Chapter 31.1

The next day, Wen Nuan woke up at the sound of the wake-up call. Although it was the Spring Festival, the bugles in the army still sounded on time.

Wen Nuan thought she had woken up quite early, but when she turned to look at Gu Qinghan, she found that he was already awake.

The morning light was still dim, and Wen Nuan couldn’t see his expression clearly, so she asked softly, “You’re awake? Why are you up so early today?”

Since arriving in Northern City, Wen Nuan had indeed never seen Gu Qinghan sleep in. Even when there were no morning drills, he would still wake up early.

The deep timbre of his voice sounded in her ear, “I just woke up too.”

Now that both of them were awake, they decided to get up and wash up a bit. Wen Nuan originally planned to make dumplings for breakfast, but Gu Qinghan pulled her outside, saying they should go see the ice lanterns from the previous day.

They had come back late the night before, and since Lele had already fallen asleep, Wen Nuan had forgotten about lighting the lanterns.

The sky was still a bit dark, but the light illuminated their small courtyard. Not only their house, but the few neighboring families across the street had also lit their ice lanterns.

The candles shone through the translucent ice lanterns, emitting a soft glow that felt especially warm in the dim morning light. The festive atmosphere of the family compound slowly condensed and rose among the pure white ice lanterns.

Standing under the bright lights, Wen Nuan looked at the man beside her and asked, “Did you light these last night? You didn’t stay up alone, did you?”

Since Wen Nuan hadn’t taken a nap the day before, she fell asleep soon after drinking her herbal medicine last night, and she didn’t even know what time Gu Qinghan returned to bed.

Gu Qinghan nodded and smiled, “Yes, I saw you sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you up, but now it’s clear that the effect of your medicine is showing.”

Gu Qinghan only mentioned the ice lanterns and didn’t say a word about staying up all night.

Wen Nuan felt a bit regretful; if she had known she would stay up past midnight, they could have lit the lanterns together and kept vigil for the New Year.

This was Wen Nuan’s first time seeing the ice lanterns from this era, and she smiled, saying, “They’re so beautiful; they look brighter than electric lights.”

Gu Qinghan nodded. “Yes, they seem a bit brighter this way, but the space of the ice lanterns might be smaller.”

Wen Nuan felt a hint of regret. “If only Lele could see this; she would be so happy. But she should be able to see them tonight.”

“Sure.”

Wen Nuan looked at the man’s vaguely defined facial features and suddenly reached out to wrap her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his chest and softly said, “Qinghan, Happy New Year! In the new year, I wish you peace and health. You and Lele are the most important people to me, my most important family. I hope you can return safely from every mission, back to me and Lele.”

The man was a soldier, and a pilot, and Wen Nuan was well aware of the dangers associated with his job.

She did not dare to wish for him to become immensely wealthy in the future; she only hoped that he would return safely from each mission, safe and sound, so their family could find little bits of happiness and joy in their ordinary lives.

When Gu Qinghan was suddenly embraced by his wife, he was momentarily taken aback.

After listening to her soft, slightly lazy murmurs right after waking up felt as if something had struck deep in his heart.

A strong, unfamiliar emotion spread from his heart to every nerve in his body, prompting him to instinctively tighten his arms around her—and pull her closer.

No one had ever told him that he was the most important person to them, and no one had ever given him such blessings during the New Year.

He carried many burdens: the mission as a soldier, the responsibilities as the eldest son caring for his family, and most importantly, the role of a husband and father.

Yet, Wen Nuan had said he was the most important family member to her and the child.

What she wanted was for him to return home safely after each mission.

Gu Qinghan felt a mix of sweetness and bitterness in his heart. He called out her name in a hushed voice, “Wen Nuan.”

At that moment, he wished he could engulf the person in his arms into his very being.

He added hoarsely, “Happy New Year to you too. I will work hard to make sure you and Lele are both happy.”

Wen Nuan slightly raised her head to look at him. Their eyes met, and she rose onto her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Okay.”

If it had been any other time, Wen Nuan would not have dared to act so intimately in the courtyard.

In this era, even as a married couple, they had to maintain a certain distance in public.

However, it happened to be during the Spring Festival, which gave her the audacity to embrace him.

Gu Qinghan tightened his hold on her again, casting a cautious glance around before guiding her back into the house and closing the living room door.

Before Wen Nuan could react, he grasped her wrist and pressed her against the door, leaning down impulsively to press his lips against hers.

The minty flavor of toothpaste spread from his mouth to hers, and Wen Nuan tilted her head back slightly, feeling a bit breathless.

She lost track of how long it lasted until Gu Qinghan felt her shiver in his arms. He gently released her and quickly helped her adjust her clothing, asking, “Are you cold?”

The morning temperature was a bit colder than at night, and he had already noticed how icy Wen Nuan’s hands were when they had been at the door.

Wen Nuan felt as if she could hardly breathe, and her lips were slightly numb, so she tapped his shoulder. “My back is pressed against the door. What do you think?”

She felt like her lips had almost chapped; this man had poor kissing skills!

Why did he act like such a young boy?

Gu Qinghan bent down and lifted her into his arms, walking toward the stove and setting her down on the stool closest to the heat. “You sit here and warm up for a bit.”

The man seemed to recall something suddenly and smiled as he said, “You look really good in that outfit.”

Wen Nuan instinctively glanced at the clothes she was wearing. It was a new cotton jacket made before the New Year, crafted from the fabric and cotton she had purchased in the capital.

She had made it beforehand but had hesitated to wear it until today when she finally put it on for the first time after waking up.

However, Wen Nuan felt it was a bit too pink as if it wasn’t entirely suitable.

Her face flushed, and she turned her head away, saying, “It’s a bit too pink. I should have chosen another color.”

“It’s not too much; this color really suits you.” Gu Qinghan stood in front of Wen Nuan, his gaze fixed on her as he continued, “When summer comes, I’ll have you make a couple more shirts in this color.”

Wen Nuan thought that since Gu Qinghan wasn’t the type to use flattery, he probably genuinely thought it looked good on her.

And it made sense; she was only twenty, and with the New Year, she would be twenty-one. At this age, being a bit more playful with colors seemed normal.

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Let’s talk about summer when it gets here. It’s not going to come that quickly.”

Gu Qinghan reached out to touch her fingertips, recalling how they had just been playful for a while. It had already been over half an hour since they got up, and Wen Nuan must be getting hungry.

He then asked, “Are you hungry? I’ll go boil some dumplings; we can have breakfast soon.”

Wen Nuan nodded; her stomach indeed felt hungry. “Then you go ahead and cook. I’ll warm my hands by the fire.”

Wen Nuan sat on the stool, still a bit dazed. However, Gu Qinghan had already turned to cook the dumplings, so she stretched out her hands to warm them by the stove.

She had just felt cold, but her cheeks felt so hot they could almost fry an egg; she didn’t even dare to look in the mirror.

After a while of warming her hands, Wen Nuan noticed Gu Qinghan hadn’t finished cooking yet, so she went to the kitchen to check. It turned out Gu Qinghan had reheated the chicken soup from last night.

When he brought out the chicken soup and dumplings to the living room, Wen Nuan had already prepared two sets of bowls and chopsticks, thinking the little one probably wouldn’t wake up so early, so she didn’t bother with her own.

While eating the dumplings, Gu Qinghan served her another bowl of soup, saying that he noticed she had drunk a few bowls the night before and thought she would enjoy it.

Wen Nuan didn’t even want to explain; she had only had two bowls, not too many!

After finishing breakfast, Wen Nuan returned to the room to check if the child had kicked off the blanket. Seeing that Lele was still sound asleep, she took out the red paper she had prepared earlier and wrapped several small lucky money envelopes containing ten cents each.

These were meant for the children in the family compound; if any children came to greet her for the New Year, she would give them an envelope to bring good fortune.

There was no need to seal too many; just a few would suffice.

After wrapping a thick bag of small envelopes, Wen Nuan specially made two larger ones, which actually contained one yuan each.

One was given to Gu Qinghan to put in his pocket, and the other she tucked under Lele’s pillow.

Just as she finished wrapping the envelopes, Wen Nuan noticed her fingers had turned red.

At that moment, Lele woke up, and the first thing she did was climb up from the bed, sat at the edge, and looked around to see if Wen Nuan was inside the room.

The little one’s hair had grown a bit longer, and after her nap, it was all messy, with several strands sticking up, making it look as if she had been electrocuted.

When Lele spotted Wen Nuan sitting by the bed, her small body crawled forward, and within moments, she reached the edge of the bed, letting out a cheerful “Ah—” as she called for Wen Nuan.

Wen Nuan picked up the little one who had just woken up, then kissed her on the forehead and gently ruffled her messy hair. “Awake? Happy New Year, little one,” she said.

The little one probably didn’t understand much; she just kept smiling. Having just woken up, she hadn’t yet regained her strength, so she was all soft and limp, resting on Wen Nuan’s shoulder and yawning.

After feeding her, the little one truly came to life.

Gu Qinghan wiped her face, cleaned her bottom, and changed her into a fresh, dry diaper.

Wen Nuan already had a heavy heart; her baby was now a delicate and adorable little treasure.

After feeding Lele, who also had some dumplings, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan took the child for a stroll around the family compound. Not long after stepping out, they encountered Sister Juxiang ’s two daughters, Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei, as well as her son, Zhao Guoqing.

When Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei saw Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan, they walked up to them and raised their voices, saying, “Uncle Gu, Auntie Nuan, Happy New Year! We wish you good health, peace, and happiness.”

The two little girls spoke with great formality and politeness, which made Wen Nuan feel very pleased. “So well-behaved! Auntie wishes you both a Happy New Year, full of health and joy,” she replied.

She then took out the red envelopes she had prepared that morning and gave each of them one. She also grabbed a few candies to make the children happy.

Zhao Guoqing felt a bit shy and stood by, glancing at Gu Qinghan without daring to step forward. However, Wen Nuan was the first to look for him, extending her hand and calling out, “Guoqing, come here.”

Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei pushed Zhao Guoqing, reminding him, “Aunt Nuan is calling you! Hurry over to wish her a Happy New Year. Mom said you should be polite when you see people you know today. Remember to say Happy New Year to Aunt Nuan!”

Zhao Guoqing was only six years old and had a shy personality, though Sister Juxiang said he was quite the little rascal at home.

Looking at Wen Nuan, who was waving at him, Zhao Guoqing thought for a moment and decided to walk over. He quietly said, “Happy New Year.”

Wen Nuan patted the child’s shoulder and smiled, “Why are you so shy even when you see Auntie? You too, Happy New Year! Here, this is your red envelope and candy.”

Zhao Guoqing took the red envelope and two pieces of candy, then quickly said, “Thank you, Auntie! I wish you good health and a Happy New Year.”

After that, he ran off.

The little one saw Wen Nuan giving red envelopes and candy to the other children and began to call out “Ah, ah, ah…” with her little arms reaching out towards Wen Nuan, wanting red envelopes and candy for herself.

Wen Nuan worried that the child might put the red paper in her mouth, so she opened a piece of candy for her and asked Gu Qinghan to help break it in half, feeding her a bit.

Lele tasted the sweet candy and calmed down. She even giggled a few times.

—o—o—o—

Nearby, He Xiaofei had noticed Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan while building a snowman. Watching the Zhao siblings greet Wen Nuan and receive red envelopes and candy, he felt a bit restless himself.

However, He Dazhuang squatted to the side, showing no intention of going over to wish them well.

He Xiaofei asked He Dazhuang, “Brother, look at Uncle Gu’s wife giving red envelopes to the Zhao family’s kids. Aren’t we going to go?”

He Dazhuang shot him a glare and snorted, “If you want to go, go ahead. I’m not going!”

Then, He Xiaofei saw Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan giving red envelopes and candy to several children from Captain Liang Guoan’s family. The children were sweet-talking them as they wished them a Happy New Year, and Wen Nuan was taking red envelopes and candy out of her pocket.

Unlike his grandmother and mother, who knew that kids loved to go around collecting red envelopes today and had deliberately stayed at home, locking the door tight in fear of others coming to their house to wish them well.

He Xiaofei threw his shovel down into the snow, glanced at He Dazhuang, and scoffed, “If you’re not going, I will! If I get red envelopes and candy later, you’re not allowed to take mine.”

With that, He Xiaofei dashed over to Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan, calling out loudly, “Uncle Gu, Auntie, Happy New Year!”

Gu Qinghan was holding Lele and, upon seeing He Xiaofei, he showed no particular expression.

However, when he heard him come over to wish them well, he returned the greeting: “Happy New Year.”

He Xiaofei remembered Gu Qinghan as a very nice uncle, who had taken good care of their family while they were in G Province, so he felt comfortable saying the New Year greetings.

Wen Nuan looked at He Xiaofei, who had a quirky and playful demeanor and found him quite adorable.

She figured that the incident with him stealing pork was likely due to his young age and being led astray by He Dazhuang. He actually looked pretty well-behaved.

After He Xiaofei spoke a few New Year greetings, Wen Nuan gave him a red envelope and a few pieces of candy.

She then glanced around and noticed that He Dazhuang was building a snowman but hadn’t come over.

He was twelve or thirteen years old, He Dazhuang was different from the younger Zhao Guoqing.

He should have understood the etiquette and probably didn’t want to come over to greet them.

Gu Qinghan seemed to have noticed this too but clearly didn’t want to acknowledge He Dazhuang.

Seeing Qinghan want to leave, Wen Nuan decided not to interfere and followed the man’s footsteps.

He Xiaofei flaunted the red envelope and candy he received from Wen Nuan in front of He Dazhuang. “You should have gone and wished them a Happy New Year! That aunt gave me a red envelope and candy! Three pieces!”

After boasting, He Xiaofei immediately unwrapped a piece of candy, tossed it into his mouth, and smiled foolishly.

He Dazhuang stepped on his shovel with one foot and smacked He Xiaofei on the back, grunting, “Who cares about that? Just a few pieces of candy and a red envelope bought you off? What’s that worth? Don’t you dare say you’re He Dazhuang’s brother!”

He Xiaofei couldn’t be bothered to respond and shook his head to walk away. However, He Dazhuang grabbed his shoulder and opened his palm, saying, “Give me the red envelope and candy. I’m going to buy some firecrackers.”

Upon hearing this, He Xiaofei stuffed the candy and red envelope into his pocket. “Didn’t you say you didn’t care? I’m not giving them to you!”

He Dazhuang, who was three years older than He Xiaofei, kicked him into the snow when he heard him refuse and pulled down He Xiaofei’s pants, snatching the red envelope and candy.

He Dazhuang tore open the red envelope and saw only ten cents inside. He frowned, “Damn, only ten yuan? I thought it would be more!”

With that, he threw the torn envelope paper onto He Xiaofei, stuffed the money and candy into his pocket, and dashed toward the village outside the family compound.

With the loss of his red envelope and two pieces of candy, He Xiaofei sat in the snow and began to cry.

—o—o—o—