Chapter 40.2

The next day, when Wen Nuan returned home from work, she saw that Juxiang had also come over, saying she was there to help take care of little Lele.

When Lele saw Wen Nuan come back,

Wen Nuan slowly adapted to her work in the cooking team.

Sometimes, when Gu Qinghan had a light flying schedule, she would bring Lele along to work. If Gu Qinghan was particularly busy, Wen Nuan would entrust the child to Guihua, the sister-in-law, for a while.

Little Lele had finally learned to walk on her own, but her steps were not very steady; she always stumbled around and had a bit of a temper.

So Wen Nuan was hesitant to let her run around in the kitchen, fearing she might disrupt others’ work, and the various knives and pots in the back kitchen were quite dangerous.

One day, after Wen Nuan finished writing the menu for the next week, she went to the kitchen window to help serve the Flight Crew Cafeteria Staff their meals.

Since there weren’t many people on the Flight Crew, Wen Nuan was busy for about half an hour. She left the remaining serving for a few colleagues in the cafeteria who trained a bit later.

Gu Qinghan happened to have some free time that day. At four in the afternoon, he came over to take Lele to his office. He had just finished having lunch with Lele in the cafeteria.

Lao Zhong had already spotted Gu Qinghan holding a little doll waiting for Wen Nuan in the cafeteria. So, when Wen Nuan was about to wash the pots, he took the sponge from her hands and said, “You’ve finished work; why are you still in the back kitchen? Go on, go, don’t disturb us while we’re working.”

After saying this, he began scrubbing the iron pot vigorously before putting it back on the stove.

Wen Nuan knew that Lao Zhong was just putting on a tough act. He had noticed that Gu Qinghan was waiting for her with the child, but she still smiled and said, “I’m part of the cooking team; this is my duty.”

Lao Zhong pursed his lips, looking as fiery as a stir-fried chili pepper. “When I say you can leave work, just leave! What are you babbling about?”

Seeing this, Xiao Zhu leaned closer to Wen Nuan and said softly, “Wen Tongzhi, don’t take it to heart. Our Captain Zhong is just like this. He really just wants you to leave work early; he means no harm. Last time, when I didn’t cut the potatoes well, he scolded me terribly. But after work, he specifically stayed back to teach me. He’s actually a good person; he just doesn’t have a kind way of speaking.”

Wen Nuan knew this as well. She smiled and said, “Mm, I understand. I’ll take my leave now.”

Xiao Zhu nodded. “Mm-hmm, Vice Captain Gu and Lele have been waiting for you for quite a while. We’ll take care of things here, so see you tomorrow.”

Because Wen Nuan occasionally brought Lele to work with her, the Flight Crew Cafeteria Staffs often played with Lele whenever they had some free time.

Lele was not shy at all. Since she was familiar with Wen Nuan and the others, she became even bolder. Ever since she learned to walk, she sometimes pulled on the pant legs of others, urging them to pick her up.

Who wouldn’t love such a cute and well-behaved little doll?

In just a short month, Lele had become the darling of the Flight Crew Cafeteria Staffs.

Gu Qinghan was holding Lele—who was still a bit unsteady on her feet, and they strolled around the cafeteria. Just as he was about to head to the entrance to meet up with Wen Nuan, he ran into Liang Guo’an.

Gu Qinghan raised an eyebrow as he looked at Liang Guo’an, who was holding a meal box. “Captain Liang, didn’t you say you were going home for dinner tonight?”

Most of the younger members of the Flight Crew were still unmarried, so they usually had all four meals in the Flight Crew Cafeteria.

However, Liang Guo’an had brought his family along while on duty. Just like him in the past, as long as there were no training sessions at night, he typically went home for dinner.

Liang Guo’an had not seen Gu Qinghan in the cafeteria for several nights in a row and thought he had gone home. Why was he still here with a child after six o’clock?

Previously, Liang Guo’an had wanted to drop by Gu Qinghan’s house for a meal, but who knew this guy would never let him? The selfish fellow!

Now, things had finally changed. Wen Nuan had come to their Flight Crew Cafeteria, so he wouldn’t have to worry about missing out on her cooking anymore!

Meeting Gu Qinghan’s smiling gaze, he quickly hid the meal box behind him and snorted, “Did you forget that we trained for a long time so we came home late? Since there was no dinner at home, I came here to eat. What? Is it only okay for you to eat in the cafeteria, and not for me?”

Gu Qinghan looked at him and calmly replied, “Oh, is that so?”

Liang Guo’an rubbed his nose and asked, “What about you? What are you still doing in the cafeteria so late?”

Gu Qinghan turned his gaze toward the figure walking into the cafeteria and smiled, “I’m waiting for my wife to finish work.”

After saying this, he took Lele who was toddling along, and walked toward Wen Nuan.

Liang Guo’an: “……”

If he had known that before enjoying a meal at the Flight Crew Cafeteria, he would have to suffer through a round of dog food, he wouldn’t have come!

Wen Nuan also hurried over and, upon seeing Liang Guo’an, she said: “Captain Liang, Xiao Zhu was just telling me that it’s already late and you haven’t come here yet. He’s already saved your ration, so hurry and go eat!”

When Liang Guo’an met Gu Qinghan’s smirking expression, he decided not to engage further. “Then I’ll go eat now. See you!”

Compared to a delicious meal, what’s the use of pride?

As soon as Liang Guo’an left, Lele broke free from Gu Qinghan’s hand and ran toward Wen Nuan with her little feet.

She only took a few steps—and because she was moving too quickly, she almost stumbled and fell.

Fortunately, Wen Nuan caught her just in time—preventing her from hitting the floor.

Wen Nuan picked up Lele and kissed her chubby cheek. She smiled and then scolded her: “Next time, don’t run. You’ll regret it if you knock out your teeth.”

Wen Nuan was a bit in a hurry today and hadn’t fixed Lele’s hair, but at that moment, there were a few little hair clips in her hair. They were gifts from Gu Qinghan—pink and red hair clips; she had three in total.

However, all three clips were crooked, and two of them were close to falling out.

Lele’s hair at the back of her head was a bit messy. It was unclear whether Gu Qinghan had let her take a nap in his office. In the past two months, the child’s hair had grown quite fast, and now it reached the nape of her neck.

Lele was also wearing a pink floral coverall to prevent her clothes from getting dirty while eating, but the front of it was a little damp. On her feet, she wore the little shoes Wen Nuan had made for her earlier, though they seemed to be a bit small now. They had fit well at the time.

Once Wen Nuan picked her up, Lele wrapped her arms around Wen Nuan’s neck and called out sweetly in her baby voice, “Mommy… hug…”

“Good girl, did you have enough to eat tonight? Did you cause any trouble in your daddy’s office?” Wen Nuan took the clips out of the child’s hair, fixed them, and smoothed down the messy hair at the back of her head.

Lele didn’t like anyone messing with her hair. She shook her head and reached up to feel where Wen Nuan had just fixed the clips. With her small hands, she had already pulled one down, and it had two fine strands of hair stuck to it—clearly, she had yanked it out herself.

Maybe feeling a bit of pain on her scalp, Lele buried her head into Wen Nuan’s shoulder with a pitiful expression—her big, round eyes instantly filling with tears.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “Who told you to be so restless? Don’t pull your clip like that next time.”

As she spoke, she turned her face slightly and gently blew on the spot where Lele had just tugged and said softly: “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Let’s go home.”

Gu Qinghan had a slight smile on his lips as he watched Wen Nuan interact with Lele. He noticed a hair that had fallen onto Wen Nuan’s shoulder and reached out to help her remove it.

Only then did Wen Nuan turn her head to look at Gu Qingha—she smiled as she asked him: “Did you have enough to eat tonight? Was it troublesome bringing this little one along?”

Lele could now walk, but she wasn’t very steady on her feet and occasionally stumbled, so they had to keep a close eye on her. Sometimes, even during mealtime, they had to watch her carefully.

“Not bad, she was sitting and eating just now, and I had a little bit too,” Gu Qinghan said.

He had intended to reach out and take the child from Wen Nuan so that she could have a moment to rest after a long day.

However, Lele seemed to have been hurt earlier and was now clinging to Wen Nuan’s neck, refusing to let go, her little mouth pouting in a pitiful expression.

“Let’s go home,” Wen Nuan said as she carried Lele and walked toward the exit of the cafeteria, with Gu Qinghan following behind them.

—o—o—o—

As they exited the Flight Crew Cafeteria, they ran into quite a few military wives from the ground crew and logistics crew.

Seeing Gu Qinghan waiting for Wen Nuan again, they couldn’t help but tease her. “This Vice Captain Gu really loves his wife, doesn’t he? He comes to the cafeteria every day to wait for Wen Tongzhi to get off work.”

Someone laughed and said, “Isn’t it said that Wen Nuan is the luckiest woman in our community? They go to work and come home together every day; we’re all so envious!”

There were many military wives from the logistics crew, but since they had been working in the cafeteria for several years, none of their husbands had ever come to pick them up after work.

Wen Nuan was the first. Who wouldn’t secretly envy her?

Especially since Gu Qinghan was not only good-looking but also the most experienced pilot in the Flight Crew and the youngest regiment-level officer in the entire community.

Not long ago, Wen Nuan had received a second-class merit award. It wouldn’t be long before she would surely rise even higher; her future was promising.

Wen Nuan had been in the cooking class for almost a month. Usually, she would greet the other two military wives in the cafeteria, but their relationship wasn’t particularly close.

Hearing them tease her, she felt a flush on her face. She glanced at Gu Qinghan, who showed no particular emotion and smiled, saying, “Sisters-in-law, you’re making fun of me. I’m off work now; see you tomorrow.”

A few sisters-in-law watched as the two rode their bicycles in the direction of home and whispered among themselves, “So that bicycle was specially bought by Vice Captain Gu for Wen Nuan to ride to work. Ah, there’s really no comparison.”

Previously, when they bought a new bicycle, everyone thought the young couple had something else planned. It turned out they rode it to and from work every day.

A group of people began to envy them. “Wen Nuan really married a good man! My man doesn’t even come to pick me up from work. If only I could go home and not have to work, that would be great. Every night, I still have to wash the dishes and help with the footbaths. Damn it, why can’t I marry such a good man?”

Everyone laughed, “You’d need to be as good-looking as Wen Nuan to find a man like that.”

“Exactly! I’ve heard that when Vice Captain Gu was in the army in their province, many outstanding female colleagues liked him, including those from art troupes and nurses from military hospitals. But in the end, the prettiest won.”

“It’s possible that she was the one who pursued him first.”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone looked toward Li Qiuyan, who was squatting in the corner washing dishes.

Someone recalled that she had previously been in the military in the southern province and asked, “Qiuyan, do you know anything about this? You seemed to have been in the same unit as Vice Captain Gu, right?”

As soon as the words were spoken, a tall figure appeared behind a few sisters-in-law. It was Lao Zhong, holding a kitchen knife and standing at the back door of the Flight Crew Cafeteria.

The sight startled the sisters-in-law, causing the plates in their hands to clatter to the ground.

Li Qiuyan’s face turned pale, and she stammered, “I—I was just speaking casually.”

With that, she immediately turned around and went back to the logistics kitchen, fearing that Lao Zhong would come over with the knife.

Seeing that the military wives had suddenly gone silent, Lao Zhong snorted, “What are you looking at? Have you never seen someone sharpen a knife before?”

As he spoke, he indeed began to clang the knife against the sharpening stone at the door.

Once Lao Zhong left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t listen to Li Qiuyan’s nonsense. Previously, she went to ask Vice Captain Gu for a favor, and he didn’t help her, so she’s probably holding a grudge.”

“Exactly! Political Commissar even gave us a lecture about this before; we shouldn’t gossip about people behind their backs.”

Especially now that Wen Nuan was working in the Flight Crew Cafeteria, who wouldn’t be intimidated by Lao Zhong?

—o—o—o—

The weather in The Northern Military District was changeable in early spring. In the past few days, the temperature had gradually risen, and the snow in the family compound had all melted, except for some remaining on the mountain.

However, the weather here was particularly dry. Wen Nuan had to apply a thick layer of snowflake cream for herself and Lele every day.

After getting up and washing up that morning, Wen Nuan immediately applied the snowflake cream.

After she finished applying it, she noticed Gu Qinghan returning from washing the child’s diaper, and she waved to him, saying, “Come here, let me put some snowflake cream on you.”

Gu Qinghan frowned as Wen Nuan applied the cream to his face, pulling away. “Can’t we skip it during the day? It smells too strong.”

In the evenings, whenever Wen Nuan applied cream to her face, she would also put some on him and even a bit on the child.

However, the evening application was fine; after a night’s sleep and washing his face, the scent of the snowflake cream was almost gone.

If he applied it now and went back to the flight team smelling so fragrant, Liang Guo’an would probably laugh at him.

Wen Nuan frowned, feeling that the weather was even drier than in winter. But hearing Gu Qinghan say this, she decided to let it go.

However, the snowflake cream was a bit greasy. Looking at the oily layer on her palm, Wen Nuan waved her hand at Gu Qinghan, saying, “Come here.”

She then wiped the greasy layer onto the back of Gu Qinghan’s hand.

“Alright, let’s get ready to head out,” Wen Nuan smiled and picked up the still-sleeping Lele, carrying her over to Sister Guihua’s house.

Gu Qinghan mentioned that there would be strong winds in the coming days. Considering the frequent dust storms in March and April, Wen Nuan decided not to take the child to the cafeteria.

While walking to the cafeteria with Gu Qinghan, he suddenly said, “By the way, when I came back last night, you were already asleep. I forgot to tell you that Liu Huaqing’s parents have arrived at our unit. However, they’re currently busy and will probably visit us later.”

Wen Nuan almost forgot about this matter. During the New Year, Liu Huaqing’s parents sent two chickens and mentioned in their letter that they would come to visit after the holidays.

So, Wen Nuan had only killed one chicken and saved the other for when they came, intending to use it to treat them.

She hadn’t expected it to take them so long to visit; it seemed the work at the research institute was genuinely very busy.

Wen Nuan responded with an “mm” and then grabbed the hem of Gu Qinghan’s shirt, saying, “Just remember to tell me in advance. I need to wash my hair before entertaining guests.”

“What does washing your hair have to do with it?”

Wen Nuan pouted, “You wouldn’t understand.”

This was the highest etiquette for receiving guests.

Gu Qinghan didn’t ask further. After dropping Wen Nuan off at the cafeteria, he had breakfast with her before returning to the regiment for a meeting.

Not long after Wen Nuan returned to the Flight Crew Cafeteria, a strong wind indeed picked up outside, bringing with it rolling clouds of yellow sand that enveloped the entire Northern Military District.

The Quartermaster came back from outside, shaking the yellow sand off his clothes. “What happened to the weather? It changed so suddenly that I thought some enemy agents had come to drop smoke bombs.”

He then walked into the back kitchen and gathered the colleagues there for a small meeting. “Due to the sudden dust storm, the flight team may be quite busy, and we need to send meals over to the training ground at noon.”

The Quartermaster then assigned some people to deliver the meals while others stayed behind to cook.

Wen Nuan wasn’t assigned to either task, so she proactively stepped forward, saying, “Chief, is there anything I can do?”

The Quartermaster paused for a moment, noticing that Wen Nuan hadn’t brought her child today. He replied, “Comrade Wen, your cooking skills are quite good. Two experts have just arrived at the flight team, so you can take charge of the kitchen today.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan guessed that the two experts The Quartermaster mentioned were likely Liu Huaqing’s parents, whom Gu Qinghan had just spoken about.

Without hesitation, she immediately got busy.

However, the dust storm seemed to be getting stronger. Wen Nuan recalled that there was a chicken coop behind the Flight Crew Cafeteria, which housed chickens and geese. She decided to go out to check on them.

As soon as she pushed the door open, a strong gust of wind hit her, making it hard for her to keep her eyes open.

When she finally managed to reach the chicken coop, she saw Li Qiuyan sneaking around, picking something up from the ground and stuffing it into her clothes.