Lucia: Hi, I just want to apologize to readers, Instead of Vice Captain, I used Deputy Captain for Gu Qinghan’s position. I’m really sorry!  I already edited it! Thank you so much for your understanding~

Chapter 21.1

It was mid-December. Although winter had already arrived in the north, the seasonal shift in the mountains always lagged behind a bit.

For the past few days, the weather had been gloomy, with occasional drizzles. Every morning, ice would form in front of Wen Nuan’s house, but today, the weather had cleared up, so many people headed up the mountain.

If they were in the south, families could still grow some fruits and vegetables in their private plots. However, Wen Nuan noticed that the family courtyards here were struggling to survive, with only a few scattered hardy vegetables growing, the names of which she couldn’t even recognize.

On the mountain path, Wen Nuan, Sister Guihua, and Deng Juxiang parted ways with the other military wives and children from the family compound.

Because of the constant rain in the past few days, everyone guessed that today might be a good day to see if any mushrooms had sprouted.

Although the weather had cleared, Wen Nuan still dressed the child in a sweater, a cotton-padded jacket, and a pair of wool socks before they left, just in case the temperature dropped later in the day.

The little one, knowing they were about to go out, had been excited the whole time. Walking along the road at the foot of the mountain, the child kept waving their tiny hands and feet, babbling “ya ya ya,” as if asking to be put down to walk on her own.

Wen Nuan patted the child’s small bottom, telling her not to wriggle around. “You want me to put you down, but you don’t even know how to walk yet. Look at how proud you are!”

The little one, feeling wronged after the pat, rested her small head on Wen Nuan’s back, her big eyes quietly watching the changing scenery around her without making another sound.

Wen Nuan carefully carried the child on her back, following closely behind Guihua and Deng Juxiang.

It was her first time climbing the mountain, so she had to be extra cautious.

Guihua, having overheard some of Liu Meili’s words earlier, began gossiping with Wen Nuan and Deng Juxiang. “When did Liu Meili make up with Li Qiuju again? Weren’t they fighting before?”

Deng Juxiang, who was carrying a small bamboo basket and using two tree branches as walking sticks, leisurely strolled alongside them. Hearing Guihua’s question, she grew curious as well. “Yeah, wasn’t Li Qiuyan’s son fighting with Liu Meili’s son before? They even quarreled over it. So how come they’re going up the mountain together now?”

Sister Guihua scoffed, “Who knows what’s up with those two? Neither of them has good intentions. Liu Meili had the nerve to ask Xiao Nuan to swap houses with her, and just the other day, Li Qiuyan dragged two wooden planks to her door, trying to get Vice Captain Gu to make her a cart. How can people be so shameless?”

Deng Juxiang, having heard about this from others in the family compound, knew Wen Nuan had refused Liu Meili outright. She quickly chimed in, “Good thing Xiao Nuan turned her down! For people like that, you have to be thicker-skinned than they are. Otherwise, once you give in, who knows how much they’ll take advantage of you in the future!”

Then Deng Juxiang turned to Wen Nuan and asked, “Xiao Nuan, has Li Qiuyan come back to your place to bother you about anything else?”

Hearing their questions, Wen Nuan responded calmly, “No, she hasn’t.”

Sister Guihua let out a “hmph,” satisfied, “Good, then. I’ve dealt with them before; they’re like a stubborn plaster that sticks to you, and once it does, you can’t shake it off. Luckily, you didn’t soften up back then. I was sweating for you at the time!”

Wen Nuan, being young and soft-spoken, seemed like someone easy to push around. Otherwise, why else would she have gotten stuck with the likes of Liu Meili and Li Qiuyan, both of whom were thicker-skinned than the next?

Back then, Zhang Guihua had been thinking that if Wen Nuan had agreed, she’d definitely stand up for her. These people only bully the weak and always pick the softest target to squeeze.

Suddenly, Deng Juxiang commented, “Even though you refused this time, Xiao Nuan, you should still be cautious in the future. I mean, why would Li Qiuyan, with all the men in the compound, specifically go to your Vice Captain Gu? You’d better be careful, who knows if she has any ulterior motives?”

Wen Nuan furrowed her brow slightly at that but didn’t want to jump to conclusions about others. After all, in these times, a woman’s reputation was still very important.

She replied, “In the past, my husband was assigned to the G Province unit, the same as her late husband. They were superiors and subordinates and had a pretty good relationship.”

Sister Guihua knew that Wen Nuan had a kind heart and was new to the family compound, so she wasn’t entirely familiar with the dynamics there. She kindly offered some advice, “Though what you said makes sense, you can’t be too trusting. You see, Li Qiuyan is a woman raising several children on her own—if she had more men helping her out, her life would certainly be a lot easier.”

“And besides, many military wives lost their husbands in the line of duty, but most of them go back to their hometowns after receiving the pension. It’s quite rare for someone like Li Qiuyan to stay in the family compound for so long.”

Deng Juxiang nodded in agreement, “Sister Guihua is right. I bet Li Qiuyan knows how good life is in the family compound and is probably thinking of ways to stay here for a long time or maybe for good.”

The two women had said what needed to be said but were careful not to go too far with their words. Women have their own way of talking—those who understand, and understand.

It was just a matter of whether Wen Nuan could grasp their meaning.

However, when they looked at Wen Nuan and saw her pure, slightly naive eyes, they both thought she might not fully catch on.

Now, it all depended on whether Vice Captain Gu knew what was going on.

But based on Zhang Guihua’s observations, Vice Captain Gu didn’t seem like the type of man with a wandering heart.

He appeared to be very attentive to Wen Nuan. One time, she visited their home and even saw the Vice Captain washing the dishes.

In this family compound, how many men could you find who helped out with the Family chores when they got home?

Soon, the women arrived at the eastern corner at the foot of the mountain, a place many of the families didn’t like to visit because it was farther away. Most preferred to head up the mountain.

After all, some of the families had previously gone up the mountain and encountered wild pheasants and rabbits. Once word got out, others followed, and a well-trodden path was soon formed.

Before long, the three of them found several mushrooms. The gloomy weather from the past few days had helped the mushrooms grow exceptionally well. There were several trees with clusters of tender mushrooms, looking fresh and delicious, and the three women harvested a plentiful amount.

Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang even took the time to teach Wen Nuan how to distinguish between poisonous and edible mushrooms. Some were inedible and had to be crushed underfoot, to prevent others from accidentally picking them.

They were having quite a lucky day on the mountain. After gathering a large pile of mushrooms, they walked further and spotted clusters of mustard greens. Mustard greens weren’t rare—they were one of the most common wild vegetables that could be dug up almost every time they went up the mountain.

Deng Juxiang, knowing that Wen Nuan was from the south, patiently explained, “This is mustard greens. You can use it as stuffing for buns or dumplings. You can also blanch it and use it to fry with eggs—it’s incredibly fragrant. Of course, if you don’t mind the cold, it’s also delicious when mixed raw with seasoning. My husband’s favorite is to eat it that way.”

Sister Guihua laughed as she dug, “You can also make soup or porridge with it—it’s very tasty too. Oh, and when picking a shepherd’s purse, look for deep green ones like this. But don’t dig up the ones that have started flowering; they’ll be too old. Although I’ve heard from the barefoot doctor that the flowering shepherd’s purse can be dried and used as a traditional medicine—it’s good stuff either way. So, if you find any, don’t miss the chance to dig it up.”

Wen Nuan crouched down and, using the small trowel that Sister Guihua lent her, began to dig up the mustard greens.

The shepherd’s purse looked a bit like mugwort, but smaller, and many of the plants grew flat against the ground.

Wen Nuan smiled and sincerely thanked the two sisters-in-law, “Thank you both so much. Next time, I’ll definitely recognize these.”

Zhang Guihua chuckled heartily from beside her, “Xiao Nuan, you’re too polite! Every time I give you something, you always thank me so nicely. You make me feel like a bit of a rough person.”

Wen Nuan quickly responded, “Sister Guihua, don’t make fun of me. I’m really grateful to you. If it weren’t for you two, I probably wouldn’t recognize mustard greens or snow cabbage, or know how to tell poisonous mushrooms apart from the safe ones. Without your help, I wouldn’t dare to wander around this mountain at all.”

Since coming to this northern city, Wen Nuan could almost say that she had no one to rely on, except for Gu Qinghan.

But Gu Qinghan was truly too busy. Even when he didn’t have training, there were always various meetings within the regiment. This week alone, there were several nights when he only returned home after lights out.

As for the daytime, Wen Nuan didn’t even see him after getting up in the morning. If it weren’t for Sister Guihua taking her out, she likely wouldn’t have wanted to leave the house at all.

Sister Guihua smiled, “Alright, alright, I’ll accept your sincerity now, but no need to be so polite in the future. We live so close to each other, we’ll have to help each other out more often.”

Wen Nuan smiled genuinely, “Of course! As long as you don’t mind that I don’t know much yet.”

Sister Guihua waved her hand, “How could I? You write so beautifully—you’re clearly well-educated. Next time I have to write a letter home, you can help me out, make sure my brothers don’t laugh at me for making so many spelling mistakes!”

The women continued chatting and laughing as they walked, their small bamboo baskets already filled with wild vegetables and mushrooms.

Since Wen Nuan was carrying Lele on her back, Zhang Guihua placed Wen Nuan’s portion of wild vegetables and mushrooms into her own basket, saying they could divide them up once they got home.

Lele was very well-behaved throughout the walk, only occasionally making a few babbling sounds out of excitement, fascinated by the towering trees he saw along the way.

Deng Juxiang, with six mouths to feed at home, wanted to gather more mountain goods. “It looks like we can keep walking up ahead. Let’s go check it out,” she suggested.

Sister Guihua glanced at the trees in front of them and agreed, “Let’s take a look. Who knows, we might even find some bird eggs.”

They continued onward. The grass up ahead was much thicker than where they had been digging wild vegetables, but most of it had already withered.

The trees there were much taller than those they had passed earlier. Wen Nuan had no idea what kind of trees they were, but the leaves had all fallen, leaving the branches bare and stark against the sky.

Just at that moment, Lele, who was strapped to Wen Nuan’s back, shouted “Ah!!!” out of nowhere.

Wen Nuan thought something had happened and immediately turned her head to check if Lele’s face had been scratched by a tree branch.

However, the child stretched out her chubby little hand, pointing towards a crooked tree in the distant northeastern corner. Next to the tree was a pile of slightly damp hay. She must have thought it was something interesting, as she started excitedly babbling, “Ya! Ya! Ya.”

Her little legs, still short and chubby, pressed against Wen Nuan’s sides, giving a strong push as if trying to break free from the strap and get down to walk around.

Everyone turned to look at the haystack, but it didn’t seem particularly remarkable. The grass was sparse and not thick, just a bit damp, and its color was darker than the other piles around. Lele, being so young, probably thought it was something special, like flowers or plants.

Deng Juxiang and Zhang Guihua, who often came to the mountains, were already experienced enough to know that a haystack like that wouldn’t hide any treasure. At most, it might have some mushrooms, but judging by its sparse appearance, there probably weren’t many.

Seeing this, Deng Juxiang said, “Lele probably thinks it’s some kind of flowers or plants, haha. But at this time of year, nothing on the mountain is blooming. A snowfall like this kills everything off.”

Zhang Guihua noticed how Lele kept excitedly kicking her little feet and found it amusing. She quickly said, “Does Lele want some flowers? If Auntie Guihua spots any, I’ll pick them for you first.”

“Your mother is carrying you up this mountain, and it’s very tiring. Be obedient and don’t make trouble.”

Lele heard Zhang Guihua talking to her, but it was unclear whether she understood or not.

Either way, she started waving her hands and kicking her feet, opening her little mouth to giggle constantly.

Zhang Guihua found her even more endearing, unable to resist reaching out to gently pinch her rosy cheeks and tease her with a few more words.

However, as soon as Zhang Guihua stepped away, the little one started babbling again, as if to say that if Wen Nuan didn’t walk over to pull apart that pile of hay, she would keep fussing.

Wen Nuan thought about how she had already gathered quite a lot of wild vegetables and mushrooms, and after carrying the child for so long, she was feeling a bit tired. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break and play with her for a bit.

Lele was actually quite well-behaved. They had been out for so long, walked so many mountain paths, and picked so many vegetables, yet she had only just started to fuss a little now. Wen Nuan thought she was a little angel.

Of course, it could also be that the child was hungry, or maybe her diaper was wet, which was making her a bit cranky.

Wen Nuan smiled at Lele, who was strapped to her back, and said, “Is my little Lele hungry? Just wait a moment, Mommy will find a place to put you down.”

The little one obviously didn’t respond, but her big, round eyes darted from side to side, still looking a bit excited.

Deng Juxiang saw this and commented, “Xiao Nuan, you really have a good temperament. When I used to carry my kids up the mountain, whether they were crying or fussing, I’d finish all my work first before tending to them.”

Sister Guihua also chuckled, “Exactly! I don’t have that much patience either. But you, Nuan, you’re really calm. I live right next door to you, and I’ve never heard you raise your voice at the child.”

Wen Nuan felt a bit embarrassed by their praise. Seeing Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang heading toward the forest in the east, she said to them, “Sister-in-law, the little one might be hungry that’s why she’s making trouble. I’ll feed her for a bit.”

Sister Guihua glanced at Lele, who was still fussing and laughed, “Alright, you must be tired after carrying her all this way. You can rest and feed her here. I’ll head up ahead to see if there are any wild yams. I’ll dig some up to bring back for my husband to build up his strength.”

Hearing this, Deng Juxiang let out a knowing laugh and said, “I’ll take a look too. My husband’s stamina has been lacking these past couple of years— even twice a week has become a struggle.”

Wen Nuan’s lips parted slightly, her round almond-shaped eyes widening in surprise, looking both innocent and a little lost.

She wasn’t sure if she had misunderstood, but the conversation the two sisters-in-law were having… Was it really about “that”?

Sister Guihua soon noticed Wen Nuan’s startled expression and smiled, “Xiao Nuan, you and Vice Captain Gu are still young, so you probably don’t understand the struggles we face.”

Deng Juxiang, completely unbothered, let out a hearty laugh, “Xiao Nuan, you’re still so shy! You already have a child, what’s there to be embarrassed about? But I get it—Vice Captain Gu seems very capable. I’m sure he keeps you well-satisfied. Not like us old couples, where we need a little something extra new just to get things going…”

Wen Nuan’s face flushed completely red, and the two sisters-in-law laughed even harder. “Look at Xiao Nuan’s shy face! No wonder Vice Captain Gu loves coming home all the time…”

Feeling flustered, Wen Nuan decided to put Lele down and turned her back to them, preparing to nurse the baby. She reminded them, “Sisters if you don’t hurry up, it’ll be dark soon.”

When they had started up the mountain, it was already afternoon, and in the northern winter, night fell early. If they didn’t make it back by five, they’d be walking in the dark.

The two sisters-in-law kept chatting and laughing, but they, too, were ready to take one last look around before heading back.

Wen Nuan had already unstrapped the little one from her back, intending to find a flat spot to feed her. But as soon as Lele was down, instead of tugging at her clothes for milk, she pointed once more at the same patch of grass and tried to crawl forward.

Wen Nuan couldn’t figure out why the child was being so stubborn. Knowing she wasn’t hungry, she simply picked Lele up and carried her over, curious to see what was so special about that pile of grass.

The little one, sensing that Wen Nuan was finally taking her over, hugged her neck excitedly, snuggling closer and even letting out a joyful giggle. She was beyond delighted.

Thinking about how well-behaved Lele had been throughout the journey, Wen Nuan indulged her and walked over to the grass pile. She took a tree branch and poked around the haystack a few times—

And beneath the haystack, hidden away, was a splash of green.

Wen Nuan immediately shifted Lele to her side, crouched down, and began pulling away all the surrounding grass. Beneath that small patch of green, there was a root that looked like a radish, but it wasn’t quite one—slightly smaller than a typical radish. She couldn’t identify what it was at first.

She then pulled out her small shovel and carefully started digging around it. A thought suddenly popped into her mind.

—’Wild ginseng!’

Meanwhile, the little one in her arms had already grabbed hold of the ginseng’s leaves, giggling in delight, almost drooling from her excitement!

Wen Nuan decided to pluck off the ginseng leaves and let the little one play with them while she focused on carefully digging out the root itself.

After a bit of effort, she finally managed to unearth the entire wild ginseng. Just then, Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang returned, both grinning and joking, “Xiao Nuan, guess what treasures we found?”

Sister Guihua, ever the impatient one, quickly announced, “We actually found some bird eggs and wild yams!”

Wen Nuan, now with the entire wild ginseng in her hands, smiled broadly and called out to them, “Sister Guihua, Sister-in-law Juxiang, come here! Look what I’ve found!”

Hearing this, the two sisters-in-law immediately sprinted over to Wen Nuan.

The little one, seeing the two aunts running over, burst into giggles again, her big round eyes almost speaking for her: ‘Look at the big treasure my mom just found!’

“Oh my goodness! Ginseng!”

“Wild ginseng, too! Xiao Nuan, what kind of luck is this? It’s your first time going up the mountain, and you dig up wild ginseng!” Deng Juxiang exclaimed, still in disbelief. When they set out, she hadn’t expected to find much of anything.

After all, the nearby villagers had already combed through the foothills countless times, and the most they thought they’d gather were a couple of meals’ worth of wild greens.

Yet here was Wen Nuan, not only finding wild ginseng but also with two nests of bird eggs in tow!

Their luck today was truly extraordinary!

Wen Nuan, still with dirt on her hands, playfully pinched the little one next to her, who was sitting and playing with the ginseng leaves. “It was Lele who pointed out this spot earlier—the very place where we found the wild ginseng. This is all thanks to her,” Wen Nuan said with a smile.

The little one, perhaps understanding the praise, grinned, revealing a few tiny teeth, her round black eyes squinting into little crescents as she giggled.

Sister Guihua, hearing this, reached over and pinched Lele’s chubby cheeks. “Oh my, Lele, your little bundle of luck! You’re incredible, just pointing randomly and finding wild ginseng! Come here, let Auntie rub some of that good luck off on you. Maybe I’ll have a cute little daughter just like you!”

Deng Juxiang also joined in, giving the baby’s cheeks a gentle squeeze. “Lele, you little fortune-bringer, next time Auntie goes searching for mountain goods, I’m definitely bringing you along! You’ll help us find wild rabbits and pheasants, won’t you?”

The little one giggled loudly again, then returned her attention to playing with the leaves. Within moments, she had shredded them, scattering pieces all over herself.

Wen Nuan carefully brushed the dirt off the ginseng and said, “We should store this properly so it doesn’t get damaged.”

Both Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang, experienced as they were, quickly rearranged the items in their baskets. After making some space, they had Wen Nuan place the ginseng safely inside.

Afterward, they continued searching the area a bit more, hoping to find something else. While they didn’t find any more ginseng, they did come across plenty of mushrooms, picking quite a few before deciding to call it a day.

Sister Guihua glanced at her watch and realized it was already 5 PM. They couldn’t afford to search any longer; getting down the mountain was a priority.

As they walked back to the fork in the road where they had entered the mountain, Wen Nuan saw many family members hurriedly descending. They were shouting, “Hurry down, there are wolf cubs! They bite!”

Upon hearing this, Sister Guihua quickly grabbed Wen Nuan and urged her toward the main road. “Quickly, the wolf cubs are coming. The big wolves will likely show up soon; we shouldn’t linger here any longer.”

There had been chatter among the villagers near the family quarters about wolves coming down from the mountain to prey on the chickens they kept, but they had never actually seen a wolf. Now, with people hastily coming down and shouting about wolves, it was clear something was amiss.

Wen Nuan, still carrying Lele on her back, quickened her pace, fearing for their safety.

By the time they returned to the family quarters, her heart had finally settled.

Inside the family quarters, everyone was buzzing with talk about the wolf cubs.

After listening for a while, Wen Nuan and Sister Guihua learned that Liu Meili, Li Qiuyan, and a few others had gone up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. They had found a hole and assumed it might hold some treasure, only to discover it was a weasel den, not a wolf den. The rumor had morphed into tales of wolf cubs that bite, spreading from one person to another.

Fortunately, there had only been two weasels, and the women had managed to escape quickly, so no harm had come to them.

However, it seemed they had hurried down the mountain and stumbled several times, resulting in a few scrapes and bruises. As for how badly they were hurt, Wen Nuan hadn’t seen and didn’t know the specifics.

Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang brought the mountain goods they had found up to Wen Nuan’s home since it was the cleanest.

The group divided the mushrooms and wild vegetables they had collected into three portions.

When they reached the wild ginseng, Sister Guihua, and Sister Juxiang almost said in unison, “This is what Lele found; we won’t take it.”

After saying this, the two exchanged a smile, and Sister Guihua said, “Yes, this is all thanks to Lele, so this wild ginseng should go to Xiao Nuan.”

“I agree. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. It doesn’t sit right with me to compete with a child over something.”

Wen Nuan swallowed hard, planning to divide the wild ginseng evenly since they had all gone up the mountain together. After all, they had already shared the mushrooms, wild vegetables, and bird eggs; she couldn’t be so selfish.

Without Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang leading her up the mountain, she would never have dug up this ginseng.

Reluctantly swallowing again, she realized the two were insisting they didn’t want it. In the end, Wen Nuan had to keep it for herself.

However, she didn’t want the bird eggs and wild yam they later found, as she hadn’t participated in those discoveries. If she took a share, she would feel deeply uneasy.

The few of them argued for quite a while before agreeing to Wen Nuan’s proposal.

The wild ginseng belonged to her, while the bird eggs and wild yam they found later would be shared equally between Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang.

—o—o—o—