Chapter 105.1

Gu Qinghan woke up at 11 a.m. from his sleep.

When he woke up, the curtains in the room were still tightly shut, and the door was closed. At first glance, it looked like it was still around 6 a.m.

However, Wen Nuan and Lele were no longer in the room.

Gu Qinghan stood there for a few seconds before getting up from the kang bed. On the small table by the bed, his military uniform was already neatly folded.

He quickly changed into his military uniform and walked out of the living room.

Wen Nuan and the child were not there. Only Aunt Chen was busy in the kitchen. When Aunt Chen heard the movement, she said, “Qinghan, you’re up? Wait a moment, I’ll fry this dish, and then you can eat.”

She had prepared breakfast earlier, but since Gu Qinghan had not woken up, Wen Nuan had asked her to prepare lunch earlier, as Gu Qinghan would have to get back to work after lunch.

So, Aunt Chen had cooked the food around 10 a.m., and now that Gu Qinghan was awake, he could eat.

The fact that Gu Qinghan was so busy made it clear that the situation at the Air Force base was serious.

But the more serious the situation was, the more she had to live her life in a calm manner, not letting anyone notice anything.

After hearing Aunt Chen’s words, Gu Qinghan didn’t say anything, but instead asked, “Where are Wen Nuan and Lele?”

Wen Nuan’s due date was in about three weeks. According to Doctor Zhao, twins usually came out earlier than expected.

Now that something had happened at the family compound, it seemed that there was no time to waste and they needed to restore peace there as soon as possible.

Aunt Chen replied, “Wen Nuan took the child over to Guihua’s place. Lele was making a fuss and woke you up. She said she would come back soon.”

Wen Nuan had gotten up at 8:30 with the child and had been coming back to check on him every half hour.

Just as Aunt Chen finished speaking, Wen Nuan returned, but Lele was not with her.

When she saw Gu Qinghan, she asked, “You’re up? Did you get a good rest?”

Gu Qinghan nodded, “I slept until now. I’ll eat something and then go over.”

Wen Nuan glanced at the toothpaste she had squeezed for him earlier that morning and smiled, “Well, hurry up and wash up, then eat something and go back.”

Usually, Gu Qinghan would squeeze the toothpaste for her, but since he was busy with work, she also tried to be considerate.

By the time Gu Qinghan finished washing up, Wen Nuan had already prepared a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup for him and was sitting by the eight-immortals table waiting for him.

“Come here, I’ll eat a little with you.” Gu Qinghan had been so elusive these past few days that Wen Nuan hadn’t had a meal with him in a long time. Mornings were even more unlikely. Sometimes, Gu Qinghan would return in the early hours, and after barely two hours of sleep, he would leave again.

Since Wen Nuan was no longer working, she tended to sleep in later.

Now, with this rare opportunity, even though she wasn’t hungry yet, she still wanted to sit down with her husband.

Upon hearing her words, a smile finally appeared on Gu Qinghan’s face. He sat down next to Wen Nuan and then asked, “Where’s Lele?”

Wen Nuan chuckled lightly, “Your daughter, now she’s getting so cheeky. She’s crying and making a fuss, saying she wants to finish eating at Sister Guihua’s before coming back.”

Gu Qinghan laughed, “Let her be. I’ll have Aunt Chen send some meat over later.”

If it were anyone else, Gu Qinghan wouldn’t want Lele to be so freeloading. But with Sister Guihua’s family, it was a different case.

“Got it. You hurry up and eat. I’ll just have some soup first.” Wen Nuan picked up a piece of braised pork rib for him, while she leisurely drank her soup.

When they were almost done eating, Gu Qinghan set down his bowl and chopsticks, then placed his hand gently on Wen Nuan’s belly.

He asked her, “Do you feel any discomfort today?”

This was a critical point in time, with the military dealing with enemy agents, and Gu Qinghan was constantly worried.

He was afraid the remaining insurgents might escape, and he was also concerned about Wen Nuan giving birth in the coming days. He feared he wouldn’t be able to manage both situations at once, leaving everything to chance.

Wen Nuan shook her head, “I’m fine, you don’t have to worry. Since last month, Doctor Zhao has been coming every week to check on me. You can focus on your work with peace of mind.”

Compared to the family matters, Gu Qinghan’s work was far more important. Wen Nuan wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell the difference between the two.

Gu Qinghan nodded, then asked, “Has Doctor Zhao come this week?”

Gu Qinghan had taken the two packets of medicine he found from the enemy agent to Doctor Zhao for testing. He wasn’t sure if Zhao had time in the past few days.

But Zhao still didn’t know about the enemy agent situation. Gu Qinghan was just worried that the incident might have delayed Wen Nuan’s checkup.

Wen Nuan responded, “Qinglan came a couple of days ago. Doctor Zhao hasn’t come yet, but everything is normal. If he doesn’t come, it should be fine.”

“Don’t worry. Rest for a bit, and then go back to your work.”

This was the longest Gu Qinghan had slept in the past few days, a full five hours.

But Wen Nuan vaguely remembered that early this morning, he had said he’d already caught the person.

But Wen Nuan always felt that the family compound was still shrouded in an undercurrent of tension. It felt as if there were fewer people around.

Gu Qinghan would likely be busy for some time.

Gu Qinghan smiled and gently pulled his somewhat heavy wife into his embrace, his voice low as he said, “Don’t move, let me hold you for a moment.”

Wen Nuan didn’t refuse. She quietly sat next to him, resting against his broad shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Aunt Chen, who had come out of the kitchen, smiled at the scene. She turned around and walked back, exiting through the small door of the kitchen and heading toward Zhang Guihua’s house.

After about three minutes, Gu Qinghan checked the time and said, “I’ll head out now. You stay home and rest well. I might not be back tonight, and if I do come back, it will be quite late.”

“Tell Lele and Aunt Chen not to go out to play tonight. They should stay home.”

Wen Nuan saw that Gu Qinghan was getting up and was about to clear the dishes, so she gently stopped his hand and said, “Leave it. I’ll have Aunt Chen clean up later.”

Gu Qinghan smiled and nodded, “You eat something and take a nap. I’ll go now.”

Wen Nuan followed him, handed him his military cap, and said, “Go ahead. Aunt Chen is here, and Sister Guihua’s family is next door. You can rest assured.”

Gu Qinghan nodded, kissed Wen Nuan’s smooth forehead, and hurried out the door.

Later, Wen Nuan went over to Sister Guihua’s place.

When Sister Guihua saw Wen Nuan, she curiously asked, “How come I didn’t see Aunt Lin today?”

The incident about Wen Nuan’s cookies had spread throughout the family compound, and it was said that Colonel Lin had scolded Aunt Lin after returning home. Surely, she was coming to apologize.

Wen Nuan, eating an apple handed to her by Aunt Chen, replied calmly, “Let her be. Even if she wants to apologize, I don’t want to bother with her.”

However, Wen Nuan guessed that Aunt Lin might be busy for a while, and she suspected the matter had something to do with the Lin family.

She had seen the painting, and her first impression was that it was drawn by Huahua. Most likely, it came from their family.

But there was still no news. While the family compound felt a bit different, everything still appeared calm on the surface.

Aunt Liang also held a certain disdain for Aunt Lin and snorted, “Exactly, next time we see her, we’ll just walk around her.”

Aunt Liang then turned to Lele and said, “Lele, don’t give your things to others to eat, understand? And don’t hang around with that Huahua…”

Wen Nuan interrupted Aunt Liang’s words, smiling at Lele, “Yes, Lele, from now on, you can only eat your food at home.”

Huahua was innocent, and she was just a little older than Lele. Wen Nuan actually liked the child very much.

The consequences of this matter should not be borne by the young children.

“From now on, let things unfold as they should.”

Lele, her cheeks puffed with meat, seemed to have barely heard the adults, but she nodded and said, “Okay.”

After chatting for a while at Sister Guihua’s, Wen Nuan took Lele back to rest for her afternoon nap.

By evening, the family compound was lively again, with everyone starting to eat and chat. It was then that Doctor Zhao arrived, carrying a medical box.

Previously, Doctor Zhao always came around lunchtime. Wen Nuan had thought he was busy, so she had asked Gu Qinghan to handle her checkup this week. She hadn’t expected him to come after all.

Doctor Zhao had visited many times, but this time, it was different. The first thing he said as he entered was, “Where’s Captain Gu? He’s not home?”

Wen Nuan instinctively shook her head, saying, “He’s been busy with training these days, preparing for the National Day military parade.”

The flight team already had a heavy workload, and no one in the nearby houses had noticed anything unusual about Gu Qinghan in recent days.

But if others asked, Wen Nuan would just say he was preparing for National Day.

Doctor Zhao frowned slightly, but continued with his usual process. He checked Wen Nuan’s pulse, and after a long pause, he said, “Everything’s fine, but in the next two weeks, you should avoid going anywhere far, just in case you go into labor at any time.”

Then Doctor Zhao turned to Aunt Chen and said, “Get the supplies ready—everything for the mother and the baby.”

Aunt Chen nodded cheerfully, “Got it, I’ve already prepared everything.”

Lele, seemingly understanding a bit, widened her eyes in excitement and asked, “Mom, is the little baby in your belly going to come out soon?”

Aunt Chen lifted the child up and smiled, “Yes, soon you’ll be a big sister!”

Lele laughed happily and repeated, “That’s great! I’ll be the big sister. In the winter, I can build snowmen with the baby, and I can teach the baby to draw and read them little books!”

Wen Nuan smiled along with her, then looked at Doctor Zhao, only to notice his expression had become a bit serious.

Their eyes met, and Wen Nuan instantly felt that Doctor Zhao had something he wanted to say to her. Given the recent unrest in the family compound, she felt a sudden unease in her heart.

She then said to Aunt Chen, “Aunt Chen, take Lele over to Sister Guihua’s house to play with Zhuzi for a while. We’ll eat later.”

Aunt Chen was slightly taken aback but quickly agreed, “Okay, we’ll go now.”

As Aunt Chen left, she thoughtfully closed the living room door behind her and then carried Lele out of the yard.

Once Aunt Chen was gone, Wen Nuan didn’t beat around the bush and asked, “Doctor Zhao, is there something you want to tell me?”

Since Doctor Zhao went to the military hospital, he had changed. There was more warmth in his smile than before.

However, today, Wen Nuan saw the nervousness and self-doubt in him, which reminded her of the way he had been back when he was relegated to the cow shed.

Doctor Zhao pressed his lips together, took a deep breath, and was incredibly relieved to have encountered such a clever person in Wen Nuan.

He lowered his voice and said, “Comrade Wen Nuan, to be honest, I do have something important to tell you.”

Wen Nuan felt a sudden tension from his words and replied, “Please, go ahead.”

Doctor Zhao exhaled deeply and said, “I don’t know if you are aware of the reason I was sent to the cow shed all those years ago?”

“I know,” Wen Nuan answered without hesitation.

From what Gu Qinghan had told her, Doctor Zhao had saved someone, but that person later betrayed him and became an enemy of the organization. Someone found out about it, reported it, and Doctor Zhao became implicated. Due to his experience abroad, he was immediately labeled as a rightist and sent to the North.

But it had been so long, and Doctor Zhao had been cleared of those charges, so there was no longer any suspicion of him being a traitor. Why bring up this old matter again?

Doctor Zhao’s voice had already been low, but now he nearly whispered, “I saw that traitor in the military today!”

“I know Captain Gu has been busy with something very important recently. After you hear what I have to say, you might be able to determine if it’s related to that person. However, I need to warn you, that person has completely changed his appearance. He is not the same as before. The reason I recognize him is because of the scar on his leg—it’s from when I saved him back then, and also his silhouette.”

If it hadn’t been for the two pills someone had sent him earlier that day, Doctor Zhao might not have noticed anything wrong with the military.

But having been a soldier himself, he knew when things felt off.