Chapter 67.2

Once Xiao Zhang left, Gu Qinglan and Wen Nuan set to work in the kitchen, preparing to butcher the big chicken they had just bought. They planned to cook a nice meal to treat General Lu. Gu Qinglan took charge of killing the chicken; ever since she had become a nurse, she had become quite bold.

Not only did they butcher the chicken, but they also plucked all the feathers off in no time at all.

Wen Nuan decided not to cook it but rather to use the chicken for a hot pot later. This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about the cold weather making the vegetables cool down too quickly.

While Wen Nuan and Gu Qinglan busied themselves in the kitchen, General Lu played with Lele in the living room. He turned on the radio for her. The little girl had listened to the radio in the Kitchen Team, and now that there was one at home, she was thrilled. She stood beside the coffee table, eagerly listening to the central news broadcast.

Seeing the child so well-behaved, General Lu began to examine the photos hanging on the wall. They were all family photos of the three of them, including some with Gu Qinglan, but there were no other family members present.

Looking at these photos, General Lu could surmise that Wen Nuan’s relationship with the Wen family wasn’t as close as Mother Wen had claimed.

What surprised him more was the relationship between Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan. Even though they didn’t display any particularly affectionate gestures in the small photos, it was evident that their bond was quite deep.

Just as General Lu was finishing his assessment of the pictures on the wall, Xiao Zhang returned, bringing back the anonymous letter.

“Commander, I retrieved the complaint letter. The sergeant major said it was placed directly at the serving window in the Kitchen Team, and no one saw who put it there,” Xiao Zhang reported.

General Lu took the letter, narrowing his keen eyes as he examined it. He felt that the handwriting looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it at that moment.

General Lu said, “Are you coming with me to General Xu’s? No matter what, I need to find out who is maliciously slandering Wen Nuan.”

“Alright, I’ll take you over now.”

Wen Nuan, hearing that General Lu and Xiao Zhang seemed to be going out, opened the door to the kitchen and said, “General Lu, are you all going out? It will be time for dinner soon.”

Upon hearing her, General Lu’s heart softened in a certain spot, and he replied, “We’ll be back in about half an hour. If you’re hungry, you don’t have to wait for us.”

He regretted not bringing a servant with him; he wouldn’t have to trouble Wen Nuan, who was busily moving around. It seemed this trip had not been well-prepared after all.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “There’s no rush; it’s still not very late. But it seems to be snowing outside. Should I get you a heavier coat?”

The weather in Northern City was a bit colder than in Beijing, and she wondered if they would be able to adapt.

When General Lu heard Wen Nuan’s concern, he felt warm in his heart, forgetting about the cold altogether.

“It’s fine; this little snow isn’t cold. You should go back; don’t catch a chill.”

Lele stood at the door and, seeing that General Lu was leaving, said, “Goodbye, great-uncle.”

General Lu: “……”

“Great-uncle will be back later.” After saying this, he paused for a moment, unintentionally being led off track by the little bun.

This time, General Lu did not hesitate again and directly got into the Jeep that had pulled up.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, General Xu also received news from the guards at the courtyard that General Lu had arrived in Northern City. However, he waited for quite a while downstairs in the office but did not see any cars coming in.

Later, the assistant mentioned that the vehicle had gone to the family compound. Why was General Lu in such a hurry to come over to see someone?

General Xu was puzzled, but when General Lu finally came to the administrative building to find him, he heard an earth-shattering piece of news.

“What? You say Wen Nuan is your granddaughter?”

A proud expression appeared on General Lu’s face as he nodded and said, “That’s right, I am her grandfather.”

General Xu found it hard to believe and asked again, “Are you sure?”

General Lu laughed and said, “Absolutely certain. Do you think I would randomly claim my own granddaughter?”

General Xu retorted, “Well, I wouldn’t know; don’t you have a god-granddaughter in our Art Troupe?”

He still held a grudge about the model fighter jet incident from before.

Hearing General Xu say this, General Lu recalled that Xiao Zhang had told him that a female comrade had called him several times, saying she needed to speak with him about something.

He had been preoccupied with matters concerning Wen Nuan lately, so he hadn’t paid attention to her.

Thinking about this so-called god-granddaughter, General Lu suddenly remembered that Xiao Zhang had mentioned she had even written him a letter, although he had yet to read it.

However, this matter could wait; after dealing with Wen Nuan’s situation, he could take his time to explain everything to He Manqing.

General Lu instructed Xiao Zhang to put down the complaint letter and said, “Help me find out who is maliciously slandering Wen Nuan.”

General Xu glanced at the complaint letter, which accused Wen Nuan of being greedy, lazy, and cunning. It insinuated that the Kitchen Team was favoring her, which was indeed infuriating. No wonder General Lu had come here personally.

Seeing General Lu drop the complaint letter as if he was about to leave, General Xu said, “General Lu, I had the servant prepare dinner for you. Why don’t you eat before you go?”

General Lu took his coat and smiled, “No, my granddaughter cooked for me. I have to go back and eat it.”

General Xu: “……”

“Alright, then I’ll see you out.”

—o—o—o—

When General Lu returned to Wen Nuan’s home and shared a meal with her. However, she still hadn’t called him “grandpa” throughout the entire time.

General Lu was not in a hurry. After leaving Wen Nuan’s home with a full stomach, he felt his mood had improved.

No wonder everyone liked her; it turned out that Wen Nuan’s cooking was even better than that of his family’s servants. General Lu felt he could eat two more bowls!

—o—o—o—

News of General Lu’s arrival at the Northern City military camp spread quickly.

When Zhou Yun went to the cafeteria, she saw General Lu’s car and his assistant, Xiao Zhang. She hurried back to inform He Manqing.

“Manqing, I saw your god-grandfather’s car, and his assistant is with him. Did he come to Northern City?” Zhou Yun exclaimed.

He Manqing had twisted her ankle a couple of days ago, but it wasn’t serious. Hearing Zhou Yun’s words, she jumped off the bed in surprise and asked, “What did you say? Is it really my god-grandfather’s car?”

Zhou Yun immediately recited a series of license plate numbers and added, “Of course, I remember; I saw General Lu get out of that car last time. That’s why I rushed back to tell you.”

Then Zhou Yun asked, “Did you ask your god-grandfather to come to our unit?”

Zhou Yun had been unable to return to the dance troupe for a month because of He Manqing. Now that a month had passed, Leader Liao had already found a new dancer to fill her position. Although he said she could return, her place was no longer guaranteed. She had gone from being a main performer to an alternate, and her chances of performing on stage in the future might be few.

So this time, with General Lu coming to Northern City, it could be a turning point, and she was determined to cling to He Manqing’s leg for support.

He Manqing was so excited that she nearly cried. All those calls she had made to General Lu were not in vain; it seemed her god-grandfather knew she had been wronged and had rushed all the way from Beijing.

This time, she was determined to make that Wen Nuan experience the hardships she had endured during this period!

He Manqing said, “That’s right! Those people in the Kitchen Team were unreasonable and made us suffer under Leader Liao’s prolonged training stoppage. That’s why I called my god-grandfather six or seven times. He must have come to help me this time.”

She initially thought that Xiao Zhang had been lying to her, but it turned out she had wronged him. Her god-grandfather had likely been busy with something important lately.

Zhou Yun then said, “It looks like General Lu knows you’ve been wronged, so he came all the way here to seek justice for you. I told you, in the past, General Lu might only come once every couple of years. It hasn’t been long since the National Day holiday, and you called him, and here he is.”

“General Lu really cares about you.”

He Manqing nodded in appreciation and pretentiously said, “My god-grandfather is so busy; I shouldn’t bother him with these small matters.”

—o—o—o—

The next morning, Wen Nuan returned to the Kitchen Team, wanting to check if the chief cook had been giving her a hard time.

However, just as she had parked her bicycle, she ran into the visibly displeased He Manqing, who blocked her path.

He Manqing looked at her with disdain and asked, “What kind of good intentions do you have coming back to work in the Kitchen Team?”

Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow and said, “Why should I feel guilty about coming back to work?”

He Manqing looked Wen Nuan up and down before replying, “I’ve heard people say you’re not honest. Why does the kitchen still keep you here?”

Wen Nuan hadn’t expected He Manqing to be so brazen. Knowing that few people were aware of the whistleblower letter, it seemed clear that He Manqing was seeking revenge on her by writing that false report.

Wen Nuan took a step closer and coldly said, “The people you mentioned are just you. Am I right?”

“He Manqing, you can doubt me, but before you have any evidence, you’d better keep your mouth clean. If you slander me again, I will go to the Political Commissar and report you!”

It was morning, and many soldiers came to have breakfast. Upon hearing the commotion, they gathered around.

He Manqing saw that everyone was closing in, which was the effect she wanted. The last time she apologized to Wen Nuan, she had lost all face, so this time, she wanted Wen Nuan to experience the suffering she had endured that day.

He Manqing snorted and said, “Comrade Wen, don’t think you can deny it. You eat lavish meals at home every day, and your daughter is fatter than any other child in the compound. Yet, each family only gets a small meat ration every month. Where do you get all that meat?”

Wen Nuan suddenly found it laughable. However, she no longer intended to indulge He Manqing. She walked straight up to her, raised her hand, and slapped her hard across the face.

“I buy it, I collect it, it comes from the wind, but I definitely do not steal it! Are you satisfied now?”

“He Manqing, if you keep spouting nonsense, I assure you that one slap won’t be enough!”

Wen Nuan’s slap had left He Manqing dazed. She touched her stinging face, looking at Wen Nuan in disbelief. “You—how dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?”

The onlookers craned their necks, eager for the fight to escalate.

Wen Nuan blinked. “Oh? Who are you? I genuinely don’t know.”

He Manqing clenched her jaw, unable to ignore the fiery pain on her face. “I am General Lu’s god-granddaughter!”

Wen Nuan patted her stinging palm and looked at her. “Oh? Well, I’m General Lu’s biological granddaughter!”

Just as she finished speaking, a jeep pulled up to the cafeteria.

He Manqing recognized it immediately. She had been waiting for this moment. So, when General Lu stepped out of the vehicle, she covered her face and cried out, “Grandfather, please come and judge this matter! This woman actually hit me!”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the imposing man who had stepped out of the Jeep.

General Lu? 

God-grandfather? 

He Manqing was wiping her tears as she rushed towards General Lu, crying, “Grandfather, you have to stand up for me! Wen Nuan hit me!” 

However, just as she was about to reach General Lu, he sidestepped, causing her to stumble and fall into the muddy ground that had been covered with half a night’s worth of snow. 

He Manqing was completely stunned. What did this mean? 

Wasn’t she the one who had asked Zhou Yun to find him to help her? 

But right in front of everyone, he completely ignored her? 

Wait, why was he walking towards Wen Nuan? 

In the next moment, He Manqing heard Wen Nuan speak up: “Grandpa, this person is accusing me of stealing!” 

He Manqing: ???