Chapter 63.1

In October, the Northern city had already begun to feel the breath of winter.

Although it had not yet snowed, the air had become quite dry with the drop in temperature.

For the past few days, Wen Nuan had been making nourishing soups such as silver fungus and lily with pear for her family to drink. Sometimes, she would also send some over to her Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang.

After drinking the soups for a while, the two sisters-in-law noticed that their complexion had improved. They even took the initiative to learn from Wen Nuan to avoid bothering her every day.

One morning, Wen Nuan got up early and went to the vegetable garden to pick some tomatoes and greens, planning to make a simple soup with tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, greens, and vermicelli for little Lele’s breakfast.

In this era, tomatoes had been introduced from the Soviet Union. Even when ripe, they did not have that vibrant red color but were very flavorful, and they typically ate them as fruits.

By the end of October and early November, it would likely start snowing in the northern city, which meant she would need to stock up on vegetables since they wouldn’t be able to grow anything in the garden.

When Wen Nuan returned home, she heard Lele calling for her. Just moments before, when she had gone out to pick vegetables, Lele had been sound asleep.

However, since Gu Qinghan was home, Wen Nuan was not in a hurry to enter the room. Instead, she went into the kitchen first to wash the tomatoes and greens.

Before she could finish preparing the food, little Lele had walked barefoot into the kitchen, calling out loudly, “Mommy!”

“Ah, Lele, you’re awake!” Wen Nuan turned around and immediately noticed that Lele was not wearing any shoes. She said, “Put on your shoes first. The floor is so cold; don’t you feel your feet freezing?”

As soon as Lele heard Wen Nuan telling her to put on her shoes, she immediately turned and walked away, clearly not intending to listen.

However, after taking a few steps, Gu Qinghan caught her and lifted her onto a chair. He gently brushed her feet and then helped her put on her shoes.

“Your Mommy told you to wear your shoes, yet you ran away. You’re getting more mischievous.”

Lele giggled twice and tried to pull off the shoes on her feet, but Gu Qinghan stopped her. “Don’t take off your shoes again. It’s a little colder today than yesterday, and your feet just turned red from the cold.”

“Oh,” Lele responded glumly and then jumped off the chair.

Gu Qinghan quickly grabbed her by the arm and asked sternly: “Daddy put your shoes on for you. What should you say?”

Lele quickly replied loudly, “Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome.” Gu Qinghan adjusted her clothes and added, “Mommy is busy, so you should sit obediently on the chair for a while.”

However, as soon as Gu Qinghan turned to go back to the room, Lele ran to the kitchen and hugged Wen Nuan’s leg from behind. “Mommy, pick me up.”

“Wait a minute; I’m making breakfast for you.” Wen Nuan replied as she poured the well-beaten egg mixture into the hot pan and covered it with a lid.

Lele kept tugging at her pants and jacket. Setting down the bowl she had in her hands, Wen Nuan picked up the child and smiled, asking her, “Is our Lele hungry?”

When Lele heard her mother’s question, she quickly patted her belly and said, “I’m hungry; I want to eat meat!”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “You can’t have meat for breakfast. Mommy made you egg soup.”

The child was still small and needed to eat more vegetables and fruits. Besides, this little one loved meat too much and needed some vegetables for balance.

With a pitiful look on her face, Lele clung to Wen Nuan’s neck and pouted, “I don’t want that; I want to eat meat!”

Wen Nuan pinched her little nose and playfully said, “You can have meat at noon. Now, let’s wash your hands, and you’ll be able to eat soon.”

On the other side, Gu Qinghan noticed Wen Nuan washing the child’s hands and silently moved to the stove. He began serving the fragrant mushroom, vegetable, egg, and vermicelli soup into a large bowl.

The family sat at the dining table together. At first, Lele threw a tantrum and refused to eat, but once she saw her parents serving themselves half a bowl and starting to drink, she shouted that she wanted some, too.

Wen Nuan planned to return to the kitchen to have breakfast later, so she casually drank a few sips, occasionally wiping Lele’s mouth.

When she saw that Gu Qinghan had set down his bowl, she asked, “Is your Flight Crew looking to recruit pilots?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Gu Qinghan replied casually, looking at Wen Nuan. “How did you find out so quickly?”

Wen Nuan met her husband’s gaze and then smiled, “Oh, so it hasn’t been made public yet? I just happened to hear Daxiang mention it the other day. Is he eligible to participate?”

Gu Qinghan didn’t ask any further questions and replied directly, “Yes, anyone under 24 can sign up.”

He added, “There are no gender restrictions.”

Wen Nuan thought for a moment and then asked, “By the way, how old is Daxiang this year? Who else is in his family?”

Gu Qinghan, not pondering too much, answered straightforwardly, “He’s 23. As for his family, it seems he only has his mother left; his father has passed away. He has five siblings, and he is the youngest.”

“Oh, I see. How has he been performing in the unit?”

Wen Nuan was not surprised by this; she had heard of many families with five or six children, and some even had as many as twelve. Families with only one or two children were extremely rare.

“He’s doing well. He is focused and meticulous in his work; he completes all the tasks assigned to him very well.” Gu Qinghan looked at her with curiosity and asked, “Why are you asking about this?”

While feeding Lele a spoonful of soup, Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Qinghan, have you noticed that Daxiang treats Qinglan very differently?”

Gu Qinghan actually thought about it carefully before replying earnestly, “Does he? I didn’t notice.”

“……”

Well, it seemed this man was inherently indifferent to matters of this sort.

Gu Qinghan thought for a moment. Since his wife had mentioned it, there must be some truth to it. Considering that Li Daxiang was a good person, he asked, “What does Qinglan think about it?”

“Qinglan is like you; she hasn’t noticed either.”

Wen Nuan felt that this made sense; the two siblings were quite similar.

After Lele finished her breakfast, Gu Qinghan washed the dishes while Wen Nuan took Lele over to Sister Guihua’s house.

Before heading to the kitchen, Wen Nuan took a large bag of dried scallions and dried chili peppers from the dresser. She planned to prepare a seasoning packet for Gu Qinghan to take to the Factory 112. The seasoning packet was similar to hot pot broth. Winter was about to officially arrive in the north, and the cold weather would make it convenient to use the seasoning packets directly.

She also mentioned it to Old Zhong and the others, asking them to help chop some meatballs for Gu Qinghan to take with him.

Gu Qinghan initially didn’t want his wife to go through the trouble of preparing so many things. After all, he had endured even harsher conditions in the past, and life at the Factory 112 is not that hard.

However, this was a sign of his wife’s care for him. Though Gu Qinghan felt a bit heartbroken, he didn’t stop her; instead, he felt warm inside.

When Wen Nuan returned to the kitchen, she noticed a crowd gathered outside as if something had happened.

However, with her mind occupied by preparing the seasoning packets and meatballs for Gu Qinghan, she wasn’t curious and walked straight toward the back kitchen.

Just as she was about to step through the kitchen door, she heard someone calling her name from behind. “Comrade Wen Nuan!”

Wen Nuan instinctively turned around and saw He Manqing and Zhou Yun standing a short distance behind her. The two of them were nudging each other, seemingly hesitant to speak.

Wen Nuan let out a cold snort and asked, “Are you looking for me about something?”

It was still early in the morning, and they had come to find her, which surely wasn’t just for breakfast.

So, it must be about what happened last time at the hospital.

He Manqing gave Zhou Yun a shove and whispered, “You go.”

Zhou Yun felt extremely wronged. It wasn’t her who spoke ill of the kitchen brigade at the hospital that day!

She had merely followed He Manqing’s lead. It was He Manqing who first mentioned that Wen Nuan’s husband was also part of the judging panel, prompting her to say such things.

Getting scolded harshly by Leader Liao early that morning had already left her feeling quite frustrated. Now, here she was with He Manqing in the kitchen, and this woman actually wanted her to speak first.

However, when she thought about how He Manqing still had a grandfather who was a commander, Zhou Yun had no choice but to muster her courage and take a step toward Wen Nuan. She said in a low voice, “Comrade Wen Nuan, about what happened in the hospital last time, we were in the wrong. I apologize to you.”

Wen Nuan smiled and asked in confusion, “What? Your voice is too quiet; I didn’t hear clearly.”

Wen Nuan looked Zhou Yun up and down. The other person’s voice was indeed too soft, a stark contrast to how she had spoken in the hospital before.

Moreover, when Zhou Yun said, “We were in the wrong,” Does it mean she’s also apologizing on behalf of that female comrade behind her, so she will remain silent?

“You—” Zhou Yun felt a surge of anger again. This Wen Nuan knew very well what she meant but still wanted to act aloof!

But thinking about the insults from Commander Liao, Zhou Yun still compromised. She raised her voice and said to Wen Nuan, “I’m sorry! Last time in the hospital, I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me!”

He Manqing took the opportunity to also say quietly: “I’m sorry too.”

This light and airy statement from He Manqing seemed to brush off her own responsibility as if she were saying that she was not the one who had initiated this matter.

Wen Nuan smiled gently and stepped in front of the two of them, responding neither lightly nor heavily, “Comrades, you should apologize to our entire Kitchen Team who performed on stage rather than just to me.”

Regardless of why they suddenly had this “conscience awakening,” they had come to apologize to her days later.

However, these two had slandered the entire Kitchen Team last time in the hospital. Wen Nuan could not accept their apology on behalf of others.

Zhou Yun and He Manqing’s expressions changed. They had both thought Wen Nuan would accept their apologies, especially since it had merely been a verbal conflict. If Commander Liao had not found out about this matter, they wouldn’t even be standing here now.

Zhou Yun wanted to say something more, but she was pulled back by He Manqing, who held her arm.

There weren’t many onlookers, but those who knew about the incident couldn’t help but express their feelings: “I didn’t expect Wen Nuan to be so considerate. This matter indeed concerns the reputation of the entire Kitchen Team. She is willing to speak up, but maybe the other comrades wouldn’t be.”

“It’s true that these two from the Art Troupe were in the wrong. Do they really think they have to come in first every year? They get jealous when others win first place; it’s so lacking in grace.”

Someone recognized He Manqing and whispered a reminder, “Don’t say too much. That He Manqing has a significant background. I heard she has some connections with General Lu, and it was General Lu who specially arranged for her to join the Art Troupe.”

Just then, Old Zhong and Xiao Zhu walked out, clearly hearing everything the crowd had said.

However, Old Zhong didn’t seem to care about He Manqing’s so-called connections. Instead, he shouted loudly at He Manqing and Zhou Yun, “Damn, I was wondering what all the buzzing was this early in the morning. Turns out it’s just two flies!”

Then he turned to Wen Nuan and said, “Comrade Wen Nuan, hurry back to the kitchen. There’s a lot for you to take care of. Don’t waste time.”

Wen Nuan understood Old Zhong’s attitude and decided not to waste any more words with the two women. She turned and walked in the direction of the kitchen.

He Manqing, having been angry all morning, was immediately infuriated by Old Zhong’s words.

Since she had joined the Air Force, she had never been treated this way!

She frowned and couldn’t help but yell at Old Zhong, “Don’t take advantage just because you’re in the right! Who do you think is a fly?”

Old Zhong dug at his ear and then replied cheerfully, “Whoever feels called out is the one, right? What’s the matter? Do you think you’re a buzzing fly, too?”

“You…” He Manqing was so enraged that she couldn’t find the words. Instead, Zhou Yun, standing beside her, pulled her back and said, “Forget it, Manqing. Don’t forget that Commander Liao sent us to apologize!”

Zhou Yun still feared Commander Liao, after all. No matter how powerful He Manqing’s background was, it had nothing to do with her.

She thought to herself that she had to complete the task that day before returning. She didn’t want this incident to affect her artistic career.

He Manqing was extremely annoyed, but thinking about Commander Liao’s insults made her hesitate. All she could do was watch as Wen Nuan and Old Zhong walked back to the Kitchen Team’s kitchen.

The crowd of onlookers saw the Kitchen Team return to the cafeteria and decided not to linger any longer. They cast a disdainful glance at He Manqing and Zhou Yun before slowly dispersing.

He Manqing muttered under her breath, “What kind of people are they? We’ve already apologized; what more do they want?!”

Zhou Yun also felt wronged, but unlike He Manqing, she didn’t have a powerful grandfather backing her up, which made her reluctant to retaliate.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yun said, “Manqing, while we were also at fault, their attitude in the Kitchen Team was too terrible. You are General Lu’s god-granddaughter; how can they treat you like this?”

He Manqing considered this and felt it was true. After all, she had a grandfather who was a commander. Why should she have to endure this kind of treatment?

However, when the two of them returned to the Art Troupe, it seemed that Commander Liao had also received news that the comrades from the Kitchen Team had not accepted He Manqing and Zhou Yun’s apology.

So when they returned to the Art Troupe, Commander Liao expressed his disappointment, saying, “For the next month, you two will temporarily be excused from training. Take some time to reflect on yourselves.”

Zhou Yun felt as if the sky was falling when she heard this. Realizing that everything was caused by He Manqing, she was filled with immense anger and clenched her fists tightly.

He Manqing found it equally difficult to accept this outcome and bit down hard on her back teeth.

—o—o—o—

In the Kitchen Team.

When Wen Nuan returned to the kitchen, Old Zhong and the others had already pounded several kinds of meat into a paste. They had fish balls, pork balls, and mushroom balls. They initially intended to make some beef balls, but since there wasn’t much beef, Wen Nuan decided to save it for Lele’s meals.

Old Zhong looked at the meat paste in the iron tray and then at Wen Nuan, asking, “What’s the next step?”

Wen Nuan took some sweet potato flour and seasonings from a cabinet and said, “Add a bit of sweet potato flour to increase the stickiness. This way, they’ll be crispy and chewy.”

Wen Nuan had prepared the sweet potato flour the day before, pouring bowls of it into different meat pastes.

Xiao Zhu watched Wen Nuan start to stir and began to imitate her, stirring in a somewhat clumsy manner.

Since the amount of meat paste wasn’t too much, the group quickly mixed it all together. Wen Nuan washed her hands and said, “Help me boil a pot of water but don’t let it reach a full boil. About sixty to seventy degrees is fine.”

This was the first time their Kitchen Team was making meatballs, and everyone gathered curiously to watch the process.

They observed the balls of meat paste being squeezed out from Wen Nuan’s clenched fist, each one perfectly round. As she placed them into the warm water, the pink meatballs gradually transformed into a glutinous white color, making them look quite appetizing.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Everyone, don’t worry; there’s plenty here. We’ll chop some celery later to make meatball soup for lunch.”

Xiao Zhu laughed, “That sounds great! I want the fish meatballs that are fried in hot oil!”

Wen Nuan replied, “That’s called fish balls.”

“Oh, right, right, fish balls!” Xiao Zhu said, nodding in agreement.

Once they finished making the meatballs, Wen Nuan called over Sister-in-law Ju from the logistics kitchen to help out.

She had prepared about ten packets of seasoning, which contained dried vegetables and dried chili peppers, items that were easy to store. They could simply toss these into hot water to make a meal.

As people watched Wen Nuan busily moving around, one of them suddenly remarked, “Just think, if we had a state-run restaurant with Comrade Wen Nuan here, the sales would be fantastic!”

“If it turned into a state-run restaurant, I bet you wouldn’t want to work there anymore. You’d be busy all day!” someone else joked.

Everyone laughed heartily. Although they were cooks in the kitchen, they were still soldiers, and working as a chef in a state-run restaurant was certainly out of the question for them.