Chapter 33.2

The next day was the Lantern Festival.

Wen Nuan woke up a bit late. She looked beside her, but there was no sign of that man.

Outside the living room, she heard Gu Qinglan’s voice. It seemed she was already washing something. Wen Nuan thought about needing to go to town and couldn’t lie down any longer, so she hurriedly got out of bed, dressed, and went to wash up.

“Sister-in-law, you’re awake? Big Brother has already made us steamed buns and porridge. You should go brush your teeth and wash your face; I’ll heat it up,” Gu Qinglan said as she hung the washed clothes next to the stove, then took the things from the Eight Immortals table to the kitchen.

Wen Nuan observed Gu Qinglan’s casual demeanor and figured that she must not have heard them last night. She let out a sigh of relief.

After washing up, she found that Gu Qinglan had already prepared breakfast for her.

The little one in the other room seemed to have woken up, perhaps having heard the adults’ voices.

Gu Qinglan ran into the room and brought the child out.

She gently ruffled the child’s hair and said, “Lele, your hair is a mess from sleeping. Later, Auntie will take you to the market to buy you some hair clips to make you look pretty!”

It was unknown whether Lele understood her Auntie, but she grinned at Gu Qinglan and reached out to touch her face—without touching her Auntie’s injured forehead.

Previously, Wen Nuan had taught her many times that if she didn’t know whether to be gentle or not, curiosity led her to touch things, but to adults, it could hurt.

So, in the past few days, Wen Nuan had taught her not to touch Gu Qinglan’s injury, and she remembered that.

“Come, Auntie will help you change your diaper, and then we’ll take you to the market!” Gu Qinglan looked at the little one, who was so well-behaved, feeling sweet in her heart. She wished they could go to the market right now to buy her pretty hair clips.

Upon hearing this, Lele clapped her hands, as if agreeing.

Wen Nuan smiled as she looked at the two of them. The bruises on Gu Qinglan’s face had faded, though the area on her forehead where she had bumped it still hadn’t scabbed over.

The wounds from the bamboo pole had mostly healed as well. Every night, Wen Nuan used Gu Qinghan’s ointment on her injuries. When she first discovered them, there had been several bruises on Gu Qinglan’s back.

Zhao Wuzhu had truly been ruthless; how could she be so cruel to a girl of this age?

Then, Wen Nuan asked, “Qinglan, have you eaten breakfast? Why don’t you have breakfast first before you take care of her?”

“Sister-in-law, I had breakfast with big brother. He said you went to bed very late last night, so he asked me not to wake you up. I’ve been up for a while now,” Gu Qinglan replied, already placing the little one on the couch covered with a quilt. She skillfully pulled down Lele’s diaper and replaced it with a dry one.

“…”

When that man came back, she was definitely going to give him a beating.

—o—o—o—

The weather today, as Gu Qinghan had predicted, was slowly clearing up, and the sky was gradually revealing a bit of blue.

Perhaps because of the holiday and the improving weather, many military wives in the family compound set out for town.

As Wen Nuan stepped outside, she ran into He Dazhuang, but he only glanced at her a few times before walking toward the birch forest.

Wen Nuan looked at the child, feeling uneasy about the way he looked at people—his gaze was eerie. She wondered if Li Zhengwei had managed to change his behavior after all this time.

However, over there, Sister Guihua and Gu Qinglan were urging her to hurry, so Wen Nuan didn’t pay any more attention to him.

Since Gu Qinghan had informed the comrades at the supply office in advance, Wen Nuan, Gu Qinglan, and Sister Guihua all took a military vehicle with a canopy. This way, the little one wouldn’t be exposed to the cold wind.

After all the snow shoveling over the years, even though it had been snowing continuously, the roads were still quite smooth. They arrived in town in less than half an hour.

After the soldier driving the car parked, he informed the passengers about the return time, and then the military wives all jumped out of the vehicle in a frenzy.

Wen Nuan carried the child and didn’t squeeze with them; she was the last to get out of the car.

Since it was Wen Nuan’s first time in town, she and Gu Qinglan followed Sister Guihua, listening as she introduced the various shops in the area.

In the end, they arrived at the busiest place—the supply and marketing cooperative, which had a more complete range of items.

Because it was the Lantern Festival, Wen Nuan planned to stew the lamb chops she had bought earlier that night, so she needed to buy some ingredients, such as cumin powder and chili flakes.

Oh, and she also had to buy Gu Qinglan two boxes of snowflake cream. Although Gu Qinglan had a good base, she probably hadn’t been using skincare products, and her face showed some frostbite. Coupled with the scar on her forehead, she seemed a bit worn.

Gu Qinglan watched Wen Nuan as she bought a bit from this counter and a bit from that one, getting a lot of things and even saying some were for her to take back to the countryside. She pulled her aside and said, “Sister-in-law, that’s enough! If you buy so much at once, won’t that cost a lot of money?”

Wen Nuan smiled and asked the salesperson at the counter to weigh out a catty of candy. “It’s fine; it’s all for you. If you can’t finish it, just eat it slowly. After all, winter in the north is cold, so those things won’t go bad.”

After paying, Wen Nuan stuffed a piece of candy into Gu Qinglan’s hand. “Here, try one.”

Gu Qinglan looked at the candy that her sister-in-law handed her, feeling a bit shy. “I—I’m so old now, maybe I shouldn’t eat it. I…I’m not really that fond of sweets.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Come on, open your mouth.”

Although not everyone loved candy, in this era of scarcity, many had a longing for sweetness. Occasionally tasting something sweet was quite nice.

Not to mention, Gu Qinglan had gone to the countryside at just over ten years old; she probably hadn’t had much candy in the past few years.

Gu Qinglan accepted the candy from Wen Nuan and popped it into her mouth.

The sweet flavor instantly burst on her lips and tongue, spreading warmth to her heart.

‘So sweet.’

‘So delicious.’

The supply and marketing cooperative were crowded with people. Fortunately, Wen Nuan had already carried the little one on her back, allowing her to see all of Gu Qinglan’s movements.

Seeing Gu Qinglan with candy, Lele smacked her lips and called out to Wen Nuan with “Ah ah ah…” and “Mommy…”

Her little hands kept patting Wen Nuan’s shoulder, eager for some candy as well.

Wen Nuan looked at the large White Rabbit milk candy in her hand, which seemed a bit too big, so she decided to give Lele two small pieces of white sugar, stuffing them into the little one’s mouth. Lele only tasted the sweet flavor and beamed with delight.

Wen Nuan chuckled and said to her, “Kids can’t eat too much. That’s enough for now; I’ll give you some more when we get home.”

Hearing this, the little one’s mouth pouted, and she looked a bit aggrieved. Her small head rested against Wen Nuan’s chest, and her mood seemed to dip.

However, the lively sounds around the supply and marketing cooperative quickly attracted the little one’s attention. Before long, she was curiously twisting her neck, looking left and right.

On the other side, Gu Qinglan was also surveying the items at the counters but didn’t say anything about wanting to buy because she only had eight yuan left in her pocket.

She needed to save it to buy hair clips for Lele; otherwise, it would be all gone.

Sister Guihua hadn’t been to town in a long time, and after browsing a few counters, she said, “There are too many people here; why don’t we go check out the market? We can buy a lot of things over there.”

Wen Nuan also felt that there were too many people. Those military wives were snatching things without regard for anyone else. She was worried about bumping into the child, so she pulled Gu Qinglan along with Sister Guihua as they left the supply and marketing cooperative.

Having been there for so long, it was her first time witnessing such a frantic shopping scene.

Back in her hometown, there had been more supply and marketing cooperatives in the city. Plus, in the warmer southern climate, many items couldn’t be kept overnight; people only bought what they needed. Therefore, there wasn’t much of a rush to grab things.

Sister Guihua, with two wicker baskets in hand, was still full of energy. “We’re almost there. You can see if they have frozen pears or hawthorn berries. After all that snow, we haven’t eaten much fruit. I’m getting quite tempted myself.”

Wen Nuan agreed. “Exactly! I want to buy some fruit, too. The frozen pears that Sister Juxiang brought last time were delicious. Let’s buy some more later.”

Gu Qinglan looked at the items in the market, seemingly wanting to buy everything. It was no wonder her sister-in-law had been taking a bit from here and a bit from there; all these foods were absolutely tempting!

Wen Nuan turned her head to glance at Gu Qinglan and then asked, “Qinglan, is there anything you want to buy? Don’t hesitate to tell Sister-in-law; your big brother has given you enough money!”

Actually, Gu Qinghan’s salary had all been in her hands. He hadn’t spent much in the past few months, and unlike before, he didn’t send all his money home. As a result, after a few months, she had saved up over three hundred yuan.

Occasionally indulging a little was acceptable, especially since they had been cooped up in the family compound for several months. Today, they had to buy enough!

Gu Qinglan hesitated a bit, but Wen Nuan had already spotted a stall selling candied hawthorn and walked over. “Comrade, could you please give me… four skewers of tanghulu?”

In the North, they didn’t call it candied hawthorn, and it was sprinkled with a layer of sesame seeds, making it look even more appetizing.

These candied hawthorns were only twenty cents each and didn’t require a ticket, which was really quite cheap for Wen Nuan.

She handed one skewer to Gu Qinglan, another to Sister Guihua, and kept one for herself to share with the little one. The little one had enough teeth to bite into many things now, and with a gentle effort, she broke through the sugar coating of the sugar ball. However, she didn’t really get to eat much—just a hint of sweetness.

The little one’s mouth was also coated with a lot of sesame seeds, but she was eating happily, bouncing around energetically.

Wen Nuan also wanted to bring back another skewer for Gu Qinghan. Although he often claimed he didn’t like this or that, he would still eat when it was actually given to him.

Wen Nuan wanted to share all the delicious food with him.

Gu Qinglan took a bite of her candied hawthorn, moaning with satisfaction, “This is so good! How much is it?”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Two cents.”

Wen Nuan knew that Gu Qinglan was careful about money. She probably didn’t have much left, which was why she had been hesitant to buy things.

Gu Qinglan calculated for a moment. If everyone bought one skewer, that would add up to several cents.

However, thinking of how good Wen Nuan had been to her, she still hardened her heart and said, “20 cents, not expensive. Sister-in-law, later I’ll treat you to another one.”

“No more, I can’t eat any more. If you want to eat, buy a skewer for yourself,” Wen Nuan replied. She also wanted to save her a bit of money. Although it was just 20 cents, a few skewers would add up to a whole yuan, and she wasn’t sure how much money Gu Qinglan had at that moment.

Sister Guihua shook her head, “I don’t want any either. Though this skewer looks small, I’ve only eaten three pieces, and now I feel a bit sick of it.”

Gu Qinglan had already finished the candied hawthorn in her hand. Hearing them say they didn’t want any, she simply chose not to buy more.

Wen Nuan bought a lot of things at the market, especially frozen pears and frozen persimmons, buying twenty catty in one go. She used to eat fruits every day, but in the past few months, she had only eaten a couple of frozen pears and hadn’t eaten any other fruits. So this time, she wanted to buy more and enjoy them slowly!

Later, she bought some radishes, chestnuts, and yam. Gu Qinglan was in charge of carrying the items. Although they had a huge pile, because she was tall and strong, it looked effortless.

Wen Nuan had initially wanted to help carry some, but unexpectedly, Gu Qinglan had taken Sister Guihua’s items as well: “Only this? I can carry a hundred catty of rice in the village!”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan felt both distressed and proud of her.

Later, Wen Nuan saw someone selling frozen milk and thought of how Lele was growing up and could benefit from drinking some milk.

Moreover, she could also make some milk tea. She remembered that Gu Qinghan had sent two bags of tea leaves during the New Year, though he hardly drank any. Buying some frozen milk to brew some tea would be nice too.

She had thought that in Northern City’s winter, there would be nothing to eat, but unexpectedly, there were quite a few things for sale in the town. If she had known earlier, she would have come out with Sister Guihua.

—o—o—o—

When returning to the family compound’s designated vehicle, Wen Nuan bought three more skewers of candied hawthorn and handed them to Gu Qinglan, saying, “I know you like these. Take your time eating them at home.”

Gu Qinglan looked at the three skewers of candied hawthorn and almost cried on the street. “Sister-in-law, you’re really too good to me.”

At that moment, Gu Qinglan felt a deep reluctance to leave Northern City.

However, she was also afraid that her brother and sister-in-law would think she was becoming too attached after just one visit.

Just thinking about returning to that impoverished village where not even a bicycle could be found, and facing the irritating village branch’s nephew, made her feel down.

Her heart felt both sweet and bitter.

But at least for now, she was happy, and that was enough…

—o—o—o—

Wen Nuan carried the child all the way, and her shoulder had already begun to ache painfully. As soon as she got on the big truck, she immediately put Lele down.

The little one, with her big round eyes, looked at Wen Nuan and wanted the candied hawthorn from before, calling out to her a few times.

“Mom… Mom…”

Wen Nuan took out a piece of frozen milk that she had the vendor cut for her and let Lele have a taste.

Perhaps she sensed the familiar milky aroma, but it was different from the milk she usually drank. The little guy wrinkled her brows and spat it out, sticking out his little tongue and shaking her head while saying: “wu wu wu.”

Wen Nuan was both amused and exasperated. “You’re wasting it!”

The frozen milk had spilled onto her lap, so Wen Nuan picked it up and put it back into the bottle.

Gu Qinglan still wanted to eat a skewer of candied hawthorn, but there were too many people in the vehicle, making it inconvenient for her to take it out.

However, she often reached out to touch the three skewers of candied hawthorn her sister-in-law had bought for her—she couldn’t help but feel very satisfied.

—o—o—o—

When the vehicle arrived at the family compound, the sky unexpectedly changed again, with strong winds blowing so hard that it was difficult to open their eyes.

Although they had bought a lot of things, Gu Qinglan’s help, made it not so chaotic.

If she had gone to the market alone with Lele, she definitely wouldn’t have bought so much.

Wen Nuan turned back to look at Gu Qinglan. “Qinglan, do you want me to carry some? Or how about waiting here until I get home and bring over the little cart?”

Gu Qinglan was focused on getting home quickly to eat the candied hawthorn. She smiled and said, “It’s not heavy. Just be careful with Lele. The wind is a bit strong today, sister-in-law, so take your time walking.”

Just as they were heading toward the family compound, the sky suddenly erupted with the ear-splitting roar of an airplane. A large group of soldiers in military uniforms rushed out toward the family compound.

The families who had just returned from shopping paused in their tracks, curious about what was happening.

Immediately after, several military jeeps drove out from the training ground, and Wen Nuan looked over with curiosity.

Gu Qinglan had never seen such a scene before and asked, “Sister-in-law, what’s going on?”

It was the first time Wen Nuan had seen such a scene after being in this military compound for so long, so she shook her head and said, “I’m not sure either.”

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly, “Something has happened! Something has happened! There’s been an avalanche! The plane has fallen!”

Right after that, a series of booming sound waves echoed overhead, tearing through the long sky.

The candied hawthorn that Wen Nuan had hidden in her pocket suddenly fell to the ground, the red sugar-coating shattering into small pieces and landing beside the silver-white snow, appearing quite glaring.

Suddenly, a jeep drove toward them. Wen Nuan looked and saw it was driven by Li Daxiang, so she waved her hand.

The vehicle stopped beside them. Li Daxiang sat in the driver’s seat, his expression one of urgency, sorrow, and conflict.

Wen Nuan’s head buzzed, her face drained of color. Her hands holding the child felt a bit weak, but she still walked to the side of the car and asked, “Is it him?”

“Tell me, is it him?”

From Li Daxiang’s hesitant expression, Wen Nuan already knew the answer. “Take me there, take me there!”

Gu Qinglan threw the things she was holding directly onto the ground, but Wen Nuan turned around and kissed Lele on the forehead before handing the child to her. “Take care of her. I’m going to find Gu Qinghan.” Then, she opened the car door, slamming it shut with a “bang.”

“Drive! Hurry, hurry, drive!”

She hadn’t imagined it would come to this so quickly—this completely caught her off guard.

She couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t believe that someone with the best flying skills in the entire division would… crash.

“Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, don’t get worked up, you…” Gu Qinglan suddenly began to cry as well. But with no one to care for Lele, and with sister-in-law entrusting the child to her, she couldn’t afford to cry…

In the vehicle, Wen Nuan kept listening to Li Daxiang, but her buzzing head couldn’t keep up with his pace; all she could think about was Gu Qinghan.

Yet, she heard the most crucial three words: “wild ginseng.”

Wen Nuan’s voice trembled as she spoke, “The northeast corner, in the northeast corner…”

—o—o—o—

Lucia:  So many things happened in this chapter!  One second, I was smiling, the next second I felt bad for  Gu Qinglan, and now Gu Qinghan….