Chapter 25.1

Wen Nuan had thought that Gu Qinghan would return to Northern City only after the blizzard passed, but unexpectedly, he managed to come back before the storm hit.

Unsure of how many days the man would be gone, Wen Nuan made it a habit to tightly close all the doors and windows every night. The door outside the yard was only half the height of a person, so it didn’t really keep anything out. Thus, the yard gate didn’t have a lock, but she secured the entrance door with a bolt and even propped it shut with two chairs.

In reality, the staff quarters were relatively safe. However, Wen Nuan feared that someone might steal from them.

Even though her safety was not in immediate danger, the sudden sounds at night would often scare her to the point of breaking into a cold sweat.

Therefore, for her peace of mind, she took precautionary measures.

At that moment, upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s familiar voice, Wen Nuan immediately pulled on the light cord beside the door, and the moderately sized living room was instantly lit up.

Holding Lele in one arm, Wen Nuan used her other hand to push aside the chairs blocking the door, then reached for the bolt, which made a sharp “squeak” sound as it came free.

Gu Qinghan heard the noise from inside the house and quickly reminded her, “Just lift the bolt and don’t come out; it’s very windy outside.”

His deep voice was laced with palpable tension.

Although Gu Qinghan’s voice was nearly drowned out by the howling wind, Wen Nuan still opened the door.

As the door swung open, she saw the tall figure of the man standing at the entrance, instantly blocking out the darkness and the sound of the wind outside.

Without hesitation, Gu Qinghan took in the sight of Wen Nuan and the child, whom he hadn’t seen for several days.

Though he wanted to embrace them, he chose to step inside first, then close the door behind him and secure the bolt.

As soon as he stepped inside, a wave of warmth enveloped him, making the outside cold seem like a different world altogether.

For the first time, Gu Qinghan felt that having Wen Nuan at home was irreplaceable by anything else.

In an instant, his heart is at peace.

The soft yellow light in the living room illuminated the man’s sculpted face, making him appear even more handsome. Perhaps it was because the winter sun was not as fierce, or maybe it was just that he hadn’t seen her in days, but Wen Nuan felt that he seemed a little paler, his features even more pronounced and three-dimensional.

Suddenly, Wen Nuan’s nose tinged with a bit of sadness; she realized how much she had truly missed him.

Before Wen Nuan and the child could fully react, he had already tossed aside what he was holding, then opened his military coat wide, directly wrapping both of them—whom he had missed for days—into his embrace.

He then tightened his embrace gradually.

Wen Nuan and the child both lifted their heads from the man’s embrace—their big, dark eyes shimmering with delight as they smiled up at him.

Meeting the gazes of his woman and child, Gu Qinghan slowly lowered his head and gently kissed Wen Nuan on the forehead, then nuzzled against the child’s cheek.

Gu Qinghan said with furrowed brows: “Didn’t I tell you not to open the door? It’s very windy outside.”

His peripheral vision caught sight of the two chairs behind the door, causing his heart to tighten even more.

Feeling the warmth of Gu Qinghan’s embrace, Wen Nuan smiled brightly and said, “I missed you so much; I couldn’t wait to see you.”

Then, with a sunny smile, she asked, “Did you miss me?”

In just a few seconds, Wen Nuan had gone from fear to anticipation; thankfully, Gu Qinghan had returned.

The moment she heard his voice, Wen Nuan truly felt as if she could die for this man.

She finally understood how blissful it was to have Gu Qinghan by her side.

During the many nights she had spent in Northern City, as long as Gu Qinghan was around, Wen Nuan would almost always sleep soundly until dawn.

However, ever since Gu Qinghan had gone on a mission, Wen Nuan had not experienced a single peaceful night’s sleep. Sometimes, even when Lele had fallen asleep, she would need to take a long time to feel drowsy.

As Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s sparkling eyes, an unfamiliar warmth filled his chest.

His body stiffened for a moment, and after taking a deep breath, he murmured, “I missed you too. Every single moment.”

Wen Nuan pressed her head against his chest, listening to the powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.

She reached out to wrap her arms around his strong waist. “It’s good that you’re back. Are you cold? The strong wind started blowing this evening; it felt like our roof might be torn off. Did it snow heavily on your way back?”

Feeling her arms encircle him and hearing her string of concerned questions, Gu Qinghan suddenly experienced a happiness that stemmed from being valued.

A slight smile curved his lips as he softly replied, “I’m not cold. It was indeed very windy, but it hasn’t snowed yet; it will probably start later tonight.”

“That’s good.” Wen Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say something else, the little one, whose face had been squished into a little bun, let out a shout: “Ah!” repeatedly, as if she was protesting for being ignored by the two.

They both realized that the little one had been squeezed into a gap, causing her face to distort. They quickly created some space to check if she was okay.

However, upon recognizing Gu Qinghan, the little one stopped sulking and stretched out her arms, wanting Gu Qinghan to pick her up.

Gu Qinghan had intended to hold her as well, but she first went to wash his hands and remove his military coat before reaching over to take the little one from Wen Nuan’s arms.

As soon as the little one arrived in Gu Qinghan’s broad embrace, she immediately stretched out her small arms, resting them on his shoulder, and reached out to grab his face.

“Ha ha…” Lele who was being held, laughed joyfully, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons as she increased the strength of her grip.

The little one likely hadn’t yet learned to control her strength. After grabbing hold, she left two scratches on Gu Qinghan’s face, which stung slightly.

Gu Qinghan caught the little one’s hand and examined it. Sure enough, the nails had grown long again; he had just trimmed them before leaving, and now they were sharp and pointed once more.

Wen Nuan noticed the marks on Gu Qinghan’s face and quietly said, “I was planning to trim her nails tomorrow. It’s too dark at night, and I’m afraid I might cut her.”

“It’s fine; I’ll help Lele trim them tomorrow,” Gu Qinghan replied, holding the little one’s chubby fingers and rubbing them against his cheek.

Seeing him like this, Wen Nuan knew he must have missed their daughter too.

While Gu Qinghan played happily with Lele, she went back to the room to fetch an enamel basin and filled it with water.

“Let’s wash up first; otherwise, it will be time to turn off the lights soon,” she said, placing Gu Qinghan’s towel next to the basin. She checked the water temperature and found it warm enough.

Knowing that Wen Nuan was very particular about cleanliness, Gu Qinghan placed the little one on the cart’s bed before grabbing the towel from the basin to wash his face.

Wen Nuan’s hands and feet were somewhat cold, and she usually preferred to wash her face and feet with hotter water.

In the past, Gu Qinghan had been a bit unaccustomed to this, but now, having just returned from outside, he found the temperature quite comfortable.

Seeing him wash his face and then use the damp towel to wipe his hair, Wen Nuan noticed that Gu Qinghan’s hair had grown longer, making him look less stern than when he had his buzz cut.

“Why don’t you change out of your base layers? I’ll help you wash them,” she suggested.

Before the snow had started, Gu Qinghan had showered outside in the yard while still wearing his clothes—changing every day.

However, this time, he seemed to have rushed out on his mission and likely only brought one set of clean clothes, which he should change out of.

Gu Qinghan had initially planned to wipe himself down after Wen Nuan and the little one had gone to bed, but now that she had found his clean clothes, he reconsidered.

She then said, “It’ll be warmer by the stove. I’ve been changing Lele’s diaper there. You can just change here in a bit.”

“Alright,” Gu Qinghan replied, casually shedding his outer sweater, leaving him in a gray shirt.

The shirt highlighted his muscular physique, showcasing his well-defined abs, broad and strong shoulders, and long arms.

Wen Nuan kept her gaze fixed on the man in front of her, making sure to position herself to block the little one’s view, just in case.

When she noticed Gu Qinghan hesitating in his movements, she urged him, “Hurry up and change; otherwise, you might catch a cold.”

Although there was a stove, the lid needed to be removed to reveal the blazing coal underneath to truly feel the warmth. Otherwise, changing clothes would still be chilly.

Gu Qinghan was well aware that Wen Nuan had been watching him, and he felt a bit self-conscious. Nevertheless, he turned his back to her and quickly stripped off his clothes, revealing his strong back.

Wen Nuan turned the child in the opposite direction, ensuring she wouldn’t see anything, and then quickly walked over to Gu Qinghan’s side to check for any injuries.

His muscles were lean and well-defined, and his skin had a beautiful tone—not too dark, nor overly pale, but a healthy, masculine tan.

Noticing her coming closer, Gu Qinghan glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I just want to see if you’re hurt anywhere. I heard from Sister Guihua that every time Captain Zhou goes on a mission, he comes back with a few injuries. If you’re hurt, I can help you treat it.”

Sister Guihua had mentioned that whenever her husband, Zhou Jianshe, returned from a mission, he always had a few injuries. Major injuries would be treated at the military hospital, while minor ones he would handle himself.

Guihua was quite experienced in treating wounds by now.

So, when Gu Qinghan had gone on this mission, Wen Nuan had been anxious for several days. Now that he was finally back, she wanted to check on him.

After all, this guy had a tendency to be stubborn. Last time, after he took her to the clinic to see a doctor, he had gone up the mountain to look for wild ginseng and fell without mentioning a word about it.

If it hadn’t been for her later inquiry with Li Daxiang, she would have had no idea how he had gotten injured.

Wen Nuan inspected him from front to back.

Aside from the scars from his fall while searching for wild ginseng, she was relieved not to find any other injuries.

The bruise on his side had turned a bit greenish, it only meant that it would heal soon.

The scars on Gu Qinghan’s arms had also scabbed over, leaving behind a long, faint white mark.

At first, Gu Qinghan felt a bit awkward, but realizing that Wen Nuan was genuinely worried about him warmed his heart—making him feel less cold.

Once Wen Nuan had finished checking his upper body, she urged him to put his clothes back on quickly to avoid catching a cold.

“Now hurry up and change your pants, too,” she added.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan frowned slightly. “Do you need to check down there too?”

“Who’s checking down there…” Wen Nuan retorted, not wanting to talk with him.

She turned and walked back to pick up Lele, who had been banging against the wall in the cart, and then returned to the room.

Gu Qinghan took a while to tidy himself up before finally entering the room, now dressed in fresh clothes. He likely had also wiped himself down, looking much more refreshed.

Lele, sensing that Gu Qinghan was back, had been crawling around on the bed, trying several times to climb down. Fortunately, Wen Nuan had stopped her, or he would have surely fallen.

As soon as Gu Qinghan entered the room, the little one crawled even faster, causing the bed to thump with her movements.

Wen Nuan quickly picked her up and poked her little nose playfully. “Alright, you’re going to break the bed. Slow down when you crawl.”

With Wen Nuan holding her around the waist, Lele’s little body was half dangling off the bed, her feet near the wall.

Upon seeing Gu Qinghan, her eyes lit up, and she began to kick and wave her arms, reaching out for a hug.

“Look at this… Let me hold Lele for a moment.” After speaking, Gu Qinghan then placed a cloth bag on the bedside table before reaching out to pick up Lele.

Lele hadn’t played “airplane rides” in days, and Gu Qinghan knew she loved that game.

So instead of hurrying onto the bed, he held her at the edge and pretended to fly her around, making her giggle so much that drool dripped onto the floor.

When Wen Nuan heard Gu Qinghan’s voice, she glanced over and saw him playing with the child. She decided to reach for the cloth bag on the bedside table herself.

“What good things did you bring? Something to eat?”

That day, in a sleepy haze, Wen Nuan remembered whining for Gu Qinghan to bring her snacks and toys for the child.

Now that she thought about it, she felt a bit thoughtless; after all, Gu Qinghan was on a mission, not on a trip.

But now that he was safely home, Wen Nuan felt less anxious. She opened the bag, which wasn’t very large but felt somewhat heavy. What could it be?

She pulled out a piece of jade from the bag, its color a creamy white that glimmered faintly with a hint of blue under the light, and it had several yellowish streaks running through it. The texture was smooth and moist to the touch, and Wen Nuan knew immediately that this was mutton fat jade. ^[1]“Mutton fat jade” is a highly prized form of nephrite jade. It is renowned for its creamy, pure white appearance with a lustrous, oily texture, resembling the fat of a sheep.

She weighed it in her hand. Oh my, it must weigh at least a catty!

It was known that high-quality Hetian jade could cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per gram, and even those of slightly lesser quality would be worth several thousand.

Such a large piece of mutton fat jade, how much could it be worth?

Looking at it this way, Gu Qinghan must have gone to the frontier this time. If only he had let her know earlier! If he had brought back a few more pieces, how great would that have been!

Then she would make a fortune!

The man playing with the child glanced at her, thinking her silence meant she did not like it. He then explained blandly, “Although this stone looks unremarkable, the comrades from the frontier said that wearing this stone is good for the body. I’ll help you polish it, and you can wear it around your neck.”

Wen Nuan felt like she was going to cry out loud. Such an unremarkable stone; she could take a hundred of them!

She hugged the “plain and ordinary” mutton fat jade to her chest and quickly said, “No need!”

Then she slowly explained, “Since it’s so good, I can just hold it while I sleep. It would be a pity to polish it! The big stone will become a small stone!”

The shards that would be polished away were money!

She definitely could not let Gu Qinghan take it to be polished; she needed to keep it well stored, waiting for the right opportunity to come, and then she could sell it for money!

Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow and then said: “There’s more inside.”

Wen Nuan’s heart raced with excitement. She planned to cuddle the mutton fat jade to sleep tonight. When she heard the man say there was more, she reached into the cloth bag and pulled out a rattle drum.

Another rattle drum, but this one had a bit more ethnic flair.

The colors and patterns were extremely bright and rich.

Gu Qinghan smiled and said, “I saw that Lele liked to play with it, so when I saw it for sale over there, I bought another one.”

Wen Nuan felt a bit at a loss for words. She remembered that before her grandmother passed away, she had mentioned liking sweet and sour ribs, and her grandmother had made them for her every day for an entire week.

Though delicious, eating too much would eventually become tiresome.

Wen Nuan guessed that the little one would probably only play with it for two days, but after all, this was Gu Qinghan’s first gift to them, so she had to commend him to keep his enthusiasm up.

“It’s so cute! It’s much better looking than the one Li Daxiang bought. Lele will definitely love it.”

The man chuckled lightly and then looked at the child, who had actually fallen asleep while playing.

“Lele is asleep. Can you tidy up her spot? I’ll put her back in bed,” Gu Qinghan said as he slowly walked back to the bed with the child in his arms.

The bed was a bit messy; the little one had crawled all over and had tangled up the blankets in a chaotic way.

“She only slept for a little while today because the wind suddenly picked up and woke her up,” Wen Nuan said while straightening the two blankets on the bed.

She had originally planned to go to bed early that night, but who would have thought that the little one would be so tired and fall asleep while playing?

Seeing that Wen Nuan had tidied up, Gu Qinghan carefully placed the child in the innermost part of the bed. The child shivered slightly at the moment she was laid down.

Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan exchanged a glance, both fearful that the little one would wake up again, which would be difficult to soothe.

However, the child only struggled a bit, then sucked on her chubby little lips, without waking up.

Wen Nuan lightened her movements, tucked the blanket around Lele, and then yawned. “You’ve been busy for several days; let’s go to bed early.”

Today, Sister Guihua and Sister-in-law Juxiang had come over and stayed for a long time. She hadn’t taken a nap, and now she was feeling quite sleepy.

Gu Qinghan watched as Wen Nuan indeed hugged that piece of jade to her chest, and then he lay down on the bed, feeling pleased that he had chosen such a nice gift.

Wen Nuan had purposely saved a spot for him. The temperature had dropped tonight, and it was just perfect for Gu Qinghan to come home and warm the bed for her; it was truly wonderful.

But as soon as Gu Qinghan lay down, the bed inevitably creaked with a “squeak.”

However, Wen Nuan was already used to it. When Gu Qinghan settled down, she scooted a bit toward the child to give him more space.

Gu Qinghan chuckled softly. “Why are you sleeping so far in?”

After saying that, he reached out to embrace her.

His warm palm slowly caressed her face, and when his fingers brushed against her soft lips, he leaned down and kissed her.

Suddenly, Gu Qinghan’s hand reached toward Wen Nuan’s, and she felt that his hand was very warm, thick, strong, and powerful, firmly holding her hand so that she couldn’t move at all.

Gu Qinghan had never experienced such excitement before. The intensity of this moment felt like the wild wind outside, and that kiss grew heavier and heavier.

He finally turned and pressed down on her. The hand that had held Wen Nuan pulled at her clothes, brushing against her smooth, tender skin.

However, the bed was indeed not very sturdy; every movement would inevitably produce strange creaking sounds.

Wen Nuan heard that harsh noise and pushed against his shoulder, her face reddening like an apple. “What if Lele wakes up?”

Moreover, their courtyard was a row house. Thinking of the poor soundproofing in the old family compound, Wen Nuan was deeply worried that Sister Guihua next door would also hear them.

Gu Qinghan’s breathing grew a bit heavy as he propped himself up on one side, gazing at Wen Nuan’s flushed cherry lips, and said: “Your feet aren’t as cold as before.”

Wen Nuan moved her little feet beneath the blanket, placing them on Gu Qinghan’s calf. It seemed that they weren’t as cold as before.

Even though Gu Qinghan had not been around these past few nights, it seemed that her feet were no longer freezing when she woke up in the morning.

Then, Wen Nuan obediently said, “I’ve been drinking that Chinese medicine every day; I’ve been doing it for quite a while now, so I’ll definitely get better slowly.”

Her expression seemed to be waiting for praise.

Gu Qinghan appeared to be waiting for her to fall into the trap—suddenly burying his face in her neck, rubbing his nose against her skin. “Is that enough?”

Wen Nuan felt her head spin from his scorching body heat. She slightly turned her head to look at him, frowning. “Do you want another child so soon?”

Lele was still so small. If she had another one, how would she manage to take care of them both?

As Wen Nuan was trying to figure out how to persuade Gu Qinghan to hold off on having a second child for now, she suddenly felt the man stiffen, lifting his head to look down at her.

He furrowed his handsome brow and said, “When did I say I wanted a child?”

“I want you.”

Wen Nuan met the man’s burning gaze, she bit her lip as her face grew even hotter. But thinking about the bed…

Wen Nuan bit her lip and leaned closer to Gu Qinghan’s ear to whisper something.

The man frowned slightly, and before Wen Nuan could react, he directly lifted her up and carried her out of the room.

As soon as he opened the door to the neighboring room, a gust of wind blew in through the cracked window, making both of them feel quite awake.

Moreover, the bed in that room was just a wooden frame without any bedding.

Wen Nuan wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, a bit disappointed as she said, “How about we wait until next time?”

“…”

—o—o—o—