Chapter 79

“Sister Guihua, you’re not pregnant, are you?”

As the words fell, Sister Guihua froze for a moment. After a long time, she placed her hand on her abdomen and touched it, feeling an uncertain sensation.

After so many years of being unable to conceive, could it be true now?

Wen Nuan, on the other hand, remained much calmer. She helped Sister Guihua sit on a nearby chair and then changed the honeycomb coal.

Once the coal was changed, Wen Nuan asked her again, “Sister Guihua, when did your last period come?”

From Sister Guihua’s various reactions—her drowsiness and nausea triggered by an odd smell—it seemed these were all signs of pregnancy.

Sister Guihua thought for a moment and then instinctively answered, “It’s been over two months now.”

As soon as she spoke, a thought she dared not entertain struck her like a bolt of lightning. She sat rigidly in the chair and then turned to Wen Nuan, her face filled with shock.

Wen Nuan smiled gently and handed her a coat from the side, saying, “Come on, put this on. We need to go to the hospital right now.”

Sister Guihua suddenly grabbed Wen Nuan’s hand, her expression shifting from shock to panic. “I… I’m scared. I’m afraid…”

She was afraid that this was another false alarm.

Her periods had always been irregular; there had been times when she hadn’t had her period for three months, believing she was pregnant. However, after spending a joyful night with Zhou Jianshe, she had prepared to go to the health station for a check-up the next day, only to find that her period had arrived unexpectedly.

That feeling of disappointment lingered in her mind. She felt it again, this time as if she was about to eat something bitter.

How could it happen now after so many years of not conceiving?

Wen Nuan understood the hardships that Sister Guihua had endured along the way. She didn’t tease her but spoke gently instead, “Your reaction does seem somewhat similar. Let’s go get checked out; it’ll help us decide whether you need to stop taking those herbal medicines.”

“If you don’t want anyone else to know, we can find Qinglan to help you get a doctor.”

Wen Nuan knew that Sister Guihua had been drinking herbal medicine with Zhou Jianshe all along. If she was pregnant, they would definitely need to consult Old Zhao about whether to stop the medicine.

Upon hearing Wen Nuan’s suggestion, Sister Guihua instinctively touched her abdomen. Ultimately, she decided to heed Wen Nuan’s advice. “Then… let’s go take a test?”

Wen Nuan smiled. “I have a feeling you’re definitely pregnant this time.”

With such obvious signs of pregnancy, it should be clear this time.

Moreover, she believed in Old Zhao and Doctor Li; with them around, Sister Guihua would surely have a smooth journey toward conceiving a child.

As Sister Guihua absorbed Wen Nuan’s words, a glimmer of hope slowly rose within her. She bit her lip and quietly said, “Then let’s go to the hospital for a check-up.”

Although it was still snowing outside, it did not affect their plan to go out. Wen Nuan, however, found the little stroller that Gu Qinghan had bought for the child when they first arrived in the North.

Although Lele could walk now, she moved slowly in the snow, often stopping and starting. To get to the hospital more quickly, Wen Nuan decided to push her into the stroller.

When Lele first saw Wen Nuan take out the stroller, she shouted that she wanted to push it herself. “Mom, let me do it!”

Wen Nuan initially didn’t want to let Lele cause a fuss, worried that Sister Guihua might become anxious.

However, Sister Guihua said, “Since it’s snowing and I’m walking slowly, let Lele push it.”

Wen Nuan agreed, “Alright, you can push it, but go slow. Don’t go too fast.”

Lele happily took over the stroller and nodded vigorously, “Mm-hmm!”

Wen Nuan figured that since it was snowing, she walked over and linked arms with Sister Guihua to prevent her from slipping on the icy ground.

The two of them followed the little one as they leisurely made their way to the military hospital.

After a slow and steady walk, they finally arrived at the hospital.

Thanks to Gu Qinglan’s help in arranging things, Sister Guihua could take a urine test quickly.

When the results came back, Sister Guihua experienced a moment of confusion.

“This… Am I actually pregnant? Is this for real?” In that year, the only tests available were urine tests and pulse checks, but they had to wait for the urine test results for nearly half a day.

Wen Nuan looked at the “+” sign on the test result and knew it indicated a positive outcome. She smiled and said, “The test results clearly show positive, and the doctor has checked your pulse and confirmed that you’re pregnant. How could this be a false alarm?”

With a grin, Wen Nuan added, “Sister Guihua, congratulations! You’re pregnant!”

“Wha—what?” Sister Guihua felt a slight warmth in her eyes, and after a moment, she managed to smile and say, “Thank you! This time, I didn’t eat something bitter.”

Suddenly, Lele ran over, curious about what was happening. She looked at Wen Nuan and Sister Guihua and asked, “Mom, what does ‘pregnant’ mean?”

Wen Nuan patted the little girl’s head and explained, “It means there’s a little baby in Auntie’s belly now. You need to walk slowly from now on; you can’t bump into Auntie anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Lele immediately laughed and clapped her hands, looking at Sister Guihua. “Auntie has a little baby!”

Sister Guihua’s heart soared at this, and her eyes sparkled with joy as she asked, “Lele, do you like little babies?”

Lele nodded vigorously, beaming. “I like them, I like them!”

Then she asked, “Does Auntie like them?”

Sister Guihua became excited and replied eagerly, “Auntie likes them. Of course, Auntie likes them!”

Wen Nuan checked the time and noted that Qinglan was likely finishing work around this time. So, the group decided to head back to the family compound together.

On the way back, Wen Nuan held onto Sister Guihua’s arm and talked to her about pregnancy precautions. “Since it’s been snowing lately and the New Year is coming, you shouldn’t go out. You need to be especially careful during the first three months.”

Qinglan pushed the stroller with Lele inside, chattering away about dietary precautions, listing what should be avoided and what should be eaten more of. She even went so far as to explain the couple’s intimate matters in detail.

When Gu Qinglan discussed serious topics, her usual carefree demeanor vanished; she became earnest and solemn. By the time they arrived home, she had nearly exhausted herself talking.

Initially, Sister Guihua had wanted to cook for herself, but Wen Nuan, feeling uneasy about leaving her alone, insisted on taking her to her own home.

Noticing that Sister Guihua still seemed a bit shy, Wen Nuan took her hand and said, “Sister Guihua, you’ve taken care of Lele for so long. What’s wrong with having a meal at my place? Just relax and enjoy yourself!”

Even Lele chimed in, pulling on her hand. “Auntie, eat dinner.”

Although the little one could say many words, her pronunciation was still not very clear, and she couldn’t form long sentences yet.

However, Sister Guihua understood Lele’s meaning—she was inviting her to eat and nodded in agreement. “Alright then.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan checked the time. With the recent snowfall, Gu Qinghan’s flight training had been reduced, and during this period, their flying team had been training the first batch of selected soldiers, allowing them to return home on time most days.

Wen Nuan thought that Gu Qinghan would be home in about an hour, so she said, “Let’s make some chicken stew with mushrooms tonight, and I’ll also prepare a chestnut chicken soup for Sister Guihua.”

Gu Qinglan was already drinking the taro sago dessert that Wen Nuan had made earlier. Upon hearing that dinner was being prepared, she offered, “I’ll start the fire.”

Wen Nuan found her eagerness amusing and said with a smile, “You should warm it up before drinking; it’s already cold.”

Even though there was a stove in the house, things cooled down quickly.

Gu Qinglan laughed, “It’s fine; drinking it cold is refreshing.”

Meanwhile, Lele had pulled Sister Guihua to sit on a sofa by the stove and turned on the radio to listen to a broadcast together.

In the small house, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

As Gu Qinghan walked down the main road of the family compound, he happened to run into Zhou Jianshe, who was hurrying home with a worried expression.

Since Gu Qinghan had accompanied Zhou Jianshe for a certain delicate procedure not long ago, their relationship had grown closer.

Seeing Zhou Jianshe so anxious, Gu Qinghan greeted him, “General Zhou? Is something wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Zhou Jianshe paused for a moment upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s voice and then replied, “Oh, one of my subordinates just told me he saw my wife at the hospital. I’m not sure if something happened to her, so I thought I’d rush home to check.”

Gu Qinghan listened to the words and quickened her pace to catch up with him, asking, “Is everything alright recently?”

“Recently, nothing has happened, but I’m worried she might have slipped and fallen while taking a walk in the snow,” Zhou Jianshe thought to himself, and his steps quickened a bit more. The two tall men walked home together, soon arriving at the back of the yard.

However, Zhou Jianshe did not see any lights on in his house, which made his heart skip a beat. Various bad premonitions suddenly flashed through his mind.

Gu Qinghan heard Gu Qinglan’s loud voice coming from inside the house and said, “Don’t panic; Sister Guihua should be at my house.”

Zhou Jianshe was already walking ahead and said, “Then I’ll go take a look.”

As soon as they entered the yard, they heard several women laughing inside, and Zhou Jianshe finally relaxed. He then followed Gu Qinghan inside.

Once they entered the house, Sister Guihua spotted Zhou Jianshe and said, “Old Zhou, you arrived just in time! I didn’t cook tonight, so we’ll eat at Xiao Nuannai’s place.”

Sister Guihua glanced at her watch and was momentarily stunned. “Wait, Old Zhou, why are you back so early today?”

He was a full half-hour earlier than usual. What was going on?

Zhou Jianshe didn’t care about the looks of others; he hadn’t even had time to take off his coat and hat before he walked over to Guihua, speaking with concern, “I heard you went to the hospital. Is everything okay?”

After returning from the hospital, Zhang Guihua had been in a bit of a daze. When she heard her husband ask, she smiled and replied, “It’s nothing, just a urine test.”

On the other side, Wen Nuan noticed that the man had returned and gave him a meaningful glance before pulling him into the kitchen.

Gu Qinghan glanced at Zhou Jianshe and Sister Guihua in the living room, then took her wife’s hand and quietly asked, “Sister Guihua is alright, right?”

Wen Nuan reached out and brushed some snowflakes off the man’s hair, smiling as she said, “Sister Guihua is pregnant; she went to the hospital for a check-up!”

At that moment, Zhou Jianshe suddenly shouted from the living room, “What?”

Zhang Guihua then slapped his arm and glared at him, saying, “Don’t shout like that! You scared me!”

“Wife, you’re really pregnant? How can I not be excited?” Zhou Jianshe exclaimed, rushing towards her. He initially wanted to embrace her, but Zhang Guihua pushed him away with one hand.

Zhang Guihua dry heaved once and then retched again, saying, “What did you eat? That’s a strong smell!”

She dries a couple more times.

Seeing his wife’s reaction to the morning sickness, Zhou Jianshe awkwardly scratched the back of his head and said, “It’s my fault; I ate two cloves of garlic on the way back.”

“Heh, I won’t eat them again,” he added sheepishly.

Zhang Guihua pushed him away and said, “Just get away from me a little!”

In the kitchen, Gu Qinghan heard the playful banter between Sister Guihua and the others, and he pulled Wen Nuan into his embrace, saying, “That’s wonderful.”

Wen Nuan felt that Gu Qinghan was genuinely happy for them as well, so she wrapped her arms around him and smiled, “Yeah, Sister Guihua and Captain Zhou finally got their wish.”

Lele suddenly squeezed into the middle of the two, her voice sweet and innocent as she said, “I want a hug too!”

Gu Qinghan effortlessly lifted the little one with one arm, then pulled both his wife and child into a group hug. “Is this good?”

Lele joyfully wrapped her arms around her parents’ necks and said, “Next time, remember to hug me.”

Wen Nuan kissed her cheek, promising, “I’ll be the first to hug you next time.”

Gu Qinghan also leaned in to kiss her, playfully squeezing the little one’s face like a cream-filled pastry.

On the other side, Gu Qinglan, who was sipping on taro sago, suddenly felt that the dessert in her bowl had lost its sweetness. She even thought about flipping the bowl of “dog food” over.

Didn’t anyone care about her feelings?!!!

As the New Year approached, the weather in the North grew colder, and the entire family compound was blanketed in white.

In the compound, even the figures of children were scarcely seen; aside from the soldiers from the barracks braving the weather for training, the families were all tucked away inside their homes.

Since Sister Guihua became pregnant, Wen Nuan frequently brought her homemade soups.

Recently, Wen Nuan has been busy preparing snacks for the New Year. In addition to making soups, she also delivered a variety of snacks to Sister Guihua. Although Sister Guihua often experienced morning sickness, the delicious food Wen Nuan cooked helped her maintain her weight, and gradually, her appetite improved.

Sister Guihua even asked Zhou Jianshe to make a trip to the cow shed to find Old Zhao and share the good news with him.

Since Zhou Jianshe was worried about Zhang Guihua going out, he went to see Old Zhao himself. Upon learning the news, Old Zhao prepared several nourishing traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for them.

Taking advantage of the winter season, Wen Nuan also brought out the goose and duck feathers she had collected throughout the year, and she is planning to start making down jackets.

The goose and duck down had been gathered from the cooking class, where they raised a large number of ducks and geese. After slaughtering them, the feathers were typically discarded.

So, after each slaughter, Wen Nuan would take the feathers home, leaving the comrades in the cooking class quite puzzled.

It took her a whole year to collect enough feathers to fill a large sack, and she had already soaked them in soda ash and salt water and steamed them during the summer. Although they weren’t processed as well as they would be in modern times, there was hardly any residual odor left.

Gu Qinghan watched his wife tidying up the feathers and felt a bit confused. “Is this what you said you were going to use to make clothes?”

Wen Nuan had mentioned to Gu Qinghan before that these collected goose and duck feathers were used to make clothing. At the time, he had been somewhat skeptical, not believing that these feathers could actually be used for making clothes.

But now, seeing his wife carefully selecting the feathers and even boiling a pot to dry them, he realized she wasn’t joking.

Wen Nuan watched the fluffy little down feathers expand and instantly felt a sense of accomplishment. She smiled and said, “Yes, clothes made from these feathers will be so warm when worn. Once I finish, I’ll let you try them on.”

As winter approached, General Lu sent her some high-quality fabric intended for her and Lele’s winter clothes.

However, since Wen Nuan had made several cotton-padded jackets last year, she didn’t plan to make any this year. Lele was growing quickly, and the clothes from last year no longer fit. So, Wen Nuan intended to make a small down jacket for Lele and a larger one for herself.

Gu Qinghan raised an eyebrow and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he chuckled, “Are you making one for me?”

Earlier that day, he had seen Wen Nuan pull out a piece of black cotton fabric from the box, which didn’t look like it would fit her, so it must be for him.

Hearing Gu Qinghan’s question, Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “We’re young and strong, so we can endure the cold. I plan to make one for Lele and one for Grandpa.”

This large sack of down wasn’t too much, and it was just enough to make jackets for the smallest and largest family members, so there would be no need for anyone to fight over it.

Once Gu Qinghan heard that, he couldn’t feel jealous anymore.