Chapter 53

When Gu Qinghan caught up with Gu Qingsong, he had already reached the riverbank.

Gu Qingsong sat at the riverbank’s edge, his back appearing somewhat desolate, his shoulders trembling as if he were crying.

Perhaps hearing Gu Qinghan’s footsteps, Gu Qingsong suddenly choked up and said, “Why? I have been so good to her, and yet she has deceived me like this?”

“I loved her so much. Why… why did she have to treat me this way?”

“…”

Comforting others had never been Gu Qinghan’s strong point.

Of course, he followed not to comfort Gu Qingsong but because Zhao Wuzhu was worried he might do something foolish and had him come along to take a look.

Gu Qinghan stood behind him, listening to him express nearly ten minutes worth of “a hundred thousand whys.”

Just as he was about to lose his patience, Gu Qingsong suddenly turned his head to look at him and asked, “Big Brother, I can’t believe she deceived me for so long. Don’t you think I’m foolish?”

This time, Gu Qinghan did not hesitate at all and replied: “Hmm.”

That expression showed no hint of joking.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingsong became even more distressed, and a grown man sobbed uncontrollably by the riverbank.

The commotion from Lin Meizhi and Mother Xu fighting was too loud, and both women were taken to the police station.

Zhao Baogang happened to be the officer in charge of this case, and he never imagined that while Gu Qinghan was investigating Xu Guoming’s cause of death, the truth would turn out like this.

If Xu Guoming had not died, charging Lin Meizhi with having an affair would have been reasonable.

But now, the difficulty lies in the fact that Xu Guoming is dead, and from Mother Xu’s tone, it seems she also wants to protect Lin Meizhi.

Zhao Baogang found his comrade and asked Gu Qinghan, “Old Gu, you really know how to create trouble for me. What do you think we should do about this situation now?”

Gu Qinghan shot him a glare and replied sternly, “Handle it according to the rules.”

The military and the government did not interfere with each other. In this matter, he could no longer get involved. He only wanted to expose Lin Meizhi’s lies and was concerned that Gu Qingsong, that foolish boy, had been deceived.

As for how Lin Meizhi would be dealt with, that was beyond his considerations.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Baogang felt like the problem had just been kicked back to him like a soccer ball. This was truly excellent!

It was as if his old comrade had come specifically to deliver him a performance boost!

But despite his complaints, Zhao Baogang still acted according to the rules.

The situation stemmed from Lin Meizhi’s dishonesty; she had gotten pregnant by someone else and was actually planning to marry Gu Qingsong, which could indeed be considered a case of fraud.

However, Lin Meizhi had just given birth, and since the party involved, Gu Qingsong, had not yet come to the police station to cooperate with the investigation, they decided to give Mother Xu and Lin Meizhi a stern talking-to before temporarily releasing them.

Once Lin Meizhi exited the police station and returned to the family compound, Gu Qingsong was already home, curled up on the bed, his body twisted to one side.

When Zhao Wuzhu saw Lin Meizhi coming over, she was so furious that she grabbed a broom and struck Lin Meizhi with it, shouting, “I’ll beat you, you shameless slut!”

“How dare you come back to our house! Just wait until I beat you to death, you shameless harlot!”

Lin Meizhi did not dodge; she allowed the broom to hit her again and again, biting down hard on her teeth, afraid to make a sound.

In the end, it was Gu Qingsong who could no longer stand it. He suddenly turned around and shouted, “Enough, stop hitting her!”

Zhao Wuzhu, seeing Gu Qingsong was actually defending Lin Meizhi, became enraged and threw the broom at Lin Meizhi’s back, and started scolding them:, “Gu Qingsong, you big fool! You’ve got a green hat on your head from top to bottom, and you still want to help her? You’re such a fool!”

Seeing that Gu Qingsong was still willing to speak for her, Lin Meizhi walked directly to the bedside, fell to the floor, and cried, “Qingsong, I’m sorry! I didn’t want to deceive you. I initially intended to get rid of this child, but I tried so many methods, and none worked.”

“I really wanted to live my life with you. I truly did. I’m sorry, Qingsong, I’m really sorry. I beg you, forgive me. I sincerely want to spend the rest of my life with you…”

“Get rid of it?” Gu Qingsong suddenly sprang up from the bed, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her. “So you chose to marry me, a big fool, hoping to take the marriage certificate to the hospital to get rid of it. So you framed Qinglan for pushing you down the stairs, is that it?”

Gu Qingsong gritted his teeth. “Lin Meizhi, you really are ruthless!”

Lin Meizhi met Gu Qingsong’s fierce gaze and fell silent.

She had once contemplated death, but just before jumping into the river, she happened to encounter Gu Qingsong. At that moment, she didn’t want to drag him down with her; it was just that Gu Qingsong had fallen head over heels for her and pursued her relentlessly, which led her to have twisted thoughts.

If she married Gu Qingsong, she could…

If it weren’t for the bride price issue, she would have married Gu Qinghan sooner, and the child would probably have been terminated by now.

She just hadn’t expected things to become increasingly complicated. When she felt she could no longer keep up the charade, she told Gu Qingsong that she was pregnant with his child.

After they married, Gu Qingsong treated her very well; so well that she felt a deep sense of guilt. Therefore, Lin Meizhi didn’t want to keep this child. After all, keeping it was a hidden danger, a ticking time bomb. Then Qinglan returned, and she found herself with no options left. That was her last chance.

But Gu Qingsong wanted this child so badly; he believed it was their first child and spent a lot of money to protect it.

Lin Meizhi knelt on the ground, pleading, “Qingsong, I was wrong. Give me a chance, and we can live our lives well from now on.”

Gu Qingsong suddenly roared, “Ahhh…”

Then he knelt on the ground, gripping Lin Meizhi’s shoulders tightly, his veins bulging. “A chance? Let me ask you, what about this child? Do you think I, Gu Qingsong, would help you, Lin Meizhi, raise another man’s child? How am I supposed to face others? Do you think I’m not humiliated enough?”

Lin Meizhi felt as if her shoulders might shatter under Gu Qingsong’s grip. She began to cry, sobbing, and repeatedly apologized, saying she was sorry.

Gu Qingsong released her, his voice devoid of warmth. “Tomorrow, we’ll go file for divorce. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways.”

Zhao Wuzhu had been waiting for Gu Qingsong to say this. She rushed over, pulling Lin Meizhi out of the room and scolding, “Did you hear that? My Qingsong said he wants a divorce! Don’t you dare cling to us any longer; get out!”

“Get as far away as you can! We never want to see you again!”

Lin Meizhi clung desperately to the wooden frame at the entrance, but Zhao Wuzhu, who was stronger than her, forcefully pulled her outside.

Lin Meizhi’s nails broke, and the sharp pain in her fingers made her instinctively withdraw her hand. Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Wuzhu dragged her straight to the front door.

Then she spat, “Shameless bitch, get out of here!”

Gu Qinghan came out holding the baby. He had just fed the child some milk formula that Gu Qingsong had bought earlier.

He didn’t say anything; he handed the already sleeping baby back to Lin Meizhi.

The instinct of motherhood made Lin Meizhi temporarily forget her sorrow as she took the sleeping child from Gu Qinghan’s hands.

Looking at the baby’s innocent sleeping face, she couldn’t help but start crying again, tightly embracing the child in her arms.

The residents of the compound heard the commotion and soon came out, bowls in hand.

Earlier in the day, they had seen Lin Meizhi fighting with a neighbor and being taken to the police station. Now, Zhao Wuzhu was kicking her out.

Everyone had already pieced together the situation, gossiping and scolding Lin Meizhi as a big liar.

“How shameless! Pregnant and still trying to get someone to take responsibility. It’s simply outrageous!”

“Exactly! Getting pregnant without being married, she can’t be a decent woman—absolutely shameless.”

“She’s tarnishing our compound. People like her shouldn’t be allowed to stay here; let’s hurry and kick her out!”

Then, everyone joined forces to drive Lin Meizhi out of the compound.

Lin Meizhi had no choice but to shout until her voice was hoarse, yet Gu Qingsong didn’t come out again.

She could only take the baby and return to her parents’ house, but Mother Lin wouldn’t let her in. Instead, she coldly said, “Meizhi, you shouldn’t come back for a while. Your grandmother and father have both fallen ill because of you. You can come back when you’ve earned Qingsong’s forgiveness.”

After saying this, Mother Lin closed the door, leaving her outside.

At that moment, Lin Meizhi, who was holding her young child, suddenly broke down in tears.

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The next day, Gu Qinghan was set to return to Northern City.

He saw Gu Qingsong getting ready to leave and asked him, “Have you made up your mind?”

Gu Qingsong appeared lost and dejected. With stubble growing on his face, his eyes dull, and his lips chapped, he looked like a completely different person from the spirited new father he had been before.

Gu Qingsong paused for a moment, realizing that Gu Qinghan was asking about the divorce. He nodded, saying, “Yeah, I can’t afford to lose face.”

Gu Qingsong had thought about it all night. He could not deny that he deeply loved Lin Meizhi. He may have accepted the situation if she had been honest before their marriage.

But fate had other plans.

Gu Qinghan was not in the mood for idle chit-chat. He said, “Qinglan was framed; you owe her an apology.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingsong felt he couldn’t respond and just silently nodded.

Then he asked, “Brother, are you planning to return to Northern City?”

“Yeah.” Gu Qinghan was holding a travel bag and didn’t seem keen on talking. “Take good care of Mom.”

“Got it.”

Zhao Baogang’s car was waiting outside the compound. When he saw Gu Qinghan’s tall figure walking out, he waved his hand. “Old Gu, over here!”

Gu Qinghan got into the car and told Zhao Baogang, “Take me to the military airport.”

“What?” Zhao Baogang froze for a moment but still started the car, asking, “Aren’t you taking the train? I prepared some snacks for you to eat on the train. You could have said something earlier!”

After the car had been driving for a while, Zhao Baogang finally faintly heard Gu Qinghan beside him say, “I can’t wait any longer.”

Zhao Baogang: “…”

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Northern City.

Wen Nuan picked a few chilies from the backyard and pulled up some garlic sprouts, planning to make a dish of twice-cooked pork.

Lele, on her own in the yard, picked a small cucumber that had just grown and was not yet ripe. Without even glancing at it, Lele placed the cucumber in her mouth and bit down, producing a crunching sound.

Uncertain if the taste was strange, she promptly spat out a small piece of the cucumber back into the yard, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle drum while letting out a series of “Ugh, ugh, ugh…” sounds of disdain.

Wen Nuan watched as her carefully tended cucumber suffered such a fate before it could ripen.

With a huff, Wen Nuan looked at the little troublemaker and felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Lele, you’ve wasted another cucumber of mine! Next time, I won’t take you to the yard to pick vegetables!”

It was well-known how difficult it was to grow vegetables in Northern City. She had hoped the weather would warm up, but who knew it would drop again last week? Although it didn’t snow, her crops had suffered, and she had lost a third of them.

Now, Lele was causing further chaos, and Wen Nuan felt as if her heart was bleeding.

However, Lele seemed oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. Seeing Wen Nuan angry, Lele took off running, laughing gleefully, as if afraid Wen Nuan might catch up to her and scold her.

Wen Nuan watched her stumble as she ran and hesitated to stop her. Instead, she called out a warning, “Lele, be careful! Don’t run too fast, or you might fall!”

Lele was much steadier on her feet now, but the path back to the house wasn’t entirely smooth. If Lele ran too quickly, she was still prone to tripping.

Just as Wen Nuan came out of the backyard garden, she saw Gu Qinglan approaching, holding Lele, who was running around.

Gu Qinglan looked at Lele and chuckled, “Hey there, little one! Quickly tell Auntie, have you been up to any mischief again?”

Wen Nuan glanced at Lele and complained, “This little girl picked my cucumber, and it had just started to grow!”

Upon hearing this, Lele immediately wrapped her arms around Gu Qinglan’s neck and smiled. “Auntie, save me!”

“Oh dear,” Gu Qinglan replied with a smile. “I wouldn’t dare go against your mother. She worked hard to grow those, and you wasted one! You deserve to be spanked on the bottom.”

At these words, Lele instantly released her grip on Gu Qinglan’s neck, covered her little bottom with both hands and shook her head vigorously. “No, no spanking…”

Then, she looked at Wen Nuan with a pitiful expression and called out, “Mama…”

Wen Nuan smiled but didn’t pay her any mind as she walked into the kitchen with the garlic sprouts to prepare a stir-fry.

Gu Qinglan had already carried Lele into the living room, sat down on the wooden sofa, and placed Lele on her lap. She playfully pulled down the waistband of Lele’s pants and laughed, “Let’s give this little bottom a smack for wasting food!”

Before the spanking could even happen, Lele began to cry, “No, no…”

“Lele, you’re being a little brat!” Gu Qinglan said, both amused and exasperated, furrowing her brow. “Auntie hasn’t even spanked you yet! Why are you crying?!”

Now that the child could walk and talk, Lele made her way into the yard by herself, sitting down on a small wooden stool in front of the chicken coop. She bit into a tomato while watching the chickens.

Gu Qinglan walked into the kitchen and glanced outside, noticing that Lele was sitting alone in the yard. She said, “Sister-in-law, should I start cooking? You might want to check on Lele.”

“No need,” Wen Nuan replied. “I can see her from the kitchen. Let her play by herself for a bit.” Wen Nuan was wary of the child becoming too clingy, so as long as Lele was in a safe environment, she was happy to let her play independently.

Wen Nuan fished the blanched pork belly out of the pot and sliced it into thin pieces, preparing to stir-fry it in hot oil.

Gu Qinglan helped start the fire and suddenly asked, “Why hasn’t Big Brother come back yet? It’s been over a month.”

“I don’t know either, but he should be back soon,” Wen Nuan said. She missed Gu Qinghan as well. During their phone call a few days ago, he mentioned taking a train yesterday, so he should arrive in Northern City in the next day or two.

Gu Qinglan glanced out into the yard again and remarked, “I wonder how Gu Qingsong and Lin Meizhi are doing.”

Wen Nuan lifted her head slightly, thinking that a man could probably not accept such a situation.

Divorce was inevitable.

“Once your brother is back, we’ll find out,” she said as she poured the sliced pork belly into the hot pan. The sizzling sound filled the air as the meat slowly turned golden brown.

However, they didn’t notice a car pull up outside the yard, and a figure stepped out.

Lele had eaten half of the small tomato and had lost interest in it. Just as she was about to throw the remaining piece into the yard, she spotted a man in military uniform walking toward her.

Gu Qinghan had seen her long before, and he could smell the mouthwatering aroma wafting from the kitchen, along with the sound of the spatula sizzling in the pan…

At that moment, he realized just how much he missed his child, how much he longed for Wen Nuan, and how much he yearned for this little yet warm home.

Just as Gu Qinghan was about to step into the yard, Lele had already stood up from the small wooden stool, smiling brightly as she called out, “Daddy!”

Hearing that call, Gu Qinghan felt as if his heart had been filled with soft cotton, warm and sweet.

He quickened his pace toward Lele he had missed day and night, preparing to scoop her up in his arms.

But Lele had already lifted her tiny feet and was running toward him. Gu Qinghan wore a broad smile, waiting for Lele to reach him—

“Daddy—”

She called out again, but just as she was about to leap into Gu Qinghan’s embrace, she bypassed him and ran toward another figure behind him, who was also dressed in military uniform. She called out in her baby voice, “Daddy—”

“?”

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T/N: Meizhi was indeed pitiful. If she had come out clean at the beginning, she wouldn’t end like this. Oh, and I still can’t forgive her for pushing the blame on Qinglan. It’s attempted murder on Qinglan’s part! 

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