Chapter 39.1

Wen Nuan watched the figure of Li Qiuyan leaving and felt that her footsteps were a bit hurried.

When she reached a step, she even stumbled slightly.

However, Wen Nuan glanced at the two large dogs tied beside the chicken coop. She estimated that Li Qiuyan usually fed the chickens; otherwise, if it had been her, those two big dogs would have already started barking.

Wen Nuan was a little puzzled as to why Li Qiuyan was walking so fast after seeing her.

After returning home, Sister Guihua also came over.

Sister Guihua put down the cage in her hands and waited for Wen Nuan to park her bicycle, then helped her take Lele down from the front rack.

“Today, I bought a few chicks in town. I thought you hadn’t gotten any yet, so I helped you out. They should all be hens; you can keep them for eggs later,” she said.

Wen Nuan looked at Sister Guihua, who was holding Lele, and smiled, “Thank you, Sister Guihua. I really don’t know how to choose chicks.”

Then she twisted the chicken cage that Sister Guihua had brought and placed the chicks into the yard, asking, “By the way, Sister Guihua, how much are these chicks? I’ll get the money for you.”

As she spoke, she unlocked the door, preparing to go in and get the money.

In fact, Sister Guihua thought that since she had such a good relationship with Wen Nuan, she wasn’t planning to charge her for a few dimes’ worth of chicks.

However, when Wen Nuan was serious about something, there was no way around it. She could only say, “90 cents, 30 cents each.”

“Oh, okay.”

Before long, Wen Nuan took ninety cents from inside the house and handed it to Sister Guihua.

When Lele saw the fluffy yellow chicks and insisted on grabbing Sister Guihua’s hand, wanting her to help chase after those chicks, laughing gleefully.

Sister Guihua enjoyed playing with Lele, so she took both of Lele’s little hands and let her run ahead, chasing the few chicks, which scared the three fluffy chicks into running all over the place.

After Sister Guihua chased Lele around for a while, she took the money that Wen Nuan had handed her and looked around, asking, “Did you leave the money at home? You go to work every day; aren’t you afraid someone might go into your house?”

Wen Nuan hadn’t thought about that anymore. Ever since He Dazhuang had been caught stealing pork and had to attend an educational course, the family courtyard had returned to peace.

Moreover, Gu Qinghan had also said that He Dazhuang wouldn’t dare touch their things. After all, Gu Qinghan, though he looked like a good man, wouldn’t tolerate anyone when it came to moral integrity.

He Dazhuang had learned his lesson from Gu Qinghan and should not be too afraid to come to their house.

Wen Nuan didn’t want to bring up the issues related to men in the provincial military before, so after thinking for a moment, she simply said, “It’s not much; just a few scattered coins, just enough to buy some groceries and such.”

Sister Guihua felt relieved: “That’s good, but you still need to be careful.”

Wen Nuan smiled and pinched Lele that Sister Guihua was holding, saying, “Okay, I’ll be careful.”

Sister Guihua paused for a moment, looking at Wen Nuan’s beautiful face. She couldn’t help but ask, “There have been rumors in the family courtyard that you’re not working in the cafeteria anymore. Is that true?”

Sister Guihua also thought that Wen Nuan returned home too early. In this row of red brick houses, Li Qiuyan also worked in the cafeteria; however, Li Qiuyan came back at seven on three nights and was relatively early on the other three nights, but still not before six.

Yet, Wen Nuan returned home around six every evening, which meant she finished work at five or so.

This was indeed earlier than others.

Wen Nuan had been working these past few days, so she didn’t know about the rumors circulating in the family courtyard. She directly told Sister Guihua, “I’m a nutritionist at the flight crew’s Cafeteria, which means I create nutrition plans for the combat pilots. Sometimes, I check the inventory in the storage room, and sometimes I deliver meals to the injured combat pilots. The comrades in our cafeteria know I have a child, so they take good care of me.”

Sister Guihua nodded. Now that she understood what Wen Nuan’s job entailed, she scoffed and said, “It’s just those who are well-fed and idle. They probably envy you for getting a job so soon after being here for just a few months, especially working in the Flight Crew’s Cafeteria. Those people are just jealous; don’t pay them any mind.”

“By the way, if it’s inconvenient for you to take Lele, I can help you with her. Look how well-behaved Lele is; she’ll go with anyone.”

Sister Guihua teased Lele, and Lele stood even more steadily now. Usually, she could pull herself up against the wall or a stool, but she still wasn’t quite able to walk on her own.

“Thank you, Sister Guihua. I’ll probably need you to watch the child for half a day tomorrow because I want to find a doctor in a nearby village.” Wen Nuan said.

Wen Nuan had asked the hospital of the flight team. Now that spring had arrived, there were many medical exchange meetings happening in the capital, so everyone was busy. She had hoped to seek advice on nutritional adjustments.

During lunch with the cafeteria staff, they mentioned that there was a doctor in a nearby village who had been sent down a few years ago. He was reportedly a medical doctor from a renowned foreign university, but unfortunately, he had been labeled as a rightist a few years ago. Now, he worked as a barefoot doctor in the village, treating villagers’ ailments.

However, because the doctor had returned from a foreign medical school and was still considered a rightist, people did not entirely trust him.

But he didn’t charge the villagers for his services, so those who didn’t want to pay for medical expenses would go to him. Over time, he had come to be regarded as a barefoot doctor.

Upon hearing this, Sister Guihua curiously asked, “Is it that old Zhao who lives in the cow shed?”

“You know him too, Sister-in-law?”

Sister Guihua nodded. “I heard that old Zhao used to be an overseas student studying Western medicine. What kind of illnesses can he really treat?”

Then Sister Guihua looked at Wen Nuan with concern, asking, “Wait, Xiao Nuan, are you not feeling well? Why do you want to see old Zhao?”

Wen Nuan shook her head. “No, I’m fine. It’s for work; I want to ask him about some things.”

Wen Nuan understood that people in this era generally preferred traditional Chinese medicine and had a slight resistance to Western medicine. However, she believed that both traditional and Western medicine had their strengths. Combining the two could actually be beneficial, and there was no need to determine which was better.

Regarding the vitamin supplementation for the flight team, it might be helpful to consult old Zhao. Having multiple people provide suggestions could offer more references, which wasn’t a bad idea.

However, the reason why everyone was hesitant to go to old Zhao was likely due to his past.

Sister Guihua felt relieved knowing that Wen Nuan was okay. “That’s good. I’m most afraid you’ll be taking the child to work every day, which could wear you out. That wouldn’t be worth it.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, Sister-in-law; I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Just then, Sister Guihua heard her mother-in-law calling her for dinner and handed Lele back to Wen Nuan. “I’ll head back now. I’ll come over early tomorrow to take care of Lele.”

“Okay, thank you, Sister Guihua.”

Sister Guihua smiled and replied, “What are you being so polite for? I enjoy playing with Lele; I’m the one who’s happy!”

Wen Nuan wanted to say something else, but Sister Guihua had already gone home. Later, she heard her mother-in-law telling her to hurry and take her medicine.

Previously, she had heard Sister Guihua mention that Captain Zhou had also started taking traditional Chinese medicine recently, but she didn’t know if it was effective.

Wen Nuan placed Lele on a stool by the door, then took some feed and scattered it in the yard for the chicks to peck at.

Lele watched as the chicks rushed towards Wen Nuan’s feet, propping herself up against the door frame and giggling, revealing her six little teeth.

—o—o—o—

When Gu Qinghan got home, it was already quite late. Lele had been waiting for him, so she was still wide awake.

For the past few nights, Gu Qinghan had played a game of riding horses with her. After playing just once, Lele remembered it and insisted on having Gu Qinghan carry her every night before she would sleep.

Now that Lele could pull herself up to stand if Wen Nuan sat at the head of the bed reading a novel, she would manage to hold onto the bed and walk over, then lean down behind Wen Nuan, wanting someone to carry her.

Wen Nuan couldn’t be bothered with her. The child had been waking up late these days, and Wen Nuan carried her to work every day, which left her shoulders aching by the end of the day.

Lele tried several times but was rejected by her mother. She sat on the bed, pouting with her little mouth, her right foot resting on her left, pulling at the quilt beneath her with a frustrated expression.

However, Wen Nuan didn’t give in; she continued to leisurely flip through her novel.

Ever since returning to work, Wen Nuan had become lazier. As long as Lele wasn’t crying, she hardly felt the need to intervene.

It was only when Gu Qinghan came back that the angry little one finally expressed some of her frustration. She slapped her hands forcefully against the bed and shouted, “Daddy, Daddy…”

Gu Qinghan hung his coat on a hook on the wall and smiled at Lele. “Wait a moment; Daddy needs to wash his hands first.”

Lele looked at Gu Qinghan’s figure and responded with a small “Ah.”

However, when Lele saw him looking for a clean outfit and walking out of the room, she immediately became frantic again and tried to crawl out of bed.

Fortunately, Wen Nuan quickly grabbed her leg and pulled her back onto the bed.

“You almost fell! Then you’d cry again. Come here; Mommy will help wipe your drool.” Wen Nuan helped in wiping the drool from the corner of Lele’s mouth.

Lele was teething again, so, she would drool here and there—Lele even soaked the back of Wen Nuan’s clothes with drool last time.

Lele didn’t want Wen Nuan to wipe her mouth. She made two “umm” sounds, shook her little head, and simply lay back down on the bed—quickly rolling over to avoid Wen Nuan’s hands.

Although this little one couldn’t walk yet, her reactions were very quick, especially when it came to crawling.

If one didn’t keep an eye on her for a moment, she would go straight for the floor.

Gu Qinghan hurriedly washed up and returned to the bed, picking up Lele who was playing with her toes.

When Lele saw Gu Qinghan was finally back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and called out sweetly, “Daddy…”

Hearing his child call him, Gu Qinghan responded with a hum and then rubbed her little head. “Why aren’t you asleep yet? You won’t be able to get up in the morning.”

Wen Nuan looked up from her book and glanced at the child. “She was waiting for her Daddy to play horsey, so who told you to start this?”

“Is that so?” Gu Qinghan smiled and placed the child on his back, then crawled a few steps on the bed with her.

The bed already creaked a bit, and with Gu Qinghan, a big man, carrying the child, it made even more noise.

Lele was delighted, lying on Gu Qinghan’s broad back, giggling and occasionally calling out “Daddy” and “Daddy.” A few more times.

Hearing the slightly grating “squeak” of the bed, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but chime in, “Don’t be too rough; if the bed collapses, I want to see where you two will sleep.”

She then stretched her leg and kicked Gu Qinghan’s foot playfully.

Gu Qinghan turned to look at her and crawled back to her side, laughing as he asked, “Do you think your daughter is drooling on my neck?”

“……”

She actually was.

Wen Nuan wiped the drool off his neck and couldn’t help but laugh. “Who told you to play around with her? Play for a bit longer, then hurry up and let her sleep!”

Feeling Gu Qinghan stop, Lele patted his shoulder with her little hand—urging him to keep going.

Reluctantly, he played with her for a little longer.

It wasn’t until Wen Nuan urged them to go to sleep again that Gu Qinghan finally lifted the child off his back.

Lele’s hair was all wet from playing so hard.

Children tend to get sweaty when they play, so Wen Nuan wiped her down with a towel before letting her sleep.

After the child fell asleep, Wen Nuan remembered seeing Li Qiuyan after work and asked the man beside her, “By the way, which Cafeteria does Li Qiuyan work in?”

She had been working for a few days, and it was her first time seeing Li Qiuyan. She had heard that Li Qiuyan worked in a Cafeteria, but Wen Nuan had been spending her time at the flight service Cafeteria and hadn’t seen her there.

Gu Qinghan was resting on one arm, while his other hand massaged Wen Nuan’s shoulders. She had been carrying Lele around for the past few days, and every night she would complain about her shoulders aching, so before bed, he always gave her a massage.

When Gu Qinghan heard Wen Nuan’s question, he thought for a moment and then replied, “It seems like she works at the logistics Cafeteria. Why do you ask?”

Wen Nuan let out an “oh” and closed her eyes because Gu Qinghan’s massage was so comfortable. “I saw her in our flight crew’s Cafeteria. She’s feeding the chicken in our Cafeteria’s chicken coop after work today. I just wanted to ask which Cafeteria she works in since I hadn’t seen her before.”

Originally, Wen Nuan thought that it was normal for everyone who worked in the Cafeterias to greet each other when they crossed paths, but Li Qiuyan’s behavior seemed to show that she wasn’t too happy on seeing her.

Could it be that she was still upset about the cart incident from last time?

It had been so long that Wen Nuan had nearly forgotten about it, but if Li Qiuyan didn’t want to acknowledge her, Wen Nuan wasn’t going to force herself into her company.

Gu Qinghan wasn’t interested in talking about Li Qiuyan, so he changed the subject and said, “Qingsong sent me a telegram. He wants to borrow 50 yuan.”

Lin Meizhi had almost miscarried earlier, and Gu Qingsong had spent a lot of money to keep her in the hospital for a month for fetal care. She had only been discharged half a month ago.

Before Wen Nuan could speak, Gu Qinghan added, “But I refused. We just bought a bicycle, so I didn’t lend him any.”

Wen Nuan touched his warm palm, then lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. “You did the right thing. Borrowing money for pregnancy, then for childbirth, and after the baby is born, what next? Are we supposed to support his family too?”

Gu Qinghan had earned his money through hard work and even risked his life for it. Wen Nuan already felt heartbroken over the expense of the bicycle they just bought. How could Gu Qingsong, a grown man with both hands, feet, and a job, shamelessly ask for money? Every time he opened his mouth, it was for hundreds of yuan. Truly, he had no shame.

Fortunately, Gu Qinghan wasn’t like before anymore, or they’d be arguing every day over this.

Gu Qinghan rubbed his face gently against her ear, his warm breath falling on her neck as he spoke in a low voice, “Yes, I understand. Besides, the money is with you now, so you’ll decide from now on.”

Wen Nuan didn’t want to interact with Gu Qingsong or his family anymore. “You handle it however you think is best.”

Even when they lived under the same roof, Wen Nuan barely spoke to Gu Qingsong. Gu Qingsong, thinking he was older, didn’t often call her “eldest sister-in-law” either.

But none of that mattered now; they had already escaped from that place.

“Yes, I’ll take care of it,” Gu Qinghan replied.

Sensing that Wen Nuan didn’t want to talk further about the topic, Gu Qinghan reached out to caress her face, then leaned in to gently kiss her lips.

Gu Qinghan’s large hand slid down her neck, pulling at her clothes. It wasn’t too cold lately, so Wen Nuan only wore a thin layer to bed, making things easier for him. But as the two of them pressed against each other, every movement caused the bed to creak loudly.

Wen Nuan, feeling a bit tired, placed her hand against his shoulder and whispered, “I’m a bit tired.”

Gu Qinghan immediately pinned her hand and lifted it above her head. Burying his face in her neck, he chuckled, “You don’t have to move tonight.”

“…”

Wen Nuan, slightly annoyed, playfully punched him. “Stop talking like that!”

Gu Qinghan laughed again, letting her vent her frustration.

In the end, he picked her up and carried her into the small room.

Soon, the sound of heavy breathing filled the air.

By the time it was over, Wen Nuan’s arms felt too weak to lift, but she still managed to kick the man. “You shameless rogue!”

—o—o—o—