Chapter 114.3

Meanwhile, Wen Nuan, overhearing the commotion, laughed so hard at the scene that she could barely stand upright.

Gu Qinghan, still holding his wife close, planted a kiss on her rosy cheek and said with a smile, “Lele is perfectly fine as she is. How is she chubby? Her face is just a little round.”

It was the first time Wen Nuan had ever heard Gu Qinghan say something like that. He had always affectionately teased their little girl by calling her a “chubby piglet.” But now, suddenly, he didn’t think she was chubby at all.

Wen Nuan played along, agreeing, “Lele isn’t chubby at all. Her face is just rounder, that’s all. She’s even starting to grow taller. She hardly has any extra meat on her.”

As the couple chatted, Lele somehow managed to sneak up behind them. She then wedged herself firmly between her parents, planting her tiny hands on her hips.

Looking up at her Dad and Mom with a pout, she huffed, “Dad and Mom are mean! *Your* faces are big, not mine!”

“My face is the smallest!” she declared confidently.

However, glancing over at Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou lying on the kang bed nearby, she paused and corrected herself, “Wait, no… my face is the *third* smallest.”

Gu Qinghan immediately picked up the little girl, while Wen Nuan pinched her plump cheeks and laughed. “Yes, yes, your Dad has the biggest face of all.”

Gu Qinghan: “…”

Lele burst into delighted laughter, then stared at her Dad for a moment before breaking into a mischievous grin. “Dad’s head is as big as the moon!”

Gu Qinghan: “…”

What kind of descriptions are these?

Wen Nuan took Lele from Gu Qinghan’s arms and whispered to her, “Your Dad is angry now.”

Lele buried her face into Wen Nuan’s shoulder and let out a small hum, “I’m angry too.”

But the next second, the little girl lifted her head slightly, sneaking a glance at Gu Qinghan’s expression before breaking into a sly giggle.

Gu Qinghan’s attempt to keep a straight face instantly failed. He pulled both his wife and daughter into a tight embrace.

Lele, now full of ideas, quickly said, “Dad, we can’t play favorites. We need to bring Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou over too!”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the two babies who had just fallen asleep and frowned slightly. “They’re still sleeping. Let’s not wake them up.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two little boys on the kang bed let out a synchronized “Waaa!” and burst into tears.

Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan exchanged a helpless look. Gu Qinghan gently set Lele next to the babies and said, “Lele, why don’t you help soothe your little brothers?”

The clever girl quickly darted away, faster than anyone expected, shouting as she ran, “I don’t want to deal with crying babies!”

—

That day, Zhao Wuzhu managed to stay calm and behaved herself in the family compound.

She had come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t meddle in Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan’s household affairs. So, she decided to make the most of her remaining days before heading back to the old house by visiting Gu Qinglan’s hospital to check out her working environment.

Besides, before coming to the North, Gu Qingsong had mentioned to her about helping Gu Qinglan find a suitable match.

Back when Gu Qinglan was sent to the countryside, there wasn’t much that could be done, but now, after all these years, she was in her mid-twenties. If she hadn’t been sent away back then, she might already have a child old enough to fetch soy sauce by now.

Even if she couldn’t intervene in Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan’s family matters, she thought, surely she could have a say in Gu Qinglan’s future, right?

However, as soon as Zhao Wuzhu arrived at the hospital, she saw Gu Qinglan bustling back and forth, too busy to pay her any attention.

Left with nothing better to do, Zhao Wuzhu sat down in the hospital lobby to wait for her. She passed the time chatting with a few of the nurses.

She had been sitting for quite a while when a doctor in different attire approached her. The doctor smiled warmly and greeted her, “You must be Qinglan’s mother, right? You look so much alike, and you carry yourself with such grace.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help but beam with pride. She smiled and said, “Yes, yes, that’s me. And you are, Comrade?”

Doctor Xu smiled and said, “Oh, me? I’m Dr. Xu from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. You can just call me Comrade Xu.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu immediately understood that this person was most likely Gu Qinglan’s superior. She smiled and said, “Hello, Dr. Xu.”

The two were of similar age, so they quickly hit it off. Zhao Wuzhu, curious, began asking Dr. Xu about Gu Qinglan’s relationship status.

“Doctor Xu,” she asked, “do you know if our Qinglan is seeing someone? You see, I’ve been back home most of the time and don’t know much about the child’s affairs. Now that I’ve finally made a trip here, I’d like to help her find a good match so I can go home feeling at ease.”

Gu Qinglan, that girl, had grown more and more beautiful. Surely, there must be plenty of male comrades wanting to talk to her. But Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help but wonder—was Qinglan being too picky? How could she still be single in her twenties? It was enough to drive her mad with worry!

Doctor Xu chuckled as she recalled something from last year’s New Year holiday. She let out a small laugh and said, “Don’t even bring it up. Your Qinglan, well, she’s probably too good for her own good. She’s beautiful, after all. So, when someone introduced her to a state cadre from Beijing, not only did she turn him down, but she even gave him a good beating. Now, who in the unit dares to mess with her?”

It turned out that Qinglan’s mother-in-law-to-be had introduced her to a male comrade, but the whole thing ended in disaster. Doctor Xu’s husband had been scolding her about it for nearly a year now. Naturally, Doctor Xu saw this as a golden opportunity to get Zhao Wuzhu to discipline Qinglan a bit—this girl simply had too much pride!

Hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu’s eyes went wide. “What?” she exclaimed.

“A state cadre?”

Doctor Xu nodded. “Yes, he was even a minister in the Ministry of Commerce. He was still young, too. Although he’d been divorced, he didn’t have any children, so your Qinglan wouldn’t have had to play stepmother. He was a cadre, had a Beijing household registration, and, well, do you know how many women in the unit dream of marrying into Beijing but can’t even find a way in?”

“If Qinglan had married him, she might’ve even been able to transfer to a major hospital in Beijing in the future!”

At this, Zhao Wuzhu gritted her teeth in frustration, wishing she could drag Gu Qinglan over right then and there to ask her what exactly had happened!

“Can we still get in touch with that… cadre?” Zhao Wuzhu asked. “You see, Qinglan’s still just a child and doesn’t understand the world. But now that her mother’s here, I can take charge and make sure this works out!”

Doctor Xu smiled knowingly. “How would I know? Chances are he wouldn’t be willing anymore. Just think about it—Qinglan beat him up. Who would dare come back after that? He’s a state cadre, after all, not lacking in female comrades to meet. Don’t you think so, Aunt Zhao?”

The more Zhao Wuzhu heard, the angrier she became.

Zhao Wuzhu wished she could turn back time and directly marry Gu Qinglan off to Beijing.

Though she herself was from the south and had never been to Beijing, it was, after all, the capital of the country—definitely better than anywhere else.

And yet, Gu Qinglan had not only turned down the match but had also gone so far as to beat the man up?

Zhao Wuzhu pestered Doctor Xu for a long time and even asked around among some of the hospital staff. She eventually learned that this incident had been quite the scandal at the hospital last year.

Apparently, someone had introduced a male comrade to Gu Qinglan for matchmaking. But for some reason—most likely because she didn’t fancy him—Gu Qinglan caused a scene. She claimed that the woman who had arranged the match had damaged her reputation, leading to a ridiculous misunderstanding. And to top it all off, she ended up beating the man.

What made it even worse was that Wen Nuan had been involved in the scuffle. This infuriated Zhao Wuzhu even more, as she suspected it might have all been Wen Nuan’s doing.

Thinking it over, Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help but feel regret. Over the next two days, she visited the hospital repeatedly, hoping Doctor Xu might help her get back in touch with that state cadre.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinglan had just gotten off work and returned to the family compound, only to see Zhao Wuzhu sneaking out of the house.

After parking her bicycle, Gu Qinglan rubbed her hands together against the cold and asked, “Mom, where are you going? It’s freezing out—are you really heading out?”

She’d heard from her Big Brother that their mother would be heading back to their hometown after the baby’s hundred-day banquet in a few days.

Could it be that she was going out to play in the snow?

But that didn’t seem like something her mother, who was always so practical, would do.

As soon as Zhao Wuzhu saw Gu Qinglan, she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside. Without delay, she demanded, “You little brat, did someone introduce you to a state cadre from Beijing before? And how could you have turned him down?”

Hearing this, Gu Qinglan frowned and asked, “Who told you that?”

Zhao Wuzhu pinched Gu Qinglan’s hand hard, gritting her teeth as she said, “It doesn’t matter who told me! Let me tell you, I’ve worn my tongue out convincing them to give this another chance. This time, you better not screw it up again!”

Gu Qinglan’s face turned pale, and she stiffened, her expression cold. “Mom, what are you talking about? Let me make this clear—I already have someone. Don’t go around setting me up with random people.”

Fuming, Zhao Wuzhu snapped back, “What someone? What random people? Let me tell you, that man is a state cadre! Don’t even think about lying to me with some fake boyfriend nonsense. I’ve asked around—you haven’t filed any relationship reports with anyone!”

“Tomorrow morning, you’re coming with me to meet him. This time, you’ll talk to him properly and make sure it works out. If you mess it up again, I won’t let you off the hook.”

Gu Qinglan shook off Zhao Wuzhu’s hand, her tone serious. “My boyfriend is at flight school. He’s a pilot, and there’s no way I’m going with you to meet anyone else.”

“What? A pilot?” Zhao Wuzhu’s anger only deepened. “Do you even know how dangerous it is to be a pilot? I didn’t even want your big brother becoming a pilot—”

“Shut up!” Gu Qinglan’s temper finally snapped. “Don’t bring this up again. I won’t listen to you. I *have* a boyfriend, and that’s final.”

Zhao Wuzhu’s face darkened instantly, and she barked, “You ungrateful girl! I’m your mother. If you don’t listen to me, who else would you listen to? And don’t tell me a pilot is better than a state cadre! You’re completely out of your mind!”

Before she could finish her rant, Wen Nuan appeared behind them and pulled Gu Qinglan to her side, saying firmly, “She listens to me. Stay out of Qinglan’s business.”

Zhao Wuzhu let out a derisive laugh as she glared at Wen Nuan. “Oh, the eldest daughter-in-law, is it? I don’t want to argue with you, but let me remind you—Qinglan is *my* daughter. This is my family’s matter. You don’t have a say in it.” “Is that so?” Wen Nuan replied with a faint smile before turning to Gu Qinglan. Calmly, she asked, “Qinglan, you tell me—who will you listen to? Me, or someone else?”