Chapter 107.1

“Wen Nuan, I’m back—”

Gu Qinghan ran toward Wen Nuan with the fastest speed, then tightly grasped her hand, gasping for breath as he said, “I’m back.”

He reached out and gently stroked Wen Nuan’s slightly pale face. His voice trembled, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you.”

Gu Qinghan had been busy for several days, sleeping only two or three hours each day. Now, his face had become thin and haggard, his eyes bloodshot, and his stubble on his chin gave him a worn-out appearance.

However, when he saw the wife he had been thinking about day and night, all his fatigue and worries disappeared in an instant.

But when he looked at Wen Nuan, lying on the white hospital bed with a pale face, Gu Qinghan felt an unprecedented sense of fear.

Even when facing enemies, he rarely felt such fear, but in this moment, he was afraid that something might happen to Wen Nuan.

So, he had to return, to stay by her side.

Gu Qinglan looked at the tall figure of the Eldest Brother rushing in and exclaimed, “Eldest Brother, you’re finally back! Sister-in-law is about to give birth soon.”

Zhang Guihua and Deng Juxiang also patted their chests in relief, “It’s good that you’re back.”

Wen Nuan listened to the familiar voice and saw the familiar yet strange face, feeling a moment of confusion.

She stretched out her hand, wanting to try to touch the man’s slightly haggard face, but the frequent contractions drained all her strength. She could only weakly smile.

Seeing this, Gu Qinghan placed Wen Nuan’s hand on his face and said with concern, “Wife, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot right now?”

When Wen Nuan was pregnant with twins, Gu Qinghan had learned about childbirth. The more he understood, the more it pained him.

Especially since Wen Nuan was carrying twins this time.

Gu Qinglan had mentioned that the risks of delivering twins were indeed higher than for a single baby, and there was even the possibility of death during childbirth.

Gu Qinghan had been worried and had wanted to return earlier, as early as possible.

Fortunately, he had made it back in time.

Wen Nuan adjusted her breathing and, after feeling the warmth of the palm against her skin, realized that the man in front of her was not just a figment of her imagination.

She softly asked, “Why have you lost so much weight? The mission… is it over?”

She knew that Gu Qinghan’s mission in Beijing had to be demanding, but she hadn’t expected that in just ten or eight days, he would become this haggard.

It must have been really tough for him.

Looking at Gu Qinghan’s condition, it seemed that the mission wasn’t completely finished. Even if it were, he clearly hadn’t participated in the follow-up work.

So foolish, to give up such a good promotion opportunity.

Gu Qinghan noticed that his wife’s eyes were red and knew what she was thinking.

He then grasped Wen Nuan’s hand and kissed it on his lips, smiling as he said, “It’s fine. A good rest and it’ll be alright. The enemy agents have all been captured and brought back to the central headquarters. How are you feeling now? Is your stomach hurting a lot? Can we move you to the delivery room?”

Fame and fortune, where could they be compared to her?

Fortunately, he had returned.

If he had stayed to participate in the follow-up work, he would have missed this.

Gu Qinghan saw that Wen Nuan was speaking with difficulty, so he spoke softly, “Wife, don’t worry. Lele and I are right here with you.”

As he finished speaking, Lele walked over, calling out, “Mom, Dad and I will be here with you. You have to hold on.”

Gu Qinglan also gently brushed the sweat-drenched bangs off Wen Nuan’s forehead, comforting her, “Sister-in-law, I’m here too. You’ll be fine, and you’ll safely give birth to the baby.”

Just as Wen Nuan was about to say something, another contraction hit, and the pain left her unable to speak.

She could only grip Gu Qinghan’s hand tightly.

At that moment, Li Yunhua approached. Seeing the exhausted Gu Qinghan, she said, “Everyone, step aside. Qinglan, come with me. Let’s move Wen Nuan into the delivery room.”

Li Yunhua was actually trying to buy Gu Qinghan some time. If she hadn’t heard from Zhao Qinyuan that he was rushing back from Beijing, she would never have let Wen Nuan continue waiting out here.

Upon hearing Li Yunhua’s words, everyone made way.

Gu Qinghan’s grip on Wen Nuan’s hand tightened. He whispered, “Lele and I will stay right outside.”

Wen Nuan glanced at them, biting her lip and nodding once, giving a soft “mm.”

Zhao Masterzi, knowing that Wen Nuan was about to enter the delivery room, handed the remaining half-bowl of wild ginseng water to Li Yunhua.

“After she enters the delivery room, make sure she drinks this,” he instructed.

The group followed behind Li Yunhua, making their way to the entrance of the delivery room.

Apart from Wen Nuan, there were other expectant mothers inside, and sharp cries of pain could be heard from within the delivery room.

Gu Qinghan stood leaning against the wall, holding Lele in his arms, staring at the closed delivery room door.

Lele touched Gu Qinghan’s dark stubble and frowned, saying, “Dad, why do you look like a wild man?”

Then, the little one wrinkled his nose and added, “Dad, when was the last time you took a shower?!”

Gu Qinghan’s tense mood was lightened by the little one’s innocent words, leaving him a bit amused yet helpless.

He reached out and pinched Lele’s nose, saying, “Dad was on a mission. You go play with Aunt for a while.”

These past few days, he had been at the central headquarters, practically living in the meeting room. Everyone was exhausted, and when they couldn’t handle it anymore, they’d smoke.

Even though Gu Qinghan hadn’t smoked, he had picked up the smell of smoke and sweat.

When Zhang Guihua heard Gu Qinghan, she walked over and took Lele from his arms, saying, “Captain Gu, I’ll go back to the family compound and bring you a change of clothes. After the baby’s born, we need to be mindful of hygiene.”

In the military camp, almost all soldiers came back looking the same every day. It was inevitable.

Moreover, Gu Qinghan had been on a mission these past few days, so he probably hadn’t slept much or had the chance to shower regularly.

However, since newborns have a low immune system, the adults taking care of them needed to maintain hygiene.

Gu Qinghan had wanted to change clothes, and hearing Sister Guihua’s words, he nodded without hesitation, “Then thank you for the trouble, Sister.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Sister Guihua glanced at Lele in her arms and asked, “Should I take Lele back home and have my mother look after him for a while?”

Lele was very obedient and wouldn’t run around, but since the baby was about to be born, they might not be able to pay attention to him.

Lele immediately shook his head, struggling to get down. He said, “Aunt, I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here and wait for Mom and the baby.”

Aunt Chen, who was nearby, patted the child’s back and smiled, “Alright, then we’ll wait here for your Mom.”

Aunt Chen then took out a key and handed it to Zhang Guihua. “Guihua, this is the key to our place. Qinghan’s clothes are in the yellow wardrobe in their room. Could you please go and get them?”

“Alright, I’ll be quick,” Zhang Guihua said as she took the key and prepared to leave.

When Xiao Zhu saw Sister Guihua heading back to the family compound, he said, “Sister, I’ll drive you back. It’ll be faster that way.”

Gu Qinghan instinctively reached for the car keys to the jeep he had driven back with, but Old Zhong walked over and said, “No need. We have a car from the Kitchen Unit.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan roughly understood that it was the Kitchen Unit comrades who had helped Wen Nuan get to the hospital.

He looked at Quartermaster Luo and Old Zhong, and said in a deep voice, “Lao Luo, Old Zhong, thank you.”

“Why are you being so polite with us?” Quartermaster Luo, seeing Gu Qinghan like this, joked, “Besides, Wen Nuan is an important member of our Kitchen Unit. Even if you were at home, we’d still have to rush here.”

Although Wen Nuan didn’t hold any official position, her support within the Kitchen Unit was even higher than that of Quartermaster Luo.

Whether for official or personal reasons, they were always willing to help.

Moreover, since Gu Qinghan was on such an important mission, no matter how busy they were, they had to make this trip.

Gu Qinghan kept their kindness in mind and said, “Once things settle down, I’ll buy everyone drinks.”

When Old Zhong heard there would be drinks, he grinned, saying, “Of course, and don’t forget to treat us to red eggs!”

Gu Qinghan nodded, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

Seeing that there were already several people around and the sky outside had brightened, Old Zhong and Quartermaster Luo said, “We’ll head back to the Kitchen Unit now and come by later to see Wen Nuan and the baby.”

Gu Qinghan nodded but was entirely focused on the delivery room, not sending them off.

However, when Sister Juxiang saw Old Zhong and the others preparing to leave, she escorted them out and requested two days off, saying she would return to work once Wen Nuan was discharged.

Quartermaster Luo generously approved her request for two days off, with one day of public leave, and said with a smile, “I know you have a good relationship with Wen Nuan, so you should take a few days to rest.”

“Alright, thank you, Quartermaster Luo,” Sister Juxiang said with a smile.

As Old Zhong and Quartermaster Luo walked away, they chatted.

“I wonder if Wen Nuan’s baby will be a girl or a boy,” Old Zhong said.

Old Zhong: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a girl or a boy. Gu Qinghan probably treasures it just the same.”

Quartermaster Luo: “That’s true. Looking at Gu Qinghan like that, I doubt he’ll let Wen Nuan have more kids after this one.”

Old Zhong glanced at Quartermaster Luo and scoffed, “You’re so silly. How long have you known Wen Nuan? Didn’t you realize she’s not the kind of comrade who’s content just staying at home? I think Gu Qinghan supports her a lot. Three kids are probably their limit.”

Quartermaster Luo thought for a moment and then nodded in realization, “That’s true!”

“Let’s go. The Kitchen Unit has a lot of work waiting for us,” Old Zhong said, glancing up at the glaring sun. He sighed, “I wonder when Wen Nuan will be able to return to the Kitchen Unit. It’s worrying.”

Quartermaster Luo sighed deeply and said, “It’s probably going to be difficult.”

Gu Qinghan was likely to be promoted several levels this time, right?

Did Wen Nuan still need to return to their Kitchen Unit?

The two men exchanged a glance and walked toward the Kitchen Unit with wry smiles.

---

Lucia: Another Poll! If you want this novel to have 10 bonus updates, vote here!

---