Chapter 43.1

The next morning, Wen Nuan indeed woke up late.

She had only awakened upon hearing the laughter of Liu Huaqing and Lele, and she did not even know when Lele had gotten up.

It was all Gu Qinghan’s fault; he had no sense of restraint at all!

If she let him have his way again tonight, she would be a little dog!

Wen Nuan angrily crushed Gu Qinghan’s pillow, and the next second, she saw his tall figure at the doorway, his face bearing a half-smiling, half-teasing expression.

That made her even angrier!

Gu Qinghan stepped forward and approached her, ruffling her messy hair and asking, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Wen Nuan shot him an annoyed glance. She was still feeling a bit sore in her lower back.

She simply lay back down on the bed, covering her head with the blanket, and mumbled, “I didn’t sleep well. I’m exhausted.”

She was unsure if it was her imagination, but it seemed she heard Gu Qinghan chuckle softly, “Then you should sleep a bit longer. I’ll bring you breakfast.”

Afterward, Wen Nuan heard Gu Qinghan’s footsteps and quickly lifted the blanket off her head, calling out to him, “What are we having for breakfast today?”

She reached up to tousle her messy long hair, then grabbed the cotton jacket draped over the chair by the bed and put it on.

Gu Qinghan paused in his steps, turning his face to watch her buttoning the jacket. Wen Nuan’s long, straight hair cascaded down her left shoulder, the glossy black strands making her appear even fairer, with a hint of pink on her cheeks.

However, she seemed a bit flustered, as the buttons were all fastened haphazardly.

Gu Qinghan observed for a moment before walking back to her, stopping in front of her and gently redoing the misbuttoned ones. He softly said, “We’re having wontons today. Comrade Shen sent someone over with them.”

He had originally planned to prepare a different breakfast since both Wen Nuan and Lele had grown tired of steamed buns. They would share one bun between them, leaving just a tiny portion for each.

However, when he got up that morning, Shen Bairong had coincidentally sent Liu Huaqing over, bringing them some wontons, meat buns, and even a fish.

Upon hearing that they would finally have something other than buns, a faint smile spread across Wen Nuan’s face. She then looked up at him and asked, “Have Lele and the others eaten yet?”

Gu Qinghan finished buttoning her jacket and handed her a hair tie. He initially intended to help her tie her hair back but realized he hadn’t learned how yet, so he decided against it.

He gently swept Wen Nuan’s hair back, allowing it to brush against his fingers before answering, “Yeah, they’ve all eaten.”

Wen Nuan took the hair tie from Gu Qinghan and gathered her long hair into a simple ponytail. However, thinking about how she would have to take care of the kids later and fearing that Lele might tug at her hair again, she reconsidered and decided to braid it into a five-finger braid instead, securing it neatly.

Gu Qinghan looked at her, his voice slightly hoarse. “You look great like this.”

During this time, Wen Nuan was going back to work in the cooking team, and she had been tying her hair up in a bun every day. He hadn’t seen her in a ponytail for a long while.

Wen Nuan smiled confidently at his words, “Of course, I’ve always been good-looking.”

However, she still didn’t fully believe the man’s words, considering she had just casually tied her hair up without a comb.

Gu Qinghan was momentarily taken aback, watching the confident little expression on Wen Nuan’s face. She resembled a little sun, shining brightly.

His gaze settled on her subtly smiling eyes, and he couldn’t help but pull her back into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her soft pink lips.

It wasn’t until Wen Nuan found it hard to breathe did she stepped on his foot and moved her face to the side.

Her breath was still slightly disordered, as she exclaimed, “It’s broad daylight! Act properly!”

After saying that, she covered her slightly flushed face and pushed him away.

As she prepared to walk out of the room, Wen Nuan suddenly fished out a paper bag from her pocket. It was the photos she had brought back from town yesterday, which she hadn’t shown Gu Qinghan yet.

She had been too busy yesterday, and after entertaining Liu Minghua and Shen Bairong, she had forgotten about them. However, the daylight was better now, and it felt like a good time to look at them.

“I brought back the photos. Do you want to take a look?” Wen Nuan pulled out the photos and held them in her palm, glancing over at Gu Qinghan.

Gu Qinghan didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he directly took the photos from Wen Nuan’s hand and poured out several more from the paper bag.

He focused intently on the photos, selecting two of their family portrait, two of Lele alone, and then handed the rest back to Wen Nuan.

He said, “You should keep these three safe for now. I’ll make a frame for them to hang up somewhere later.”

Wen Nuan looked at the three remaining photos, puzzled about why he wanted so many. She asked, “What do you need so many for?”

Gu Qinghan neatly stacked the small photos, then carefully placed them into the pocket of his inner jacket. He smiled and replied, “One to keep in the office, and one to carry with me.”

“?”

“Isn’t that a hassle?” Wen Nuan glanced at Gu Qinghan’s careful actions and felt a bit speechless.

However, she didn’t dwell on it.

Wen Nuan had been feeling a bit hungry for a while now, so she walked out of the room.

Gu Qinghan watched her, smiled but didn’t say anything, and slowly followed her out of the room.

Wen Nuan was still thinking about her hair until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but furrow her brows—

Her forehead was exposed, and her bangs were all messy—I look ugly!

Gu Qinghan had terrible taste!

Under Gu Qinghan’s heated gaze, Wen Nuan quickly brushed her hair again, tying it into a neat braid and then styling it up properly.

While she was fixing her hair, Lele and Liu Huaqing were already walking toward her, the two little ones almost the same height.

However, Lele appeared to be a bit chubbier than Liu Huaqing, her face round and soft, looking so tender and white that when she smiled, it resembled a big pancake. No wonder everyone loved to pinch her cheeks.

Lele reached out her arms to Wen Nuan, her soft voice calling out, “Mommy—hug!”

Wen Nuan glanced at Liu Huaqing beside her. Seeing him behaving well and not causing a fuss, she picked up Lele and gave her a kiss. “Have you had breakfast, Lele?”

Lele grinned as she nodded her head. Her little mouth babbled a long string of words that were hard to understand, and then she burst into laughter.

Wen Nuan looked at her and smiled back.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinghan had already brought out a large bowl of wontons from the kitchen and placed it on the Eight Immortals table. “Come over and have breakfast first.”

Wen Nuan held Lele in her arms and reached out to take Liu Huaqing’s hand, asking, “Huaqing, have you eaten your breakfast?”

Liu Huaqing seemed to understand her words and nodded.

Wen Nuan patted his head, then smiled and said, “Then you can play with your sister for a while. Wait until Auntie has breakfast before playing with you.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Huaqing immediately let go of her hand and walked over to Lele’s little pushcart, playing with a rattle drum by himself.

Seeing this, Lele slid down from Wen Nuan’s lap and toddled over to Liu Huaqing.

The two little ones, who still hadn’t quite mastered speaking, squatted beside the pushcart, each holding a rattle drum. However, Lele snatched the one Gu Qinghan had brought back from the border, then handed Liu Huaqing the older one.

Liu Huaqing didn’t seem to mind; he shook the rattle drum he had and then handed both of them to Lele while crawling into the pushcart to play.

Wen Nuan noticed they weren’t causing a fuss like they had the night before, so she felt relieved and picked up her chopsticks to enjoy her breakfast.

On the other side, Gu Qinghan grabbed his military cap and, still somewhat concerned, asked Wen Nuan, “Are you really okay to handle them by yourself?”

Although the two children were not fighting now, Lele had pushed Liu Huaqing down on the ground last night, and she had quite a temper.

Gu Qinghan was also worried that Wen Nuan would have a hard time managing both kids at home by herself.

“You can head back to the training ground. I’ll be fine,” Wen Nuan said, taking a bite of the wonton filled with meat. “Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang will be coming over soon, so don’t worry.”

Sister Juxiang had three children, so with the kids playing together, she wouldn’t need to worry too much.

Moreover, Sister Guihua lived in the next room; if anything happened, she could just call out for help.

Gu Qinghan glanced over at the two kids. When Lele saw him holding his military cap, she realized he was leaving and smiled as she waved at him, “Bye-bye!”

Gu Qinghan walked over to her, kissed her forehead, and patted her head. “Daddy is going to be busy. You and your brother play nicely and don’t fight. Listen to Mommy. Daddy will come back tonight to play with you.”

Lele was focused on playing with the wooden toy gun Liu Huaqing had brought, paying no attention to what Gu Qinghan was saying as she continued to play with her own toys.

Once Gu Qinghan left, the two little ones started fighting over the wooden toy gun. Although Lele was a bit shorter than Liu Huaqing, she could be quite fierce when she got angry.

When she couldn’t win the fight, she resorted to throwing a tantrum and began to cry. Seeing her cry, Liu Huaqing handed her the toy.

Lele then broke into a triumphant smile.

Seeing the two kids getting along, Wen Nuan took the large bowl to the kitchen to wash it.

Just as Wen Nuan finished washing up and came out, she heard Huang Yueying’s voice from outside the yard, “Comrade Wen, are you at home?”

Wen Nuan had never had much interaction with her, and Huang Yueying had always been closer to Liu Meili.

Back when she first arrived in The Northern Military District, there had been an unpleasant incident with Liu Meili regarding moving houses, so Wen Nuan only exchanged polite nods with her.

Wen Nuan really couldn’t think of any reason for Huang Yueying’s sudden visit.

Nevertheless, she walked out to the yard and invited her in. “What brings you here, Comrade Huang?”

Huang Yueying was carrying a bag of snow pears and a piece of pork. Meeting Wen Nuan’s puzzled gaze, she handed the items over. “Comrade Wen, I came over this time to apologize.”

Wen Nuan raised her eyebrows, looking at her with a still perplexed expression.

Huang Yueying didn’t bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point. “When you first moved into the compound, I mistakenly trusted Li Qiuyan’s words and discussed you behind your back. So, I came specifically to tell you: I’m sorry.”

“I know I was wrong, and I don’t dare to expect you to forgive me. However, please accept these things. Otherwise, I’ll really feel uneasy about it.”

Fearing that Wen Nuan wouldn’t accept the items, Huang Yueying placed the snow pears, canned yellow peaches, and pork directly onto the Eight Immortals table in her home.

Wen Nuan listened to Huang Yueying’s words and glanced at the things on the table, momentarily taken aback. Then she lightly replied, “I understand.”

After that, she added, “Thank you.”

Wen Nuan returned the items Huang Yueying had brought her and smiled faintly as she said, “But these things are unnecessary. Let’s just consider the past as if it were chalk writing that can be wiped away.”

She and Huang Yueying had never been on the same path.

As for the previous gossip, it had long been cleared up, and she had no need for Huang Yueying’s belated apology.

The damage has been done, and an apology was of no use.

One could also say that the harm caused by such actions was not worth forgiving.

Huang Yueying felt the items in her hand were somewhat heavy, and for a moment, she could not understand whether Wen Nuan’s words meant she had been forgiven or not.

Why did it feel like Wen Nuan’s words were a bit confusing?

Huang Yueying forced a smile, feeling a bit awkward holding the items. She pressed her lips together and said, “Comrade Wen, even though you haven’t held the previous matters against me, you and Vice Captain Gu had saved my family’s Daniu before, so I must express my gratitude to both you and Vice Captain Gu. Please accept this token of appreciation.”

Huang Yueying had planned to come find Wen Nuan long before.

Wen Nuan went to work in the cooking class, and everyone knew it was arranged personally by the General.

Moreover, Gu Qinghan had received a second-class merit award due to the previous avalanche incident, and he had also brought his sister to the army to serve as a military doctor. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted.

From any angle, Huang Yueying felt that Wen Nuan was worth building a relationship with.

To be precise, she needed to establish a good rapport with her.

The smile on Wen Nuan’s face faded slightly, and she politely said to Huang Yueying, “Comrade Huang, these items are too valuable. I can’t possibly accept them.”

“Moreover, we are in the same compound. Our family compound is like a big family where we should help and love one another. My man is a soldier, and it is his duty and mission to protect the lives and safety of the people. I really can’t accept your gifts.”

Huang Yueying had not expected Wen Nuan to be so firm in her refusal. She had previously given gifts to Liu Meili and others, and they had always been polite, ultimately accepting with smiling faces.

In the family compound, the interactions among military wives were quite delicate.

After all, helping their husbands build connections was an essential task for these military wives.

Who wouldn’t want their man to be promoted?

Although Gu Qinghan’s current position was slightly higher than her husband’s, who didn’t need one or two capable assistants?

However, Wen Nuan’s attitude clearly meant that she intended to keep Huang Yueying at bay.

Thinking of this, Huang Yueying remained undeterred, keeping a smile on her face. “Comrade Wen, the person who saved my son was you. Over the past month, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep well. I often think about what would have happened if my Daniu hadn’t been rescued in time. If I had lost Daniu, I wouldn’t want to live anymore. So please, you must accept my token of appreciation; otherwise, I won’t feel right.”

As she spoke, she set the items down again.

Wen Nuan moved faster than her, directly shoving the items back into Huang Yueying’s arms. “Comrade Huang, the organization has already commended me and given me a job. If you keep trying to give me gifts, it won’t reflect well in the family compound.”

Then Wen Nuan added with a hint of sarcasm, “You know there were many rumors about me in the family compound; I don’t want to add to the trouble.”

Wen Nuan genuinely did not want the items. She had already received a job and a military position; accepting something from Huang Yueying was clearly inappropriate.

Moreover, Wen Nuan felt that she and Huang Yueying were on different wavelengths. After experiencing the issues with Li Qiuyan, she simply wanted her social circle to be more straightforward.

She had heard about Huang Yueying trying to ingratiate herself with Liu Meili, but since it hadn’t concerned her before, she had treated it as just a story.

Now that it involved her, she felt compelled to make her stance clear. She had no intention of touching these items that came with ulterior motives.

Besides, the incident with Daniu had happened so long ago; wasn’t Huang Yueying’s gratitude a bit late in coming?

Huang Yueying had not expected Wen Nuan to be so resolute in her attitude. From the look on her face, it was clear that she genuinely did not want to accept the gifts, rather than merely being polite.

When Huang Yueying met Wen Nuan’s indifferent gaze, it was evident that she was being rejected.

Feeling a deep sense of helplessness, Huang Yueying sighed softly at the gifts she could not present and had no choice but to return home.

As soon as Huang Yueying left, Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang approached, bringing along a few children.

After sending the children off to play, the two sisters-in-law expressed great curiosity about Huang Yueying’s visit and asked Wen Nuan what it had been about.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “It was nothing much. Comrade Huang came to thank me and Qinghan for saving her Daniu, so she brought me some food.”

Wen Nuan then added, “However, I felt embarrassed to accept it, especially since the organization has already commended me and given me a reward. How could I accept her gifts?”

Sister Guihua smiled slightly upon hearing this. “Good thing you didn’t accept them. Huang Yueying loves this kind of thing; I can’t even count how many people have been buttered up by her!”

Sister Juxiang took a bite of the snacks on the table and grunted in agreement. “I think Huang Yueying lacks sincerity. If she wanted to express her gratitude, why didn’t she do it earlier? Why wait until after the incident with Li Qiuyan?”

“Exactly! It’s good that you didn’t accept her gift.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “The organization’s reward for me is already enough. I wouldn’t dare to ask for more.”

She certainly couldn’t be confused about something that was so clear to everyone around her.

After discussing Huang Yueying, the group began preparing lunch. Today, they had planned to have noodles at Wen Nuan’s home and also help with the children.