Chapter 52.1

After Gu Qinghan finished talking with Wen Nuan on the phone, he returned to the residential compound.

Lin Meizhi had been discharged from the hospital for several days and was resting in her room. The moment she heard the sound of the front door opening, her heart tightened.

Gu Qingsong had gone out to distribute red eggs, and Zhao Wuzhu was outside in the yard washing diapers. The room’s door wasn’t closed, so Lin Meizhi could see Gu Qinghan at a glance.

The two looked at each other from a distance. Lin Meizhi guiltily turned her face away, her heart racing wildly.

Gu Qinghan stared at her for a moment, then suddenly walked to the doorway of the room and asked, “Comrade Lin, do you think living like this gives you peace of mind?”

Lin Meizhi sharply turned her head, her face instantly turning pale. “I… I don’t understand what you mean, big brother.”

“You think you can hide the truth from everyone?” Gu Qinghan looked at her coldly, then added, “There are some things I hope you can tell Qingsong yourself.”

Lin Meizhi forced a smile and countered, “Big brother, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Is there some misunderstanding?”

Gu Qinghan had no intention of playing games with her. “I’ve seen all the baby’s records. There’s no way he was born prematurely.”

Lin Meizhi’s eyes widened, and she wanted to say something, but the baby beside her suddenly started crying.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the child and said, “If you have difficulties, you can tell Qingsong directly rather than deceive him.”

After saying that, Gu Qinghan turned and left.

After distributing the red eggs, Gu Qingsong returned and immediately heard the baby crying intensely. He quickly walked into the room and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Why is our son crying so hard?”

Lin Meizhi bit her lip and said, “It’s your big brother. I don’t know if he doesn’t like us sleeping in his room, but when he came back and saw that you weren’t around, he deliberately slammed the door loudly. It seems like he’s trying to take his anger out on me.”

She suddenly grabbed Gu Qingsong’s arm and said, “Qingsong, please, you need to get your big brother to go back to Northern City. I… I’m really scared of him!”

At first, Gu Qingsong found it hard to believe Lin Meizhi’s words. After all, his big brother wasn’t that petty. Besides, he had already taken his wife and child to Northern City, and the room was empty anyway—why would he get angry over that?

However, seeing how pale Lin Meizhi’s face was and how serious she seemed, he couldn’t help but recall how he had gotten punched out of nowhere before. He had been harboring a grudge over it.

Gu Qingsong reassured Lin Meizhi, “Meizhi, don’t worry. I’ll go talk to my big brother and ask him to leave soon.”

Lin Meizhi couldn’t stand the thought of Gu Qinghan staying any longer, so she urged, “Then go talk to him now. I think your big brother might still be holding a grudge over the dowry issue from before.”

Hearing Lin Meizhi’s exaggerated claims, Gu Qingsong grew even angrier.

But when he went to find Gu Qinghan, Gu Qinghan, for some reason, lost his temper again and beat him up, even calling him an idiot.

Gu Qingsong didn’t dare let Lin Meizhi know that he had been beaten up again, so he took a shower before returning to the room.

—o—o—o—

On the other side.

After leaving the phone booth, Wen Nuan made her way to the military hospital. She planned to ask Gu Qinglan if she knew anyone working at the hospital back in their hometown.

Earlier, when she had spoken with Gu Qinghan over the phone, he had mentioned that on the day of Lin Meizhi’s “premature birth,” Lin Meizhi had insisted on giving birth at the hospital where her aunt works. All the baby’s growth data was also stored at that hospital.

However, Gu Qinghan had already visited that hospital. The baby’s records appeared normal, and they indicated that the baby was indeed premature. However, during this time, prenatal care didn’t include ultrasound scans, so the exact time of conception was completely up to what Lin Meizhi’s aunt wrote down.

Wen Nuan was lost in these thoughts when she arrived at the hospital.

Gu Qinglan had just finished her shift and was heading to the cafeteria for a meal. When she saw Wen Nuan approaching unexpectedly, she thought her sister-in-law had come to feed her and rushed over excitedly, “Sister-in-law, what delicious food did you bring me this time?”

Lately, Gu Qinglan had become the envy of the entire nursing station. Since Gu Qinghan had been away from the base, she had been dining at Wen Nuan’s house every evening—eating braised fish heads one day, steamed ribs with taro the next, and oil-braised prawns with abalone the day after that…

So, seeing Wen Nuan, Gu Qinglan assumed her sister-in-law had brought more good food and grinned from ear to ear.

Wen Nuan playfully tapped Gu Qinglan on the head and said, half-jokingly, “All you ever think about is food. Today, your sister-in-law has something important to discuss with you.”

Gu Qinglan rubbed her head, which hurt a little, realizing that Wen Nuan must have something serious to discuss. Normally, Wen Nuan would never hit her that hard!

Straightening up, Gu Qinglan looked at Wen Nuan and asked seriously, “Sister-in-law, what’s going on?”

Then, remembering how long her eldest brother had been away, her mind flashed back to the previous plane crash incident. Her face turned pale as she anxiously asked, “Sister-in-law, don’t tell me something happened to big brother…”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh, giving her another light tap. “What nonsense are you spouting? Your big brother is fine.”

Gu Qinglan quickly spat on the ground twice, saying, “I’ll take that back immediately. Big brother will live as long as the East Sea and be as healthy as the southern mountains!”

This time, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh for real, but she didn’t continue joking around. She said, “It’s about your second brother.”

Then she added, “Your second sister-in-law gave birth prematurely. She gave birth to a baby boy.”

“What? She had a premature birth?” Gu Qinglan’s face turned pale once again. Even though she didn’t have much affection for her second sister-in-law, the news of the premature birth made her heart tighten. She immediately thought it might be related to the time her second sister-in-law fell down the stairs.

Though Gu Qinglan hadn’t pushed her down the stairs, for some reason, she still felt a bit guilty.

Seeing Gu Qinglan’s pale expression, Wen Nuan realized she was recalling the unpleasant events from the past. She quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry. Your big brother said the baby weighed 6.2kg at birth, and everything is fine.”

Gu Qinglan’s eyes widened as she did the mental math, frowning, “It’s only been a little over seven months. How could he weigh more than 6kg?”

Gu Qinglan had helped in the obstetrics department before, and she knew the difference between full-term and premature babies was significant.

Given the poor nutrition people had during these times, many full-term babies only weighed around 6kg. Some babies were heavier, 7 or 8 kg, but those cases were rare. However, a premature baby weighing more than 6kg was unheard of.

Wen Nuan watched Gu Qinglan’s expression and smiled faintly. “So, you think it’s impossible, too, right?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Gu Qinglan shook her head.

“That’s why your big brother and I suspect there’s something fishy going on,” Wen Nuan said as she found a place to sit down. She added, “And considering the incident where Lin Meizhi fell down the stairs, it’s very likely she’s trying to hide some sort of secret.”

After hearing this, Gu Qinglan raised her hand, swearing, “I swear, I didn’t push her down the stairs. I also thought it was strange at the time. Why would she frame me like that? Now it seems like it might have been intentional on Lin Meizhi’s part.”

“I believe you. You’re not that kind of person,” Wen Nuan reassured her with a gentle pat on her head.

Gu Qinglan then boldly speculated, “Could it be that the child isn’t even that fool, Gu Qingsong’s son.”

Wen Nuan pursed her lips and said, “That’s what your big brother and I want to find out. We need proof; otherwise, your second brother will never believe it.”

Feeling comforted by Wen Nuan’s support, Gu Qinglan’s mood improved. But she still frowned and said angrily, “Hmph, Gu Qingsong is such a big fool. He’d never believe that the woman he cherishes so much could have betrayed him like this!”

Wen Nuan didn’t want to dwell on Gu Qingsong’s attitude. The main issue now was Lin Meizhi’s deception, which was a matter of character.

She asked, “So, Qinglan, can you think of any doctors or nurses you know from back home? Preferably someone at the district hospital since that’s where Lin Meizhi gave birth.”

“Let me think.” Gu Qinglan had spent several years in the countryside, and it had been many years since she’d been back to her hometown. The last time she returned was earlier this year, and it wasn’t a pleasant visit, so she hadn’t seen any of her old classmates.

Suddenly, Gu Qinglan remembered someone—her deskmate from junior high, Zhou Yufen. That girl used to have a crush on Gu Qingsong back then.

Since Zhou Yufen had only one brother who had just gotten married, she was allowed to stay in the city. When Gu Qinglan was sent to the countryside, Zhou Yufen didn’t attend high school but instead went to a medical school. Gu Qinglan later found out through letters that Zhou Yufen had started working at a hospital.

Gu Qinglan told Wen Nuan about her former classmate, mentioning that Zhou Yufen was now working in the medical field.

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan felt hopeful. She said, “Then we can ask her to help us check if Lin Meizhi’s medical records have been falsified.”

Gu Qinglan perked up immediately and, full of energy, grabbed Wen Nuan, wanting to head to the phone booth right away to call her old friend.

However, just as they were about to leave the hospital, they ran into Li Daxiang.

A colleague from the nurse’s station called out, “Qinglan, Squad Leader Li is here to see you again!”

The colleague grinned knowingly after saying this.

Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow, but Gu Qinglan, unfazed, walked up to Li Daxiang confidently and asked, “Daxiang, you’re here?”

Li Daxiang noticed Wen Nuan standing behind Gu Qinglan and, feeling a bit embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head before greeting her, “Sister-in-law, you’re here too.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Yes, that’s right. What are you looking for, Qinglan?”

Before Li Daxiang could respond, Gu Qinglan answered first, “Oh, Daxiang said he had something to do in the county, so I asked him to help me find a book on traditional Chinese medicine.”

Then Gu Qinglan looked towards Li Daxiang and asked him, “Daxiang, did you manage to find that book for me?”

Wen Nuan glanced at Li Daxiang. Although it wasn’t very hot in Northern City in May, Li Daxiang was sweating so much that it was obvious that he had rushed over.

However, she had heard from Gu Qinghan that many of the troop’s affairs had been entrusted to Li Daxiang.

Did he still have time to go to the county?

It seemed that spring had arrived, and someone’s heart was stirring with it.

Li Daxiang handed over a large stack of books to Gu Qinglan and said, “I found it. I also picked up a few other books just in case you might need them.”

Gu Qinglan held the heavy stack of books, flipped through them casually, and her eyes lit up. She smiled and said, “Of course I’ll use them, thank you, Daxiang.”

Then she asked, “How much was it? I’ll give you the money.”

Li Daxiang initially wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but after catching Wen Nuan’s gaze, he named an amount.

Gu Qinglan checked her pockets and found she only had fifty cents. She said, “I don’t have enough. Let me ask my sister-in-law if she has any.”

Wen Nuan chuckled and said, “I didn’t bring any money either.”

Then she reminded her, “Qinglan, we still have other things to do.”

Gu Qinglan was stunned for a moment, then placed the books on the nearest desk. She turned to Li Daxiang and said, “Daxiang, I didn’t bring enough money with me. I’ll come over tomorrow and give it to you.”

“No rush, you can give it to me whenever you’re free,” Li Daxiang replied. After saying that, he greeted Wen Nuan and then took off running.

Gu Qinglan watched his retreating figure and smiled, “Why is he running so fast…”

Wen Nuan observed Gu Qinglan’s clear and innocent eyes, with not a trace of deeper thought. It seemed that she hadn’t caught on yet.

There was no hurry. After all, Qinglan was still young and had just joined the army. For the matters of love—Wen Nuan hoped they could wait a little longer.

The two of them then headed to the telephone room. It took them two days to finally reach the classmate that Qinglan had been trying to contact. Coincidentally, this classmate happened to be working at the same hospital where Lin Meizhi had given birth.

Both of them had carefree personalities, and as soon as the call connected, they immediately started talking about everything that had happened over the years.

When Zhou Yufen heard that Gu Qinglan had not only joined the army but also, like her, became a doctor, she exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, I knew we had a special connection! Look at us—miles apart, yet we both ended up in the medical field. Isn’t this fate?”

Gu Qinglan laughed, “Yes, yes, it’s fate from the heavens!”

The two of them chatted on and on about hospital matters until Wen Nuan reminded her. Only then did Gu Qinglan get to the point of asking Zhou Yufen if there was a way to find the patient’s medical records or any files from past appointments and examinations.

Zhou Yufen, who worked at the hospital, had seen countless messy family dramas over the years, so she asked, “You’re not suspecting that Gu Qingsong’s son isn’t actually his, are you?”

Gu Qinglan knew she couldn’t hide this from her old friend. Since she was asking for help, there was no point in keeping it a secret. “Yes, do you think you can help?”

Zhou Yufen burst out laughing, “Gu Qingsong, of all people, has this coming! Serves him right for ignoring me back then! Don’t worry, leave this to me!”

Gu Qinglan, still feeling uneasy, asked, “You… you’re not still harboring feelings for my second brother, are you?”

Zhou Yufen paused, then replied: “Relax, I’ll handle this professionally.”

And with that, she hung up the phone.

—o—o—o—

Two days later, there was news.

Zhou Yufen told Gu Qinglan that in early October last year, Lin Meizhi had registered at the gynecology and obstetrics department, and had even undergone a urine test. However, the urine test results were no longer available. Since such records couldn’t be viewed by outsiders or taken out of the hospital, this was all Zhou Yufen could manage to uncover.

On the other side, Gu Qinghan had been staying at the Public Security Bureau for several consecutive days.

He had an old comrade from his time in the provincial army, who had transferred to the public security force after his service and happened to work in their hometown district.

Zhao Baogang noticed that Gu Qinghan had been hanging around for two days straight and was starting to get irritated. “Old Gu, aren’t you heading back to Northern City? What are you hanging around here for? Don’t you have a wife and daughter to take care of?”

Zhao Baogang found his comrade’s prolonged stay perplexing and a little annoying.

Ever since this guy had shown up, his office had been swarmed by female colleagues, all curious to catch a glimpse of this married man. Yet none of those women were there for him, the single guy—they were all there to see Gu Qinghan!

Despite being a married man, Gu Qinghan remained completely absorbed in his work these past few days, oblivious to the attention around him. He was busy investigating cases involving sexual assault and indecent behavior.

When he finished digging into the indecency cases, he started sifting through records of deaths and canceled household registrations. Zhao Baogang couldn’t even begin to guess what his friend was trying to uncover.

However, whenever he asked what was going on, Gu Qinghan remained tight-lipped. Zhao Baogang had long given up trying to pry into it.

Back when they were both in the army, Gu Qinghan had always been this way—if he didn’t want to talk about something, no one could get even half a word out of him.

Gu Qinghan briefly lifted his head, glanced at his disgruntled comrade, and said, “I should be heading back soon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the office phone rang. Zhao Baogang gave it an annoyed glance and said, “It’s yours, go answer it.”

It was infuriating that while they were separated, the couple’s sweet exchanges still seemed to be shoved right into Zhao Baogang’s face.

He felt annoyed.

Gu Qinghan picked up the phone, and for the first time, the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, which made Zhao Baogang cringe.

“Wife.”

Hearing Gu Qinghan’s voice, Wen Nuan’s tone softened. “Qinghan, have you had dinner yet?”

Wen Nuan knew that Gu Qinghan had been at the Public Security Bureau for the past few days. He mentioned that he went to the supply and marketing cooperative for an investigation, where everyone said that Lin Meizhi had never dated anyone before and that Gu Qingsong was her first.

Moreover, the impression people had of Lin Meizhi seemed quite positive; they described her as a good girl who didn’t have any chaotic friends and just focused on going to work and coming home every day.

Her reputation was impeccable.

Thus, Gu Qinghan wondered if she might have experienced some unfortunate incidents in the past. However, during his time at the Public Security Bureau these past two days, he found that there had been no cases of indecency in recent years, let alone any sexual assault cases.

He replied, “Not yet, I was waiting for your call.”

They had agreed to talk at this time, so Gu Qinghan had been staying a little later at the bureau.

Wen Nuan frowned and glanced at the clock in the telephone room, muttering, “What time is it? Why haven’t you eaten yet? I saw your health report earlier, and it seemed like your stomach has a bit of a problem. You need to take care of yourself.”

Hearing his wife’s concerned words, Gu Qinghan felt a surge of happiness and replied, “Got it.”

Wen Nuan then began to tell Gu Qinghan about the information Zhou Yufen had helped find. However, Gu Qinghan wasn’t surprised by it, which indicated that he had likely already uncovered similar details himself.

Suddenly, Gu Qinghan said, “That man has already passed away.”

Wen Nuan was momentarily taken aback and asked, “Which man?”

Then it dawned on her that the person Gu Qinghan was referring to was the biological father of the child.

She asked again, “Who was that man?”

Gu Qinghan paused for a moment, looking at the files in his hands, and said, “He was a man named Xu Guoming, who lived in the courtyard next to Lin Meizhi’s house. They were high school classmates, but Xu Guoming had an accident on his way to join the army. I can’t explain everything clearly over the phone, so I’ll tell you more when I get back.”

Wen Nuan held the phone tightly and nodded, “Okay, I’ll wait for you to return to talk about it.”

Gu Qinghan thought for a moment and added, “I also need to go to Qiongzhou Island to handle some matters, so it might take me a little longer to get back. No matter how Qingsong deals with things, I have to return.”

Having spent so much time away, Gu Qinghan was already missing his child and Wen Nuan dearly.

However, it wasn’t the right time yet; Lin Meizhi was in her postpartum period, and they needed to wait until she was done with her confinement.

Wen Nuan said, “That’s fine. After all, Comrade Lin is in her confinement. We’ll wait until she’s finished before discussing this. This matter isn’t going anywhere.”

To their surprise, they were on the same wavelength. Gu Qinghan smiled and replied, “Yeah.”

Then Wen Nuan laughed again. “You just mentioned going to Qiongzhou Island?”

“Yes.” Gu Qinghan was about to explain that it was a remote and desolate place still under development.

However, Wen Nuan expressed her envy, saying, “That area is tropical, with lots of fruits and seafood. Make sure to eat plenty when you’re there.”

Gu Qinghan, who had originally wanted to receive some concern from his wife, smiled and said, “Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, Gu Qinghan initially planned to head home, but Zhao Baogang interrupted him. “Old Gu, are you investigating Xu Guoming’s case? I happen to know some things. Do you want to hear about it?”

Under Gu Qinghan’s skeptical gaze, Zhao Baogang admitted that he had been eavesdropping and scratched his nose. “I was just curious about what case you were working on, so I listened in. Besides, I know the Xu Guoming you mentioned; he was one of my buddies. Let me tell you, his death is actually indirectly related to his mother.”

Gu Qinghan gestured for him to continue.

“Will you treat me to a big meal? I want to eat hot pot at Fuxuan Tower. I’m almost starving; I’ve been sitting here with you all afternoon,” Zhao Baogang took the opportunity to extort. This guy was going back to Northern City tomorrow; there wouldn’t be another chance!

To his surprise, Gu Qinghan didn’t hesitate at all and nodded, “No problem, let’s talk while we walk.”

Seeing Gu Qinghan agree so readily, Zhao Baogang felt a bit regretful for not being more demanding!

As they walked and talked, Zhao Baogang mentioned that Xu Guoming’s father had passed away two years ago, and his mother was the deputy director of the health bureau.

Later, he accidentally finds out that Xu Guoming is dating Lin Meizhi. However, Mother Xu disapproved of Lin Meizhi and strongly opposed their relationship. She even planned to send him to the military for training.

Xu Guoming was unwilling to follow his mother’s arrangement and initially intended to obtain a marriage certificate with Lin Meizhi secretly. Unfortunately, his mother discovered this plan and sent him directly to the military district that night, intending for him to enlist.

However, on the way to the military district, the vehicle overturned. The driver was mostly unharmed, but Xu Guoming sustained severe injuries. He later bled excessively and passed away.

Fearing that Xu’s grandfather and grandmother would not be able to cope with the news of their grandson’s death, Mother Xu did not announce his passing. Instead, she said he had gone to the border for training.

What Zhao Baogang knew was that these were just matters.

However, he should not have been aware that before Xu Guoming’s death, Lin Meizhi had actually become pregnant with his child.