Chapter 42.2

Taking the vehicle was certainly faster than riding a bicycle. After returning to the family courtyard, Wen Nuan picked up the pig trotter and headed home.

The other items were still with Gu Qinglan, and she had initially thought it would be easier to take the vehicle back.

However, Gu Qinglan mentioned that the vehicle could only go to the main road outside the courtyard, which was quite a distance from their home. She insisted on riding her bicycle back, claiming it was easier to reach their doorstep that way.

Once at home, Wen Nuan washed Lele’s hands thoroughly and then coaxed her to sleep.

Since she planned to make a red-braised trotter for dinner, and given that it was quite large, it would need to be stewed for at least an hour. She needed to start preparing early, including the prep work.

Just as the child fell asleep, Gu Qinglan rode her bicycle back to the gate of the courtyard. However, Wen Nuan noticed that her blue pants were smeared with mud.

Wen Nuan stepped out of the courtyard and examined Gu Qinglan with concern, asking, “Qinglan, did you fall? Are you hurt? Let Sister-in-law take a look.”

Gu Qinglan furrowed her brow and huffed heavily. “Don’t even mention it! I was just about to get back to the family courtyard when, near the gate, some idiot suddenly jumped out at me. It startled me so much that I almost fell into the ditch!”

“Oh my! Did you hurt yourself? Is there any bleeding?” Wen Nuan looked around and checked her over.

While Gu Qinglan rummaged through her bicycle basket for her things, she said, “Sister-in-law, I’m fine! Luckily, my legs are long enough to hold me up. But I had too much stuff on the bicycle, and I did fall a bit. It’s just that my clothes got dirty.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. Seeing that Gu Qinglan didn’t seem to be injured, she teased, “Well, if you had those little short legs of mine, you would have definitely fallen!”

“Not at all!” Gu Qinglan replied as she unloaded everything and headed toward the house. “Sister-in-law, your figure is just right! At the hospital, a lady even called me a bamboo pole, saying I’d never be able to have a son!”

If it weren’t for sharing this with Wen Nuan, Gu Qinglan would have really let out some “colorful” language.

In fact, Gu Qinglan thought Wen Nuan’s figure was just right. Standing just over 1.6 meters, she wasn’t too short but also didn’t have the extra height that Gu Qinglan had.

Wen Nuan frowned at Gu Qinglan’s words. “That’s so rude! Why didn’t you give her a piece of your mind?”

“I can’t curse in the hospital, but it’s fine. She can say whatever she wants; it’s not up to her to decide if I can have kids or not.” Gu Qinglan shrugged casually, placing everything on the Eight Immortals table. She then poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down eagerly.

Wen Nuan felt a bit helpless upon hearing this; it seemed that being a healthcare worker was much harder than her job in the kitchen.

Usually, the people she dealt with were mostly the villagers from around. In those times, most of them were not very educated. When they went to the hospital, they wanted to be the first to see a doctor, and any slight dissatisfaction would often lead them to take it out on the nurses.

Seeing that Gu Qinglan didn’t seem to care, she still tried to reassure her. “You don’t have to be afraid next time, especially when you’re in the right.”

“Uh-huh, sister-in-law, I know,” Gu Qinglan replied as she looked around the living room. Then she asked, “Where’s Lele? Is she asleep?”

“Yeah, I just coaxed her to sleep. I’m planning to deal with that trotter now, so you can sit for a bit,” Wen Nuan said before heading to the kitchen to get busy.

Gu Qinglan didn’t sit idle, either. After drinking some water, she wiped the mud off her clothes and joined Wen Nuan in the kitchen. “Sister-in-law, I’ll help you.”

Wen Nuan had already blanched the pig trotter with ginger and scallions and was now preparing to poke a few holes in it to allow the flavors to seep in better.

Seeing Gu Qinglan come to help, she said, “Can you poke a few holes in this trotter? I’ll go prepare the seasonings, and then I’ll braise it.”

“That’s easy! I’ve practiced my skills this month. Poking a few holes is no problem; just leave it to me.” Gu Qinglan said confidently, grabbing a metal fork and preparing to stab the pig trotter a few times.

As Wen Nuan saw her getting busy, she took out a bowl and added soy sauce, cooking wine, oyster sauce, and salt, stirring them together. To enhance the color, she also poured in a bit of dark soy sauce.

Once Gu Qinglan had poked several small holes, Wen Nuan evenly brushed the prepared sauce onto the pig trotter and placed it in a hot pan, frying it until the skin turned a crispy golden color, making it even more fragrant.

After frying the pig trotter, Wen Nuan needed to caramelize some sugar and then pour in the broth from blanching along with the remaining sauce to braise it together.

To enhance the flavor of the pig trotter, she added some bay leaves, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, finishing it off with a splash of fragrant vinegar to make the trotter tender and not greasy.

Gu Qinglan, watching the pig trotter simmering in the clay pot, was already drooling. “Oh my gosh, sister-in-law, you really know how to cook! I want to eat it so badly!”

If Wen Nuan weren’t working at the Flight Crew Cafeteria kitchen now, Gu Qinglan would have definitely grabbed her rations and come over to mooch off a meal from time to time!

Moreover, watching Wen Nuan cook was truly a delight.

Wen Nuan had fair skin and delicate fingers, and her movements were very nimble. Of course, the main reason was that she was good-looking; even cooking seemed pleasing to the eye.

“We’ll eat here tonight. Your brother should be back early,” Wen Nuan said.

“Let’s not. You’re hosting guests tonight; we can do it another time,” Gu Qinglan replied, throwing a piece of firewood into the stove. “Besides, I wouldn’t even know what to talk about with them.”

She had heard that they were experts from a nearby research institute, and who knew if she might say something wrong and offend someone?

It was better not to cause trouble for her brother and sister-in-law.

Wen Nuan had called out to her several times, but Qinglan had kept saying no. So Wen Nuan said, “Then later I’ll pack some pig trotters and chicken for you to take back.”

Gu Qinghan had already killed the chickens she had been raising and placed them in the kitchen, planning to make a simple yellow braised chicken later. After all, there were still plenty of potatoes and mushrooms at home.

—o—o—o—

At five o’clock, Wen Nuan packed a large box of meat for Gu Qinglan to take back to the dormitory.

As the time was nearing, Wen Nuan prepared a pear and white fungus soup, simmering it over water. The weather had been dry lately, and drinking some pear soup was better than meat soup.

Not long after she started simmering the pear soup, Gu Qinghan returned, followed by two figures. At first glance, Wen Nuan thought they were two male comrades.

However, the moment Shen Baiyong spoke, Wen Nuan realized the other one was actually a female comrade.

Shen Baiyong and Qinglan were both tall and slender, but Shen Baiyong seemed a bit more robust. She was dressed in dark cotton clothing and pants, sporting a tidy and clean short haircut. In her hand, she held a well-dressed little boy who curiously surveyed his surroundings.

Wen Nuan quickly went up to greet them, and Gu Qinghan smiled as she introduced, “Wife, this is Comrade Shen Baiyong.”

“And this is Comrade Liu Minghua.”

Gu Qinghan introduced Liu Minghua and Shen Baiyong again, saying, “Comrade Liu, Comrade Shen, this is my beloved wife, Wen Nuan.”

Wen Nuan took the initiative to greet them, smiling as she said, “Comrade Liu, Comrade Shen, hello!”

“Hello, hello,” they replied and then handed over two bottles of liquor along with some canned tea leaves and other items, which were considered precious gifts in that era.

Next, the little boy that Shen Baiyong was holding walked over to Wen Nuan. He tugged at her pants and called out, “Auntie.”

Shen Baiyong smiled and said, “Hello, Comrade Wen. I think this little guy remembers you. Back on the train, I heard Mingfei mention that you and Comrade Gu took care of him the whole way. We really appreciate it.”

Shen Baiyong was surprised to see how beautiful Wen Nuan was, with skin that glowed with a radiant fairness. Although they spent all day at the research institute, their skin tones didn’t compare to Wen Nuan’s brightness.

Her fair complexion wasn’t the sickly kind; it looked delicate and tender, making her appear as a pretty and youthful comrade. Perhaps due to her youth and the simple cotton jacket she wore, with her hair neatly tied up, Shen Baiyong truly didn’t realize that Wen Nuan had already given birth to a child. If someone claimed she was eighteen, it was likely that many would believe it.

Before arriving at the family compound, Shen Baiyong had thought that Wen Nuan would be the kind of plain yet capable little wife. After all, during those days on the train, it was mostly her who took care of the two small babies, both of whom couldn’t walk or talk. Without a bit of patience, it would have been very difficult to manage two such young children.

To her surprise, it was this delicate and beautiful young woman who had cared for the two children throughout the journey.

When standing next to Gu Qinghan, they looked very well-matched, both remarkably attractive.

Moreover, the little girl beside Wen Nuan, just like her, had a fair and tender appearance, looking cute and well-behaved. His eyes sparkled like gems as he observed them, showing no fear at all.

Shen Baiyong’s longing for a daughter ignited a fierce desire within her.

What was so great about a little boy?

It was the soft, fragrant girls that truly captured one’s heart!

Wen Nuan smiled and said to Shen Baiyong, “Not at all, Comrade Shen. You’re being too polite; it was just a small effort on my part.”

Beside her, Liu Huaqing tugged at Wen Nuan’s pants again and called out, “Auntie.”

Wen Nuan lowered her head to look at Liu Huaqing and realized that he had changed so much that she hardly recognized him.

Although he was still quite small, around a year and a half old, Liu Huaqing walked steadily and spoke clearly. He no longer had the chubby cheeks of a baby; if it weren’t for his slightly childish voice, Wen Nuan would have thought he was two or three years old.

Wen Nuan gazed at the little doll and decided to pick him up, asking, “Little friend, do you remember me?”

Liu Huaqing looked at Wen Nuan, neither speaking nor nodding, just curiously observing her.

Wen Nuan knew that children have their own little antennas. Sometimes she found it strange how Lele recognized their bicycle. Just earlier in the town, Lele had confidently marched along a long line of bicycles and found their own amidst them.

There were several bicycles in that row that looked almost identical; the only difference was their condition—new or old.

Thus, Wen Nuan believed that children seemed to have their own techniques for recognizing things and people, but she couldn’t figure out how they did it.

After staring at her for a moment, Liu Huaqing called out again, “Auntie.”

Shen Baiyong walked over to the two and, seeing Liu Huaqing actively reaching for Wen Nuan to hold him, smiled and said, “Do you not remember? This little guy is quite cunning. He calls everyone an “Aunt” but when he sees you, he calls you ‘auntie.’”

He was quite the smooth talker.

Shen Baiyong continued, “Also, he usually doesn’t like strangers holding him. Just when we arrived at our research institute, I asked someone to help look after him, and the moment they picked him up, he cried as if the roof was going to blow off. It drove me crazy!”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Really? I thought you wouldn’t remember me!”

Liu Huaqing smiled at her and then wrapped his arms around her neck.

After all, he was still a little toddler. Holding him, Wen Nuan felt that his weight was not much different from Lele’s. Now that he was wearing multiple layers of clothing, she couldn’t tell whether he was chubby or thin.

In the next moment, Lele, who was standing next to Wen Nuan, suddenly shouted, “Ah, ah—!” a couple of times, tugging at the hem of Wen Nuan’s clothing.

Her little brows furrowed, and she looked at Liu Huaqing in Wen Nuan’s arms with an irritated expression.

“Mommy—!” Lele yelled again, her small face scrunched up as if trying to express that she didn’t want Wen Nuan to hold Liu Huaqing.

Worried that Lele might be frightened by the new surroundings, Shen Baiyong took Liu Huaqing from Wen Nuan’s arms and said, “You watch the child; I’ll take care of this little one.”

Wen Nuan had no choice but to lift up the pouting Lele and coax her, “Lele, this is the big brother we met on the train. You played very happily with him; don’t you remember?”

Lele, feeling she was back in her own territory, quickly wrapped her arms tightly around Wen Nuan’s neck, holding on as if using all her strength. Her round, sparkling eyes stared fiercely at Liu Huaqing.

It seemed as if she was saying: This is my mommy!

When Liu Huaqing was taken from Wen Nuan’s embrace, he suddenly began to fuss, calling out a few times.

However, he quickly quieted down when Liu Minghua, who had just walked in, spoke up. Liu Minghua said, “Comrade Wen, I apologize for the commotion.”

Wen Nuan smiled and looked at the aggrieved Liu Huaqing, saying, “It’s fine; they’re just kids. It’s normal.”

She then picked up some candies she had prepared earlier and handed them to Liu Huaqing. “Here, have a sweet for the big brother.”

Liu Huaqing glanced at Shen Baiyong, and upon seeing her nod, he took the candy from Wen Nuan, and said: “Thank you.”

Wen Nuan felt a warmth in her heart as she patted the little boy’s head, saying, “You’re such a good big brother.”

Seeing Wen Nuan pat Liu Huaqing again, Lele grabbed her mother’s arm to stop her from doing so.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh, while Shen Baiyong chuckled cheerfully. “It seems the children love to vie for affection.”

Then, Shen Baiyong turned to Lele and asked, “Lele, would you let your auntie hold you for a moment?”

Upon hearing this, Lele quickly turned her little head the other way, refusing to look at her.

The arms that were wrapped around Wen Nuan’s neck tightened even more.

Shen Baiyong laughed, and said: “So adorable! It makes me want a daughter too.”

However, Liu Huaqing, who was being held, suddenly wanted to struggle to get down.

Shen Baiyong frowned and said, “Maybe it’s best not to. I can’t manage him; with my busy work, just one is already quite a handful.”

She then passed the fussing Liu Huaqing to Liu Minghua, who was about to drink his tea.

Liu Minghua hadn’t even brought the tea to his lips when he glanced at the little boy in his arms and frowned. “One is already enough.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing that Gu Qinghan had already poured the tea, she handed Lele to him, and said: “You all sit for a while; we’ll be eating soon.”

When Shen Baiyong saw Wen Nuan walking into the kitchen, she followed her and asked, “Comrade Wen, is there anything I can help with?”

Wen Nuan, seeing her enter the kitchen, quickly replied, “Comrade Shen, you shouldn’t have to lift a finger. I’m just stir-frying some vegetables, and then we can eat. You should go sit outside for a bit.”

“It’s fine; I can help with the fire.” Shen Baiyong had already walked over to the stove, picking up some matches and preparing to light it.

Wen Nuan felt a bit awkward; after all, Shen Baiyong was a guest and shouldn’t have to help out. However, Shen Baiyong seemed genuinely unconcerned, as she quickly got the fire going.

They talked a bit more about the children, and when the stir-fried greens were ready, Shen Bairong saw Wen Nuan bringing out a large plate of braised chicken from another pot. She said, “Comrade Wen, you really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”

Wen Nuan lifted the plate of braised chicken with a cloth and smiled, “No, Comrade Shen, it’s you all who are going to such lengths. This chicken was sent to you during the New Year. Qing Han said you would come over after the New Year, so I kept it to make for you.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Bairong felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn’t expected Wen Nuan to have been thinking about them all this time.

Shen Bairong replied, “We were actually planning to come over during the Lantern Festival, but something came up at the research institute, and we had to postpone until now.”

Wen Nuan wasn’t sure if she should inquire about the work at the research institute or if it was appropriate to ask, so she simply said, “Now is also good. It was quite cold during the New Year, and it would not have been convenient to bring the children.”

Furthermore, there weren’t many wild vegetables during the New Year; it was only recently, when it wasn’t so cold, that she had eaten some. They had spent the entire winter mostly eating potatoes, radishes, and Chinese cabbage.

Shen Bairong smiled as she noticed that, besides the large plate of braised chicken, there was also a pig’s trotter. She felt a bit guilty; it seemed extravagant to have been treated to such a feast, with both chicken and pig’s feet, even more lavish than the New Year celebrations.

In fact, she had wanted to come over much earlier to see the couple, but if it hadn’t been for Gu Qinghan, it was likely that Liu Mingfei, with the children, wouldn’t have been able to take the train at that time. She worried about any delays that could have affected the child, who was still very young and unable to speak or understand much.

Fortunately, they encountered Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan, which allowed Huaqing to board the train smoothly and arrive by their side.

When she learned that the person who had helped Liu Mingfei was an Air Force comrade, her curiosity about Gu Qinghan grew.

Especially during the Lantern Festival, when the incident of the plane crash occurred, it was remarkable that they managed to make a safe emergency landing, preserving not only the aircraft but also their lives.

Gu Qinghan’s incident had been immensely beneficial to their research, even groundbreaking, but there was no way to disclose any of this to Wen Nuan. Still, she thought about visiting to see her.

As the two of them busily prepared the meal, Shen Bairong discovered that the beggar’s chicken they had eaten at the flight crew Cafeteria the previous night had also been made by Wen Nuan, which astonished her even more.

The table was filled with dishes: red-braised pig’s trotter, yellow braised chicken, bamboo shoots in abalone sauce, stir-fried mushrooms with sliced meat, and finally, a plate of greens, all spread out on the small Eight Immortals table.

Looking at the array of dishes that were both fragrant and appealing, Shen Bairong smiled and said, “After eating your beggar’s chicken last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it even in the middle of the night.”

She had to admit that Wen Nuan’s cooking was far superior to that of the cafeteria staff at their research institute; she had never tasted such delicious food before.

Now, she was already feeling a bit impatient, especially with that red-braised pig’s trotter, which shimmered with a garnet hue under the light, glistening with enticing grease that made her stomach rumble.

Especially on the white, soft rice, a layer of golden, fragrant meat sauce had been drizzled, making it look delicious even before tasting.

Seeing that everyone had sat down, Wen Nuan said, “I apologize for not attending to you all better; let’s start eating.”

Shen Bairong raised an eyebrow. “How could that be? This is the most lavish meal I’ve ever had!”

She then turned to Liu Minghua, who was sitting nearby, and said, “Old Liu, the beggar’s chicken we had at the flight crew Cafeteria last night was also made by Comrade Wen Nuan!”

Liu Minghua’s eyes brightened. “Then I’m in for a treat tonight.”

Wen Nuan didn’t seem particularly pleased by this; she chuckled and said, “As long as you like it.”

To prevent the two little ones from fighting, Wen Nuan seated the children across from each other.

Just after coming out of the kitchen, Gu Qinghan told her that Lele had been holding a grudge against Wen Nuan for having held Liu Huaqing earlier. While Liu Minghua was chatting, Lele pushed him to the ground.

If Liu Huaqing hadn’t been wearing several layers of clothing, he might have really gotten hurt!

Lele, being such a petty little one, needed a good lesson.

However, during the meal, the two little ones were surprisingly well-behaved, almost as if they were competing to see who could eat the fastest.

Liu Huaqing was a bit older and could eat by himself now. Although he wasn’t very skilled yet, he managed to finish all the rice and meat in his bowl.

Seeing that Liu Huaqing had finished, Lele also picked up her spoon and tried hard to eat. However, she was still too small, and rice ended up scattered all over the table, on her clothes, and even in her hair.

This made everyone laugh.

Lele didn’t understand what the adults were laughing about, but when she saw them smiling, she giggled along, showing off her few white little teeth.

Because they had a series of meetings scheduled for the next day, Shen Bairong and the others didn’t stay too late. After drinking some snow pear soup, they returned to the guesthouse at the military base.

Wen Nuan understood that they were busy, so she suggested to Shen Bairong that she bring the children over the next day so the two little ones could play together.

—o—o—o—

That night, as Wen Nuan lay in bed, she felt drowsy after a long day. However, Gu Qinghan, who was holding her, didn’t seem to have any intention of sleeping. His warm hand kept fidgeting restlessly, and his foot kept creeping over to hers.

Wen Nuan took his hand away and kicked his foot off her. “You should go to sleep early; we have a meeting tomorrow, don’t we?”

Gu Qinghan finally took the hint that Wen Nuan didn’t want him to hold her. He pressed her back into his embrace and said, “Let’s sleep like this; don’t move.”

Wen Nuan glanced at him impatiently and said, “The temperature has been rising lately.”

Gu Qinghan responded with an “Mm,” and asked, “So what?”

Feeling the heat radiating from his body, Wen Nuan uncomfortably shifted her position. “You’re too hot, so don’t hug me.”

“?”

Suddenly, Gu Qinghan flipped over, looming above her and looking down. “Did you eat too much tonight? Want to get some exercise?”

Wen Nuan was caught off guard, and she laughed in annoyance, “What kind of exercise can we do at this hour?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Gu Qinghan leaned down and kissed her.

Wen Nuan finally understood what it meant to feel exhausted after “exercise.”

When it was over, Gu Qinghan leaned close to her ear and gritted his teeth, asking, “Will you let me hold you to sleep in the future?”

Wen Nuan kicked him away. “It’s too hot; no hugging!”

She couldn’t believe he thought he could actually devour her!

Wen Nuan clearly underestimated Gu Qinghan’s stamina; this man indeed had the energy to consume her whole.

Once everything settled down, Wen Nuan surrendered, her voice hoarse, playfully pouting, “Hug me, hug me; I want you to hug me from now on.”

Gu Qinghan wrapped her in his arms, his breath slightly ragged as he chuckled softly, “Sleep now; you can sleep in a bit tomorrow.”

Using her last bit of strength before falling asleep, Wen Nuan bit his arm—He did this on purpose!

Next time, she decided she wouldn’t ask for a day off!