Chapter 30.2

When Gu Qinghan returned home, he could already smell the delicious aroma wafting from outside before he even entered. 

As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Wen Nuan stir-frying a pot of spicy and fragrant pig intestines. The enticing smell had drawn quite a few children from the neighborhood to peek into their yard. 

Noticing that Gu Qinghan had brought back some things, Wen Nuan asked him who had given them to him. 

As expected, Sister Juxiang had sent over some sweet and sour pork and frozen pears. After plating the dry pot intestines, Wen Nuan asked, “Can we set off firecrackers in the residential area? ” 

It was only around four o’clock, and since the residential area had comrades from all over, people’s customs varied; some had their meals early while others stuck to their usual dinner times. However, Wen Nuan hadn’t heard anyone setting off firecrackers yet. 

Gu Qinghan walked over to help carry the dishes and noticed that Wen Nuan had taken off her cotton-padded jacket, probably because it was hot from cooking. 

His heart sank a little as he said, “At five o’clock, they’ll set off some from the supply office, but we won’t be doing it here. There might be some fireworks at midnight this year, but probably not many.” 

Wen Nuan understood and smiled, “Alright, then you take this dish out and wash your hands to get the rice. I’ll stir-fry some vegetables, and we can eat soon.” 

Stir-frying the vegetables was quick. By the time Wen Nuan brought the last dish of vegetables into the living room, Gu Qinghan had just taken Lele off his back. 

The little one had just woken up and was still a bit irritable. Gu Qinghan initially wanted to wash her hands, but Lele reached out her arms toward Wen Nuan—wanting to be held. 

Thinking that Wen Nuan had been busy all afternoon, Gu Qinghan wanted to help soothe the child. 

However, Wen Nuan smiled and took the child into her arms, saying, “It’s fine; I’m not tired. You help me get a pair of chopsticks. I’ll give Lele some chicken to eat.”

As soon as the little one was in Wen Nuan’s arms, she immediately wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her small head on her shoulder and yawning, clearly still half asleep. 

Wen Nuan leaned down and kissed her forehead, then took the chopsticks that Gu Qinghan handed her and picked up a piece of tender, stewed chicken, bringing it to the little one’s mouth. 

Initially, the little one seemed a bit drowsy, but once her tiny nose caught the aroma of the meat, she perked up a little, opening her mouth wide to bite down with her small teeth. 

Seeing that the child was no longer fussing, Gu Qinghan turned back to the kitchen to get an extra bowl for Wen Nuan, filling it with chicken soup before placing it beside her. 

“This soup is still hot; you should wait a bit before drinking it,” Gu Qinghan said as he set down the soup and returned to his seat. 

Since it was still early, Wen Nuan took her time with the New Year’s Eve dinner, not rushing at all; after all, the Spring Festival Gala wouldn’t start until seven o’clock. 

Gu Qinghan had prepared a chair about the same height as the dining table. Yesterday, Lele had sat there to be fed, but today she seemed a bit out of sorts, as she spent the entire meal wanting to be held by Wen Nuan. 

Halfway through the meal, Gu Qinghan suddenly remarked, “This pig intestine is really delicious. Is there more? ” 

Wen Nuan smiled and glanced toward the kitchen, saying, “There’s still a pot of marinated intestines left; let’s save it for tomorrow.” 

“Okay,” Gu Qinghan replied, serving Wen Nuan a piece of chicken wing and some braised spare ribs while he focused on finishing the dry pot intestines, nearly polishing off the entire plate. 

The little one didn’t have a big appetite, but she managed to eat quite a bit of shredded chicken and drank about half a bowl of chicken soup, although she didn’t eat much rice.

—o—o—o—

After dinner, it was almost six o’clock when Sister Guihua walked over. “Xiao Nuan, have you finished eating? Let’s go to the auditorium together to watch the performance later.”

“Sure, we just need to wash the dishes,” Wen Nuan said, holding the child as she walked to the door.

Sister Guihua playfully teased Lele before saying, “No rush! By the way, I brought some sunflower seeds. Let’s sit together later and snack on them.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan thought to herself that she should have eaten less during the New Year’s Eve dinner. She had just finished two bowls of chicken soup and quite a bit of braised pork ribs, and now she really needed a walk to help her digest.

However, as she left, Wen Nuan grabbed a handful of raisins and pistachios to share with the child.

As they stepped outside, Lele was once again a lively little creature, insisting on being carried by Gu Qinghan.

Wen Nuan worried that the child hadn’t taken a long nap that afternoon, so she brought along a carrier and a blanket just in case. If Lele fell asleep after the performance, she could carry her home comfortably.

Thinking it might get chilly at night, Wen Nuan put a knitted hat on the child, but Lele seemed unaccustomed to wearing hats. As soon as it was on, she immediately reached up and pulled it off, leaving her hair a bit messy.

Anticipating that there might be a breeze later, Wen Nuan tried a few more times to put the hat back on. Eventually, the little one relented and stopped pulling off the hat.

Wen Nuan carried a small stool while walking ahead with Sister Guihua. Gu Qinghan followed behind, holding the child along with Captain Zhou. The two men seemed almost mute; they occasionally exchanged a few words about military matters but mostly remained silent, trailing behind the two women who were happily chatting away.

Halfway there, Gu Qinghan handed the child’s knitted hat back to Wen Nuan. “She pulled it off again. You hold onto it for now; it’s not cold yet. We can put it on her when we head back home.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but pat the little one’s bottom. “You’re being nasty again. You’ll know it’s a mistake if you catch a chill later.”

The little one didn’t pay her much mind, giggling away, thinking that Wen Nuan was going to put the hat on her again. She kept leaning her small head onto Gu Qinghan’s shoulder, refusing to wear it.

Wen Nuan had thought they had set out early enough, but when they arrived at the auditorium, the crowd was so thick that it could barely be described as flowing. Considering that many more people were still coming, Wen Nuan and Sister Guihua decided to move forward. Even if they couldn’t find a place to sit, they had brought a small stool and could squeeze in somewhere.

However, as they pushed their way to the front, they ran into Li Daxiang and Erhu.

Li Daxiang waved at them, raising his voice, “Vice Captain Gu, Sister-in-law, Lele, there are seats here! ”

Wen Nuan reminded Gu Qinghan and then pulled Sister Guihua towards Li Daxiang. “Daxiang, Erhu, why are you two here so early? ”

The two young men scratched the back of their heads, looking a bit shy, and chuckled, “We came early since we have to perform on stage later. We saved these spots for you.”

“Thank you so much! We were worried there wouldn’t be enough seats and even brought the small stool along,” Wen Nuan said. 

She noticed that Li Daxiang and Erhu had saved two spots for them, just enough since Gu Qinghan and Captain Zhou were both of considerable rank and would need to sit in the front during the performance.

Then Wen Nuan added, “Make sure to perform well! I’m looking forward to your performance. Good luck! ”

Wen Nuan knew that Gu Qinghan’s squadron had a performance; otherwise, he likely wouldn’t have come to join in the festivities. However, she hadn’t expected that it would be Li Daxiang and Erhu going up on stage.

Li Daxiang and Erhu nodded in unison. “Thank you, sister-in-law. We’ll make sure to do our best.”

—o—o—o—

On the other side, Liu Meili and Li Qiuyan had arrived ten minutes earlier, bringing several of their own children, and were struggling to find a place to sit.

To their surprise, Wen Nuan, who arrived later than them, had already secured seats.

This made them feel extremely disturbed. 

Seeing that the soldiers from the 76th Regiment had helped to save spots only added to their sour mood.

Why didn’t their men let the regiment’s soldiers save a seat for them?

It was infuriating.

He Dazhuang had initially not wanted to come to the performance at all, but Li Qiuyan insisted on dragging him along. Now, watching Gu Qinghan, who was carrying a little girl in his arms, and Wen Nuan by his side, he suddenly remembered the times from a few years ago when they celebrated the New Year at the military base in G Province.

Back then, Gu Qinghan wasn’t married yet and would buy milk candies for them—he treated them like family.

But now, Gu Qinghan didn’t even glance in their direction.

Beside He Dazhuang, He Xiaofei tugged at his arm and asked, “Brother, do you think we should go and pay New Year’s greetings to Uncle Gu tomorrow? His red envelopes were quite generous when we were at the Southern Army.”

He Dazhuang’s face darkened as he shook off He Xiaofei’s hand. “If you want to go, you go by yourself. I’m not going! ”

“Why not? ”He Xiaofei was young and only remembered Gu Qinghan as a very nice person.

He Dazhuang curled his lips and scoffed softly. “Do you think Uncle Gu is still the same Uncle Gu as before? Didn’t you see that woman beside him? ”

Just as He Xiaofei turned to look at Wen Nuan, a little confused, He Dazhuang lowered his voice and leaned closer to He Xiaofei’s ear. “Last time, after Li Daxiang dragged us out of the birch forest, I happened to see Li Daxiang talking to Uncle Gu and that woman. Whatever they were discussing, it definitely wasn’t good.”

He Dazhuang continued, “I suspect that it was too coincidental for Li Daxiang to find us. That woman must have reported us since her house has a clear view of the little path leading into the birch forest.”

He Xiaofei already had some psychological trauma from the last incident with the pork. Not only did his mother beat him nearly to death, but Zhengwei had also given them two weeks of lectures, leaving a deep impression on him.

He Xiaofei didn’t dare to pull any sneakier tricks after that. Now, hearing He Dazhuang speak about it made his eyes flicker for a moment, and he quickly said, “Brother, we were indeed wrong about that. Don’t bring it up again. If Mom hears us, she beat us again.”

Dazhuang shot him a glance but didn’t say anything; he simply rolled up his sleeve. “Forget it; I don’t want to watch the performance. I’m going to go ice skating with Daniu.

—o—o—o—

Wen Nuan and Sister Guihua sat down in the reserved seats, and the two awkward men finally had no need to rack their brains for topics and went to the front to hold a small meeting with their comrades.

Wen Nuan held Lele and asked Sister Guihua, “Where is your mother-in-law? Isn’t she coming along? ”

Sister Guihua chuckled and replied, “No, I scared her this afternoon, saying that if she talked about superstitions, the security team would take her away. After eating, she seemed a bit out of sorts and later went for a walk with a fellow villager from our side. I’m not sure if she’ll come over here.”

Wen Nuan hadn’t expected Sister Guihua to play such a prank and asked, “Has your mother-in-law mentioned when she’s going back home? ”

Sister Guihua lowered her voice and leaned closer to Wen Nuan’s ear. “I’m not sure yet. I guess her purpose for coming this time is to see me pregnant. If I can’t get pregnant, she’ll probably ask Old Zhou to divorce me.”

Wen Nuan didn’t know what to say and glanced at Captain Zhou, who had walked to the front. He was occasionally looking back at his wife.

Wen Nuan asked, “What’s Captain Zhou’s attitude about this? ”

Sister Guihua pouted. “He doesn’t want a divorce, but you know how it is; the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh. How can I, a person without blood ties, compete with his own family? If I still can’t get pregnant in a couple of years, he might change his mind.

Sister Guihua sighed as she spoke the last sentence.

Wen Nuan patted her arm confidently. “Don’t think too much. Captain Zhou isn’t that kind of person.”

If Captain Zhou truly wanted to divorce Sister Guihua, he wouldn’t have dragged it out for so many years; he must still love her.

Sister Guihua seemed indifferent. “Who knows? When a man decides to change, there’s no stopping him.”

Then Sister Guihua began to play with Lele, playing a game of hide and seek, and they both giggled happily.

Just as Wen Nuan was about to ask whether they had taken Captain Zhou to see a doctor over the years, someone from the arts department came up on stage to organize the event. The noise from the speakers was quite loud, and it was difficult to hear what was being said among the crowd.

The performance soon began, starting with a speech from the chief of staff, who extended New Year’s greetings to the soldiers and their families. This was followed by a series of uplifting songs and dance performances.

Although Lele was still too young to fully understand, she was thrilled to see everyone jumping around on stage, and she waved her arms and danced excitedly.

The entire Spring Festival gala lasted from seven until ten o’clock. Gu Qinghan mentioned that the electricity would be intermittent during the Spring Festival, so even if they returned home later, they wouldn’t have to stumble around in the dark.

By the end of the gala, many families were reluctant to leave and lingered in the venue for quite a while. It was said that most of the people from the North City military base were from northern regions, and many had the custom of staying up for the New Year, so they weren’t planning to head back just yet.

Wen Nuan held the child and didn’t hurry to leave either. By the end of the performance, Lele had actually fallen asleep, resting her head on Wen Nuan’s shoulder and sleeping soundly.

Once Gu Qinghan finished handling his tasks, he quickly returned to find them. Seeing the child asleep on Wen Nuan’s shoulder, he gently reached out to take her. “When did Lele fall asleep? ”

Wen Nuan’s arms were getting a bit tired. Sister Guihua and Captain Zhou had left for home earlier, and she was waiting for Gu Qinghan.

“She just slept for a little while, but this little one seems to have gained a bit of weight; my arms are sore,” Wen Nuan said, looking at Gu Qinghan and feigning a pitiful expression.

Gu Qinghan chuckled softly, took the blanket from her, and wrapped the child snugly. “You should rest well when we get home. I’ll carry her back; no need to worry about that.”

Wen Nuan thought about how strong he was. He had just carried her all the way from their home to the auditorium without breaking a sweat, not even panting, while he held onto the strap himself.

They were almost the last to leave, and there weren’t many people left on the road from the family compound. However, they could still hear a lot of noise, along with the sounds of children playing with firecrackers.

Since yesterday, quite a few kids had been setting off firecrackers in the snow, and whenever the firecrackers exploded, snow flew up into the air.

But with Gu Qinghan there, Wen Nuan felt safe. She stayed close to his arm as they walked home.

Just as they were almost home, it unexpectedly started to snow lightly.

Once they returned to the yard, Wen Nuan brushed the snowflakes off Gu Qinghan’s clothes and asked him, “Do you want to go back to the troupe tomorrow? ”

Gu Qinghan also brushed the snow off her head and replied, “No need. Do you have any plans? ”

Wen Nuan took out her keys, unlocked the door, and pulled the light switch. The house quickly lit up. “I haven’t thought of anything yet. If it keeps snowing, I guess we can only wander around the family compound.”

In the family compound, there was no need to visit relatives. The most they could do was check if the army organized any activities. However, Wen Nuan thought about having to take care of the children. Even if there were activities, they wouldn’t be able to participate.

The two of them first placed the little one, who had fallen asleep, onto the bed. Since he hadn’t slept much during the day, he didn’t wake up at all when they laid him down; he was sleeping soundly.

After covering the child with a blanket, Gu Qinghan went to fetch a basin of hot water and placed it beside the bed.

“Come over and soak your feet. It must be very cold after walking all that way,” Gu Qinghan said when he returned and saw Wen Nuan huddling her neck, likely from the cold.

However, Wen Nuan liked to act tough. If someone asked her, she would definitely say she wasn’t cold. So, he decided to prepare a basin of water for her to soak her feet in.

Hearing this, Wen Nuan immediately took off her shoes and socks and walked back to the bedside in her slippers, smiling as she said, “Great! How did you know I was just thinking about soaking my feet? It was so cold outside; luckily, I brought a blanket when I went out. Otherwise, Lele would have gotten cold while sleeping on the way back.”

Gu Qinghan’s body was still warm; carrying the child back likely kept him from feeling cold.

Gu Qinghan carried her and replied, “She shouldn’t be cold. I just checked her neck. It was warm.”

Wen Nuan glanced at Gu Qinghan and saw that he was preparing to find some Chinese medicine, probably to brew some for the child. She waved her hand at him and said, “Qinghan, come over. Let’s soak our feet together.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan, who had originally been looking for something, lifted his head and looked at her, saying, “Wait a moment; I’ll wash my hands first.”

Wen Nuan wanted to see if he had taken any medicine with him, but to her surprise, he quickly walked out into the living room, and soon after, she heard the sound of water splashing outside.

Wen Nuan didn’t think much of it. She rolled up her pants, planning to scrub her legs as well.

Before long, Gu Qinghan returned with a different bucket. Water buckets in that era were relatively large, and this one was already half full of steaming water.

“Put it in here; there’s more water,” Gu Qinghan said, squatting down and lifting Wen Nuan’s feet from the enamel basin and placing them into the bucket.

Wen Nuan felt comfortable and looked up at him with a smile, saying, “Come on, I saved you a spot. Sit next to me.”

Gu Qinghan then sat at the edge of the bed, took off his shoes and socks, and placed his feet into the bucket, resting them directly on Wen Nuan’s instep.

The two of them squeezed together, and Wen Nuan almost slipped off the bed due to his larger size, so she reached out to grab his arm for support.

“Are we going to stay up tonight? ”She asked.

Gu Qinghan glanced over at her. “You didn’t take a nap today. Can you stay awake? ”

Wen Nuan thought for a moment before responding, “With you here, I should be able to.”

Gu Qinghan looked skeptical and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re tired, just go to sleep. After all, we don’t have that tradition back in our hometown.”

That was true. Wen Nuan felt it wasn’t necessary to stay up. After soaking their feet, they could just go to sleep.

After soaking their feet, Gu Qinghan took a towel and dried the water off Wen Nuan’s feet. She felt a bit uneasy and took the towel from his hands, saying, “I can do it myself. You should go dump the water.”

“Alright, then you can lie back down on the bed,” he replied.

As she watched Gu Qinghan go out to dump the water, Wen Nuan felt relieved that she might finally escape the fate of drinking Chinese medicine tonight. In a good mood, she lay back down, turning to gently kiss Lele’s cheek.

The little one didn’t seem affected at all; she didn’t move an inch and merely suckled at her lips, showing no signs of waking up.

Just as Wen Nuan was ready to enjoy a good sleep, she heard Gu Qinghan’s footsteps approaching. He gently patted her arm and said, “Come on, drink the medicine before you sleep.”

Wen Nuan scrunched her face up like a bitter melon. Who would have guessed that Gu Qinghan would say, “It’s New Year’s; cheer up and drink it.”

She stared at the deep brown medicine and still couldn’t muster any cheer, mumbling, “Can’t we skip it? It’s New Year.”

“No.” 

“……”

Alright, that was classic Gu Qinghan.

No wonder everyone said he was emotionless!

Under the watchful eye of Vice Captain Gu, Wen Nuan weakly drank the medicine, feeling quite spineless. After finishing, she couldn’t help but hum, “Tomorrow is the first day of the new year; we shouldn’t eat anything bitter on New Year’s Day. Don’t make me drink this medicine tomorrow night; even if you brew it, I won’t drink it!”

With that, she covered her head with the blanket, ignoring his expression, and went straight to sleep.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed she heard him mumble “mm” as she snuggled under the covers.

When she pulled the blanket away to tease Gu Qinghan, she found that he had already turned off the room light. All she could see was his silhouette as he walked out with the bowl.