Chapter 19

After Liang Guoan returned home, he saw a plate of minced radish and a plate of hot and sour cabbage on the table, which instantly reminded him of the fragrant meat he had smelled earlier at Gu Qinghan’s house.

Liang’s wife saw the man return and immediately ran to the kitchen to get him a bowl and chopsticks, serving him a bowl of rice.

Liang Guoan hung his military cap on the hook behind the door, washed his hands, and then sat down. He took the bowl and chopsticks his wife handed him and began to eat.

Seeing him devouring his food, Liang’s wife asked, “Why did you come back so late tonight?”

In winter, the Air Force aviation soldiers rarely had night training; it was estimated that they would only have one night of it in a week, so they usually returned home early.

Tonight, he was over half an hour late, and the children had already eaten.

Liang Guoan casually gave an excuse but suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, you mentioned that Gu Qinghan’s wife can’t cook. What’s that about? Do you know who spread the word?”

Liang Guoan was the captain of the flight team and had to prioritize the bigger picture. Although the family support work was not under his authority, if it affected flight training, he had to pay attention.

The military was like a big family; both the front line and the rear had to cooperate well together.

Liang’s wife paused with the dish in her hand and then stammered, “I heard people talking about it when I was at the vegetable station buying groceries. Many people are discussing it, and as for trying to find out who was the first to spread it, that would probably be very difficult.”

Then Liang’s wife glanced at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Liang Guoan picked up a piece of cabbage and tossed it into his mouth, saying, “On my way back tonight, I passed by their house. The food that Gu Qinghan’s wife made smelled so delicious and as soon as I stepped on the door; it was incredibly tempting.”

“You shouldn’t talk about other people’s business in the future. I think Gu Qinghan’s wife isn’t the kind of person that others are saying she is; she looks quite family-oriented.”

Liang’s wife nodded, “I definitely won’t gossip about them; I’m not that kind of gossipy person. I just mentioned it to you. Spreading rumors like that isn’t good, and if it reaches Zheng Wei, things could get complicated.”

“And I’ve also seen Comrade Wen. She looks quite nice and speaks gently. She’s always with her daughter and doesn’t seem to do much. She seems easy to get along with.”

Liang’s wife valued her reputation, especially since her husband was the captain of the flight team. These past two years were crucial for his promotion, so she wouldn’t casually gossip with others.

However, Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan had just been transferred over, which was why they caught the attention of others in the family courtyard. It was expected that after a few more months, people would no longer be so curious.

Liang Guoan looked at the dishes on the table and muttered, “They could come over.”

After all, Gu Qinghan was one of his most promising pilots, and in both public and private matters, he hoped they could get along well.

After eating a few more bites, Liang Guoan couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, wife, do you know how to make cured meat rice? Try making it for me tomorrow.”

Liang’s wife responded: “???”

“Whose baby are we talking about?” ^[1]She misunderstood the word “腊味” (cured meat). It may sound similar to the word “baby”

“……”

—o—o—o—

After Gu Qinghan returned home, he took off his military coat and casually filled a basin with water to wash his hands.

Once he dried his hands, he first walked over to the small cart, where he picked up the little one who was bent over, grabbing her tiny feet and munching on them. The socks had already been pulled off and thrown beside the cart.

Gu Qinghan asked her, “Did you behave today? Did you make your Mom angry?”

Of course, the child did not answer him.

Gu Qinghan simply carried her over to the dining table.

Wen Nuan had already prepared a bowl of rice for him and cheerfully pulled out a chair for him at the table. He saw that the bowl was topped with diced potatoes, diced radishes, and particularly fragrant Chinese sausage, glistening with an oily sheen under the warm yellow light of the tungsten bulb.

Wen Nuan looked at him with eager anticipation and handed him a pair of chopsticks, her eyes sparkling, “Hurry and taste it; see if you like it.”

Then, with a beaming smile, she added, “Lele ate almost half a bowl and even burped! She didn’t have any soy sauce in her bowl and still ate quite a bit. We have soy sauce in ours, and it tastes even better. I also added some peas inside; Sister-in-law Guihua gave them to me.”

Gu Qinghan loved listening to Wen Nuan talk. Often, she would even chatter to herself, which made her seem a bit adorable.

Gu Qinghan looked over at her, his eyes sparkling with light, and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Wen Nuan nodded, “I just ate. I thought you weren’t coming back for dinner. I heard the evening dinner bugle from the army sound for quite a while.”

Wen Nuan heard from Sister-in-law Guihua that they sometimes trained at night, but it was uncertain which night it would be; it all depended on the weather.

Generally, if the evening dinner bugle sounded and the man hadn’t returned home after half an hour, it meant he was still in training.

So, Wen Nuan had eaten by herself first. Her appetite wasn’t large, especially since she had nothing much to do at the moment, so she didn’t eat very much and left some for Gu Qinghan.

However, she had specifically cooked a portion for Gu Qinghan, so there was still quite a bit left, definitely enough for him.

“Let me hold the child; you eat quickly!” Wen Nuan said as she reached out to take the child, but the little one tilted her head and buried her face in Gu Qinghan’s neck.

Gu Qinghan felt a soft sensation at the collar of his shirt and couldn’t help but smile, “It’s fine. I can hold her while eating.”

He picked up a piece of slightly curled-up Chinese sausage and placed it in his mouth, feeling a rich and unique flavor spread across his palate, making him unable to stop chewing.

After eating in the cafeteria for so many years in the army, he had never tasted rice that was so fragrant. The rice, soaked in a garnet hue, was particularly aromatic and chewy, resembling crispy rice but without the hardness.

It could be said that it was the best meal he had ever eaten.

The little one, not knowing whether it was the smell that had attracted her, lifted her small head from Gu Qinghan’s neck.

Her round, shiny eyes were fixed on Gu Qinghan’s hands as he picked up food, and a bit of saliva was left at the corner of her mouth. She then reached out her hand, trying to grab the chopsticks from him.

Seeing this, Wen Nuan reached out and pinched the little one’s chubby cheek, saying, “Still want to eat? No more for you! You’ve already eaten quite a bit!”

In the past, this little one had vomited milk at night while sleeping, so Wen Nuan was cautious about giving her too much to eat in the evening. She would still need to drink milk before going to sleep.

Gu Qinghan had originally planned to give the child a piece of Chinese sausage, but after catching a glance from Wen Nuan, he withdrew his chopsticks.

“Your Mom won’t let you eat,” he said.

The little one, unsure if she understood, looked over at Wen Nuan and then pouted her lips at her, looking extremely wronged.

Gu Qinghan held rice in one hand and gently patted her back with the other, comforting her, as if he also felt that Wen Nuan was a bit harsh on her.

However, since Wen Nuan wouldn’t allow her to eat, Gu Qinghan wouldn’t sneak her any food either.

Gu Qinghan glanced at her and reached out to touch the child’s chubby little face with his finger, saying, “No more eating.”

The little one knew how to act spoiled. Since Wen Nuan took care of her every day, the child was aware that Wen Nuan was particularly soft-hearted; all it took was a little cry, and she would give in without any principles!

Seeing the little one’s wrong expression, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but feel the urge to compromise. Who knew that Gu Qinghan, in front of the child, quickly finished the rice in his bowl? His speed surprised both Wen Nuan and the little one.

Since Gu Qinghan was still holding the child, he didn’t eat very cleanly. Besides, Wen Nuan hadn’t served him a large bowl because she was afraid the food would cool off quickly in the cold weather.

Gu Qinghan brought the empty bowl in front of the child and said, “It’s all gone; I’ve finished eating.”

Gu Qinghan was a person who seemed rather difficult to deal with. He always wore a cold, stern face and rarely smiled. However, after spending time with him, Wen Nuan realized that he was quite attentive. But that didn’t mean he would give in to the child. Generally, he wouldn’t indulge the child in things that Wen Nuan didn’t allow or things he found inappropriate.

The little one looked at the bowl and reached in, only managing to scoop up two grains of rice, which she promptly stuffed into her mouth.

Wen Nuan laughed, “Do you want more? There’s still some in the pot.”

Gu Qinghan had a big appetite, so Wen Nuan had about a bowl and a half left, and he had barely eaten any.

“Hmm, give me a bit more,” Gu Qinghan said with a smile. “It’s delicious.”

Earlier, he had been worried that Wen Nuan wouldn’t know how to cook. This year, after hearing Liang Guoan mention that there were all sorts of rumors in the family compound, he felt both angry and concerned that she might struggle to manage everything alone while taking care of the child and cooking. So he hurried home without stopping.

But now, it seemed that Wen Nuan had truly exceeded his expectations.

This meal was really delicious.

No wonder Liang Guoan had looked back three times as he left, as if he wanted to stay for dinner, nearly drooling onto the ground.

For some reason, seeing that scene made Gu Qinghan inexplicably happy.

Wen Nuan was overjoyed and quickly walked over to the stove.

She had just feared the food would cool down, so she had placed it on one side of the stove to keep warm. When she opened the lid, steam wafted out.

She simply brought the entire earthen pot over, encouraging Gu Qinghan to scrape the crispy rice off the bottom so that nothing would go to waste.

Just as Wen Nuan was about to ask Gu Qinghan to hand the child to her to avoid getting her hands dirty with the black residue from the bottom of the pot, the little one was faster than Gu Qinghan and had already reached for the edge of the pot. Thankfully, the pot wasn’t sitting directly on the fire; otherwise, her fingers might have gotten burned and blistered.

Wen Nuan grabbed her little hand and frowned, “Look at all the black stuff; it’ll make your hands dirty!”

The little one still laughed happily, wanting to wipe her hand on Wen Nuan, but Wen Nuan caught her in time.

“I’ll go wash her hands and give her a quick clean-up,” Wen Nuan said before directly taking the child away, hoping to prevent her from getting all messy.

That soot from the bottom of the pot was very hard to wash off!

The little one shouted:” “yi yi! Ya ya!” as if she had been captured by some bad person, which made Wen Nuan so annoyed that she gave her little bottom a light smack.

After taking care of the child, Gu Qinghan had already washed the bowl. Not a single grain of that cured meat rice was left; he had eaten it all.

After washing the bowl, he conveniently brought in a basin of hot water.

Wen Nuan looked at the enamel basin. It was hers, and for the past few nights, Gu Qinghan had been filling it with hot water for her to soak her feet.

Although her feet felt warm right after soaking, they still turned cold after a while.

Wen Nuan took off her socks, rolled up her pants, and placed her pale, delicate feet into the basin, asking him, “Is everyone sitting around the kang?”

It wasn’t even the coldest time yet; if heavy snow fell, it would likely be even colder.

Today, when she went to Guihua’s place to shell peas, she noticed that they also had a kang. Sitting on it was warm and quite comfortable.

Gu Qinghan was holding the child, playing airplane, and the little one was laughing heartily.

He turned to look at Wen Nuan and asked, “Do you want to sit around the kang?”

Wen Nuan nodded, “It would be best if we had a kang. Can we apply for some bricks?”

With a kang, she wouldn’t have to rely on Gu Qinghan, who felt like a little furnace, every night. She could sleep however she wanted, without needing to cuddle up together.

They were both grown adults, and every night, Wen Nuan felt her face flush from the heat radiating from Gu Qinghan, yet he never mentioned it.

Gu Qinghan paused for a moment before quietly replying, “Generally, we build them in the summer. Right now, the weather is bad, and the soil can’t be worked.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan muttered, “Does that mean we have to wait another half a year…”

Gu Qinghan heard her words and silently held the child, walking out of the living room to take her to the small cart.

—o—o—o—

The next day, Wen Nuan got up early to find Sister-in-law Guihua. She was planning to go with her to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some eggs and pork for a treat because Gu Qinghan had said before leaving that he would come home for dinner that night.

The two of them had just pushed Lele out of the door when they saw a boy about ten years old squatting on a branch of a tree in front of a red brick house. His blue cotton jacket was buttoned incorrectly, and twisted into a mess.

Strangely, the boy kept staring at them. Wen Nuan wasn’t afraid that there were any bad people in the compound; she just found the child’s gaze a bit unsettling.

She asked Sister-in-law Guihua, “Whose child is that?”

Sister-in-law Guihua glanced at the boy and then locked the door tightly before saying to Wen Nuan, “That’s the son of Li Qiuyuan, He Dazhuang, whom we saw yesterday.”

Then she asked, “Have you locked all your doors and windows?”

Wen Nuan didn’t understand Sister-in-law Guihua’s implication and nodded in response, “They’re all locked.”

Sister-in-law Guihua pulled Wen Nuan along the way to the cooperative, her pace a bit quick. “That’s good. He Dazhuang has itchy fingers. I forgot to lock the door before and he came into my house and took two steamed buns.”

Wen Nuan frowned, “This…”

Sister-in-law Guihua sighed, her voice a bit low. “How can you hold such a small child accountable? Besides, his father sacrificed himself earlier this year, and now it’s just Li Qiuyuan raising three children by herself, along with a grandmother. It’s so pitiful. Once, Li Qiuyuan even beat the child in front of me, and she was quite harsh about it; it made me feel uncomfortable. I do pity them. In my house, it’s just me and my husband, Old Zhou, and food isn’t that tight. Sometimes when I see them in need, I’ll occasionally give them a pancake or some steamed buns.”

Then she added with a hint of regret, “But once I started doing that, He Dazhuang became more and more excessive. He knows I don’t have any kids, so he brings his younger siblings to squat in front of my house around mealtime. Sometimes when I see those poor kids, I’ll give them something to eat. But after a while, I got annoyed and stopped giving them food. That child started acting like he had a grudge against me, staring at me all day with those strange eyes. It made my heart race.”

Wen Nuan understood; that kindness could often lead to resentment. Some people felt entitled when they received help and never expressed gratitude. But when the day came that someone decided not to help anymore, it was as if they had been wronged and harbored resentment instead.

Wen Nuan knew that Sister-in-law Guihua was actually a good person, but sometimes being kind could be a burden, just like with He Dazhuang.

Sometimes it was better not to help at all.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Wen Nuan comforted her, saying, “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. If he comes to take your things again, just demand them back!”

He Dazhuang’s behavior was already stealing. If he weren’t so young, he would have been taken away by the military’s patrols long ago.

Sister-in-law Guihua nodded. “This time, I really won’t help him anymore; my heart has grown cold.”

“Besides, Li Qiuyuan herself has a job. After her husband sacrificed himself, she received some compensation. By rights, she shouldn’t be living in such poverty. I don’t know how it ended up like this. Those poor kids…”

For some reason, after hearing Sister-in-law Guihua’s words, Wen Nuan suddenly thought of Gu Qinghan’s savings book.

Previously, Li Qiuyuan had seemed to work in the military in G Province. Had he lent her money?

But upon reconsideration, when Li Qiuyuan’s husband hadn’t yet sacrificed himself, it was unlikely she would have asked Gu Qinghan for help.

Sister-in-law Guihua turned her head to glance at Wen Nuan and then said softly, “The rice you cooked last night smelled amazing. My husband, Old Zhou, also said it was particularly fragrant. I haven’t even had the heart to eat the sausages you gave me last time. Why don’t you teach me how to make it? I’ll make some for Old Zhou to try tonight!”

Zhang Guihua had smelled it. Nearly all the families living in the nearby two rows of red brick houses had sensed it as well.

When everyone saw Wen Nuan, they no longer whispered and laughed at her like before.

Along the way, Wen Nuan carefully explained the steps of making cured meat rice to Guihua’s sister-in-law.

Guihua’s sister-in-law often spent time in the kitchen as well, so after hearing the process once, she roughly remembered the steps.

In the end, she couldn’t help but remind Wen Nuan, “Your rice smells so good; you should be cautious of that He Dazhuang. Don’t be so easily soft-hearted. Once or twice is fine, but if you give too much, you won’t get a good word in return!”

Wen Nuan nodded. “I know, thank you for the reminder, sister-in-law.”

After learning about this, Wen Nuan specifically checked the doors and windows after buying eggs on her way home. When she first arrived at the family compound, Gu Qinghan and Li Daxiang had already repaired them, so there wasn’t much problem with the doors and windows.

It was just that the vegetable cellar in the courtyard outside wasn’t locked.

However, the vegetables were in unlimited supply, didn’t require tickets, and were inexpensive, so it shouldn’t be a problem if someone took some.

During this time, she hadn’t noticed anything missing from the vegetable cellar.

Wen Nuan didn’t think much of it. She took a nap with the children and began preparing dinner again in the evening.

Last night, Gu Qinghan had eaten all the rice and mentioned several times how fragrant it was, indicating that he had craved the rice for a long time. So Wen Nuan planned to cook rice again tonight.

Thinking about the eggs and pork she had bought in the morning, she recalled a type of omelet rice she had seen an old vlogger make on a small platform. It looked very tempting.

Thus, she cooked the rice early, allowing it to cool down so she could stir-fry it later and make omelet rice!

Before cooking, Wen Nuan deliberately found the small toy she had made from leftover wood when Gu Qinghan was building a cart and placed it on the small cart for the child to play with.

The cart wasn’t very high, and since the child couldn’t crawl around yet, it was relatively safe.

As long as the little one could see the adults, she would sit quietly in the cart, behaving very well.

Sometimes, Wen Nuan felt that the child was a reward from heaven for her, so obedient and so cute.

Before starting to cook, Wen Nuan kissed the child. “Lele, Mommy is going to cook. Be good and wait here, okay?”

The little one smiled and let out a cheerful “Yeah,” as if to reassure her not to worry.

In this era, there weren’t many ingredients available, so Wen Nuan only prepared carrots, onions, potatoes, pork, and eggs. Even the mushrooms were just dried shiitake, given to her by Guihua’s sister-in-law—two of them.

There was no curry, so she could only substitute with soy sauce.

Wen Nuan first cut the vegetables and pork into small pieces and set them aside for preparation. Then she cracked two eggs but felt that two were a bit too few, so she steeled her resolve and added another one.

After beating the eggs well, Wen Nuan began to stir-fry the vegetables. This time, she specifically used the kitchen’s pot, knowing that rice cooked in a large pot would smell especially fragrant.

With the addition of diced pork, steam rose from the pot, and the rich aroma immediately wafted through the air. The entire house was filled with a delightful scent. Even Wen Nuan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, exclaiming, “So fragrant!”

Lele heard the sizzling sound of the cooking and looked over at Wen Nuan, then smiled and continued to play with her little feet.

The rice gradually turned an enticing golden color.

Wen Nuan inhaled the fragrant aroma and couldn’t help but pick up two grains of rice with her hand, tossing them into her mouth. Delicious!

Next came the most crucial step of frying the egg. If the egg skin wasn’t cooked well, it would be very difficult to turn it into an omelet rice later.

Fortunately, Wen Nuan was experienced. She didn’t hold back on the oil this time. As soon as she poured the eggs into the pan, they sizzled, and a layer of film formed at the bottom from the heat.

Wen Nuan carefully flipped the eggs, frying the other side. Once they were fully cooked, she placed the rice inside, rolled it up with her hands, and the golden omelet rice was ready to be served.

Just as Wen Nuan was about to plate it, she heard a sound coming from outside the courtyard.

It was likely Gu Qinghan returning home. Wen Nuan quickly plated the omelet rice, washed her hands, and walked to the door.

As she opened the door, she saw Li Qiuyan dragging two boards to the entrance of her courtyard.

On the opposite side stood Gu Qinghan.

Li Qiuyan placed the wooden boards on a spot that had already begun to freeze, then turned to Wen Nuan with a smile. “Comrade Wen, you’ve started cooking? It smells so good! I could smell something delicious last night too; it must have been you cooking. Your skills are truly impressive.”

A somewhat unfriendly thought crossed Wen Nuan’s mind, but she quickly smiled back at her. “Sister-in-law Li, what brings you here…?”

“Oh, this!” Li Qiuyan kicked the two boards on the ground and smiled sweetly. “I noticed that little cart you made was really good; it’s so convenient. But we don’t have a man at home, so I thought I’d come over to ask Deputy Commander Gu for help and have him make me a small cart too.”

Then she added, laughing, “Oh, I didn’t know if you would like it, so I came to ask you first. If you think it’s a hassle, I can take it back right away.”

Li Qiuyan spoke with such sincerity that it seemed if Wen Nuan refused her, she wouldn’t mind at all and would immediately take the things back home.

But if she truly thought that someone didn’t want it, could she just drag the boards to someone else’s door? Wouldn’t that be forcing someone to help her?

Wen Nuan’s expression darkened, and she glanced coldly at Li Qiuyan, forcing a smile. “I don’t like it, so please take it back.”