Chapter 60

General Lu and Xiao Zhang had decided to “confess” before anyone else reported them to the Political Commissar.

By taking the initiative to inform, they at least felt it was not so embarrassing.

Of course, General Lu always believed that his actions could hardly be considered “stealing”!

However, when they arrived at the Political Commissar’s office, General Xu was surprisingly present, and he angrily told Political Commissar Li, “We must find out who the thief is who stole the model!”

“Our army absolutely does not allow such petty theft to run rampant!”

Xiao Zhang was startled to hear that General Xu was making such a fuss over a model, nearly tripping over his own feet.

General Lu glanced at his little assistant and snorted, “What an ambitious fellow!”

Then, General Lu knocked on the door and walked into the office, teasing, “What has made General Xu so angry?”

“Hmph! There’s a thief in our army!” General Xu huffed, glaring, “If I catch whoever stole my fighter jet model, I’ll make him pay!”

“Oh?” With hands behind his back, General Lu slowly walked to the sofa prepared by Political Commissar Li and asked with a smile, “How will you make him pay?”

“With a bullet through his head!” General Xu, filled with rage, was still unaware that the instigator was sitting right across from him.

Political Commissar Li couldn’t help but laugh at this statement: “General Xu, you don’t need to be so agitated; perhaps someone just thought the item looked nice and assumed they could take it back without asking.”

Standing beside General Lu, Xiao Zhang observed the situation silently, not daring to say a word. After all, he was merely an “accomplice,” and the responsibility did not fall on him.

General Lu took a sip of tea and looked over at the fuming General Xu, who had his hands on his hips. “Well, you’ll be pleased to know that the person you want to shoot is sitting right across from you.”

General Xu: “??”

Political Commissar Li: “???”

General Lu set down his teacup and said nonchalantly, “I was the one who had Xiao Zhang take it.”

Xiao Zhang glanced at the General, thinking it wasn’t really necessary to mention him at this point.

General Xu: “……”

General Lu cleared his throat and pointed at Xiao Zhang. “It’s just a fighter jet model, right? It’s been sitting there unused anyway. I noticed our Xiao Zhang seemed to like it, so I thought I’d bring it back to the capital for him to enjoy every day as a reward.”

“Besides, I asked Xiao Gu beforehand if it was okay to take it. No need to call it theft; it sounds awful.”

Xiao Zhang: “……”

The General knew it sounded awful, so how could he be even more shameless?

Who was the one who really liked this thing, anyway?!

General Xu shot a fierce look at Xiao Zhang, as if he were about to have him executed. Xiao Zhang felt a deep sense of despair and could only stand there, enduring that piercing gaze.

Pitiful and small.

Helpless and wronged.

General Xu’s face was filled with disbelief as he stared at Xiao Zhang for a while before finally muttering, “I didn’t expect it to be you.”

“You’re quite favored by General Lu.”

Xiao Zhang looked utterly disheartened. “Thank you, General.”

Yes, thank you, General.

General Lu glanced at the furious General Xu, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you still going to pursue this matter, General Xu?”

General Xu shook his head. “No, no. Just pretend I didn’t say anything earlier!”

General Lu waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, alright. It’s not a big deal. If it really bothers you, I can have Qinghan make you another one.”

Just as he mentioned Gu Qinghan, the man himself knocked on the door. Upon hearing General Lu refer to him, he asked, “General Lu, were you looking for me?”

Seeing Gu Qinghan’s approach only made General Xu angrier. How could he possibly agree to give the model to someone else?

He had been planning to show it off to a few other officers!

Besides, with so many tasks on Gu Qinghan’s plate, who would dare to ask him to make another one?

General Xu sighed, “No, I came to find you.”

Even if there was a problem, he could only pretend there wasn’t!

He absolutely could not admit that he was upset over a toy.

Gu Qinghan walked in, and everyone’s attention was drawn to the oil paper bag he held. He placed it on the coffee table, and within the oil paper, something that looked like mooncakes was faintly visible.

Noticing everyone’s curiosity, Gu Qinghan opened the oil paper bag and said, “My wife said it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival today, so she made these mooncakes for everyone to try. Since everyone is here, why not give them a taste?”

When Gu Qinghan mentioned “my wife,” he spoke with a sense of pride, as if he feared others wouldn’t know that Wen Nuan made these.

It sounded a bit boastful.

However, looking at those mooncakes made everyone feel a little hungry. The mooncakes were small in size, with some having flaky crusts and others with oily skins. They appeared to be freshly made, but unfortunately, Gu Qinghan had only brought four of them.

They quickly counted the heads in the room, and there were just enough mooncakes for four people.

But what if they wanted to try different flavors?

It was a dilemma.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Gu Qinghan added, “Would you like to try my wife’s mooncakes? They are really delicious.”

He had already tried them before coming; Wen Nuan’s mooncakes were far more fragrant than those sold outside. They had four different flavors: five kernels, red bean paste, lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk, and chocolate filling that Lele loved. Gu Qinghan had even specially arranged for it to be brought back from the capital some time ago.

Everyone listened to Gu Qinghan, who kept mentioning “my wife” repeatedly, and it felt a bit grating.

However, since they were all men, no one felt it appropriate to speak up just for some food.

But Gu Qinghan was already slicing open a red bean paste mooncake, dividing it into four small pieces…

“Here, try one,” he said.

His expression seemed to convey that anyone who refused to eat his wife’s mooncakes would be in for a confrontation.

So, when Gu Qinghan handed over a piece, they couldn’t resist taking a small bite.

They weren’t usually fans of sweet treats, but once that little piece of mooncake was in their mouths, they experienced a subtle fragrance, as if it had been enhanced with some spice. The most remarkable aspect was the texture; it wasn’t overly sweet, but just the right amount of sweetness. The red bean paste melted in their mouths, while the outer layer was soft and fluffy.

It was different from any mooncake they had eaten before.

Delicious—so delicious!

But honestly, just this little bit was hardly enough to fill their mouths.

And who divides mooncakes into four small pieces, anyway?

Couldn’t they just give them a whole one?

Xiao Zhang ate the fastest, finishing off his piece in no time. The grievances he had felt earlier vanished instantly after tasting such a delicious mooncake!

He didn’t hold back his praise, exclaiming, “Wow, this is even better than the mooncakes from our cafeteria!”

But he couldn’t help but wonder if he could have another one.

Looking at the senior officers around him, who all seemed more distinguished, he noticed they remained silent and didn’t dare to speak up.

Political Commissar Li smiled and said, “What do you think? Why do you think our division commander put Comrade Wen Nuan on the Kitchen Team? When he was in the hospital, he drooled every day from smelling the dishes she made, but he couldn’t eat any of it.”

When General Lu heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh. Then he turned to General Xu and asked, “Is that true?”

For some reason, General Lu felt increasingly fond of Wen Nuan.

General Xu winced as if in pain and shouted at Political Commissar Li, “Shut up!”

“Let’s get back to the main topic; General Lu still has to rush back to the capital for a meeting!”

Everyone silently glanced at the remaining three mooncakes and reluctantly focused on the matter at hand.

They held a brief meeting regarding Gu Qinghan’s new fighter jet test flight, and by the time they finished, it was already past two in the afternoon.

Gu Qinghan recalled what Quartermaster Luo and Wen Nuan had instructed, then asked the two leaders, “General Lu, General Xu, the comrades in the Kitchen Team feel sorry that the model went missing and can’t send you anything. They would like to invite you both to a roast lamb tonight. I’m not sure if you have the time?”

General Xu was about to say that it wasn’t missing and that General Lu had taken it, but then he thought about that fat girl’s roast lamb, and his stomach unexpectedly growled…

He swallowed hard and nodded, “The Kitchen Team is being thoughtful. Since they’ve extended the invitation, I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings. I’ll find some time to go and take a look.”

Political Commissar Li shot General Xu an incredulous glance. Who was it that said they were going to cut back on meat recently when no one was around?

General Lu also responded with an “mm,” just as he was about to speak when Xiao Zhang couldn’t help but interject, “Commander, we need to hurry back to the capital for a meeting; the car is already ready.”

General Lu sighed regretfully, “I won’t be going; please send my regards to everyone.”

He then looked at Gu Qinghan and said, “Xiao Gu, thank you for the model.”

Although he couldn’t eat the roast lamb, receiving a fighter jet model wasn’t a bad deal.

Only Gu Qinghan was momentarily stunned. So that model…

It turned out General Lu had taken it?

Before leaving, Xiao Zhang saw several leaders still chatting and glanced at the mooncakes on the coffee table.

In the next moment, Gu Qinghan said, “Comrade Zhang, the journey back to Beijing is a bit long. Take the mooncakes with you; they’ll be good snacks.”

Xiao Zhang made an effort to hide the smile at the corner of his lips and nodded in gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Vice Captain Gu. I’ll get ready now.”

As he spoke, he quickly gathered the mooncakes, hugging them happily to his chest.

General Xu thought to himself: “……”

He still hadn’t had enough to eat!

—o—o—o—

General Xu led Gu Qinghan and Political Commissar Li to send General Lu out of the administrative building. Several cars were already neatly parked outside, waiting for them to come out.

After exchanging some pleasantries, they bid farewell to General Lu.

General Lu got into the jeep, and his sharp eyes caught sight of the mooncakes Xiao Zhang was holding. His expression darkened slightly, and he asked, “Xiao Zhang, did you bring the camera?”

Xiao Zhang patted his army-green bag at his waist and nodded, saying, “General, I have it with me.”

It was a joke; that camera was so expensive that even if he lost everything else, he would definitely not lose that camera.

General Lu looked out at the scenery gradually receding outside the window and said in a deep voice, “Once you return, immediately develop the photos for me.”

Xiao Zhang looked over in slight surprise, and then he heard General Lu say again, “I want all the photos of Wen Nuan and her daughter.”

Seeing his superior so serious, he hurriedly replied, “Yes, General.”

In the next moment, he heard General Lu say, “Come, give me a mooncake.”

“This time, I want the flaky kind.”

—o—o—o—

Kitchen Team.

The Kitchen Team was bustling with activity.

In the morning, Old Zhong had slaughtered a sheep and set it up on a few iron rods.

Wen Nuan had also prepared some seasonings with onions, ginger, cumin, and other ingredients early on, marinating them for two hours. The lamb was being roasted in the large oven behind the kitchen.

Wen Nuan discussed with Quartermaster Luo and decided to have the gathering in an open area behind her house in the birch forest. Not only was there enough spacious room, but it also provided a nice atmosphere for a picnic. After feasting, they could enjoy the moon together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The scenery in the birch forest was beautiful in the golden autumn of October. The entire area was filled with bright golden leaves, and the terrain was not too steep, making it suitable for a gathering.

In front of the birch forest was Wen Nuan’s house, where picking some green onions and vegetables and gathering firewood was easy.

By noon, the Kitchen Team had already brought over the barbecue ingredients and side dishes to Wen Nuan’s house, ready for the roasting.

Everyone eagerly anticipated the whole roasted sheep, standing around the oven as Old Zhong slowly turned the already golden-brown sheep.

Wen Nuan poked the roasted sheep with a small knife, then quickly withdrew her hand, saying, “It’s about ready. Let’s take the roasted sheep over first. Xiao Zhu and the others should have set up the grill in the birch forest by now. We’ll add the seasonings when we roast it.”

Hearing Wen Nuan’s words, Quartermaster Luo clapped his hands twice and shouted, “Comrades, prepare to set off! Everyone needs to bring something over. Hey, hey, hey, don’t touch my pancakes! I’ll get them myself. You better not try to steal my pancakes!”

“My eggplants! Don’t forget to bring the minced garlic I prepared; I need to roast the eggplants later!”

“My fish! I finally caught it in the Chunhua River; make sure to bring it along.”

“My roasted buns, my sesame peanut salt, my dipping sauce—can’t forget any of it!!”

Old Zhong noticed everyone was in a chaotic frenzy and quickly took advantage of the moment. He snuck a bottle of liquor he had hidden in the cabinet.

However, just as he took it out, he saw Wen Nuan staring at him, and he immediately hid the bottle of Wuliangye behind his back, saying, “This time, I can’t let you confiscate it again. Eating barbecue without some wine is just soulless!”

Wen Nuan looked at Old Zhong, a big man, and couldn’t help but laugh at how he was afraid someone would steal his alcohol. “Fine, if you want to drink, go ahead and have a little,” she said.

Then, turning her head, Wen Nuan smiled and added, “After all, I’ve already invited my sister-in-law to come along.”

Old Zhong: ??

Why did it feel like the gentle and kind Wen Nuan was gradually adopting the cunning shadow of Vice Captain Gu?

When the Kitchen Team arrived at the birch forest, they were stunned to see General Xu sitting beside the grill.

Everyone quickly set down their items and saluted, saying, “Hello, Commander!”

General Xu stood up, and his eyes immediately landed on Wen Nuan, who was holding a jar nearby. He said, “Don’t be formal; I’m just here to join in on the fun. You all eat well and enjoy yourselves.”

Everyone chimed in unison, “Thank you, Commander.”

General Xu then walked over to Wen Nuan’s side and smiled at her. “It seems you’re getting along quite well with the Kitchen Team.”

Before she arrived, General Xu had chatted with the young soldiers in the Kitchen Team, and Wen Nuan had a very good reputation.

Wen Nuan listened to General Xu’s concern and smiled gently. “Yes, the comrades in the Kitchen Team have all been very nice to me and have helped me a lot.”

The kitchen staff consisted of fewer people, so their relationships were simpler compared to those in logistics and ground services.

Moreover, the comrades in the Kitchen Team had indeed helped her a lot. When Lele was younger, she hardly had to do anything herself. Sometimes, Xiao Zhu and the others would even help watch the child, knowing it was inconvenient for her to bring Lele along, and they often let her leave work early.

With a group of colleagues like those in the kitchen team, Wen Nuan found her work relatively light and was very happy.

General Xu nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good to hear.”

Wen Nuan recalled the fighter jet model issue and shyly smiled, saying, “Commander, the model hanging in the auditorium is missing…”

The commander waved his hand, his heart aching at the thought of the model. “General Lu took it; you don’t need to look for it anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan felt a bit incredulous, but she knew General Xu wouldn’t lie to her.

So, had that fighter jet model really been taken by General Lu?

Wen Nuan remembered the discussions among the families in the compound earlier and suddenly felt a chill run down her back. She vaguely recalled that General Lu and his assistant had seemingly passed by that area around the same time.

So, had he heard the discussions among the families?

What they said… seemed a bit harsh!

Seeing Wen Nuan’s expression shift, General Xu thought she felt embarrassed about the missing model, so he comforted her, saying, “You don’t need to worry about it. Next time, just have Xiao Gu make me another one when he’s not so busy.”

After all, his unit had people who could make fighter jet models, so he wasn’t worried about not having one in the future.

He even wanted Gu Qinghan to make one that was even more beautiful than the last!

Wen Nuan listened to General Xu’s reassurance but didn’t feel any better inside.

She might not worry, but General Lu would definitely feel differently!

Wen Nuan instinctively said, “Then, when Qinghan has some free time, I’ll ask him to make one for you.”

“No rush; he’ll probably be busy with flight tests until the end of the year, so I won’t disturb him,” General Xu replied, glancing at the Kitchen Team, who had already placed the mostly roasted sheep over the coals. He quietly asked, “By the way, can we eat the roasted sheep now?”

Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and General Xu had already arranged to have dinner with Secretary Song at home—with Secretary Song personally cooking.

However, his not-so-good stomach made General Xu’s meals relatively light.

Wen Nuan was confused: “???”

She couldn’t help but remind him, “General, you’d better not eat anything spicy. Secretary Song said your bloating has been quite frequent lately.”

General Xu frowned. “What’s the point of not eating spicy food? It lacks soul!”

He had forgotten that his meals were all arranged by Wen Nuan.

But as a proud person from Hunan Province, who could understand the pain of not being able to eat spicy food?

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “I’ll have Quartermaster Luo slice some meat from the leg of lamb for you. You can dip it in a little satay sauce; that’s not too spicy.”

General Xu sighed, considering it wasn’t a bad option after all.

Some comrades had already cleared a spacious area in the birch forest early on. In just a short amount of time, the agile soldiers from the Kitchen Team had neatly arranged the equipment and ingredients.

There were quite a few young soldiers in the Kitchen Team, and now that they had the chance to gather for a meal, they seemed like unleashed wild dogs, running around everywhere.

“Comrade Wen, where’s your Lele? Why didn’t you bring her along?”

“Lele is an important member of our performance troupe! How could she be absent? Even if she can’t eat roasted lamb, plenty of other things here are suitable for her!”

“Yeah, yeah! I still want to play with Lele!”

Sister Juxiang’s Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei and their youngest brother also participated in the performance. They had arrived early to help tidy up the venue, but they did not see Lele, so they began to wonder about her.

Just after they finished speaking, they spotted the tall Gu Qinghan walking over with a little bun in a floral dress in his arms.

Lele immediately saw Wen Nuan’s figure and shouted, “Mommy!”

After calling out loudly, Lele struggled to get down and walk by herself. Gu Qinghan, who had initially worried about the dry branches in the forest, was surprised to find that the cooks had already cleared them away, so he set her down on the ground.

Lele dashed toward Wen Nuan as soon as her feet touched the ground, then hugged her mother’s thigh tightly, exclaiming, “Mom!”

Wen Nuan picked her up and encouraged her to call out to others. Lele had been mingling with everyone for the past two months, so when Wen Nuan prompted her, she sweetly called out “Uncle,” “Brother,” and “Sister,” which made everyone burst into laughter.

However, Lele’s attention was not on the crowd; instead, she extended her tiny hand, pointing at the lamb skewers on the grill, loudly declaring, “Meat, I want to eat meat!”

Wen Nuan, amused and exasperated, pinched Lele’s nose and said, “All you think about is eating. Uncle and the others haven’t finished preparing yet.”

Lele felt no embarrassment at all, her eyes squinting with laughter as she said, “Meat is so fragrant.”

Everyone looked at the roast lamb, and little bun thanked them for their efforts.

“We have been waiting for a long time too!”

Old Zhong was also melted by such a cute little bun and began to direct those around him, saying, “Hurry, hurry! Our Lele is hungry! Get everything ready quickly; once we brush on the seasonings, we can start eating!”

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly brought out the skewers that had already been prepared. There were vegetable skewers, pork belly skewers, and some fish that they planned to roast whole.

Sister Guihua also made some palm-sized pancakes for them.

She explained that they would dip the small pancakes in sauce with sesame and peanut salt, then wrap the sizzling, greasy meat and green onion pieces inside. With this roll, it would become a unique pancake.

Since there were many people, Sister Guihua had been busy all day and made two large plates of pancakes.

Wen Nuan then asked Quartermaster Luo to call Sister Guihua to join the barbecue. However, when she came with Zhou Jianshe, she had specifically brought a catty of pork belly and several bottles of North Ice soda, so she didn’t want to take advantage of the Kitchen Team.

Once everyone gathered, Quartermaster Luo said, “Everyone, it’s time to eat!”

At that moment, little Zhu nudged Quartermaster Luo with his elbow and said, “Quartermaster Luo, our General hasn’t spoken yet.”

General Xu had been focused on the roast lamb and hadn’t said anything. Hearing that it was time to eat, he lifted his eyes and said, “Hurry up! Do you want me to say a few words about the roast lamb before we start eating?”

The General’s humor momentarily took everyone aback, but they quickly burst into laughter.

Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan sat together. Since she had to take care of little Lele, Wen Nuan didn’t prepare food herself but occasionally offered some guidance.

However, when it came to barbecuing, it was definitely more delicious when one cooked for themselves.

Everyone gathered around the grill. Some grabbed skewers, while others took knives to slice the lamb. The atmosphere quickly became lively.

Perhaps out of joy, they even started to drink a bit.

Wen Nuan glanced at the man beside her and said, “Let’s not drink today.”

Gu Qinghan looked down at his wife, pressed his lips together, and nodded, “Okay, no drinking tonight.”

Gu Qinghan took a small pancake and sliced off some golden-brown meat from the roast lamb. He rolled it up with some lettuce and handed it to Wen Nuan.

“Here, this is the loin meat; it’s very tender and flavorful.”

Before Wen Nuan could take it, Lele, who had been eagerly waiting, reached out to snatch it away. “Daddy, give it to me!”

Gu Qinghan pulled back his hand, looking at Lele, and said, “Let’s give it to Mommy first.”

“I want to eat! I want to eat!” Lele stamped her feet, both hands reaching high, yet she still couldn’t grab the food from Gu Qinghan’s hand.

Seeing Sister Guihua slicing some lamb for her, Wen Nuan picked up a small pancake, added some roasted cabbage, quickly rolled it up, and then offered it to Lele. “Here, Mommy has some for you.”

As soon as Lele saw that Wen Nuan had given her the pancake, she excitedly took it and opened her mouth wide as if planning to eat it all in one bite.

Wen Nuan immediately reached out and grabbed Lele’s wrist. “No, you can’t eat it all at once like that; be careful not to choke!”

Lele smiled and revealed her little teeth, still taking a big bite.

Wen Nuan glanced at Gu Qinghan and, feeling both amused and helpless, asked, “Did your daughter not eat anything for lunch? How could she be this hungry?”

Gu Qinghan looked at Lele, who was enjoying her food and frowned slightly. “She just ate two small steamed buns a little while ago.”

Sister Guihua, who was sitting on Wen Nuan’s other side, gently added, “She only woke up from her nap at two-thirty and had some milk.”

“…”

Seeing Lele take such a big bite, Gu Qinghan couldn’t help but remind her, “You need to chew more. Make sure to chew the meat in your mouth into smaller pieces before swallowing.”

Lele nodded while eating—though it was unclear if she understood.

However, Wen Nuan noticed that although Lele ate a lot, she chewed slowly and could savor each bite for quite some time.

Watching Lele eat so happily, Wen Nuan joined in and began eating.

The atmosphere at the barbecue became even more lively as everyone enjoyed their food. Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air, and the aroma of grilled meat wafted around.

Fully immersed in her meal, Lele began to point at the various dishes before her. “I want to try that one! And that one, too!” she exclaimed, her little finger dancing excitedly.

Wen Nuan chuckled, “You can’t eat everything at once, little greedy cat! We have to save some for later.”

Gu Qinghan, watching the interaction between mother and daughter, couldn’t help but smile. “It seems our little bun has a big appetite, just like her mother.”

Wen Nuan rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, she does take after her father in that respect too!”

Sister Guihua suggested they play a game to entertain the children as they continued to eat. “Why don’t we have a little competition? Whoever can eat the most skewers wins!”

The suggestion sparked excitement among the kids, and soon, they were all cheering and rallying for their favorite participants.

With her eyes sparkling, Lele shouted, “I want to join! I can eat a lot!”

Wen Nuan laughed, “Alright, but let’s not forget to chew carefully, okay?”

The barbecue became a delightful combination of good food and playful competition. Gu Qinghan joined in the fun, encouraging the kids and teasing them about how they would all have to run laps after eating so much.

As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the gathering, everyone felt contentment and joy. The shared laughter and delicious food made it a perfect evening for all.

“Here, Comrade Yang, this is for you.”

Although most of the roast lamb had been divided among the guests, there was still quite a bit of meat left on the joints.

Yang Xiaomei took the lamb leg and gently said, “Thank you, Squad Leader Zhong.”

Everyone gradually grew livelier—some were busy with grilling, while others were drinking. Wen Nuan was full and satisfied, rubbing her belly with contentment.

Gu Qinghan also patted Lele’s belly and said, “Alright, no more eating for you.”

Sister Guihua had prepared a small half-apple for Lele, but upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s words, she decided not to give it to her. However, Lele walked over to Sister Guihua’s side and sweetly called out, “Auntie.”

“I want to eat some fruit.”

Gu Qinghan could only sigh. He stood up and walked over, lifting Lele in one swift motion. He then gave her a light pat on her bottom. “If you keep eating, you’ll turn into a little pig! Wait a little longer before taking another bite!”

Seeing that her brothers and sisters were all laughing, Lele huffed and quickly covered her eyes with her hands.

She felt a bit embarrassed herself!