Chapter 58.1

Qin Qingman did not consider herself exceptional, but she believed in exchanging sincerity for sincerity.

The couple embraced each other and whispered softly for a while before drifting off to sleep. Wei Ling was leaving the next day, and instead of passion, the rare moment was filled with warmth and quiet affection as they slept.

Before dawn broke, Wei Ling opened his eyes.

He listened carefully to the sounds in the room, discerning that Qin Qingman and Chuchu were still sound asleep. Especially Chuchu, who, after enduring yesterday’s “torment.” whimpered in pain even in his dreams. 

Both physically and mentally drained, it seemed unlikely Chuchu would wake at his usual time today.

Wei Ling turned his head and gently kissed Qin Qingman’s smooth forehead. Then, moving cautiously, he got out of bed. He didn’t draw the curtains to check the weather outside; he didn’t need to. Just by listening, he could tell the wind was still raging.

It was even a fierce blizzard.

The stoves in the room and the main hall had yet to go out completely. Wei Ling stoked both with wood and coal, even tending the bed-stove with another round of fuel. He knew such weather was perfect for sleeping, and without him around, his wife and her younger brother would probably sleep for another two or three hours.

After finishing his preparations, the faint light of dawn had just begun to emerge. Wei Ling returned to the west room to check on them.

Finally, he tenderly caressed his wife’s smooth cheek before bundling himself up and heading out.

As he opened the hall’s main door, a piercingly cold wind burst in, instantly robbing the room of most of its warmth.

Wei Ling quickly shut the door.

Once the door was closed, the wind outside seemed even fiercer.

Without hesitation, Wei Ling hunched his shoulders and bowed his head, making his way toward the regiment headquarters. In such weather, standing upright would make it harder to walk; reducing the surface area exposed to the wind was the better strategy.

The wind was intense, and Wei Ling’s progress was agonizingly slow—each step felt like a shuffle.

Fortunately, he possessed martial skills. Had his stance been unstable, he might have already been swept away by the wind.

A sturdy stick became his anchor, helping him steady his steps. Slowly, his figure disappeared into the wind and snow.

What Wei Ling did not know was that Qin Qingman woke up as soon as he stepped out of the house.

Qin Qingman was startled awake by the cold wind that rushed into the room. In the moment she awoke, she didn’t need to reach for the bedding beside her to know that Wei Ling had left—he had gone back to the regiment headquarters.

For a moment, Qin Qingman’s mind was blank. She didn’t want Wei Ling to leave, but she also didn’t want to make things harder for him. Lying there in bed, she didn’t move at all. Several minutes passed before she suddenly threw off the covers and crawled to the window, lifting the curtain slightly to look outside.

Through the blizzard, Wei Ling’s figure appeared faint but unwavering.

From the time Wei Ling opened the door and left until now, several minutes had already passed. Yet Wei Ling had just managed to walk out of the courtyard gate, a testament to how fierce the wind resistance outside was.

Qin Qingman quietly watched Wei Ling’s back, not making a sound, simply watching.

When Wei Ling finally disappeared into the wind and snow, tears welled up in her eyes.

Soldiers, no matter the era, are the protectors who bear heavy burdens on behalf of the people. With their own bodies, they forge the most solid border defenses, leaving behind a peaceful and secure home front for everyone.

After watching Wei Ling leave, Qin Qingman slowly let go of the curtain.

Once the curtain fell, the room was enveloped in darkness except for the faint red glow from the belly of the stove. There was no other source of light in the room.

Wei Ling had previously repaired the curtains in their home, making them exceptionally light-blocking.

So effective were they that unless one checked the watch, it was impossible to tell what time it was upon waking.

Lying back on the bed, Qin Qingman didn’t go back to sleep. She simply lay there quietly, her mind drifting through scenes from both this life and her past life. One image after another surfaced—many faces blurred in her memory, while others grew increasingly vivid in her mind.

Finally, her thoughts fixed on one handsome face.

It was Wei Ling.

In that moment, Qin Qingman realized that she had truly fallen for Wei Ling.

Chuchu woke up two hours after Qin Qingman had risen. The moment he regained consciousness, he let out a miserable scream. He had thought yesterday was the worst of it, but only now did he understand the true meaning of “delayed retribution.”

His body, having endured extreme torment, was only now showing the full extent of its toll.

Every part of him was sore and aching.

His muscles were not only sore but also swollen and painful. Even raising his hands seemed impossible.

“Awake?” Qin Qingman, who had been lying motionless, turned toward Chuchu when she heard his movements. Without needing to see his expression, she could tell from his groaning and moaning how much pain he was in.

“Big Sis, is it still dark outside?”

The moment Chuchu heard Qin Qingman’s voice, he instinctively stopped whining and cautiously asked. The blackout curtains worked so well that he hadn’t realized it was already daylight. He even thought Wei Ling was still asleep.

“It’s been bright for a while now. Get up, or it’ll be noon soon.” Qin Qingman got up, dressed herself, and gently pulled back part of the curtain. Sunlight immediately flooded the west room.

Earlier in the morning, a raging blizzard had covered everything in white. Now, not only had the wind stopped, but the sun had also come out.

The sky was a brilliant blue, free of any clouds. It was a pure, vivid shade of blue, breathtaking in its clarity and beauty.

All around, icicles sparkled in the sunlight.

Some were long, some short, and they took on myriad shapes, showcasing their beauty from every angle. The entire world outside was draped in a crystalline veil of icy flowers. Trees were blooming, walls were blooming, grass was blooming—everything was in full bloom. Even parts of the river that hadn’t yet frozen over seemed to join the celebration.

The ice formations had countless facets—some resembled chrysanthemums, others lotus flowers, or even roses.

Every type of flower imaginable seemed to have bloomed in this frozen paradise.

“So… so beautiful!” Chuchu, who had just managed to crawl out of bed, stared wide-eyed at the world outside.

Though blizzards like this struck every year, it wasn’t often they brought such a magnificent icy landscape.

Particularly striking were the three ice lanterns hanging under the eaves. They had survived the storm intact, and the blizzard had decorated them with clusters of intricate ice flowers, making them even more enchanting.

Chuchu’s eyes were drawn to one specific lantern, shaped like a plump little snake. Nestled among the ice flowers, its cute little head peeked out, looking both beautiful and full of life.

“It really is stunning.” Qin Qingman said, equally mesmerized by the scene. “What a pity we don’t have a camera.” (In this era, personal cameras were extremely rare and precious.) “Otherwise, we could have captured this incredible beauty forever.” It was the first time she had witnessed such an awe-inspiring snowy world in reality.

“Big Sis, where’s my Brother-in-law?” Chuchu suddenly asked.

The slouched and listless Chuchu suddenly realized that someone seemed to be missing from the room. As he asked Qin Qingman, he turned his head, scanning around.

“Ah Ling has gone back to the regiment headquarters.” Qin Qingman replied. She had no intention of telling the child that Wei Ling had left while the blizzard was still raging. It was enough for her to worry—there was no need for both of them to feel anxious.

“When did Brother-in-law leave? Why didn’t he say goodbye to me?”

Chuchu was dumbfounded. He had been looking forward to learning how to fight from Wei Ling, and now, before he’d even had a single lesson, Brother-in-law had gone back to the regiment. What was he supposed to do now?

“And how could he tell you? You were sleeping like a little pig. I bet even if someone sold you off, you wouldn’t know.” Qin Qingman teased him on purpose.

Chuchu panicked. “That’s impossible! How could I not know if I were being sold?”

“Mm-hmm, just like that—he didn’t wake you up.” Qin Qingman said, watching the wide-eyed child. Feeling sorry for him, she pulled Chuchu into her arms and began to gently massage his sore muscles. She knew his pain was due to lactic acid buildup and that massaging would gradually ease it.

“Big Sis, it hurts! It hurts!”

Now that Wei Ling wasn’t around, Chuchu dropped his act of toughness. His eyes reddened as he looked pitifully at Qin Qingman.

“Are you giving up?”

Qin Qingman continued massaging his muscles as she calmly looked into his eyes.

“No… no, I’m not giving up.” Although the pain was unbearable, Chuchu stuck to his word in the end.

“Then you’ll need to get used to this kind of training. The reason your body hurts so much now is because it’s your first time exercising. Once you’ve made it a habit, it won’t hurt anymore.” Qin Qingman comforted him as tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Really?” Chuchu looked at her with a mix of hope and doubt.

“I’m your Big Sis.” Qin Qingman replied, a simple yet definitive statement.

“Okay, Big Sis, I believe you.” Chuchu said, though as he struggled to crawl away from her after the massage, he began to question his faith. At that moment, he felt his Big Sis might not be as reliable as he’d thought. His body hurt even more than before, his limbs were trembling, and he couldn’t even stand.

“This pain is normal. It won’t hurt as much after a while.” Qin Qingman said, watching Chuchu’s little movements and secretly smiling. She then got off the bed to wash up.

It was rare for her to sleep in this late, but now it was time to get up, tidy up, and prepare something to eat.

“Big Sis, I… I’ll lie down for a bit and then get up to exercise.” Chuchu said, remembering the task Wei Ling had set for him yesterday. However, at this moment, he really couldn’t move and had no choice but to ask Qin Qingman for guidance.

With Brother-in-law gone, he had to complete the task on his own, and Big Siswould be there to supervise him.

Qin Qingman was genuinely impressed by how thoughtful Chuchu was. She had expected that, with Wei Ling not around and Chuchu feeling so sore, he would want to stay in bed and avoid moving. But, to her surprise, even without Wei Ling, Chuchu still followed through on his commitment.

“Okay, lie down for a bit. I’ll get you some honey water.”

Knowing that Chuchu liked sweet things, Qin Qingman gently patted his head before turning to leave.

The steel stove in the room was still burning, so it wasn’t cold.

The window was also slightly ajar, just a small crack, so Chuchu didn’t need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning while lying alone in bed.

“Mm-hmm, thank you, Big Sis.”