Chapter 31.2

Wen Nuan followed Gu Qinghan to wish a Happy New Year to Captain Liang Guoan’s family, and by the time they came out, it was already noon.

After returning home for lunch, Wen Nuan coaxed Lele to sleep for her afternoon nap.

Gu Qinghan couldn’t sit still either. Even on holiday, after lunch, he went to the small room to repair the bed.

Earlier, while wiping the bed, Gu Qinghan had noticed that one of the legs was about to break, so he took advantage of the free time to carve a new leg and replace it.

Wen Nuan woke up after half an hour and, upon stepping out, saw the man busy in the narrow little room.

The light in the small room wasn’t very bright; outside the window was a birch forest, and at that moment, they could see a beautiful expanse of white snow.

Wen Nuan walked in and watched Gu Qinghan blow away the wood shavings, asking, “Is it fixed?”

Without looking up, Gu Qinghan replied, having heard Wen Nuan get up, “Mm, it’s done. We can use it tonight.”

Hearing this, Wen Nuan immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Gu Qinghan’s words and felt her face flush.

She recalled the last time when they were worried about making too much noise and waking the baby. Gu Qinghan had carried her to the small room, but at that time, the window had a draft, and the bed lacked blankets and quilts. They were just one step away from being together.

A few days before the New Year, she had happened to get her period, so Gu Qinghan had waited until after the holiday. Seeing him in this state now, it was clear he intended to carry out his “great plan” tonight.

Wen Nuan pretended not to understand and smiled. “Then you can sleep here tonight by yourself; it’s a bit cramped on that bed anyway.”

Gu Qinghan looked up at Wen Nuan and said, “We’ll sleep together tonight.”

“I don’t want to! I want to sleep with Lele.”

Wen Nuan shook her head and walked out of the small room.

As she stepped into the living room, she turned back to glance at the man.

Their eyes met, and the sparkle in his dark eyes made Wen Nuan’s face turn even redder.

Gu Qinghan merely smiled and continued with his work.

—o—o—o—

Since they didn’t have to visit relatives and there were no activities in the family compound, many older kids took the little ones to skate on the frozen river next to the compound.

A light snowfall had occurred the night before, but it had stopped, and after lunch, the sun came out, making the weather very pleasant.

Hearing the noise outside, Gu Qinghan asked Wen Nuan, who was tying little pigtails for the just-awakened Lele, “Do you want to go ice skating?”

Wen Nuan thought for a moment before replying, “There are probably a lot of kids there now. Lele is still too small and probably won’t be able to play.”

Then she looked toward a small hill behind their home. “How about building a snowman? Lele has been wanting to play in the snow for a while, and I heard the snow on that hill is a bit thicker.”

In the family compound, the snow was generally cleaned up daily by everyone, and since many people walked around, it wasn’t very clean. However, the small hill usually didn’t have many visitors, and the snow hadn’t been cleared, so it should have a thick layer.

Upon hearing that they were going to build a snowman, Lele immediately became excited, waving her little arms and calling out to Gu Qinghan, “Daddy… Daddy!”

Gu Qinghan promptly picked her up, gently touching her rosy little face and saying with a smile, “Alright, then Daddy will take you to build a snowman. Let’s go!”

Wen Nuan made sure to put a hat and scarf on the child. Lele, knowing they were going out to play, didn’t fuss about the hat this time.

As they were heading out, Gu Qinghan brought along the little sled, saying, “Wait a moment, I’ll pull you both while you ski.”

Wen Nuan smiled, feeling a bit excited. “Alright! I want to play too. Qinghan, I also want to have a snowball fight with you!”

She had been eager to play in the snow for a long time, but Gu Qinghan had either been too busy or there had been heavy snowfall. Today, with him finally on holiday and the weather being nice, she could finally enjoy the snow.

Gu Qinghan chuckled as if amused by her overconfidence. Wen Nuan playfully patted his back. “Don’t underestimate me! Just wait until you’re crying and begging for mercy!”

“I won’t,” Gu Qinghan replied. Then he, who never told any jokes, said playfully: “I just won’t consider you a competitor at all.”

Wen Nuan playfully scolded him a couple of times. Lele, thinking her mother was about to hit Gu Qinghan again, quickly wrapped her arms around Gu Qinghan’s shoulders and buried her head against him, shaking her head at Wen Nuan.

Wen Nuan pinched the little one’s nose. “You’ll have your turn to play later.”

They then walked out of the yard.

—o—o—o—

When Wen Nuan first arrived in Northern City, it was early winter, and everything was already frozen. She hadn’t gone many places.

Later, it started to snow, and Gu Qinghan was worried that the child hadn’t yet adapted to Northern City’s winter, so he rarely let them go outside. Aside from that one time they went to gather wild ginseng, this was Wen Nuan’s second outing.

If it was with Gu Qinghan, then it was her first time.

The winter in Northern City resembled an ink-wash painting, with withered trees dotting the silvery-white snowy landscape, making it dreamlike and ethereal.

Some dry branches were still adorned with crystal-clear frost, adding a touch of brilliance to this pure white world, resembling flowers blooming in the snow.

As they walked further up the back hill, the voices grew quieter. Most of the people in the army were from the north, and perhaps everyone felt that staying indoors was the greatest respect for winter.

Before long, they arrived at a small slope on the back hill. In the distance, a few children were skating on a frozen pond, occasionally shouting with joy.

The slope had several ski tracks, indicating that others had skied there before. Nearby was a broken wooden plank, likely left behind by the group of kids who had played there earlier.

“Later, I’ll pull you both down the hill. I’m afraid the slope is too steep and might scare the kids,” Gu Qinghan said as he surveyed the little slope, then placed Lele into the sled.

Wen Nuan looked at the slope, feeling a bit nervous. Although she knew how to ski, the sight of the slope made her anxious. Unfortunately, Gu Qinghan didn’t know she could ski, and with him needing to take care of little Lele, she had no choice but to let him pull them.

The little one, seeing the vast expanse of white snow, was eager to get out and crawl around, flailing her arms excitedly.

Wen Nuan quickly sat behind the child and hugged Lele tightly. The two of them squeezed into the small sled, making it a bit cramped, but Lele seemed even more thrilled.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the slope and asked, “Are you ready? I’ll pull you from behind. When we reach a flatter area, I’ll let go.”

Wen Nuan smiled and nodded. “Alright, Vice Captain Gu, let’s begin.”

The sled was made of smooth wood, and as they glided down the slope, the friction against the smooth snow made them rush down quickly. Wen Nuan had thought that holding onto Lele would slow them down, but in that moment of descent, it was surprisingly fast.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but exclaim in delight. It was truly fun.

The little one was playing for the first time, laughing heartily without a hint of fear. When the sled reached the bottom, she began to shout, “Ah, ah, ah!” As if she’s saying that she wants to slide again.

Wen Nuan excitedly called out, “Qinghan, I want to play again! Quickly help us pull the sled back up the hill!”

“Alright, wait for me. I’m coming down now.” Gu Qinghan replied, seeing how much fun they were having.

There were only three of them on the small slope, and Gu Qinghan tirelessly went back and forth a few times.

Eventually, he didn’t even need to pull them anymore. Wen Nuan simply held the child and let the sled slide down the slope on its own.

Seeing Gu Qinghan running up and down, Wen Nuan felt a bit sorry for him, so she invited him to squeeze into the sled with them. With their combined weight, they slid down to the bottom of the hill really fast.

After they finished sliding, Wen Nuan set the child down on the snow, which was covered in a soft layer, letting her play for a bit.

Meanwhile, she played a snowball fight with Gu Qinghan.

It was no wonder Gu Qinghan didn’t take her as a serious opponent; she could make one snowball, while he could easily make three.

Wen Nuan glared at him angrily, “Still making a snowman!”

Gu Qinghan smiled and didn’t feel annoyed by Wen Nuan’s childishness; instead, he found her incredibly cute. If they weren’t outside, he would have wanted to push her into the snow and kiss her.

The families closer to the back mountain heard the laughter of child and woman—they looked towards the small hill behind them.

Liu Meili, closest to the small hill, saw Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan playing so happily in the snow and shook the man beside her, who was reading the newspaper in bed. “Old Chen, let’s go out to play on the hill for a while.”

Chen Jiawei glanced outside at the thick layer of snow and tightened his cotton coat around him. “You want to go? Go by yourself. It’s freezing; who wants to play in the snow?”

Chen Jiawei was from the north and had experienced heavy snowfall every year during his childhood. He really didn’t care much for snow or ice.

Liu Meili bit her lip. “You jerk! How long has it been since you took me to the small woods? Now you won’t even go with me just this once, huh? I don’t care; you have to go with me!”

She watched Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan playing in the snow, sledding, and then having a snowball fight. Now they were starting to make a snowman together.

The way the two looked at each other seemed to ooze sweetness, making her even more envious.

Chen Jiawei clicked his tongue. “Wasn’t that back when we were younger? Now every year is worse than the last; I’m afraid of the cold.”

After hearing this, Liu Meili kicked him, “Get lost! What do I need you for?”

Wen Nuan’s laughter attracted Sister Juxiang and Sister Guihua, who came outside.

Sister Guihua pulled Captain Zhou over with her. At first, Captain Zhou didn’t want to play, but seeing his wife’s eager expression, he took a board from the house and joined her.

Sister Juxiang brought over a few children. The kids had already grown tired of playing in the snow, but when they saw Lele so fond of the snowman, they built a few more next to the one Gu Qinghan had made.

However, they couldn’t make them as big as Gu Qinghan’s; they were only small ones. But Lele was very happy looking at them, laughing cheerfully.

Wen Nuan worried that Lele would get her clothes wet from sitting in the snow too long, so she picked her up to admire the snowman. “Look, this snowman was made by your daddy, and this one was made by your sister. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Lele, now who could half-understand what was happening, clapped her hands after hearing Wen Nuan’s words—bursting into a fit of laughter that revealed her tiny white teeth.

Gu Qinghan watched Wen Nuan who was playing with the child—he couldn’t help but feel a wave of happiness rise within him.

This was the happiest New Year he had ever experienced.

—o—o—o—

After returning home, Wen Nuan immediately changed the child’s clothes, pants, and diaper, and then gently wiped her hair, hands, and feet with warm water, fearing that the child might catch a cold.

After getting Lele cleaned up, Gu Qinghan prepared a bucket of hot water for her to change out of her wet clothes.

Once all three of them had tidied up, they took out the leftovers from last night and heated them up for a simple dinner.

Perhaps because they had played so energetically in the afternoon, Lele began yawning and wanted to sleep before nine o’clock.

Gu Qinghan initially thought about preparing some Chinese medicine, but recalling Wen Nuan’s comment about not wanting anything bitter today, he decided against it and sat down by the bed to read.

After a while, the man sitting by the bed glanced at the child on the bed and, lowering his voice, asked, “Is she asleep?”

Wen Nuan usually let the child fall asleep while nursing her to ensure a quicker slumber, but for some reason, although Lele had initially closed her eyes, she opened them again upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s voice.

“Not yet,” Wen Nuan replied.

Gu Qinghan stood up, took out the military blanket he had used in his dormitory from the trunk, and carried it outside.

Hearing the rustling sounds coming from the small room next door, Wen Nuan knew he was making the bed. Thinking about what was about to happen, her face couldn’t help but turn red.

After waiting for a while, Lele finally fell into a deep sleep.

Gu Qinghan didn’t ask anything; seeing that Lele was asleep, he directly picked Wen Nuan up from the bed and slowly walked into the small room next door.

He deliberately kept his footsteps very soft, almost soundless.

However, Wen Nuan could hear the thunderous beating of her own heart—it was thumping wildly!

It wasn’t until Gu Qinghan placed her on the bed with the freshly made blankets that she snapped back to reality, staring blankly at the focused man in front of her.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wen Nuan quickly turned over and burrowed into the covers, her pair of watery, large eyes watching Gu Qinghan as she asked, “Um, did you call home to check their situation?”

Gu Qinghan wasn’t in a hurry. After crawling under the covers, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “No, but I wrote them a letter.”

The two fell into a moment of silence, and before Gu Qinghan could turn over, a sudden rumble of a car engine echoed from outside.

The sound was quite loud as if a vehicle had pulled up right at their doorstep.

Wen Nuan instinctively looked towards the door. “Did someone drive over?”

“Yes.”

Gu Qinghan, sensing something was off, quickly rolled out of bed, put on his coat, and then they heard a sudden knock at the door. Li Daxiang’s voice followed: “Vice Captain Gu, there’s someone outside the family compound saying that she’s your sister and she said she wants to see you. Do you want to go check?”