Chapter 22.1

Gu Qinghan looked at Wen Nuan, who indeed seemed tired. He placed the child onto the bed and said, “Lele, you can play with Mommy for a while. Daddy will go cook.”

After saying this, Gu Qinghan walked toward the kitchen.

Wen Nuan watched as the man obediently headed to the kitchen, and soon the sound of him washing rice reached her ears. It seemed he really was making dinner.

However, as soon as Lele was laid down on the bed, she began to fuss, seeming to want to follow Gu Qinghan and see what he was doing.

Wen Nuan reached out and lightly tapped the little one’s cheek, pouting as she said, “Everyone else has milk to rely on, so why do you love your daddy so much?”

But sometimes it was quite nice; after all, taking care of a child could be exhausting.

The little one, not understanding entirely, pushed off with her legs while lying on the bed, crawling toward Wen Nuan. Then, with all her strength, she nestled her little head against the spot over Wen Nuan’s heart and made a soft “Mommy” sound.

Wen Nuan had been teaching her to say “Mommy” and “Daddy” every day, and sometimes the little one would make similar sounds, though they were not particularly clear yet.

Wen Nuan lifted the little one closer to her, cradling her tiny body in her arms and rubbing her cheek against the child’s face. “You’re quite observant.”

The little one giggled and buried her head into Wen Nuan, a soft, cuddly ball. Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh; perhaps it was just so comforting to hold the child that before long, she actually fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was already dark outside, and Lele was no longer on the bed. Faint sounds of Gu Qinghan and the child laughing and playing drifted in from the living room.

She ran her fingers through her hair, unsure of when it had come to rest on one side, and noticed that there was a pillowcase beneath her head.

Wen Nuan picked up the clothes that had been draped over the back of a chair, put them on, and walked straight out of the room. Gu Qinghan was holding Lele’s little hand, teaching her to walk.

The little one, perhaps excited at the thought of walking, kicked her legs vigorously and laughed happily.

Gu Qinghan noticed her first and immediately said, “It’s time to eat.”

Wen Nuan walked straight into the kitchen, took out three bowls, and filled them with rice.

She murmured under her breath, “Why didn’t you wake me up? Have you been waiting for a long time?”

Using the mushrooms Wen Nuan had picked, Gu Qinghan made a mushroom and egg soup and stir-fried some cabbage. Since Wen Nuan had woken up late, the supply store often had no meat left by the time she arrived.

Gu Qinghan poured a little hot water and washed the child’s hands, then sat down at the dining table. “I saw you sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you up.”

Wen Nuan sighed, “How long did I sleep? I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

There was no clock in the house, and neither Gu Qinghan nor she wore watches. Often, Wen Nuan relied on the military horn to tell time. Sleeping at this hour in the evening, she figured it would be hard to fall asleep again tonight.

“About half an hour or so,” Gu Qinghan replied, picking up the child’s spoon and feeding her a mouthful of egg.

The little one delighted in the taste of the egg. She bit down with her small, cute teeth and swallowed it whole. Afterward, she made a couple of “yi ya” sounds, seemingly urging Gu Qinghan to hurry up and feed her again.

Recalling the events from earlier in the day when they had gone up the mountain, Wen Nuan curiously asked, “Is it true there are wolves up there?”

Even though there had been a mix-up today, Wen Nuan felt it was better to be cautious. If there really werewolves, she would need to be more careful when going up the mountain in the future.

Gu Qinghan shook his head. “So far, we haven’t encountered any. But the villagers nearby say there are some, so just be careful when you go up the mountain in the future.”

The troops often organized field exercises, frequently going up the mountain for training for two or three days, but they had never actually seen any wolves.

Wen Nuan chuckled and said, “So it was probably just a weasel. Still, we should be careful going up the mountain from now on. By the way, do you know how serious the injuries were for the others who went up?”

She had heard in the family quarters that someone had been injured today; it was likely Liu Meili and Li Qiuyan, but she was unsure of the extent of their injuries.

Gu Qinghan paused for a moment before responding without much emotion, “It shouldn’t be too serious.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “Comrade Li Qiuyan came to our regiment. I heard she was injured, but she could still walk.”

Wen Nuan replied, “……”

She could still walk; well, that probably meant it wasn’t too serious.

The two of them then chatted about foraging for mountain goods, though most of the conversation came from Wen Nuan, with Gu Qinghan occasionally responding.

Once the little one was fed, Gu Qinghan finally sat down to eat. After finishing his meal, he cleaned up and washed the dishes.

Wen Nuan had planned to wash the clothes she had changed out of earlier that evening, but to her surprise, Gu Qinghan had already done it for her. He had hung them on the makeshift clothes rack he had made on his left front. Gu Qinghan was quite strong, and the clothes were twisted tightly, with no water dripping from them.

However, on the rack, alongside Lele’s little clothes and her shirts and pants, were her undergarments.

Wen Nuan felt her face grow warm. When she saw the man coming out of the kitchen, she subtly said, “Next time, I can wash my own clothes.”

In this era, men rarely did laundry, let alone washed dishes. Although Gu Qinghan was willing to help, Wen Nuan still felt a bit uneasy, especially since he had washed her intimate clothing.

Back in her hometown, Zhao Wuzhu had once scolded Gu Qinghan for washing her clothes.

At that time, Gu Qinghan had not washed her undergarments, but Zhao Wuzhu had already warned him beforehand. She had told him to go ahead and wash but to absolutely avoid washing women’s underwear, as it was considered bad luck.

However, it was clear that Gu Qinghan hadn’t taken Zhao Wuzhu’s words to heart.

Usually, she would wash her “personal” clothing as soon as she changed out of it, but she had felt quite tired after returning from the mountain earlier that evening.

She had placed her clothes in an enamel basin, planning to wash them later when Gu Qinghan took the child outside. Little did she know that while washing the child’s clothes, Gu Qinghan had washed hers too.

She also hadn’t expected Gu Qinghan to have time to wash her clothes while cooking dinner.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the clothes on the rack, wiped his hands, and picked up Lele, who was sitting in the stroller. “I washed them while I was at it.”

After playing with the child for a while, he took the clean clothes and stepped outside to wash himself. He rinsed off while still dressed, and only returned to change afterward.

Although it was already winter, he often took a shower outside in the evenings before going to bed.

Wen Nuan had intended to help Gu Qinghan with the laundry, but once he changed out of his wet clothes, he took the basin and went out to the yard, reminding her not to bring the child outside because it was cold.

Wen Nuan noticed that Gu Qinghan’s pants were covered in mud, likely from his training outside.

After her nap in the evening, Wen Nuan still felt quite energetic by the time the lights were supposed to go out. Lele, perhaps sensing that Wen Nuan wasn’t sleepy, lay on the bed, unwilling to sleep.

Lele could now crawl all over the bed, and if not watched closely, she would fall off. So, Wen Nuan had to keep a vigilant eye on her at times.

However, with Gu Qinghan around tonight, she found some time to read a book.

It wasn’t particularly interesting, but on a night with little entertainment, it served to help pass the time.

Because it had been quite far to travel to Beicheng, and she had to bring the child along, only Gu Qinghan had carried the luggage. She had brought two of her own books, leaving the rest back in her hometown.

Wen Nuan became engrossed in her reading, so much so that she didn’t even notice when Gu Qinghan had coaxed the child to sleep.

Lele used to require milk to fall asleep quickly, but she would wake up once or twice at night. To her surprise, Gu Qinghan had managed to get Lele to sleep tonight.

No wonder the little one was so close to her father; Gu Qinghan was quite patient when it came to soothing the child, unlike her. Sometimes, when she grew irritated, she would give Lele’s little bottom a playful pat.

Just as Gu Qinghan was trying to move quietly to return to his warm spot outside, Wen Nuan suddenly noticed a purplish bruise on his wrist, along with two faint blood marks.

Wen Nuan set down her book and furrowed her brow at him. “What happened to your hand?”

“I got it during training; it’s nothing serious,” Gu Qinghan replied, already lying back down in his spot outside. He then asked, “Aren’t you going to continue reading?”

Wen Nuan instinctively glanced at the sleeping Lele and thought for a moment before carefully lifting the blanket. She got off the bed from the foot of Gu Qinghan’s side and opened the drawer of the bedside table, pulling out a tube of ointment. “Extend your hand; I’ll put some on for you.”

Wen Nuan had often seen Gu Qinghan come home with small injuries, but he always dismissed them as minor and rarely treated them, let alone visited a doctor.

However, this time, Wen Nuan felt that his wound seemed a bit more serious. The scratch was particularly deep, and now that it was winter, it would be difficult for the wound to heal without proper care.

Wen Nuan unscrewed the cap of the ointment. She knew this was a special external injury cream provided by the regiment, and after applying it, the wound should heal quickly. Men tended to underestimate these minor injuries.

“Roll up your sleeves; let me see how bad the injury is,” Wen Nuan said. Before she could finish her sentence, she simply took matters into her own hands and rolled his sleeves up. What she saw made her heart sink—a deep gash marred with dried blood stretched from his elbow to his wrist, looking quite alarming.

Meeting Wen Nuan’s gaze, filled with concern and pain, Gu Qinghan smiled. “It’s just a small injury. Every soldier has a few scars; it’s nothing serious.”

Wen Nuan felt a pang in her heart. It was true that men in this era, especially the comrades in the compound, viewed their scars as badges of honor, proof of their toughness.

Yet, despite understanding the soldier’s mentality, she couldn’t shake off the discomfort she felt seeing the scars on Gu Qinghan’s body; it stirred an aching sensation within her.

Wen Nuan lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. “Don’t move; I’ll apply some for you now, and it’ll be better in no time.”

Since the ointment had a strong smell, Wen Nuan was careful not to get it on the blanket. Gu Qinghan obediently raised his arm, making it easier for her to apply the ointment.

He sat still on the bed, his dark eyes fixed on her with a calm intensity.

Wen Nuan applied the ointment gently. The cool touch of the cream made him feel a slight itch.

After treating one hand, Wen Nuan lifted her head to meet Gu Qinghan’s burning gaze. She asked, “Are there any other places that are hurt?”

Gu Qinghan paused for a moment, then shifted to the side, pulling up the olive-green military uniform. This revealed his well-defined, muscular abdomen. The sun-kissed skin glowed under the dim yellow light, radiating a strong masculine aura.

Suddenly, Wen Nuan recalled the conversation between Sister Guihua and Sister-in-law Juxiang during their hike up the mountain. Gu Qinghan’s physique, more striking than a male model’s, indeed gave off an impression of capability…

Gu Qinghan’s expression remained unchanged as he straightened his back and pointed to the scar on his side. “Here—”

Wen Nuan tightened her grip, squeezing a large dollop of milky ointment from the tube. She lowered her head and softly said, “Take your hand away; let me apply it here.”

As she spoke, she began to spread the ointment over the solid muscle. The sensation here was completely different from that on his arm, firm enough to make her hand hesitate.

Wen Nuan’s fingers, as white as fresh lotus root, gently smeared the bruises on his body. With every stroke, Gu Qinghan’s heart grew more restless. He had never known that a woman’s body could be so soft and smooth, as white as fresh snow. He raised his hand to hold Wen Nuan’s hand that was applying the ointment, careful not to squeeze too hard, afraid he might leave a mark.

“Alright, it’s not that serious here.” After saying this, he pulled his shirt down, and his sturdy muscles were hidden once again beneath his military uniform.

Wen Nuan felt a bit flushed and forcefully withdrew her hand, then searched the bed for the lid of the ointment.

“Where did it go? I clearly put it on the blanket.”

Gu Qinghan picked up the small white lid from the nightstand and handed it to her. “Here.”

After Wen Nuan put the ointment away, she went out to get some water and washed the ointment off her hands.

When she returned to the bed, the lights had just gone out. Wen Nuan said to Gu Qinghan, “Get some rest; good night.”

“Mm, sleep well.” Gu Qinghan tucked her in a bit more and then closed his eyes.

However, after a long wait, even after Wen Nuan’s breathing had settled, he still felt no drowsiness.

In the dim light, he gazed at the woman’s delicate profile and slowly pulled her into his arms.

—o—o—o—

After a clear day, the weather in Beicheng had turned gloomy again. The announcement from the family compound’s loudspeaker said that the first wave of strong cold air this year was about to arrive.

In a couple of days, it would be the Winter Solstice. People from the south often said that winter was more significant than the New Year for them; they celebrated the Winter Solstice instead of the minor New Year.

So, before the snow fell, Wen Nuan went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some pork, preparing to celebrate the festival properly.

Sure enough, the day before the Winter Solstice, it began to snow, and it was quite heavy.

Wen Nuan stood by the window, holding the child and watching the snow for a long time. If it weren’t for Gu Qinghan’s constant gaze, she would have definitely taken the child outside to play in the snow.

She simply could not believe that anyone from the south could resist the temptation of snow.

As it turned out, Gu Qinghan could.

Since the snowfall, Gu Qinghan had stoked the fire in the stove a bit more, afraid that Wen Nuan and the child might get cold.

On the day it snowed, he even especially woke her up to remind her not to take Lele outside because it was snowing heavily.

Wen Nuan, still groggy from sleep, mumbled a couple of “hmms” in response, then covered her head and drifted back to sleep, already immune to the military bugle that prepared to sound at six o’clock every morning.

After it snowed, there weren’t many people moving around the family compound; everyone preferred to huddle by the stove, with no thoughts of going outside.

However, this was also the busiest time for the military. They not only had to bring the aircraft back into the hangar but also assist the villagers outside in clearing the accumulated snow on the roads.

Even on the morning of the Winter Solstice, Gu Qinghan got up early and went out. He heard from Sister Guihua that he had gone to shovel snow.

As Gu Qinghan was leaving, Wen Nuan reminded him, “Make sure to invite Li Daxiang and those young men over for dinner tonight; it’s a holiday.”

Wen Nuan thought about how it was a festive occasion, and over the past few days, she had collected many mushrooms and wild vegetables while hiking in the mountains. She wanted to treat them to a meal that evening.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan nodded. “I don’t know if they’ll be free.”

Wen Nuan looked up at him and smiled. “It’s snowing heavily; what could they possibly have to do? Just call them over as soon as you finish shoveling the snow.”

Gu Qinghan responded with a simple “Mm,” then put on his military coat and left.

Before getting busy, Wen Nuan first fed the child and then planned to clean the ashes from the stove. However, Gu Qinghan had likely already taken care of it that morning, as the stove was spotless.