreed. Since she arrived at the family compound, she had noticed that the few sisters-in-law she knew were all unemployed. With so many people competing for limited jobs, it was indeed challenging to find one.

Deng Juxiang had just finished buying grain and, overhearing their conversation, joked, “What work? You might as well take advantage of your free time and have another baby!”

In this day and age, families tend to have many children. Just like Liu Meili, who had come to see her yesterday. Although she looked to be only around 25 or 26, she already had three children.

The gaps between the children were usually only a year or two; it was rare to find families with gaps of more than three years.

However, Wen Nuan felt that taking care of Lele had already taken half her life. She hadn’t even considered having another child.

Thinking of this, Wen Nuan glanced at Gu Qinghan, but he seemed to be oblivious to everything around him, focusing intently on moving the vegetables.

That was fine. It was better if he didn’t hear what these people were saying and didn’t pressure her into having one baby after another.

—o—o—o—

On the way home, Gu Qinghan and Li Daxiang pushed a cart full of vegetables ahead, while Wen Nuan leisurely followed behind. Along the way, she noticed that people were watching them and became curious about what exactly they were looking at.

After returning home, Gu Qinghan and Li Daxiang put the vegetables away in the cellar and then began tidying up the kitchen. They also took some time to repair the doors, windows, and roof tiles, staying busy all day long.

Since Wen Nuan had to take care of the child, there wasn’t much she could help with, so she decided to let them tidy up first. She planned to rearrange things later when the baby was taking a nap. Meanwhile, while the child was being cooperative, she washed the baby’s diapers and little undershirts.

When it came time for dinner, it was Gu Qinghan who cooked.

Gu Qinghan probably noticed that she was tired of the steamed buns from the cafeteria. Since they hadn’t received any rice yet, he could only make noodles.

He kneaded some flour and eventually rolled out some noodles.

Wen Nuan didn’t idle either; she took the dried daylily and wood ear mushrooms she had brought from the south, soaked them, and chopped some carrots. Since Li Daxiang was from the northwest, Wen Nuan decided to make a plate of sauce noodles to treat him.

Li Daxiang hadn’t originally planned to eat here, but Wen Nuan insisted, saying that since he had helped buy the vegetables and tidy up, he had to stay for dinner.

Li Daxiang had thought Wen Nuan might be hard to get along with, but he smiled and agreed to eat here.

“Then thank you, sister-in-law,” he said.

Wen Nuan cheerfully poured him a cup of hot water and replied, “I should be the one thanking you! Without your help, I don’t know how long my family’s Qinghan would have to work. Lele is still too small, and I can’t be of much help; it all depends on you.”

She continued with a smile, “Besides, having you stay for dinner can be seen as warming our new home. You’re our first official guest! I hope you don’t mind that we haven’t prepared anything fancy.”

Hearing Wen Nuan’s words warmed Li Daxiang’s heart. He was just a soldier, and doing these things felt like a matter of course. But for some reason, when Wen Nuan referred to him as a guest, he felt especially moved.

It gave him a sense of being valued.

“I don’t mind at all. I haven’t had sauce noodles in over half a year; I really like them,” Li Daxiang nodded. “Then I’ll bother you, sister-in-law.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “How could it be a bother? I’m just happy to be with Qinghan!”

Gu Qinghan perked up his ears. He didn’t know why, but every time he heard Wen Nuan say his name, he felt a strange joy in his heart.

However, Wen Nuan never called his name like that when they were alone.

After Li Daxiang finished his noodles at their home, he washed his bowl and neatly placed it in the kitchen cupboard. Wen Nuan had wanted to tell him not to wash it, but Gu Qinghan reassured her that it was fine.

Once Li Daxiang came out of the kitchen, he was in a hurry to get back to the army. Wen Nuan deliberately took some almond cakes and peach crisps she had brought from her hometown and stuffed them into his hands. “Here, take these back to your dorm to eat.”

Wen Nuan had just learned that Li Daxiang was still unmarried and usually lived in the dormitory.

Li Daxiang felt embarrassed to accept them and quickly pushed them away. “No need, sister-in-law. You should keep them for the child.”

Wen Nuan smiled brightly, like a warm spring breeze. “The child is too small to eat so much! Besides, you’ve helped us so much. If you don’t take them, I’ll feel bad. Take them back; if you can’t finish them, you can share some with your comrades.”

Li Daxiang followed behind for quite a while, feeling that this was his first time eating at someone’s home and even getting food to take back.

He was overwhelmed with emotion.

He instinctively glanced back at Gu Qinghan, who was tidying up the dishes. Gu Qinghan met his gaze and said, “If your sister-in-law tells you to take it, just take it.”

Carrying a paper bag of treats, Li Daxiang returned to the dormitory.

Since it was a shared room, many people crowded around to see what he had brought back.

When everyone saw the peach crisps that they hadn’t eaten in a long time, their eyes lit up. They exclaimed, “Is our sister-in-law really this generous? She gave you so many delicacies!”

Li Daxiang, fearing that these hungry guys would snatch away his treats, tucked them away defensively. “Not only is sister-in-law kind, but she’s also incredibly beautiful.”

After a moment of thought, he added, “No, among all the military wives in the family compound, I think our sister-in-law is the prettiest.”

The group burst into laughter. “Li Daxiang, you’re something else! You’re just being nice because you’ve received a favor, and now you’ve learned to flatter!”

“Go to hell! Once you guys meet sister-in-law, then you can say whether I’m flattering her or not…”

Li Daxiang ignored them and carefully placed the almond cakes and peach crisps into the cupboard, locking it up tight!

—o—o—o—

The next day, Gu Qinghan woke up before dawn again. Wen Nuan simply couldn’t get up; after the wake-up call went off, she pulled the child closer and fell back asleep.

By the time she got up, Gu Qinghan had already returned from the cafeteria with breakfast. However, he wouldn’t eat at home; instead, he headed back to the flight crew cafeteria.

In the following days, Gu Qinghan continued to come home to cook for her. Even when she was about to help, he would always take over, insisting she shouldn’t. At first, Wen Nuan found it a bit strange, wondering if he didn’t have any training.

Were flight soldiers this free?

Later, when she took the child for walks around the family compound, she felt that the people there looked at her strangely. Some would cover their mouths and giggle, whispering to one another as they watched her.

It wasn’t until she ran into Deng Juxiang that someone subtly asked her, “Xiao Nuan, your husband, Deputy Commander Gu, runs back and forth from the training ground to home three times a day. Does he have much energy to handle it? There are only about thirty flight soldiers in our 34th Division; you better not wear him out!”

Wen Nuan then realized that the training intensity for flight soldiers was particularly high, and it demanded exceptional physical fitness.

If anything happened to Gu Qinghan, she would become the enemy of the entire 34th Division.

That day, when she returned home, Wen Nuan snatched the rolling pin from Gu Qinghan’s hands and declared, “From now on, the kitchen is all mine!”

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T/N: I’m considering a mass release or unlocking of chapters on November 1st. Maybe 5 chapters? 10? What do you think?

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