Chapter 100.2

A few days after the bed was arranged, Aunt Chen came to the North.

Coincidentally, Lele was on holiday and went with Gu Qinghan to meet Aunt Chen at the entrance of the courtyard.

Wen Nuan stayed at home, brewed a pot of tea with the tea leaves General Lu had brought last time, and tidied up the small room in preparation for Aunt Chen’s visit.

Just as she finished these tasks, Lele rushed into the house, holding a cloth doll in her hands.

Wen Nuan was afraid the child might bump into something, so she called out to her, “Lele, slow down. Where is your dad?”

Lele seemed to ignore Wen Nuan’s words and, smiling happily, walked over to Wen Nuan with the doll in her hands. “Mom, look! This doll was bought for me by Grandpa. Isn’t it cute?”

Dolls in this era weren’t particularly exquisite, but it was certainly prettier than the toys Lele had played with before. It also happened to be the kind of doll little girls liked, so the child proudly showed it to Wen Nuan with a joyful expression.

Wen Nuan took a careful look. Although the doll itself wasn’t very delicate, the craftsmanship of the era was still top-notch, and it would be fine to pass it down to the next generation.

“Wow, this doll is really beautiful. Lele, you can play house with her now.”

When Lele heard Wen Nuan say this, she became excited and said, “I’m going to eat with her, and sleep with her too!”

Seeing the child so happy, Wen Nuan didn’t want to spoil her mood. She smiled and said, “Alright, but you have to take good care of her, understand?”

“I will definitely take good care of my doll,” Lele said as she hugged the doll, placing it in her arms. She then spoke to the doll, “Doll, now you’re my little baby. I’ll give you a name.”

“What should I name you?”

Lele held the doll and thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a name. She then asked Wen Nuan, “Mom, what do you think I should name her?”

Wen Nuan was momentarily stumped by the question. Naming a child was really a difficult task. Lele probably didn’t know that her own name had taken a long time to decide!

Moreover, the names for the two babies in her belly were already planned out in Wen Nuan’s mind.

She decided to let Grandpa come up with the names!

Wen Nuan decided to return the naming rights to the child, “This is Lele’s doll, so it should be you who names her!”

Lele didn’t seem upset at all. On the contrary, she became even happier and cheerfully said, “Oh, yes, this is Lele’s doll.”

“Mom, can I take the doll back to play with Huahua?”

Huahua was Lele’s best friend at kindergarten, but since she lived in the southern district, Wen Nuan rarely saw their family anymore.

Wen Nuan nodded, “You should ask your teacher if you can bring the doll to school. If she says yes, then you can take it.”

Lele happily lifted the doll and said, “Then I’ll ask Teacher Xueli tomorrow.”

Teacher Xueli was Lele’s kindergarten teacher. Since Lele couldn’t remember her surname, Teacher Li had told her to call her Teacher Xueli.

Just after finishing the conversation with Lele, Gu Qinghan appeared in the doorway, carrying luggage.

“Wife, Aunt Chen has arrived.”

Wen Nuan went out to meet her, walking over to Gu Qinghan’s side and smiling as she invited Aunt Chen inside, “Aunt Chen, please come in. You’ve had a long journey.”

Aunt Chen entered the living room, smiling naturally at Wen Nuan, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. “It wasn’t tiring. I just sat the whole way. It was comfortable.”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “I’ve made some tea for you. Please sit down and rest a bit while you have a drink.” She smiled and walked forward to take Aunt Chen’s hand.

Had Wen Nuan not traveled a few times herself on the large trucks that went back and forth between the North and Beijing, she might have believed Aunt Chen’s words.

Aunt Chen had an average build, neither particularly thin nor tall, with her hair pinned up. She wore a deep blue floral dress and dark blue pants, looking neat and tidy.

Aunt Chen let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “How could I let you do that? I can manage on my own.”

Perhaps because they had met before, and Wen Nuan was not only beautiful but gentle and appeared to have a calm temperament, Aunt Chen had a very good impression of her. Moreover, she had often heard General Lu praise his granddaughter, so when she saw her again, Aunt Chen was even more surprised.

After all, Wen Nuan was General Lu’s granddaughter and the wife of a regimental officer. It would have been normal for her to have a bit of pride. Aunt Chen had already mentally prepared herself for that.

When Aunt Chen’s husband, Old Zhao, had worried about her earlier while they were in Beijing, she had dismissed it. But now, looking at Wen Nuan’s hand in hers, all her previous worries disappeared.

Soon, Aunt Chen noticed Wen Nuan’s round belly. Although she already knew that it was twins, she had never been pregnant herself. Looking at it, she thought it was quite large—almost like someone carrying a single baby who was due soon.

She couldn’t help but say, “Your belly is already so big. You should have asked me to come sooner; this must be so inconvenient for you.”

Wen Nuan pulled Gu Qinghan, who had already set down his luggage, over and smiled as she said, “Normally, Qinghan takes care of me, but now that Aunt Chen is here, you’ll be the backbone of our family from now on.”

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips together and replied, “I don’t have much experience, so from now on, I’ll leave it to Aunt Chen to take care of my wife.”

Aunt Chen was so flattered by their words that she couldn’t stop smiling. “You two are making me feel so light-headed.”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Chen, with you here, you won’t have to bother with the housework. Cooking, washing pots, boiling water—you can leave all that to me. Although Aunt Chen’s cooking might not be as delicious as yours, it’s not bad either. If you don’t like it, you can just give me some pointers. I’m happy to learn.”

Aunt Chen laughed and glanced over at Lele, who was quietly playing with her toys in the corner. “If Lele is willing to stay with me, I’m happy to let her sleep with me. If she doesn’t want to, then it’s up to you to take care of her.”

She knew that Wen Nuan was an excellent cook, having heard from General Lu that she had even set up some kind of factory that supplied food to many places. It sounded impressive.

But now that Aunt Chen was here, she wouldn’t let Wen Nuan worry about such things. At least, there would be no need for her to handle the meals at home.

Wen Nuan, hearing Aunt Chen’s straightforward words, didn’t want to be overly polite. She smiled and said, “With you here, Aunt Chen, I can naturally rest easy. But you don’t need to do everything. You should rest when you’re tired, and of course, eat and sleep well. Don’t let Zhao Uncle see you looking worn out when you go back to Beijing, or he’ll come find me and complain.”

Aunt Chen laughed heartily at Wen Nuan’s playful words, replying, “No, no, if my husband, Zhao, weren’t a man, he’d be trying to take over the work himself!”

Both the Lu family and the Zhaos were good people. Zhao had been at General Lu’s side for many years and had never been wronged, so Aunt Chen was confident that Wen Nuan was a good person as well. She was determined to do her best in this role.

Gu Qinghan then said, “Aunt Chen, please take a rest for a while. We’ll have a simple lunch today, but tonight, we’ll need you to take charge of dinner.”

“I’m not tired. I’ll help you out, and also get familiar with the kitchen,” Aunt Chen said, washing her hands before following Gu Qinghan into the kitchen to start preparing.

Wen Nuan entered the kitchen and, seeing Aunt Chen working so efficiently, felt reassured. Grandpa really did pick the right person.

She went over to help with the vegetables, but Aunt Chen immediately stopped her. “Wen Nuan, you’re pregnant. You don’t need to help with this. Standing for too long won’t be good for you.”

With that, Aunt Chen took over the task.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “I’m not too far along yet. The doctor said I can move around. By the way, Aunt Chen, how has Grandpa been lately?”

After returning to Beijing, Xiao Zhang called to inform Wen Nuan that General Lu had suffered from a stomach issue again and had gone to the hospital for an examination.

Although Xiao Zhang said it wasn’t serious, Wen Nuan still worried about the elderly man’s health.

Aunt Chen then said, “Old Zhao said it’s nothing major. He took medicine for two weeks and then stopped. He’s already gone down south again.”

Wen Nuan nodded. She knew General Lu had gone south. He had even called a few days ago.

She said, “As long as Grandpa is fine, that’s good. I just worry that he won’t say anything about it. Once the baby is born, I’ll try to find an opportunity to go to Beijing and visit Grandpa.”

Older generations were always like that, unwilling to talk about their troubles, only sharing good news.

Wen Nuan feared that Grandpa might be hiding something from her, but with Aunt Chen’s words, she felt reassured.

Aunt Chen finished washing the vegetables and said, “General Lu is waiting for you two to visit him. He keeps talking about Lele, worried that the little one will forget him, this great-grandpa.”

With two people working together, the meal was prepared quickly. Aunt Chen had initially planned to eat in the kitchen herself, but Wen Nuan had already plated the food and invited everyone to sit down at the dining table.

Aunt Chen looked at Wen Nuan, thinking more and more highly of General Lu’s granddaughter. She knew that Wen Nuan would surely grow up to be a filial child, just like her grandfather.

After the meal, Wen Nuan took Lele for her afternoon nap.

Lele wasn’t surprised by having another person in the house and followed Wen Nuan’s instructions, calling her “Aunt Grandma.”

After they woke up, Wen Nuan took Aunt Chen to familiarize her with the route to the bus station.

Along the way, many people were curious about Aunt Chen’s identity, and Aunt Chen explained that she was a relative on Wen Nuan’s mother’s side, calling herself her aunt and saying she had come to help take care of her.

Wen Nuan felt reassured. Aunt Chen really was thorough in everything she did.

A couple of days later, when Gu Qinghan returned from night training, he told Wen Nuan that he would be leaving for Shenyang.

Wen Nuan looked at Lele, who was still playing, and waved to her husband, asking him to sit on the kang (a heated platform).

She took the towel from his hand and gently wiped his hair, saying, “Now that Aunt Chen is here, you can focus on your work without worry.”

Then Wen Nuan asked, “By the way, is Daxiang coming back soon?”

Wen Nuan couldn’t quite remember when Li Daxiang had gone to the flight school in Shenyang. She recalled Gu Qinglan mentioning that it would be a one-year program, so it must be around now.

Because the program was closed, Li Daxiang had been out of contact, and Gu Qinglan didn’t dare to ask Gu Qinghan about it. Every time, Wen Nuan was the one who tried to inquire.

But there was little she could find out. In the eyes of these men, as long as someone was alive, that was the most important thing.

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips together, then said, “It might be delayed, I’ll return by the end of the year.”

“Not going smoothly?” Wen Nuan leaned against the man’s shoulder and asked him.

Gu Qinghan replied, “Not really. Anyway, the latest will be by the end of the year. Why? Does Qinglan miss him?”

Wen Nuan looked at Gu Qinghan in surprise, her eyes wide open. “How do you know? When did you find out?”

Although Wen Nuan would ask about Li Daxiang every time Gu Qinghan went to Shenyang, she definitely did not spill anything about Gu Qinglan!

The man smiled and effortlessly lifted her up, then carefully placed her on his lap. He whispered in Wen Nuan’s ear, “Your husband is just not gossipy, that doesn’t mean he’s foolish.”

Wen Nuan asked from time to time, while Li Daxiang seemed to hesitate, clearly hiding something.

However, he had checked with the political commissar, and Li Daxiang hadn’t filed a love report. This meant that even if he and Qinglan had cleared things up, they were not yet considered to be in a romantic relationship.

So he never asked about it.

Wen Nuan immediately cupped the man’s face and kissed him, then smiled brightly, “My husband is the best pilot in the Air Force, who says he’s foolish? I’ll go beat him up!”

Lele, not sure whether he heard their conversation, hugged Gu Qinghan from behind and said, “Lele will beat him up too. Don’t talk about my Dad!”

Gu Qinghan was amused by the words of his wife and child, his heart filled with warmth, and in a good mood, he teased, “Besides you two, no one bullies me.”

Wen Nuan, hearing this, pinched the man’s ear and hummed, “What do you mean? Who’s bullying you? Have we bullied you?”

Lele, climbing up his back, tried to sit on Gu Qinghan’s shoulders and shouted, “Dad, I haven’t bullied you!”

Surrounded by the two people he loved, Gu Qinghan didn’t feel tired at all. He laughed and said, “Isn’t this bullying?”

He then put one arm around his wife, reached behind him with the other arm, and gently pulled the child off his shoulders, holding them both tightly in his arms. He kissed them fiercely, saying, “Even if it’s bullying, it’s sweet bullying. I like it.”

Wen Nuan withdrew her hand and smiled, “Fine, I’ll spoil you a little more in the future.”

Then, she kissed the man’s face.

Lele, seeing Wen Nuan kiss him, hugged his dad’s neck and smiled, saying, “Dad, I also love you.”

Gu Qinghan was filled with happiness, but still reminded, “Alright, it’s time to sleep. Lele, you have to go back to kindergarten tomorrow.”

As soon as Lele heard that he had to go to school, he immediately broke free from Gu Qinghan’s arms, then climbed down from the bed, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out a skirt. “I want to wear this skirt to kindergarten tomorrow.”

Ever since the weather got a little warmer, the little one had become fond of wearing skirts. Every night before bed, he would pick out a skirt and prepare to change into it the next day.

“Okay, hurry up and get into bed,” Gu Qinghan said.

Once Lele fell asleep, Wen Nuan found it hard to sleep. She turned to Gu Qinghan and said, “By the way, Qinghan, I want to discuss something with you.”

Gu Qinghan was already lying on his side, as Wen Nuan’s belly was now quite large, making it uncomfortable to lie flat. He always had to sleep on his side.

Seeing that the man wasn’t asleep either, Wen Nuan directly said, “I’m planning to give my salary book to Aunt Chen. I won’t go with her to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative anymore. This way, she’ll have more confidence in doing things.”

Her salary and bonuses were kept in two separate passbooks. The salary wasn’t much but was enough for the household expenses.

And since she had decided to let Aunt Chen take charge, it was only natural that she should feel a sense of belonging, making her work more smoothly.

“No problem, just as you say. Aunt Chen is Grandpa’s person, so she’ll definitely be trustworthy.” Gu Qinghan never disagreed with Wen Nuan’s decisions.

Moreover, now Wen Nuan’s income was higher than his, though the bulk of the money was in a different passbook.

He was just here to support her, and that was enough.

The next day, before Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan took Lele to kindergarten, they handed Wen Nuan’s salary passbook to Aunt Chen.

Aunt Chen looked at the passbook as if it were a hot potato, flustered and surprised. “How can this be? You should just give me some money for groceries and expenses. I can’t take this passbook. You two… really!”

Although Aunt Chen wasn’t a professional caregiver, her husband, Zhao Lao, was. In the entire Air Force headquarters, no assistant had ever taken someone else’s passbook.

“Aunt Chen, just take it. There are several people in the household, and now that I’m pregnant, it’s inconvenient for me to get money for you. I probably won’t be going with you to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative either. Besides, there isn’t much money in it, and you need money for things like groceries every day.”

Since Wen Nuan started working at the Kitchen Unit, she didn’t need money as much. The household didn’t keep loose change, and all the money was stored in the passbook.

And she wasn’t planning to go to the post office anymore; her belly was getting bigger, so she decided to take it easy.

Seeing Aunt Chen’s hesitant expression, Gu Qinghan placed the passbook in her hands and said, “Aunt Chen, you’re our superior, and also someone Xiao Nuan’s grandfather entrusted us with. We trust you, so please take it. From now on, we’ll rely on you to take care of things at home.”

Since the matter had been said, Aunt Chen couldn’t refuse.

Now, she represented General Lu, so she certainly couldn’t make any mistakes.

“Alright, I’ll take it. I’ll keep track of every expense, and when the time comes, you two can review it.” Since Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan trusted her, she had to do her best to make them feel at ease.

Aunt Chen continued, “If you have any favorite dishes, feel free to tell me. I know a bit about Sichuan, Cantonese, Northeast, and Hunan cuisines.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan didn’t hold back and said, “Xiao Nuan is pregnant now, and Lele is still young, so something light will be fine. But if you like spicy food, feel free to cook what you like, don’t hold back.”

Aunt Chen nodded several times, “Okay, okay, I understand.”

After talking with Aunt Chen for a while, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan took Lele to kindergarten.

Then, Gu Qinghan set off for Shenyang, and Wen Nuan went straight back to the Kitchen Unit.

With Aunt Chen taking care of things at home, Wen Nuan planned to develop the compressed biscuits before the baby was born.

Compressed biscuits could be used in any season or weather and didn’t spoil in hot weather.

For the military, this was something very practical and easy to carry.

But they were still short on machines.

Wen Nuan understood that the key to making compressed biscuits was the machine to compress them, so she would need to contact Quartermaster Luo and the people in Beijing for this.

When Wen Nuan returned to the Kitchen Unit, Old Zhong was already waiting for her. When he found out she was working on compressed biscuits, he became curious and offered to help whenever he had free time.

Since Wen Nuan’s belly was getting bigger, Old Zhong took on the heavier tasks, leaving Wen Nuan to give instructions.

As soon as Wen Nuan entered the kitchen, she saw Old Zhong had already prepared the ingredients for the compressed biscuits. She smiled and said, “We’d better hurry, or once I’m about to give birth, I won’t be able to come.”

Old Zhong smiled and said, “I told you not to come. We could go to your house to do it.”

Wen Nuan gave Old Zhong a look and teased, “You just want to slack off, don’t you?”

Old Zhong laughed heartily, “You guessed it!”

Wen Nuan glanced at the time, “Once these biscuits are done, let’s have a meal together. After that, I’ll need to rest.”

When everyone heard this, they were both happy and worried.

Wen Nuan was the gem of their Kitchen Unit. Of course, it was a cause for celebration that she was expecting twins.

But once Wen Nuan went on maternity leave, it meant no one would be cooking the delicious meals in the kitchen.

They were worried, oh so worried.