Lucia:

After the poll I ran two weeks ago ended, this novel has won again—for the second time in a row! Thank you so much to everyone who participated. I’m not sure if I’ll be hosting another event like this, so no promises for now.

Chapters 109.2 to 115.3 are now unlocked—enjoy reading! ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡

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Chapter 109.2

Gu Qinghan and Sister Guihua, along with Lele, also went to the hospital.

It was the first time that little Lele had been away from her mom for the night. As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she rushed to Wen Nuan’s side, holding onto her arm. “Mom, I miss you so much.”

Although Wen Nuan was a bit hurt by the little one’s rush, she still reached out to hug her.

Due to the espionage issues in the unit, the kindergarten and elementary schools had been suspended, and it was likely that classes wouldn’t resume until after the National Day holiday.

Wen Nuan reached out to smooth the hair that had been blown by the wind and kissed Lele on the cheek, asking, “I miss you too, sweetheart. Have you had breakfast yet?”

Last night, Aunt Chen and Gu Qinghan had stayed at the hospital with Wen Nuan, while Gu Qinglan took Lele back to help her sleep.

This was probably the first time Wen Nuan had been away from Lele for such a long period. Even though the hospital room only had their family members, it still didn’t feel as comfortable as home.

Lele looked at Wen Nuan, smiling as she nodded. “I had breakfast with Auntie before coming here. Did you have breakfast, Mom? Did the babies eat yet?”

Lele then reached out and gently touched Wen Nuan’s belly. “Mom, are you hungry?”

Hearing Lele, Sister Guihua quickly brought over the pig’s feet and soy bean soup she had made that morning, saying, “Lele, your mom’s breakfast is here. Let her eat first.”

“Okay, Mom, hurry up and eat.” Lele jumped off the chair and walked toward her two younger brothers, saying, “I’m going to check on the babies to see if they’re crying.”

Wen Nuan took the soup from Sister Guihua and noticed that the oil had been skimmed off. She smiled and thanked her, “Thank you, Sister, and Aunt Liang, for making the soup so early.”

Sister Guihua put on a stern face and muttered, “No need for those polite words. When I had Zhuzi in the hospital, didn’t you make soup for me every day? Don’t treat me like a stranger.”

Wen Nuan chuckled, “Alright, I won’t say it anymore.”

Sister Guihua glanced at the time and urged, “Hurry up and drink it, or it’ll get cold.”

Wen Nuan slowly drank half a bowl of soup and ate some rice and vegetables. The portions Sister Guihua had brought seemed to be enough for both her and Aunt Chen.

After Aunt Chen woke up, Gu Qinghan had gone back to the family compound. He was probably going to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy meat, and he was also supposed to return to the unit, likely to report on the situation.

Wen Nuan had just finished her breakfast when Li Yunhua arrived. Wen Nuan became nervous at the sight of her, knowing that the doctor’s visit would surely involve some painful belly pressing.

And of course, Gu Qinghan wasn’t there!

Li Yunhua must have sensed Wen Nuan’s thoughts because she smiled and said, “Are you so afraid of me coming?”

“Let’s rest for a while. I’ll go check on the child.”

Li Yunhua was not a regular attending doctor at the military hospital, so she would come a few times a day to check on the baby’s jaundice and, while she was at it, help Wen Nuan by massaging her abdomen to expel the blood clots.

Wen Nuan thought that what needed to come would eventually come. After resting for a while, she asked Doctor Li to help with the massage.

After the massage, Wen Nuan was in so much pain that she didn’t feel like talking, but it was Lele who noticed and walked over to her, looking at her. “Mom, does it hurt a lot?” she asked.

Wen Nuan nodded. “Mm, my tummy hurts.”

She realized that she could also act a little spoiled with her child; after all, the little coat wasn’t just something to say for fun.

Sure enough, as soon as Lele heard that, she immediately reached out her little hand and placed it on Wen Nuan’s stomach, speaking in a soft voice. “Tummy, don’t make my mom hurt anymore, okay? Mom, I’ll blow on it. It’ll stop hurting if I blow on it.”

After saying that, she really did blow gently on her mom’s tummy and smiled, asking, “Mom, does it still hurt?”

Wen Nuan felt that her daughter was truly heartwarming. Smiling, she lifted her head. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, thank you, my dear.”

Lele tilted her little head and smiled. “You’re welcome!”

After saying that, she went over to her two younger brothers and started playing with Gu Qinglan and Sister Guihua as they interacted with the kids.

By noon, Lele ran over again and asked, “Mom, what’s the little baby’s name?”

Wen Nuan was taken aback for a moment. “We haven’t decided yet.”

Gu Qinglan had suggested the names Ping’an (Peace) and Jixiang (Auspicious) the day before, but to be honest, Wen Nuan didn’t want to use those.

Lele smiled and asked, “Can I give the little baby a name?”

Wen Nuan asked, “What name do you want to give the little baby?”

Lele grinned. “I want to call them Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou. Does it sound nice?!”

Wen Nuan smiled. “Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou? Mm… they sound pretty good.”

For a nickname, it wasn’t bad. It sounded kind of cute, too.

It was also very fitting for her position as a Kitchen Unit staff member!

Gu Qinglan then came over holding the baby who had just woken up and quietly told Wen Nuan, “Sister-in-law, it’s because I took Lele to the cafeteria to eat buns and porridge…”

Wen Nuan smiled lightly and touched the baby’s head. “Well, as long as it sounds nice.”

Lele thought her chosen names sounded much better than those her Dad might come up with.

Lele beamed and said excitedly, “Really? Then the two little babies will be called Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou! I’ll tell Dad that I’ve already named them!”

Just as Lele finished speaking, Gu Qinghan and Zhao Master knocked on the door and walked in.

When Gu Qinghan saw Lele jumping around in excitement, he picked her up and asked, “What’s made you so happy?”

Lele wrapped her arms around Gu Qinghan’s neck and said with a bright smile, “Dad, I’ve named the little babies! They’ll be called Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou. Aren’t those great names?”

Gu Qinghan’s expression lit up with delight. “They’re wonderful! From now on, their nicknames will be Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou.”

With that, everything was settled. The babies’ formal names had been chosen by their grandfather, while their nicknames were decided by their sister.

It was a perfect solution.

Lele wriggled, signaling that she wanted to get down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she exclaimed, “I have to tell the little babies that I’ve named them!”

Gu Qinghan had no choice but to let her down, reminding her, “Don’t run too fast, or you might fall.”

Wen Nuan watched Gu Qinghan approach and said, “If you’ve got work to handle, you should head back to the regiment. Aunt Chen and the sisters-in-law are here to help out.”

She had heard that Sister Ju Xiang had also taken leave from the kitchen unit, and the lunch they had just eaten had been brought over from the cafeteria by her. It was a special postpartum meal prepared by Old Zhong himself.

With so many helping hands, there wasn’t much for Wen Nuan to worry about.

Even when it came to the babies, there were plenty of people around to keep an eye on them. Wen Nuan couldn’t imagine getting too worn out.

Gu Qinghan sat down, picked up an orange, and began peeling it. “I’m not busy. The colonel gave me a few days off. I’ll be in the North for the entire month.”

After peeling the orange, he handed it to her.

Seeing Zhao Master sitting nearby, Wen Nuan passed him a couple of orange segments. “Doctor Zhao, have some.”

Zhao Master waved his hand. “No, you eat.”

Noticing his refusal, Wen Nuan recalled that Gu Qinglan had mentioned Zhao Master had been summoned for questioning several times recently. She couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Doctor Zhao, will the person who was captured cause any trouble for you?”

Wen Nuan knew that Gu Qinghan had been working tirelessly for months to clear Zhao Master’s name.

Zhao Master had been reassigned because of that very person. Now, it seemed too much of a coincidence that the same individual had appeared in their unit. Wen Nuan guessed it would inevitably have some effect, though she wasn’t sure how significant it would be.

She had been meaning to ask but hadn’t found the right moment. Now that she was about to be discharged and would soon be in confinement, she feared she’d be even more out of the loop later.

Zhao Master pursed his lips and let out a faint sigh. “It shouldn’t cause much trouble, but Captain Gu mentioned that the person requested to see me.”

Gu Qinghan snorted coldly. “Meeting someone like that would only dirty my eyes.”

Although Wen Nuan hadn’t explicitly mentioned who she was referring to, people in the family compound had sharp political instincts. Many were curious about the traitor from years ago and what kind of person he was.

As Gu Qinghan spoke, Sister Guihua quietly shut the door and perked up her ears, clearly ready to catch some gossip.

In the family compound, rumors had been circulating over the past few days. Word had spread that the traitor had come from Lin Guoqiang’s household, and it was said that his entire family was now detained.

Some of Lin Guoqiang’s former colleagues and subordinates had also been taken in for questioning. While some had been released, others remained under investigation.

Behind closed doors, the residents of the compound discussed the matter in hushed tones, seething with resentment. Many wished they could pelt Lin Guoqiang’s family with filth to express their fury.

In this era, not just military personnel and their families but even ordinary citizens harbored deep hatred for traitors—those who betrayed their own for the enemy.

As a result, the Lin family had become a target of universal condemnation.

Seeing that everyone seemed interested in the person being discussed, Zhao Master sighed and, with Gu Qinghan’s approval, began to recount the story. “This man was a comrade I met on the battlefield. At the time, he had suffered a head injury and a gunshot wound to his leg, and his life was hanging by a thread. As a battlefield doctor, it was my duty to save lives.”

“Who could have imagined that after earning merit and accolades, he started to change? He began to think his wife wasn’t attractive enough and didn’t deserve him.”

“Then, somewhere along the way, he heard about an offer from the other side. They promised him three thousand taels of gold and a more beautiful wife. In the end, he took a boat and defected.”

At this point, Zhao Master stopped speaking and turned his gaze to Gu Qinghan.

Knowing that information about the man would soon be made public, Gu Qinghan didn’t hold back and continued the story. “The woman the other side found for him was actually a spy. Her primary role was to extract classified information from him. However, such secrets are always limited.”

“When someone loses their value, they’re naturally discarded.”

“This man later tried to escape, but his wife on the other side claimed she was pregnant with his child. She pressured him to continue working for their organization. After she gave birth, they used the child to coerce him into becoming a spy. They even altered his appearance, which is why no one recognized him.”

Wen Nuan frowned as she accepted a pomelo segment from Gu Qinghan. She asked, “Was the child real? Was it really his?”

Children were often a point of vulnerability for parents, as no one wanted to see harm come to their own.

Gu Qinghan’s expression darkened slightly before he nodded. “Yes, the child is real. It’s Lin Guoqiang’s two nephews.”

Everyone was stunned into silence, their mouths agape. No one dared to say another word.

Gu Qinghan sheathed his military knife and placed it back in his pocket before saying, “The rest will depend on when the army announces further updates. But one thing’s for sure—the traitor’s story will be turned into a big-character poster and displayed on the family compound’s bulletin board.”

It was meant to serve as both a warning and a lesson.

However, there was no need to tell anyone about the two children. After all, not everyone could stomach such tactics.

Sensing the somber mood, no one pressed for more details. After hearing the gist of the story, they shifted their attention back to playing with the babies.

Wen Nuan, still curious, turned to Gu Qinghan and asked, “Why did that person say he wanted to see Doctor Zhao?”

From what Gu Qinghan had said, it didn’t seem like the man had any malicious intentions toward Zhao Master. Perhaps he simply wanted to see him one last time.

Gu Qinghan sneered. “When someone thinks they’ve found a safe haven, only to realize they’ve landed in a fiery pit, they naturally start longing for the good old days.”

Zhao Master sighed and nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t go to see him.”

Not in this lifetime.

Wen Nuan glanced at Zhao Master and offered words of comfort. “Doctor Zhao, it’s all in the past now. Things will only get better for you from here.”

Had it not been for that man’s betrayal, Zhao Master might not have been exiled for eight years—a long stretch of time.

The worst part wasn’t just the years lost; it was the emotional scars left behind. A mere apology would never suffice to make up for such betrayal.

For someone so ungrateful and blinded by greed, even execution felt like too light a punishment.

Zhao Master smiled faintly. “What could be better than now?”

“Well then, seeing you in such good health puts my mind at ease. I have some things to attend to, so I’ll leave you to rest.”

“Take care, Doctor Zhao.”

Three days later, Wen Nuan was discharged from the hospital and brought home.

On the day of her return, Gu Qinghan drove General Lu’s car to the family compound. When they arrived, he carried her straight into the house.

Before Wen Nuan had the chance to change her clothes, Lele came over, dragging the newly toddling Zhuzi along. Without caring whether Zhuzi understood her or not, Lele chattered away, “Zhuzi, look! These are our babies.”

“Even though they’re ugly now, my grandaunt said they’ll grow out of it and be as handsome as my Dad someday!”

Gu Qinghan, who had just walked in carrying Wen Nuan’s washbasin, overheard his daughter praising him. Feeling immensely proud, he walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Not bad—definitely my daughter!”