Chapter 23.1

Since last month, Gu Qinghan had entrusted his salary passbook to Wen Nuan, who managed the Family expenses.

Whenever Gu Qinghan needed money, he would consult her, even if it was just to buy a bag of candy.

After Gu Qinghan’s allowance was issued last month, Wen Nuan also sent 20 yuan to Zhao Wuzhu at the post office, just like she had previously done with the remittance amounts Gu Qinghan used to send home.

She had also sent the allowance for January on time a few days ago. Logically, Zhao Wuzhu should have had some money by now.

Twenty yuan for Family expenses was actually enough to cover costs back in their hometown. After all, aside from Zhao Wuzhu, who was unemployed, Gu Qingsong was already an adult. He had become a team leader at the soy sauce factory.

Although Wen Nuan was unaware of Gu Qingsong’s monthly salary, she had known while living in the old home that Gu Qingsong’s wages were never handed over to Zhao Wuzhu; he spent them on himself or saved them.

However, Zhao Wuzhu repeatedly asked Gu Qinghan for money, sometimes requesting funds twice a month, and on occasions, even three times.

Gu Qinghan was a dutiful son, and perhaps because he had been in the army for a long time and was unaware of the family’s situation, he would send money home whenever Zhao Wuzhu asked, as long as he had it on hand.

After marrying Gu Qinghan, Wen Nuan had lived with the Gu Family long enough to realize that Zhao Wuzhu treated Gu Qingsong like a precious treasure, cherishing and protecting him as if the entire family had to revolve around him.

Even if Gu Qingsong didn’t do any work or made mistakes, Zhao Wuzhu would turn a blind eye.

Even for Family expenses, Zhao Wuzhu relied solely on Gu Qinghan’s allowance, unwilling to use Gu Qingsong’s salary for fear that it wouldn’t be enough.

Gu Qinghan and Gu Qingsong actually had a younger sister named Gu Qinglan. However, due to Zhao Wuzhu’s preference for sons, she doted on Gu Qingsong immensely.

Before being sent to the countryside, Zhao Wuzhu secretly arranged for Gu Qingsong’s name to be changed to that of the then seventeen-year-old Gu Qinglan.

When Gu Qinglan found out, she cried for several days. Zhao Wuzhu even threatened her, saying that if she didn’t go to the countryside, she would be betrothed to the mute man from the neighboring street.

In a fit of anger, Gu Qinglan also had someone change her assigned location to a far-off place, and after going to the countryside, she had no further contact with the family.

Before going to the countryside, Gu Qinglan had a very good relationship with Gu Qingsong, but Zhao Wuzhu’s favoritism created a rift between the two siblings.

Wen Nuan had heard about these matters while living in the family compound.

What infuriated Wen Nuan the most was that Gu Qingsong’s marriage had nothing to do with her Qinghan.

Had Gu Qingsong even lent Qinghan a hand during their wedding?

As far as she knew, Gu Qingsong’s current job at the soy sauce factory was something Gu Qinghan had to push through with the help of a classmate—which was also something Zhao Wuzhu had insisted upon.

However, the original story mentioned that Gu Qingsong would not last long at the soy sauce factory, and he would eventually resign, marking his first setback after marrying Lin Meizhi.

Nonetheless, Wen Nuan had no intention of meddling in what would happen between the two of them in the future.

That evening, after Gu Qinghan returned home, she brought up the matter.

Recently, it had snowed occasionally, and Gu Qinghan had been returning home earlier. Wen Nuan had also prepared dinner early.

The weather in Beicheng was cold, and Wen Nuan made a habit of cooking soup for Gu Qinghan to warm him up. Gu Qinghan had trained over the past few days, and during winter, it was especially important to eat well and keep warm.

Tonight, Wen Nuan made seaweed egg drop soup, stir-fried pork belly with wood ear mushrooms and chili, and sour and spicy shredded potatoes.

The seaweed had been brought back from their hometown, and there was just a little left, nearly finished. The wood ear mushrooms had been traded from a nearby village, where there were plenty of dried mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms since it was close to the mountains. Both Gu Qinghan and Lele liked to eat wood ear mushrooms, so Wen Nuan occasionally cooked them for the two of them.

Wen Nuan dished out two bowls of rice and also placed two bowls of soup on the table.

Before Gu Qinghan returned, Wen Nuan had already fed Lele, who was now sitting in her small cart, happily playing with the rattle that Li Daxiang had given her, completely absorbed in her play and not even glancing at Gu Qinghan when he came home.

Wen Nuan had previously instructed Gu Qinghan not to interrupt Lele when she was focused on her toys or playing by herself.

So, seeing that the child was ignoring him, Gu Qinghan simply washed his hands with some water and prepared to eat.

As they sat down at the dining table, Wen Nuan directly said to Gu Qinghan, “Your brother is getting married, and your mother said that you need to send them some money.”

Gu Qinghan picked up a piece of lean meat and didn’t even look up, responding, “Didn’t I send money this month? If I’ve sent it, there’s no need to deal with her.”

Wen Nuan glanced at him in slight disbelief, pausing her eating for a moment before saying, “I sent it a few days ago.”

To be honest, Wen Nuan didn’t want Gu Qinghan to send money either. Why should he, as the elder brother, have to give money just because Gu Qingsong was getting married?

’Gu Qinghan was not their father!’

’Now that both brothers had their own families, what would happen if Gu Qinghan asked them for money?’

’They wouldn’t have a penny!’

Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s gaze and then said, “Before we came to Beicheng, Qingsong asked me for money and said that his girlfriend, Comrade Lin, was pregnant with his child.”

Wen Nuan paused her eating—waiting for him to continue.

Perhaps noticing Wen Nuan’s prying eyes, Gu Qinghan began to recount the events of that night. This was likely the longest story Wen Nuan had ever heard him tell.

The night before their departure to Beicheng, Gu Qingsong approached Gu Qinghan and said that Lin Meizhi was pregnant. He insisted that the wedding gift couldn’t be less than two hundred yuan, or else the child would be aborted. Gu Qingsong shamelessly begged Gu Qinghan to lend him one hundred yuan, explaining that Zhao Wuzhu had already prepared one hundred yuan for the gift, leaving him short by one hundred.

However, Gu Qinghan flatly refused, stating that Lin Meizhi’s wedding gift was much higher than Wen Nuan’s.

If Wen Nuan couldn’t hold her head high at home, then the gift had to remain at 120 yuan.

That arrangement is fair to everyone.

The two brothers ended up having a falling out that night, but before dawn the next day, Gu Qingsong sought out Gu Qinghan again, finally compromising on the wedding gift to be one hundred and twenty yuan. Still, he wanted to ask Gu Qinghan for the remaining twenty yuan.

Gu Qinghan responded, “You’re a grown man and can’t even come up with 20 yuan? What kind of wife do you think you can marry?”

At this point, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

She had always thought that Gu Qinghan, being so supportive of the family, would have no second thoughts about helping with something as small as twenty yuan.

Who would have guessed that before leaving their hometown, Gu Qinghan had given Gu Qingsong such a good dressing down?

That was quite the comeback!

Indeed, although Gu Qingsong’s salary was not as high as Gu Qinghan’s, he was still a team leader, so he must have been earning at least thirty yuan a month.

To ask for just 20 yuan was utterly shameless!

Wen Nuan laughed so hard that she lost her composure, and even the little one playing with the rattle glanced her way, her big eyes filled with curiosity.

Wen Nuan then said, “I thought you would just give it to him directly.”

Gu Qinghan glanced at Wen Nuan and then explained, “I’m not foolish. It’s just that when you and Lele were back home, I didn’t need much money while I was in the army. I could manage the Family expenses. But as a man, if Qingsong can’t even bear the responsibility of supporting his family, then he shouldn’t get married.”

Wen Nuan hadn’t expected the usually easygoing Gu Qinghan to think this way, so she asked, “What if your mother calls when she doesn’t receive the money?”

Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong would certainly use every means at their disposal to achieve their goals.

Gu Qinghan thought for a moment, then placed a handful of shredded potatoes into Wen Nuan’s bowl, saying, “You still haven’t gotten your health back in order, and with the New Year coming up, you’ll need money for many things. You should keep the money.”

He added in a flat tone, “Starting next month, you don’t need to send twenty yuan to my mother anymore. Now that both Qingsong and I have our own families, whatever Qingsong sends home is what I’ll send too.”

Wen Nuan nodded with a smile, “Alright.”

Then she added, “After all, it’s your brother getting married. As his older brother and sister-in-law, we should still send him a wedding gift.”

Gu Qinghan nodded slightly, “You can decide how to arrange it.”

“Okay, I’ll handle it,” Wen Nuan replied with a smile.

Suddenly, Gu Qinghan reached out with his warm palm, gripping Wen Nuan’s cool fingertips, his intense gaze shining on her. “Wen Nuan, I won’t let you suffer with me.”

For some reason, Wen Nuan felt a warmth rising in her eyes, as if something wet was swirling in her tear ducts. She nodded earnestly, “I believe you. From now on, we’ll live our lives well.”

Gu Qinghan looked at her, his handsome face slowly leaning closer. Wen Nuan felt the heat of his breath against her delicate nose.

She could hear the drum-like beating of her own heart, instinctively closing her eyes and tilting her chin slightly—

“Ah—”

Lele suddenly let out a sharp scream, startling Wen Nuan, who immediately straightened her back, her fair face flushing a deep pink.

Wen Nuan quickly stood up and said, “I’ll go see what’s wrong with Lele.”

She found the little one in the cart reaching out with her tiny hands—clearly, she had thrown her beloved rattle outside.

No wonder she was upset.

Wen Nuan picked up the rattle and placed it back in the child’s hands. Lele, having retrieved her favorite toy, smiled at Wen Nuan and called out, “Mommy,” a couple of times.

Wen Nuan heard the little one call her so clearly this time and immediately lifted her into her arms, planting a big kiss on her round, soft, white cheek.

“Qinghan, did you hear that?”

“Lele called me Mommy! It was so clear this time!”

The little one seemed to understand that Wen Nuan was praising her.

She opened her small arms, wrapped them around Wen Nuan’s neck, and rubbed her tiny head against her shoulder.

The soft tufts of hair on her head made Wen Nuan’s heart melt. Then, Lele sweetly called out again, “Mommy.”

Gu Qinghan heard the little one clearly call out, “Mommy,” and the fleeting moment of tenderness instantly transformed into joy.

He stood up and walked over to Wen Nuan and the child, wrapping both of them in his embrace. “I heard it! Our Lele is amazing.”

The little one lifted her somewhat heavy head, her shiny big eyes looking at Wen Nuan, then at Gu Qinghan. Suddenly, she squinted her eyes and burst into laughter.

Then, she stretched her little arms toward Gu Qinghan, wanting him to lift her up for a little fun.

Wen Nuan handed the heavy Lele over to him and gave the child’s cheek a kiss. “You play with Daddy for a while; Mommy is going to wash the dishes.”

As long as Gu Qinghan was at home, Wen Nuan hardly washed the dishes anymore. Although the family had a stove burning, the kitchen was still a bit cold. Even washing with warm water, the temperature would drop quickly.

However, after a day of taking care of the little one, Wen Nuan didn’t really want to take on that responsibility in the evening. So now she hurried to wash the dishes, and before going to bed, she would pretend to read a book by the bedside, waiting for Gu Qinghan to lull the child to sleep.

—o—o—o—

That evening was no different. After drinking her herbal medicine and soaking her feet, Wen Nuan picked up the book Gu Qinghan had left at home.

Unbeknownst to her, a long time passed before Gu Qinghan suddenly reached over and took her book. “Stop reading. The light is a bit dim at night; it’s not good for your eyes.”

Since it was a tungsten lamp, the light was a warm yellow, and the wattage of the fixtures from that era was low, providing only a faint illumination. Reading still required a desk lamp.

However, Gu Qinghan noticed that Wen Nuan wasn’t genuinely reading. She had picked up a copy of “Wind Tunnel Testing,” which was his training manual. Since she took the book until the child was asleep, she had only flipped through two pages.

Wen Nuan slowly yawned, watching the little one beside her sleeping soundly, with tiny hands clenched into fists, raised high beside her little head. It was so adorable it made one want to bite her.

Especially those long eyelashes, which looked like a tiny fan; she must have inherited them from her father. The little mouth occasionally sucked on air, looking rosy and plump.

Wen Nuan lowered her voice, smiling as she looked at Gu Qinghan. “You’re amazing! You’ve lulled the little one to sleep again!”

Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s sparkling, mischievous eyes and swallowed hard. “Hmm, let’s go to bed early too.”

Wen Nuan had long felt a bit drowsy. Gu Qinghan’s specialized books were so dry and difficult to understand that they worked better than a lullaby. She had dozed off several times and was finally ready to sleep.

When Gu Qinghan saw Wen Nuan lying down, he followed suit.

However, when they exchanged glances, they couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.

Wen Nuan had just wanted to turn over to face the child when Gu Qinghan reached out and grabbed her arm, then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

His deep, dark eyes seemed to darken as he lowered his head and gently kissed her soft, pink lips.

Wen Nuan gazed at the handsome face that was so close to her, and the rapid beating of her heart made her head spin.

In a daze, she managed to say: “Good night.”

Then, she turned over again.

Gu Qinghan tucked her in carefully, saying, “Good night, sleep well.”

—o—o—o—