Chapter 32.1

After Gu Qinghan left, Wen Nuan found it hard to sleep. She lay in bed for a long time, eventually not even knowing how she had drifted off.

When she got up, she realized that Gu Qinghan had not returned all night, and the spot by the bed was cold.

Thinking back to what Li Daxiang had said last night about Gu Qinghan’s sister arriving and being outside the family compound, she felt uncertain about what had really happened.

The family compound for the military wasn’t open to outsiders without various approval procedures. Gu Qinghan could only go out to pick someone up, but she hadn’t expected it would take him all night and he still hadn’t come back.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. She thought of her sister-in-law, whom she had never met, and felt quite unfamiliar with her.

Gu Qinglan had been a sent-down youth for three or four years and hadn’t returned home. Since Wen Nuan married Gu Qinghan, she hadn’t seen her come back either.

Even Zhao Wuzhu rarely mentioned her, and all Wen Nuan knew about her situation came from neighbors in the family compound.

However, Wen Nuan knew that Gu Qinglan had fallen out with Zhao Wuzhu over the issue of being sent down to the countryside. The reason she hadn’t returned home for the past few years was that Zhao Wuzhu had changed the list that originally included Gu Qingson for being sent down, replacing it with Gu Qinglan’s name instead.

Wen Nuan felt that anyone would be angry in such a situation, let alone Gu Qinglan, who had been just a girl in her teens at the time.

It was quite a feat that she hadn’t been overwhelmed by her mother’s decision to send her away.

After washing up, she heard the sound of a man’s footsteps outside the courtyard. Wen Nuan immediately opened the door and stepped out to greet him. “You’re back! Where’s your sister?”

Wen Nuan looked behind the man but saw no one else; he had returned alone, with a bit of fatigue on his face.

Gu Qinghan’s expression was serious, and his voice carried a hint of weariness. “She’s in the hospital.”

“What?!” Wen Nuan took the military coat that the man had removed and brushed off the ice crystals on it.

Gu Qinghan scooped a ladle of water and washed his hands while explaining, “It’s a bit complicated. After I met Qinglan last night, she kept crying, and I couldn’t quite hear what she was saying.”

While he washed his hands, Wen Nuan poured him a cup of hot tea, handing it to him, her hands trembling slightly. “She… wouldn’t have encountered something bad in the village while being sent down, would she?”

As she said this, fragments of memories suddenly surged into Wen Nuan’s mind regarding Gu Qinglan’s experiences after being sent down.

Because she was quite pretty, she had caught the eye of a rogue in the village who managed the Local Commune branch. He had deceived the young girl, promising that if she got close to him, he would help her return to the city.

Under the man’s sweet words, Gu Qinglan had fallen for it. Unfortunately, after he had taken advantage of her, he turned around and went to deceive other young women.

By that time, Gu Qinglan had already become pregnant. For an unmarried woman in this era, that was a very sinful matter.

Gu Qinglan initially wanted to report the scoundrel who had deceived her. However, that scumbag falsely accused her of having improper relations with many men in the village. Pregnant and unable to defend herself, Gu Qinglan found herself in a desperate situation. In front of a crowd, she jumped into the river in an act of suicide, but she was rescued.

Gu Qinghan, having learned of this incident, went to the rural village to bring her back home.

Unfortunately, Gu Qinglan suffered from complications due to a miscarriage, which led to her lifelong infertility.

As a result, she never remarried and dedicated herself to raising Gu Qingsong and Lin Meizhi’s four children, along with the disabled daughter Wen Nuan had with Gu Qinghan since childhood.

In order to take good care of the children, Gu Qinglan even went so far as to study pediatrics.

In this context, it became clear that throughout the book, Lin Meizhi primarily provided emotional support, while it was Gu Qinglan who truly raised the children.

After going through the original story, Wen Nuan felt that regardless of what happened to Gu Qinglan, she needed to lend her a helping hand.

Gu Qinghan took the enamel cup and gently held the trembling hand of the woman in his palm. “It’s not what you think,” he said. “I’ve seen Qinglan’s introduction letter; she came from our hometown. She probably returned home because Qingsong was married before.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan let out a sigh of relief. However, Gu Qinghan continued, “But she has some injuries; there’s a wound on her head. I arranged for her to be hospitalized and took an X-ray. We’ll see how she is later.”

Wen Nuan furrowed her brow. “How could this happen?”

Gu Qinghan let out a slight sigh. “I didn’t get to ask her anything. She cried for a while and then fainted right outside the family area. After that, I took her to the military hospital with Daxiang.”

He took a sip of hot tea and then said, “I’ll lie down for a bit. I’ll go to the hospital to check on her later.”

Wen Nuan nodded and, filled with concern, asked, “Should I go to the hospital now to take care of her?”

“No need. Daxiang is there keeping an eye on her. You should stay here and rest with me for a while.” Gu Qinghan picked her up and carried her toward the main room.

After they lay down together, Wen Nuan wrapped her arms around him. Gu Qinghan had stayed up all night; his jaw was shadowed with stubble, and there were red streaks in his eyes.

Wen Nuan raised her hand and gently touched his full forehead and thick eyebrows, speaking softly, “Sleep now. I’ll wake you up later.”

The man grasped her wandering hand pressed a kiss on her cold fingertips, and smiled at her slightly.

He said: “I can’t seem to fall asleep again. I just want to look at you.”

Wen Nuan pulled her hand back and turned away. “Then I won’t disturb you. You should sleep quickly; later, we’ll go to the hospital to see your sister!”

Wen Nuan was also curious about what had happened and why Gu Qinglan returned home with injuries.

Her mind was filled with questions, preventing her from feeling tired. However, since the man had been awake all night, he needed to sleep for a bit.

Gu Qinghan naturally pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. He murmured an acknowledgment and then closed his eyes.

Later, Wen Nuan didn’t know how, but she fell asleep alongside Gu Qinghan. It was Lele, who was in the innermost part of the bed, who woke her up by tugging on her hair while playing.

The little one had made Wen Nuan’s hair look like a bird’s nest, covered in quite a bit of her drool.

As soon as Lele saw that Wen Nuan was awake, she hid her little head under the blanket and giggled.

The expression on her face seemed to say: “It wasn’t me who made a mess.”

Gu Qinghan also woke up. Stretching out his long arm, he picked up the little troublemaker hiding under the blanket. “You’ve caused trouble again! Look at what you’ve done to your mother’s hair!”

Wen Nuan grabbed a handful of her disheveled hair and couldn’t help but tickle the child’s belly. Lele laughed even louder, squealing with delight.

Wen Nuan played with her for a while, but her mind was still occupied with Gu Qinglan’s situation, so she said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. We need to go to the hospital to see your aunt soon.”

—o—o—o—

Realizing it was already around noon, Wen Nuan hurried to make a pork rib and yam soup and boiled some dumplings to take with her.

The military hospital was right next to the family area, and it took less than ten minutes to walk there.

Before heading to the ward, Gu Qinghan first sought out a doctor to inquire about Gu Qinglan’s X-ray results. Fortunately, there was no major issue with her brain; there was just a bruise and swelling from the impact.

The reason she had fainted was due to not eating for several days, which led to malnutrition and worsened her already poor health—causing her to lose consciousness.

However, the doctor noted that she had other bruises and injuries on her body that seemed to have been there for a while, but it was nothing serious. With some topical ointment, she would heal quickly.

Wen Nuan glanced at the medical record. Gu Qinglan was 20 years old this year, one year younger than her. How could she have returned home with so many injuries?

Seeing her confusion and furrowed brows, Gu Qinghan took her hand. “I’ll take you to see her.”

Wen Nuan looked up at him and nodded. “Just don’t pressure her. Let her decide when she’s ready to talk.”

“Okay, let’s go up.”

—o—o—o—

The ward was on the third floor. Since it was during the Spring Festival, there were many children in the hospital with fevers and colds, and only a few patients were hospitalized.

As soon as they pushed open the door, Wen Nuan saw a beautiful young woman half-lying on the bed. A piece of medical gauze was wrapped around her forehead, and the left side of her face was slightly swollen with several dark bruises. Her hair was disheveled, her complexion was pale, and she stared blankly at the white bedsheet.

Li Daxiang, who was sitting by the bed, heard the noise and immediately stood up to salute Gu Qinghan. “Vice Captain Gu, sister-in-law, Comrade Gu Qinglan just woke up. But when I asked her questions, she didn’t respond.”

Gu Qinghan nodded. “Daxiang, you’ve worked hard. You should go back and rest for a bit.”

Li Daxiang glanced at Gu Qinglan and then nodded. “I’m fine; I’ll just sit here for a while. You two can talk.”

Last night, Li Daxiang had intended to stay with Gu Qinghan in the hospital to watch over Gu Qinglan, but he had to go back to his dorm after his shift ended.

When he came back this morning, it was no surprise that Gu Qinghan was still at the hospital, so he volunteered to stay behind to take care of Gu Qinglan.

Hearing their voices, Gu Qinglan raised her head and softly called out, “Big Brother.”

Then she curiously looked at the woman behind Gu Qinghan and the beautiful little girl.

Just as Gu Qinglan was lost in thought, Gu Qinghan introduced them. “This is your sister-in-law. You can call her that. And this is our daughter; her name is Lele.”

Gu Qinglan looked at Wen Nuan’s porcelain-like face, her eyes shimmering with moisture. Her long black hair was braided into a five-finger braid and the pink cotton jacket she wore made her look exceptionally young and beautiful.

It was hard for Gu Qinglan to connect the beautiful girl before her, who looked almost like a fairy, with the lazy and overbearing sister-in-law described by her mother, Zhao Wuzhu.

And the little doll in her brother’s arms looked adorable, with bright, round eyes blinking at her as if they could talk like stars from the sky.

As she met Lele’s gaze, images from her hometown flooded Gu Qinglan’s mind, including thoughts of the child still unborn in Lin Meizhi’s belly.

Suddenly, Gu Qinglan burst into tears, crying out, “I really didn’t mean to! I don’t know why she fell! It wasn’t on purpose…”

Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan exchanged glances, unprepared for this situation. Nevertheless, Wen Nuan set down the lunchbox in her hands, walked over to the bed, and comforted the sobbing Gu Qinglan with a few soothing words.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just take your time. Let’s see if your brother and sister-in-law can help you. We’re all here for you.”

Gu Qinglan seemed to grasp onto a lifeline, burying her head in Wen Nuan’s shoulder, choking out, “Second Sister-in-law had a miscarriage; she bled a lot, but I really didn’t mean to…”

“Second Sister-in-law?” Wen Nuan furrowed her brow, then remembered Gu Qingsong’s wife. Did that mean Lin Meizhi had a miscarriage?

Why had nothing changed even after she had left?

Instead, the person who caused the miscarriage had turned out to be… Gu Qinglan?

Wen Nuan gently patted Gu Qinglan’s back, feeling her trembling body. “Just take your time. There’s no need to be scared.”

Gu Qinglan cried for a long time before she began to recount the events from her hometown in fragmented sentences.

She thought about how she hadn’t returned home in years, how her older brother and second brother had both gotten married and how Gu Qingsong had even written her a letter before his marriage, inviting her to come home this year.

Although Zhao Wuzhu had changed the rural list that year, Gu Qinglan had been close with Gu Qingsong, and after several years, she had let go of the past. She decided to make a trip home, hoping to meet her two new sisters-in-law and to see if there were any policies that could allow her to return to the city earlier.

Who would have thought that after returning home, she would find that her older brother and sister-in-law had gone to North City with their child? And while her second brother and sister-in-law were newlyweds, their relationship was not as harmonious as she had imagined.

That day, Lin Meizhi had an argument with Gu Qingsong and was on the verge of going back to her parents’ house. The atmosphere in the home was extremely tense.

Later, Gu Qingsong kept speaking well of Lin Meizhi in front of Gu Qinglan, even slipping her ten yuan and asking her to take Lin Meizhi to the department store in the city to buy new clothes for the New Year.

Gu Qinglan thought she would help her brother and sister-in-law, but who knew that as she was turning a corner on the staircase of the department store, two children came rushing down.

Thinking that Lin Meizhi was pregnant, she tried to push her to the corner to avoid being bumped into by the kids, and that was when the accident happened.

Lin Meizhi fell down the stairs and began to bleed.

By the time Gu Qingsong arrived at the hospital, he didn’t ask anything and directly slapped her. She then crashed against the wall, injuring her forehead and causing more bleeding.

When Lin Meizhi woke up, she cried continuously, claiming that someone had pushed her down and sobbing that she had lost her baby.

After hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu believed Gu Qinglan still held a grudge over the events from years ago, thinking she had retaliated against her precious son, causing her to lose her beloved grandson.

In her anger, she even beat Gu Qinglan with a bamboo stick.

Gu Qinglan returned to the countryside city, battered and bruised.

However, when she got off the train and caught sight of her disheveled reflection in the mirror, she hesitated.

She did not want her comrades at the youth dormitory to see her in such a state.

For reasons she could not explain, she thought of her older brother, Gu Qinghan.

Northern City was right next to the city where she had returned, so she took several forms of transport to reach it. However, the military’s security was strict, and she was stopped at the gate, and not allowed to enter.

Wen Nuan’s expression grew increasingly grave as she listened, feeling that something was off, but there was no evidence to back it.

The events unfolded solely based on Lin Meizhi’s explanation.

Wen Nuan took out a handkerchief and wiped Gu Qinglan’s tears, speaking earnestly, “Sister-in-law, I believe you. You didn’t do it on purpose.”

As Gu Qinglan heard Wen Nuan’s words, she felt a knot tighten in her throat—her eyes growing even more sore.

“Sister-in-law, do you really believe me?”

She thought of her second brother and her mother, who had not even bothered to ask before resorting to violence—they completely ignored her attempts to explain.

At that moment, Gu Qinglan felt a desperate urge to die, yet Lin Meizhi’s emotions were highly unstable.

Everyone was comforting her, leaving Gu Qinglan without an opportunity to defend herself.

She suspected that if she didn’t leave, Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong might end up beating her to death.

Wen Nuan nodded firmly, tidying Gu Qinglan’s disheveled hair. “Really, I believe you.”

The feeling of being trusted was wonderful.

At that moment, Gu Qinglan felt that Wen Nuan was like the sun in winter, providing her with a glimmer of warmth.

“I really didn’t mean to push her, but the child is gone…”

Wen Nuan patted her back gently and reassured her, “It’s not your fault. Don’t think too much about it. I’ll have your big brother call back later to check on the situation.”

Seeing Gu Qinglan’s emotions stabilize somewhat, she instructed Gu Qinghan to bring over the lunchbox.

She looked at Gu Qinglan and asked: “Are you hungry? I made you some soup and dumplings. You should eat something first.”

As she spoke, she opened the lunchbox and handed her the chopsticks.

Gu Qinglan had returned in a bit of a rush, so she had gone without food during the journey.

The trip from the train station to the Northern City military base had taken the entire day, and she hadn’t eaten anything. The fragrant aroma of the meat made her stomach growl.

She looked at Wen Nuan’s beautiful face, accepted the chopsticks, and quietly said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Gu Qinghan stood silently nearby, listening to the entire conversation.

After Gu Qinglan had eaten about half, he suddenly walked over and asked, “Tell me, is that injury on your forehead caused by Qingsong?”

Gu Qinglan shook her head. “No, second brother slapped me, and I ended up hitting the wall.”

Gu Qinghan cursed softly, visibly angry. “Does he even qualify as a man if he lays hands on a woman?”

She tugged at Gu Qinghan’s sleeve, speaking softly, “Qinghan, could you call home and check on how Comrade Lin is doing?”

Calculating the months in her head, she realized they had come to Northern City at the end of November, and now it was already February. The fetus should be more than three months along and should have stabilized by now, but one could never be too sure. Regardless, it was important to make a call to show their concern.

Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s gaze, and his emotions slowly calmed. He squeezed her hand gently. “Okay, I’ll call later.”

When Gu Qinghan got angry, he could indeed be quite intimidating. Wen Nuan instinctively glanced at Lele.

Earlier, when Gu Qinglan had been crying, the child had already been taken away by Li Daxiang and was now learning to walk in the hallway.

The little one spotted Wen Nuan and started crying to be picked up, reaching out to her while calling “Mom…Mom.”

Wen Nuan simply lifted the child back into her arms, letting Daxiang take a break.

Lele finally returned to Wen Nuan’s side, instantly wrapping her arms around her neck. The soft, fluffy head nuzzled against her neck as she giggled.

Wen Nuan kissed her forehead and smiled brightly, saying, “Lele, this is your Auntie. You haven’t met her yet, right? She’s your Daddy’s younger sister.”

Lele looked at Gu Qinglan, smiled with her eyes narrowed, then buried her head into Wen Nuan’s shoulder, peeking at Gu Qinglan with her big eyes.

Gu Qinglan felt her heart melt at the sight of Lele.

She wanted to hold her, but her clothes had gone many days without being changed, and after a long journey squeezed into trains and buses, and even riding in a bullock cart, she felt a bit dirty and hesitated to extend her hands.

Wen Nuan stood by the bed, looking at Gu Qinglan. Noticing that she had eaten almost half of the dumplings and had drunk some soup, she said, “Qinglan, you’ll stay in the hospital for now. Later, I’ll go with your brother to make a phone call and check on how things are back home. I’ll bring you dinner a bit later, so don’t worry; they won’t hurt you.”

Gu Qinglan looked at her sister-in-law, whom she met for the first time, and for some reason, she felt a rare sense of maternal love coming from her.

With a lump in her throat, she suddenly hugged Wen Nuan’s waist and cried out, “Sister-in-law, you’re so gentle.”

“How can you be so kind? My mom is just a liar. You are clearly the best sister-in-law I’ve ever met!”

Zhao Wuzhu had said that Wen Nuan was lazy and greedy, claiming that she was ruthless and would stop at nothing to marry Gu Qinghan.

But Wen Nuan was undeniably gentle; she had even made soup for her. That soup was the best she had ever tasted…

After returning home for so long, not only had her mother not cooked for her, but she had also immediately made Gu Qinglan do the cooking, barely giving her a moment to set down her luggage.

Sometimes, when she saw Gu Qingsong, she wished she could be a boy. Maybe then her mother wouldn’t treat her this way.

Yet now, she saw in Wen Nuan how a mother could care for her child—No matter what gender her child is.

Love was what mattered.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but be amused by Gu Qinglan’s words, she then patted her head. “Alright, you should rest for a bit. Once the hospital allows you to be discharged, we’ll take you to the family quarters.”

—o—o—o—