Chapter 110.1

Gu Qingsong received a telegram from the North. 

After taking it in hand, he hurriedly made his way home. The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Zhao Wuzhu lying on a wooden sofa, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. Without any preamble, he announced, “Mom, I’ve got some good news for you.” 

Zhao Wuzhu opened her eyes, gave him a glare, and huffed indignantly, “Spare me! As long as you don’t get on my nerves, I’m already grateful. What good news could I possibly care about?” 

Recently, Zhao Wuzhu had been quite distressed. 

Ever since Gu Qingsong divorced Lin Meizhi, he had stubbornly refused to go on any matchmaking dates. Now, at the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, he wasn’t getting any younger. His savings were unimpressive, and on top of that, he was a divorcee. Who would want him? 

It wasn’t as though no one was interested in him; however, the brat had started being picky, complaining that the female comrades he was introduced to weren’t good-looking enough. 

Her frustration had boiled over countless times—scolding, nagging, even resorting to physical reprimands—but nothing worked. 

Her son’s refusal to find a partner left her constantly worried, terrified that he would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life. 

Though she had reluctantly resigned herself to letting him take his time, just last week, someone in the family compound mentioned seeing Gu Qingsong reconnecting with Lin Meizhi. They had even been spotted dining together at a state-owned restaurant. 

This rumor had enraged her so much that she fell ill for days. 

Now that Gu Qingsong was claiming to have good news, she didn’t believe a word of it and didn’t want to hear it either. She was convinced that this stubborn boy would drive her to her grave. 

Gu Qingsong, knowing his mother was still fuming about the meal he had shared with Lin Meizhi, decided to cut to the chase. He placed the telegram into her hands and said, “Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law just had twin boys.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Wuzhu leapt up from her chair. 

Yes, leapt up—completely unlike the weak and sickly state she had been in for the past few days. 

“Let me see!” she demanded, grabbing the telegram. Although she didn’t recognize many of the words, she quickly spotted the characters for “two sons.” Her face instantly lit up with joy. “The ancestors must be watching over us! Our Gu family finally has successors!” 

“Two sons—twins, no less! Qingsong, this must be your father blessing your Eldest Brother from the heavens!” 

Fearing that his mother might say something inappropriate, Gu Qingsong hurriedly covered her mouth and said, “Mom, that’s enough. They’re just two boys… What’s the big deal?” 

He made it sound as if his Eldest Brother himself had given birth to them, completely omitting any mention of his sister-in-law.

Although things had relaxed significantly in recent times, one still needed to remain cautious—walls had ears, after all. 

Zhao Wuzhu shot an annoyed glare at Gu Qingsong and shrugged his hand off forcefully. “If you could just marry a wife and give me two grandsons, would I need to behave like this?” 

Ever since Gu Qinghan had gone to the North, Zhao Wuzhu knew her eldest son was unreliable. All her hopes had been pinned on her younger son. 

And yet, what happened? 

Not wanting to dwell on the disappointment, Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help herself and slapped Gu Qingsong across the arm. “Gu Qingsong, let me tell you this: if I ever catch you associating with that Lin Meizhi again, I’ll cripple you!” 

“So many nice girls out there, and you don’t want any of them. Instead, you insist on a ‘secondhand good.’ Don’t you ever learn? She had you completely fooled before! You better wise up!” 

Frowning, Gu Qingsong couldn’t hold back. “Alright, enough with the ‘secondhand’ talk. Mom, don’t be so harsh. Meizhi was deceived first—none of this was her fault.” 

Zhao Wuzhu looked at him with bitter disappointment. “If you bring her up again, we’re done, Gu Qingsong! I swear you’re as dumb as a rock. If I don’t beat you into shape, I’ll change my surname from Gu!”  

Dodging his mother’s smacks, Gu Qingsong muttered, “Alright, alright. Don’t talk about me anymore. Let’s talk about Eldest Brother’s kids instead.” 

“What’s there to say about them? They’re so far away…” Though Zhao Wuzhu didn’t particularly like Gu Qinghan’s wife, she couldn’t stop thinking about her two new grandsons. 

Happy as she was, her joy was purely emotional—there wasn’t much she could do about the situation. 

Seeing this, Gu Qingsong raised his brows and suggested, “Mom, why don’t you take this opportunity to visit the North and see the kids? You could also check in on Qinglan and see what she’s been up to in the military.” 

Gu Qingsong had spent the previous year writing letters to Gu Qinglan’s rural placement, only to discover that she had actually joined their Eldest Brother’s military unit. 

It was strange. Growing up, Gu Qinglan had never been close to Eldest Brother. Her relationship with him had always been better. 

Yet somehow, that girl had quietly enlisted, even securing a position as a nurse at the military hospital. 

He had sent Gu Qinglan countless letters, but none had been answered. It left him curious—was she really in the military, or had she secretly married an officer? 

Zhao Wuzhu’s sharp gaze swept over him, and she snorted. “Gu Qingsong, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You just want to get me out of the way so you can rekindle things with Lin Meizhi! Let me tell you—” 

“Not a chance!” 

** 

In the North. 

Ever since Wen Nuan and the newborn had returned to the family compound, Lele often sat on the kang, watching the baby sleep. 

Because the baby was still very young, their schedule was irregular, spending most of the daytime asleep. 

Wen Nuan took advantage of these moments to catch up on her own rest. Her days revolved around eating and sleeping, making her feel a bit lazier than usual. 

In the first couple of days after she returned home from the hospital, General Lu had Zhao Shu deliver a variety of postpartum essentials—red sugar, red dates, eggs, an old hen, and other items suitable for recovery. Along with that, he brought some bamboo paper and cloth diapers for the baby, loading up an entire car trunk. 

Zhao Shu stayed at the family compound for nearly half a month, helping Aunt Chen prepare various chicken soups and bone broths for Wen Nuan every day. Though the soups were delicious, after two weeks, Wen Nuan found herself growing tired of them. 

During the day, Gu Qinghan was usually busy with work at the regiment, returning home around evening. However, tonight he arrived later than usual, not coming back until nine. 

Noticing that Aunt Chen had gone to bathe, Wen Nuan ladled some of the chestnut chicken soup Aunt Chen had prepared earlier and placed it in front of Gu Qinghan. “Qinghan, come over here and have some soup while it’s still hot.” 

The weather in the North was gradually getting colder. However, in an effort to save coal for the harsh winter ahead, the household hadn’t started using the stove yet. 

The soup was something Aunt Chen had heated before her bath, but Wen Nuan really couldn’t drink any more of it. 

Lele didn’t like soup either—she only enjoyed eating the meat. Aunt Chen, worried about Wen Nuan’s milk supply, insisted on making soup for her every single day. 

Having just eaten dinner not long ago, Wen Nuan felt too full and too tired of soup to drink it. 

Gu Qinghan, having taken off his hat and coat, washed his hands and glanced at the clay pot where the soup was simmered. Seeing that a lot was left, he walked over to the eight-immortals table and asked, “Did you drink any? Why is there still so much left?” 

Although Wen Nuan had been in postpartum confinement for more than half a month, Gu Qinghan had consulted both Li Yunhua and Doctor Zhao, who suggested she extend it by another two weeks to a month. 

After all, when Wen Nuan had given birth to Lele, she hadn’t properly observed the confinement period. 

Now, having given birth to twins, her body was even more delicate than that of an average postpartum mother. 

Sometimes, before leaving for work in the morning, Gu Qinghan would prepare the ingredients for the soup so Aunt Chen could start cooking right away. This particular pot of chicken soup was one he had prepped earlier that day. He hadn’t expected so much of it to still be left. 

Wen Nuan rested her hands on the table, cupped her slightly rounder face, and mumbled, “I’ve been drinking this every single day. Even dragon meat would get tiresome. Please, drink some for me. Otherwise, Aunt Chen will scold me again when she sees how little I’ve had.” 

With that, she pushed the bowl of chicken soup toward Gu Qinghan. 

“Sitting through postpartum confinement is all about soups and broths. Drinking chicken soup is good for your recovery,” Gu Qinghan said. He understood that Wen Nuan was probably tired of drinking soup by now, but confinement meals couldn’t be improvised. 

The autumn and winter temperatures in the North were especially cold. If the postpartum confinement wasn’t done properly, it could easily lead to lingering health issues. 

Even if Wen Nuan was fed up, she had no choice but to endure. 

“Can we skip soup tomorrow? Let’s have something different,” Wen Nuan pleaded. 

Seeing that Gu Qinghan had no intention of drinking the soup, she picked up the bowl, brought it to his mouth, and said with a bright, teasing smile, “Come on, drink up.” 

Her tone was especially affectionate as she spoke. 

Gu Qinghan glanced at Wen Nuan, his heart softening instantly. Without another word, he helped her finish a large bowl of soup. 

Afterward, he said, “Alright, no soup tomorrow. I’ll have Aunt Chen make something else for you. I’ll head to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative early to buy some fish, and Aunt Chen can steam it for you.” 

Doctor Zhao had also advised maintaining a balanced diet. Eating only pork and chicken wasn’t enough—fish was nutritious and good for her recovery too. 

Wen Nuan’s eyebrows furrowed at the suggestion. Setting down the bowl, she clung to Gu Qinghan’s arm and shook it gently. 

“Can’t Aunt Chen make sauerkraut fish instead? The pickled greens we fermented this summer should be ready to eat by now. Sauerkraut fish would be so delicious!” 

Wen Nuan’s favorite sauerkraut was made from pickled mustard greens, which she had prepared herself in two large jars earlier in the summer, precisely for dishes like sauerkraut fish during the winter. 

The tangy, spicy flavor of the fish would be perfect. 

Gu Qinghan looked down at his wife, who was acting coquettishly. Her hair, tied into a braid and coiled neatly, gave her a fresh and tidy appearance. 

Perhaps it was because she had been eating and resting well recently, but her fair cheeks now carried a faint blush, making her all the more captivating in his eyes. 

Hearing the sounds of water from the bathroom, Gu Qinghan realized Aunt Chen would be out soon. Quickly, he leaned down and gave Wen Nuan a swift kiss on the cheek.  

In a husky voice, he said, “After your confinement, I’ll make it for you.”  

Wen Nuan pouted. “Didn’t you say I need to do two months of confinement? That means I still have over a month left!” 

“Well, you don’t have much else to do right now, and winter is about to set in here in the North. Just think of it as giving yourself a break,” Gu Qinghan said. Noticing her small pout, he ladled another small portion of soup and fed it to her himself. 

Wen Nuan frowned but reluctantly drank two sips. With a wry smile, she said, “I was hoping to finish confinement before the snow starts falling. I wanted to take Lele and the twins to town to get a family photo.” 

Wen Nuan planned to take a family portrait when their two children reached their first month. By the time her postpartum confinement was over, it would be mid-November, and by then, the North would already be blanketed in snow.

With the children being so young, even if Gu Qinghan agreed, she didn’t want to take them out in the freezing weather.

Gu Qinghan smiled and said, “General Lu mentioned that Uncle Zhao went back to Beijing without taking any photos of the children. He’s already asked Xiao Zhang to buy a camera, which should arrive in a couple of days. He also said he might be able to spare some time around the children’s 100th-day celebration to come over. We can take a family portrait together then.”

Gu Qinghan reached out and wrapped an arm around Wen Nuan’s waist. His long fingers stroked the flesh at her waist, noting that the extra weight from her pregnancy seemed to have disappeared.

Although Aunt Chen and Uncle Zhao had prepared nutritious postpartum meals for her, Wen Nuan hadn’t had much of an appetite and didn’t eat much. Yet, she still complained daily about being “fat.”

Even though her meals were low in salt and oil, and she diligently skimmed the fat off her soups before drinking, she had lost some weight instead.

Gu Qinghan pinched her waist lightly.

“Grandpa is so kind. Let’s wait for him to come over and take the picture together,” Wen Nuan said softly as she slapped away his mischievous hand. “Aunt Chen just finished her bath; don’t mess around.”

When Aunt Chen returned to the room, she specifically checked the soup pot and, seeing that some was gone, went to check on the two little boys.

Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan sat a bit further apart, and she dutifully finished the rest of the soup.