Chapter 29

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Gu Qinghan woke up early. There was no morning training scheduled for the flight team that day, so he didn’t need to get up so early.

The winter mornings in the north were still a bit dim inside the house. Gu Qinghan turned his face to look at Wen Nuan and the child, who were both sleeping inside. 

Wen Nuan lay slightly turned to the side, holding onto his arm, her breathing steady. The child was sound asleep, with small fists curled up beside her face. The child was dressed in several layers of clothing and covered with a thick quilt, which made her face look rosy from the warmth.

The quilt covering them had risen up significantly, and without needing to look, it was clear that the little one’s feet were resting on Wen Nuan’s waist.

Wen Nuan had told him several times that the child’s sleeping position was getting worse, and Gu Qinghan, who was a light sleeper, sometimes had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to fetch the child from the foot of the bed.

Gu Qinghan looked at the child’s adorable face. 

Wen Nuan had often joked that the child looked like a carbon copy of him, and Li Daxiang and others had said the same when they visited. 

However, Gu Qinghan felt that the child resembled Wen Nuan more, especially those big, sparkling, dark eyes, which shone just like hers. 

Moreover, the child’s little temper was quite similar to Wen Nuan’s. 

Sometimes, when things did not go her way, she would sulk and refuse to be held, turning her little face away and ignoring everyone.

Wen Nuan also had her own little temper, especially when taking traditional Chinese medicine. 

Several times, he had insisted on watching her finish the medicine, but when it was time to sleep, Wen Nuan would intentionally turn her body away towards Lele, presenting the back of her head to him.

But now, as she slept, the woman was still holding onto his arm, one foot stretching into the middle of his calf. Her long strands of hair covered her side face, looking a bit messy.

Gu Qinghan reached out and tucked the strands of hair that had fallen from her face behind her ear. 

Wen Nuan’s tightly shut eyes quivered slightly as if she felt a bit itchy. The hand that had been holding onto his arm also seemed to pull away.

Gu Qinghan decided to shift closer to her, hoping it would help her sleep more soundly. 

However, the woman turned on her side, wrapping her arms around the child and continuing to sleep.

—o—o—o—

When Wen Nuan woke up, Gu Qinghan was already out of bed. 

According to his biological clock, he had likely gotten up before dawn.

Seeing that the child was still asleep, Wen Nuan got up to wash her face. However, when she came out to the living room, she did not see Gu Qinghan. The stove had a few steamed buns warming up on it, and the snow in the yard had already been cleared away.

She glanced out the glass window. It was still early, and the outside weather appeared somewhat gloomy. It had been similar the day before, although it seemed gloomier in the morning. By noon, it was likely that the sun would come out.

Perhaps because it was New Year’s Eve, the people in the residential compound were also waking up earlier. She could already hear the voices of children playing outside.

Just after finishing her wash, Wen Nuan was planning to have some breakfast and then boil water to prepare a chicken. The pig’s stomach she had collected from the kitchen the day before was already cleaned and ready. After she killed the chicken, she needed to start preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner early.

Although they were from the South, they wanted to follow local customs. Last night, Wen Nuan had agreed with Gu Qinghan to make dumplings together in the afternoon. Thinking of all the tasks ahead, Wen Nuan felt she couldn’t afford to procrastinate and needed to start getting busy.

As she walked toward the kitchen, she heard the sound of Gu Qinghan returning. She saw him carrying two water buckets that had frozen solid and placing them in the yard.

Curious about the two buckets, Wen Nuan walked over and asked him, “Why did you bring back two buckets of ice?”

The outdoor environment in the northern city acted like a natural refrigerator. Anything left outside in the yard would freeze on its own, eliminating concerns about food spoiling.

Ever since the ideological education sessions had been held, no child in the residential compound dared to steal or pilfer anymore. Families simply left their meat out in the yard without needing to hide it away in the house.

Moreover, coal was still relatively scarce this year, and everyone wanted to save as much as possible for the chilly spring days ahead.

Who would bother bringing ice back into the house? That would just be a waste of coal.

“I just went to the commune and saw everyone making ice lanterns, so I brought back two,” Gu Qinghan said as he walked into the living room. He opened the cabinet and took out some tools, then moved a low stool into the yard, planning to start working.

Wen Nuan had noticed some families in the compound working on ice lanterns yesterday and had thought about telling Gu Qinghan when she got home. However, she had gone to bed early last night and forgotten all about it.

“That sounds good. Having a lantern at home would make the festival feel more festive. I saw some that were colorful; they looked really beautiful,” Wen Nuan replied as she took a steamed bun, tearing off a small piece and tossing it into her mouth. She also broke off a bit for him and offered it to his mouth.

Gu Qinghan had already eaten breakfast, but seeing his wife feeding him made him open his mouth to take the bun. “We probably won’t be able to make other colors,” he said.

Since Gu Qinghan had joined the army, he had spent every year celebrating the festival with his comrades. However, the festivities were rather crude for the men. In the past, they would typically watch a performance or a movie on New Year’s Eve, gathering in the dining hall or at the homes of those who had families, treating it as their celebration.

However, when Gu Qinghan had just seen his comrades at the commune making ice lanterns, he noticed that a group of young men in their teens and early twenties were all very excited. He could see their anticipation for the New Year reflected on their faces.

Thinking that this would be the first New Year they celebrated together in the northern city, he asked Erhu and the others for two ice buckets, planning to hang up a couple of ice lanterns at home.

He felt that Wen Nuan would surely like this.

Wen Nuan wasn’t too demanding; she thought the transparent ice lanterns looked as beautiful as they were. She smiled and said, “This is really pretty. Once you finish, we can light one and see how it looks.”

However, after a moment, Wen Nuan reconsidered, saying, “But since it’s daytime now, I guess we won’t see much of an effect. It’d be a waste of candles; we should wait until tonight to light it.”

“You can light it whenever you want,” Gu Qinghan replied, focused on the ice bucket, carefully inspecting whether the ice lanterns had taken shape inside.

After finishing her steamed bun, Wen Nuan decided to take advantage of Lele still being asleep to get some work done. She then asked, “By the way, is making this ice lantern difficult? Do you need any help? ”

Gu Qinghan didn’t look up and replied, “No need; it’ll be done soon. You should finish your breakfast first. I’ll kill the chicken after I’m done with this lantern.”

“Then I’ll just prepare the filling for the dumplings we’re making this afternoon. If you need any help, just call me,” Wen Nuan said, taking two steamed buns, one of which she stuffed into Gu Qinghan’s mouth.

Gu Qinghan quickly finished the ice lantern, and Wen Nuan noticed that the water she had put on the stove was already boiling. 

Since she hadn’t killed a chicken before, she was in charge of holding onto the chicken’s legs and wings, making sure it wouldn’t move around while Gu Qinghan cut its neck. They collected the chicken’s blood in a bowl, adding a pinch of salt. However, the blood congealed almost instantly due to the cold weather in the northern city.

After they had slaughtered the chicken, Gu Qinghan placed it directly into a wooden bucket and quickly removed its feathers using hot water with swift efficiency.

The plump, tender chicken was ready, and Wen Nuan had forgotten all her previous fears about killing the chicken. Now, all she felt was anticipation for the chicken meat.

Next, Wen Nuan began chopping the filling for the dumplings, while Gu Qinghan took charge of kneading the dough, ensuring it would rise. By the time Gu Qinghan returned in the afternoon, they would be ready to make dumplings.

—o—o—o—

As a company-level officer, Gu Qinghan had to go to Zhengwei’s office for a meeting. They would likely be discussing plans for the soldiers who would not be returning home for the New Year, as Gu Qinghan had seldom had the time to go home during the festival in the past.

He had heard from Zhao Wuzhu that when Gu Qinghan was in the G Province military, there were usually a lot of tasks during the New Year. 

However, this year was different; there were no arrangements, likely because the weather affected flight schedules in the northern city. The recent weather had been unpredictable, which allowed for a quieter New Year celebration this time.

Before leaving, Gu Qinghan took the time to sweep both the inside and outside of the house. Wen Nuan had mentioned that once the window decorations were up, they shouldn’t clean again until the second day of the New Year, as sweeping was considered to “sweep away wealth,” which had an unfortunate connotation. Though she knew that superstitions were not strictly observed anymore, she still subtly reminded him.

The furniture and windows had been cleaned when they moved to the northern city, and Wen Nuan had also wiped down the windows on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month, so the house was still relatively tidy.

“I’ll wait for you to come back before I put up the window decorations.”

Wen Nuan hadn’t started cutting them yet and planned to ask Sister Guihua for some advice first before starting.

Gu Qinghan grabbed his military coat and cap, nodding in agreement. “Sure, if it’s not convenient to bring Lele along, you can wait until I return to get things done.”

The little one was becoming quite sensible. When she saw Gu Qinghan wearing his coat and military cap, she immediately recognized that he was about to leave. 

She stretched out her little arms and began calling out to him, eager to join him outside for some fun.

Since today was New Year’s Eve, Wen Nuan had just washed the child and styled her hair into two little bunches, securing them with two red clips. The girl was also dressed in a festive red floral cotton jacket, which made her round face look even cuter.

Seeing that his daughter wanted to go with him, Gu Qinghan reached out and poked her cheek, saying, “Wait until Daddy is done with his work, then I’ll take you out to play.”

The little girl only grasped certain words, and when she heard the word “play,” she got excited as she stretched her arms toward Gu Qinghan, making it almost impossible for Wen Nuan to hold her.

Wen Nuan gently tapped the child’s bottom and said, “Your Daddy has work to do and can’t take you out to play right now. Later, I’ll take you to Sister Guihua’s place to cut the window decorations.”

With that, Wen Nuan waved goodbye to Gu Qinghan while holding Lele, then turned and headed back inside the living room.

Not long after Gu Qinghan left, Wen Nuan took some red paper and went to Sister Guihua’s house.

The door was answered by Wang Xiaoxia, Guihua’s mother-in-law. Wang Xiaoxia had seen Wen Nuan a few times, but they hadn’t really chatted.

Wen Nuan smiled at her, saying, “Auntie, I came to ask Sister Guihua about cutting window decorations. Is she home? ”

Wang Xiaoxia, seeing Wen Nuan holding Lele, was very cordial and replied with a smile, “Yes, she’s inside. We’re just about to cut window decorations as well. You can join us.”

Sister Guihua was sitting on the kang (a traditional heated bed) in her room. When she saw Wen Nuan enter, she got up to greet her. “Sister, you’re here! ” 

Noticing the little one in Wen Nuan’s arms, she was delighted. “Lele is here too! She looks so cute today. Is that a new cotton jacket? It’s so beautiful! ”

Lele also liked her Aunt Guihua very much. When she saw her reaching out to hold her, she quickly stretched out her hands for a hug.

Sister Guihua, cradling the hefty Lele, smiled as she remarked, “This little one is getting heavier! Just look at how well your mother takes care of you.”

Wang Xiaoxia, who was pouring tea, turned her head to glance at the chubby child and pursed her lips.

It was Wang Xiaoxia’s first time seeing such a plump and fair-skinned child. Lele resembled a pampered little girl from a landlord’s family, clearly well taken care of. It seemed wasteful for such a young child to be wearing a new cotton jacket.

Wang Xiaoxia kept her thoughts to herself and handed Wen Nuan a cup of tea. “Indeed, it’s obvious your daughter is well cared for. She must still be breastfeeding, right? ”

Since they were both women, Wen Nuan didn’t feel too awkward and nodded as she accepted the enamel cup. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Sister Guihua placed Lele on her kang so she could play by herself. The women then took out the red paper and started cutting.

Wen Nuan had never done this before; back in her previous life, she could buy window decorations and couplets for just a few dollars, so she always opted for ready-made products.

However, learning how to cut window decorations with Sister Guihua and Wang Xiaoxia was quite enjoyable. Even though Lele sometimes came over to cause a bit of trouble, giving her the scraps of paper kept the little one entertained and calm.

Wen Nuan had to stay alert, though, to prevent the little one from putting the red paper in her mouth.

Noticing Wen Nuan’s nervousness about the child, Wang Xiaoxia chuckled and asked, “Hey, have you thought about when do you plan to have another baby? Having one child can feel quite lonely; having a few more would make the home lively. Look at our house—during the New Year, it’s cold and quiet, and there’s hardly a sound. It feels awful. A home needs more people to be lively. It’s fun to have hustle and bustle in the house.”

When Wang Xiaoxia finished speaking, Sister Guihua’s expression immediately drooped. Wen Nuan guessed that Wang Xiaoxia must have said such sarcastic things to Sister Guihua more than once.

Wen Nuan paused her actions and then smiled: “I’m not considering it for now. The child is still so small, and I can’t take care of another one.”

Then Wen Nuan turned to Wang Xiaoxia and said, “Aunt, there are many military wives and aunts in our compound, and they all come from all over the country. If you like lively gatherings, you can actually go out and meet many comrades to chat with.”

Wang Xiaoxia, showing no interest, snorted and replied, “No matter how nice outsiders are to you, they are still outsiders. Your child isn’t small anymore. If you get pregnant now, by the time the next one is born, this one will be almost two years old. Listen to me, while you’re still young, hurry up and have a few more. Otherwise, when you get older and want another one, it will be difficult! ”

Seeing Sister Guihua’s head drooping lower, Wen Nuan understood that she was feeling upset. 

She looked at Wang Xiaoxia and replied, “Aunt, what you said isn’t quite right. Having children isn’t just one person’s business. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old; if one side has problems, it won’t work no matter what you do.”

Wang Xiaoxia felt uncomfortable with Wen Nuan’s words. 

The implications of what she said made it seem like there was something wrong with her son.

Wang Xiaoxia realized that it was the New Year and that she shouldn’t speak too harshly; she put down the scissors in her hand. “You all go ahead and cut. I’ll go check if the herbal medicine is ready.”

As Wang Xiaoxia left the living room, Wen Nuan reached out and patted Zhang Guihua’s hand, comforting her, “Sister Guihua, don’t listen to whatever your mother-in-law says. If there are any problems, we’ll just solve them. Today is New Year’s Eve; let’s be a little happier! ”

Sister Guihua turned her face away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, muttering, “You don’t know. Ever since Old Zhou’s mother came to the compound, she’s made me all kinds of strange soups and herbal medicines. I’ve vomited a few times from them, yet she still forces me to drink them. That’s not all; she talks with such sharp words, implying that I’m just an old hen that can’t lay eggs!”

Sister Guihua cursed, “If it gets any worse, I’ll just pack up and go back to my parent’s home! I can’t take this anymore! ”

Wen Nuan tried to soothe Sister Guihua for a while. 

However, she also wondered if they could get Doctor Li to help with Gu Qinghan’s situation. At that moment, it was hard to give her a definitive answer. She comforted, “It’s okay; it might just take a bit of fate. Don’t let your mother-in-law make desperate decisions. You need to refuse any medicine that isn’t suitable for you. Don’t end up making yourself weaker because your body isn’t well taken care of.”

Since Wang Xiaoxia arrived just a few days ago, Sister Guihua’s demeanor had noticeably declined, and she appeared quite haggard.

It was truly hard for Sister Guihua.

Sister Guihua nodded, saying, “Yeah, I understand.”

Then she got up and ran to the dresser in the room, pulling out several types of dried seafood, including dried abalone, dried squid, dried shrimp, and kelp.

She then stuffed them into Wen Nuan’s hands, saying, “These are some specialties my mother-in-law brought from our hometown. You cook so well; take them back and experiment to see how to prepare them. I’ve been tired of eating them since I was a child, and these past few days I haven’t had much of an appetite, especially for these fishy things.”

Wen Nuan accepted the dried seafood that Sister Guihua had packed in a bag and nodded repeatedly. “Thank you, Sister Guihua.”

“We don’t need to thank each other for anything. If you like them, I can ask Big Brother and Second Brother to send more over,” Sister Guihua said to Wen Nuan. After talking for a while, her mood finally improved a bit.

However, after seeing Wen Nuan and Lele off, the thought of being alone with her mother-in-law again caused her mood to plummet once more.

Wang Xiaoxia watched Wen Nuan’s departing figure, pursing her lips as she muttered, “What a pity to have given birth to a girl. If that chubby girl could help you and Jianneng put some pressure on the bed, maybe you’d be able to conceive a chubby boy soon.”

After hearing this, Sister Guihua frowned, and the grievances she had felt over the past few days erupted uncontrollably. “What’s wrong with you? You’re a woman too; how can you look down on girls? ”

Wang Xiaoxia was momentarily at a loss for words after being confronted, then sheepishly explained, “I didn’t say anything bad about her.”

However, Zhang Guihua knew that she favored boys over girls and couldn’t help but intimidate her, saying, “And Mom, that comment you just made is feudal superstition. You better not say things like that outside the compound, or be careful not to get caught by the security office. When that happens, even Old Zhou won’t be able to protect you.”

Upon hearing about the security office, Wang Xiaoxia became frightened and began glancing out the window repeatedly, unable to help but mutter, “This is why I don’t like coming to the compound anymore; there are so many rules, it scares me! Let’s not talk about it.

Seeing Wang Xiaoxia so frightened that she couldn’t regain her composure for a long time brought some comfort to Zhang Guihua.

However, smelling the herbal medicine still simmering in the house made her want to escape. She wondered when this life would come to an end.

—o—o—o—

After returning home, Wen Nuan soaked a few dried abalone, planning to add them to the pig’s stomach and chicken soup she was about to make, hoping it would enhance the richness of the broth.

Not long after, Gu Qinghan returned, carrying two couplets. “These are the couplets that Li Zhengwei wrote for us. Let’s put them up together later,” he said.

Wen Nuan looked at the two couplets; they were printed on red paper with black ink in a beautiful cursive script. It seemed that Zhengwei was someone who liked to read and had nice handwriting.

Wen Nuan glanced outside into the yard and said, “We’ll put the shorter one at the entrance, and the longer one here on the front door.”

Gu Qinghan looked at the couplet in his hands and nodded. “Alright, as you say. Should we put them up now? ”

When the little one saw the brightly colored items, she wanted to reach out and grab them. However, Wen Nuan had just placed her on her back to make it easier to work.

The child had been a bit drowsy, but now hearing Gu Qinghan’s voice, she was energized and could have played for a few more hours.

The couplets were made of thin paper, and when Gu Qinghan saw the little one reaching out, he said, “Don’t grab them; you can help us put them up later.”

Wen Nuan found some paste, applied a thick layer on the back of the couplets, and handed them to Gu Qinghan.

Being tall, Gu Qinghan didn’t need a stool and easily put the couplets up.

After they were up, he took Lele’s small hand and pressed it against the couplets, making sure to secure the corners tightly.

The little one’s hand touched the red paper, so she didn’t know it would leave a mark, but after Gu Qinghan pressed it down, she was so happy that she almost jumped up.

Once the two couplets were up, Wen Nuan took out the paper cuttings she had made at Sister Guihua’s house. After applying some paste, she handed them to Gu Qinghan.

Seeing the paper cuttings that Wen Nuan had handed over, he curiously asked, “Did you learn this from Sister Guihua? ”

“How did you know? ”Wen Nuan replied, surprised that he had guessed, as she hadn’t mentioned visiting Sister Guihua.

Gu Qinghan pointed to the abalone soaking in the kitchen. “Those should also be from Sister Guihua, right? ”

“Yeah, and there is some dried shrimp, dried squid, and so on. She gave us a huge bag,” Wen Nuan replied. Just then, Sister Juxiang also walked over.

Seeing Wen Nuan and her husband put up couplets, Deng Juxiang smiled and said, “Your Vice Captain Gu actually helps out a bit! My Old Zhao just knows how to eat!”

Then, Deng Juxiang handed over something she was holding to Wen Nuan. “By the way, Xiao Nuan and Old Zhao brought back a portion of pig intestines. My kids despised them as soon as he brought them home. I thought of your great cooking skills, so I brought it over for you.”

Wen Nuan had been worried about not getting any pork intestines, so she was pleasantly surprised to hear this. “Thank you, sister-in-law! ”She said eagerly.

Sister Juxiang laughed, “As long as you don’t mind, there’s no need for thanks! ”

After Sister Juxiang left, Wen Nuan turned to Gu Qinghan and said, “Once we finish making the chicken soup, we should send some over to Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang. It wouldn’t be right to just take their things without giving anything in return.”

Gu Qinghan nodded. “Mhm, good, you decide.”

—o—o—o—

Lucia: I really feel bad for Sister Guihua; she doesn’t deserve that treatment!