Chapter 74

Winter was a great season for staying in bed, but Wen Nuan had things on her mind. As soon as the wake-up call rang, she got up.

However, when she got up, she did not see Gu Qinghan. Had he already left?

At six o’clock in the morning in the North, it still felt like night. Wen Nuan put on her coat and stepped out into the living room. Sure enough, Gu Qinghan had left a note saying he had set off.

Wen Nuan had initially planned to wake up early to go to the Kitchen Crew with him, but she hadn’t expected Gu Qinghan to rise even earlier than the wake-up call. She wondered if he had finished repairing the supplies last night.

She folded the note and set it aside, then went to check on Qinglan and Lele in the big room. They were still sound asleep, completely unaffected by the wake-up call. Wen Nuan quietly went in and tucked them in before tiptoeing out of the room.

However, since Gu Qinghan had mentioned that Qinglan had been quite busy lately, Wen Nuan decided not to wake her and let her sleep a little longer.

She glanced out the window at the dark sky, noticing the icicles hanging from the eaves of the house. Although it wasn’t snowing at the moment, the sky was still gloomy, and it could start snowing at any time.

Wen Nuan stood by the window for a moment, then tightened her coat and turned to head over to the stove.

She intended to replace the honeycomb coal but discovered that the coal pieces in the stove had already been changed. Gu Qinghan seemed to have taken the time to clean out the stove before he left.

With that, Wen Nuan felt restless. After stretching her back, she stomped her feet and walked toward the kitchen.

Since she didn’t have to hurry back to the stone hammer team today, she planned to make a hearty breakfast to give Lele, the little one, some extra nutrition.

Before going to wash up, Wen Nuan soaked the dried shrimp, clam meat, and crab that her sister-in-law had given her in hot water.

When she returned to the kitchen, the seafood had soaked up nicely. She sautéed some shrimp heads to extract shrimp oil, then added clean water and the washed Northeast rice, preparing to make a seafood congee.

As she cooked the congee over a wood fire, the rice began to soften quickly. It was then that Wen Nuan started making egg pancakes and meat buns.

Lele loved buns, so Wen Nuan made small soup dumplings, just the right size for the little one, who could easily eat several in one go.

Just as Wen Nuan was flipping the soup dumplings into the iron pot to steam, the little one rubbed her eyes. Upon seeing Wen Nuan, she hurried over and hugged Wen Nuan’s leg, calling out sweetly: “Mommy.”

Wen Nuan instinctively glanced at the child’s small feet and discovered that Lele had managed to put on her shoes, albeit on the wrong feet, and she hadn’t even pulled up the heels.

However, the fact that she could put on her shoes by herself was already impressive. Wen Nuan did not hold back on her praise; she picked up the little one and planted a kiss on her face. “How did our Lele wake up so early? And you even managed to put on your shoes all by yourself! So impressive.”

The little one was still a bit sleepy. She wrapped her arms around Wen Nuan’s neck, yawned softly, and said nothing.

Wen Nuan speculated that the child had woken up early because she had not waited for her the night before, leading to her clinginess this morning. Lele’s small arms wrapped tightly around her neck, but her whole body felt soft and drowsy, indicating she had not fully woken up yet.

Wen Nuan gently stroked the child’s head and smiled. “Do you want Mommy to carry you for a bit?”

Since Lele learned to walk, Wen Nuan had hardly ever carried her; usually, when Gu Qinglan was home, he would be the one to hold her. Sometimes, Lele didn’t even like being carried and preferred running around everywhere.

“Mm-mm-mm…” The little one shook her head, her soft body leaning against Wen Nuan as she quietly said, “Mommy, hold.”

Seeing Lele still look half-asleep, Wen Nuan comforted her, saying, “Okay, Mommy will hold you. Lele can sleep a bit more.”

Fortunately, the fire in the stove was already well-lit, so the soup dumplings could be checked later, and once Qinglan was up, they could eat breakfast.

Lele hadn’t gotten enough sleep; she dozed off against Wen Nuan’s shoulder again. Wen Nuan took a small blanket and covered her with it.

Lele woke up again when Gu Qinglan made some noise.

Seeing that Wen Nuan had been holding Lele for quite a while, Gu Qinglan approached without bothering to wash up, saying, “Sister-in-law, you’ve been holding her for a long time, haven’t you? Why didn’t you wake me? I didn’t hear the morning call.”

When Lele had just woken up, she was particularly clingy to Wen Nuan. Upon seeing Gu Qinglan come to hold her, she tightly wrapped her arms around Wen Nuan’s neck, not wanting to leave her.

Noticing that the little one was reluctant, Wen Nuan smiled at Gu Qinglan and said, “It’s okay; she probably didn’t wait for me to come back last night and is throwing a little tantrum. Qinglan, you wash up, then take out the congee and dumplings from the kitchen. We can have breakfast first.”

“Ah? Sister-in-law, you got up so early to make congee?” Gu Qinglan asked, feeling a bit embarrassed as he ruffled his messy hair.

Wen Nuan worried that Lele might feel cold after just waking up, tightened the blanket around her and replied, “Your big brother got up even earlier than I did. He left before the morning call rang. I wonder if he’s had breakfast.”

Gu Qinglan was slightly surprised. “Did he really leave that early? Is he delivering the batch of supplies to the research institute?”

Wen Nuan nodded. “Yes, he probably wants to deliver it before noon.”

Gu Qinglan knew that her brother and sister-in-law had been very busy lately, rushing to send the supplies to the research institute before the strong cold front arrived, but she hadn’t expected her brother to leave so early.

She said, “Then I’ll go brush my teeth and wash my face first. I’ll handle the congee and dumplings in a bit. Sister-in-law, you watch over Lele for now.”

Wen Nuan nodded and carried the child to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure if Lele had heard her talking with Gu Qinglan for a while, but now she was fully awake and tugging at the blanket, trying to pull it off.

Wen Nuan decided to help her by removing the blanket entirely, then prepared a basin of warm water to brush Lele’s teeth and wash her face.

The congee she had made today looked beautiful, with all the rice bursting open into a large pot of soft, glutinous goodness. The soaked seafood had no fishy smell, only a delightful aroma.

Gu Qinglan held a bun in one hand and took a sip of the congee with the other, feeling utterly blissful. If it weren’t for being so busy, she would have wanted to come over every day just to enjoy the food!

Wen Nuan, concerned that Lele would make a mess while eating congee, fed her directly. Lele held onto a soup dumpling and enjoyed alternating bites of congee and dumpling.

After Wen Nuan had fed the little one enough, she casually chatted with Gu Qinglan, “By the way, Qinglan, has Ding Guoli come looking for you recently?”

Gu Qinglan filled another bowl with congee. She scoffed at Wen Nuan’s question, “That jerk wouldn’t dare show his face around me! After Xiaomei and I gave him a good beating, he now avoids her like the plague.”

Wen Nuan noticed that Lele had eaten enough and insisted on getting down, so she set her on the floor and said, “That’s good. I was worried he might cause you trouble.”

Wen Nuan listened as Gu Qinglan mentioned that Ding Guoli had been eliminated in the first round of the pilot selection. Later, for reasons unknown, he was also dismissed from the post office. She worried he might feel resentful and cause trouble for Qinglan and the others.

But it was good that nothing had happened.

Gu Qinglan smiled and said, “I’m not worried. I go to and from work with our hospital staff, and here in the family compound, he wouldn’t dare make a move against a woman.”

Just as Wen Nuan was about to respond, Lele, who was playing with the radio, suddenly shouted, “Daddy!”

Wen Nuan laughed and said: “Your Daddy is busy; he probably won’t be back until tomorrow.”

The research institute wasn’t far away; in fact, one could make the round trip in a day. But she wondered whether Comrade Liu and the others would keep Gu Qinghan there for a small meeting or perhaps a meal.

Just as Wen Nuan thought the child was just calling out randomly, Lele had already run toward the front door, shouting, “Daddy!”

At that moment, Gu Qinghan pushed open the wooden door of the house, walking in with a cold air about him and a serious expression on his face.

Wen Nuan set down her chopsticks and, seeing him return unexpectedly, asked with a smile, “Aren’t you supposed to be leaving? Why are you back?”

Gu Qinghan pursed his lips, his face dark as ink, and coldly replied, “Last night, there was a commotion in the kitchen where they kept supplies. When I got there, I found him collapsed on the ground.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinglan dropped the bowl of congee she was holding onto the Eight Immortals table and exclaimed loudly, “What?”

Gu Qinghan looked at Wen Nuan and Gu Qinglan and said, “Old Zhong and I have already sent him to the hospital. The doctor said it was carbon monoxide poisoning. Luckily, we got him there in time; otherwise, it could have been life-threatening.”

As soon as Gu Qinghan finished speaking, Gu Qinglan had already grabbed her cotton coat and rushed out the door.

Wen Nuan wore a worried expression, but seeing Gu Qinglan run so swiftly, she didn’t follow. Instead, she asked Gu Qinghan, “How did this happen?”

Gu Qinghan sat down in the spot where Lele had been and poured himself a bowl of the congee the child had just eaten, saying, “It was probably because they were burning firewood for heat last night without leaving a ventilation opening.”

Every winter, such incidents often occur. In North City, the winters were exceedingly cold, and every household needed to find ways to stay warm. A little carelessness could lead to such accidents.

Wen Nuan furrowed her brows and replied, “But Da Xiang doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be so careless.”

As a soldier, he should possess basic knowledge and caution. Though Li Daxiang sometimes appeared to be carefree, he was meticulous in his work and did not strike her as someone prone to such negligence.

However, it was difficult to say; as Gu Qinghan had mentioned, there were cases like this every winter. Even in the family compound, there had been several incidents.

Gu Qinghan’s expression was also grim. After downing half a bowl of congee in one go, he responded, “Da Xiang was worried that someone might tamper with the supplies, so he volunteered to help keep watch. Who knew that when I went over at five this morning, I would find him collapsed on the ground?”

Initially, Gu Qinghan intended to take Li Daxiang to the research institute. Still, since Li Daxiang needed to participate in flight team training, he left him there, not expecting that such a thing would happen.

Wen Nuan frowned deeply and placed her hand on Gu Qinghan’s shoulder, gently patting it. “As long as he’s okay now, that’s what matters. Are you planning to go to the research institute later?”

Gu Qinghan nodded, “Mm, can you help me check on Daxiang later? I asked Team Leader Liang, and he said there would be a strong cold front in a couple of days. If we don’t send him over soon, it will probably snow heavily.”

“Be careful on the way,” came the reply.

“Mm, I will. You take care at home, too.”

Over at the hospital, Gu Qinglan arrived, and her colleagues at the nurse’s station immediately said, “Qinglan, Li Squad Leader has carbon monoxide poisoning. You should go see him.”

Gu Qinglan’s expression turned anxious as she asked, “Which ward?”

“The one at the end of the second floor. The doctor said his blood oxygen levels have returned to normal, but he hasn’t woken up yet. Hurry up and take a look.”

As the nurse watched Gu Qinglan rush upstairs, she muttered, “Why is she running so fast?”

A nearby colleague replied, “How can she not? Squad Leader Li and our Qinglan have a special relationship.”

Gu Qinglan didn’t understand what her colleagues were saying about them. All she could think was that she needed to see Li Daxiang quickly and find out how he was doing now.

When she reached the door of the ward, Gu Qinglan didn’t even knock; she pushed the door open and walked in. It was a room for three, but this was the only available room at that moment. Erhu was still guarding the bedside, and Li Daxiang lay pale on the bed, wearing an oxygen mask.

Erhu heard the sound and turned around. Upon seeing Gu Qinglan, he stood up, “Comrade Gu, you’re here? Daxiang has been poisoned. The doctor said he’s not in any serious condition, but he still hasn’t woken up.”

Gu Qinglan had rushed to the hospital, and a sticky layer of sweat had formed on her body. Seeing Li Daxiang lying quietly on the hospital bed made her heart race even more.

She bit her lip, adjusted her emotions, and said, “It’s good that he’s okay. How could this happen…?”

Erhu took over, explaining, “Last night, Daxiang was at the Kitchen Crew watching over the supplies. It might have been too cold, so he burned some wood to stay warm. When Vice-Captain Gu went over today, he found him passed out on the ground.”

“Fortunately, Vice-Captain Gu got him to the hospital in time. Otherwise, that guy Daxiang would really…”

Erhu frowned, both angry and frustrated. “That guy is too careless. How could he suddenly get poisoned like this? He wasn’t this reckless before!”

Although Erhu and Li Daxiang weren’t soldiers at the same time, they had shared the same dormitory for three years. He understood Daxiang’s character somewhat and couldn’t fathom how Daxiang ended up poisoned.

Just then, as Gu Qinglan was about to speak, Li Daxiang, on the bed, suddenly opened his mouth, “Erhu, could you keep it down? You’re so loud you’re going to wake the dead.”

Gu Qinglan rushed over, and worry etched on her face. “You’re awake? Are you alright?”

Li Daxiang looked at the face he had been longing for, his mind unable to distinguish between reality and a dream. He smiled at Gu Qinglan and said, “I’m fine; seeing you makes everything okay.”

Erhu didn’t catch what Li Daxiang had said and stared at him in astonishment. “Daxiang, you’re awake? You scared me half to death! Don’t move; I’ll get a doctor right away!”

Seeing Erhu rush out in a hurry, Gu Qinglan walked to the bedside and looked at the still-pale Li Daxiang. She asked, “How do you feel? Are you dizzy? Do you feel like vomiting?”

Li Daxiang looked around the hospital room, realizing that this wasn’t a dream; something had truly happened, and he had been brought to the hospital.

He lifted his hand to pat his slightly aching head and smiled as he replied, “I’m fine now, just a bit dizzy.”

Noticing that he was trying to sit up, Gu Qinglan quickly reached out and pushed him back down onto the bed, her tone a bit stern. “You have carbon monoxide poisoning. Don’t move around; just lie still and wait for the doctor to come.”

Gu Qinglan had previously treated patients with carbon monoxide poisoning, and many had faces that were ashen. Some even vomited, while others fell into a deep, unshakeable sleep. There were even cases where some passed away in their dreams, unable to be saved.

As she rushed over, she had already considered the worst-case scenario. She didn’t know why she was so worried, but she felt compelled to come and see him.

Now, seeing that Li Daxiang’s condition wasn’t too severe, she sighed in relief. However, noticing his nonchalant demeanor made her a bit angry.

She wished she were a doctor so she could examine him herself.

Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, Li Daxiang looked at her in slight surprise. Gu Qinglan wasn’t wearing a nurse’s uniform or a nurse’s cap.

Suddenly, he smiled and asked, “I really am fine. Did you come specifically to see me, Qinglan?”

Upon hearing Li Daxiang’s question, Gu Qinglan, who had already felt a bit hot from running over, suddenly felt her face flush.

She met Li Daxiang’s gaze, bit her lip, and nodded, “My brother said that this morning when he was about to leave, he saw you collapsed on the ground.”

“He said he brought you to the hospital, so I came over. Are you really okay?”

Even though Li Daxiang’s head was buzzing, hearing Gu Qinglan say this made him feel as if he had come back to life. However, at that moment, Erhu had already called the doctor over and was performing a simple examination.

When Gu Qinglan heard the doctor say there was nothing serious, she felt relieved. She then told Erhu, “I’ll head to work now. You keep an eye on Comrade Li.”

Erhu replied, “Sure, I’ll make sure Comrade Li gets the best care possible.”

Li Daxiang kicked Erhu playfully and, noticing that Gu Qinglan had already walked out of the ward, said, “I’m fine; you should go back to the regiment.”

“By the way, wasn’t Vice-Captain Gu supposed to take you to the research institute? Why are you still here?”

Erhu replied, “Vice-Captain Gu was worried about you, so he asked me to stay with you while he took Monkey along. Don’t worry; Monkey drives better than I do, so it won’t affect the supply transport.”

Li Daxiang nodded. “Then you should go back to the regiment; I’m doing well here.”

Having Erhu around made things quite inconvenient.

Erhu peeled an apple, grinning as he leaned closer to Li Daxiang and whispered, “You lucky guy, you’ve got your eyes on Comrade Gu? Aren’t you afraid Vice-Captain Gu will come after you?”

Erhu handed half of the peeled apple to Li Daxiang as he spoke.

Li Daxiang frowned and said, “Get lost, get lost. I want to sleep for a bit; you’re so noisy.”

Erhu, annoyed, gritted his teeth in frustration. “Fine, fine, I’ll go since you find me a nuisance!”

He sighed again, “Men, they forget loyalty when they see beauty…”

Li Daxiang turned his head away, not denying it. In anger, Erhu threw the whole apple at him, but Li Daxiang caught it.

Gu Qinghan had a task to attend to, so after breakfast, she set off.

Wen Nuan bundled Lele in a thick cotton coat and took her to the hospital to check Li Daxiang’s condition.

When they arrived at the hospital, Li Daxiang was already awake. Gu Qinglan was in the ward changing his IV drip, but Li Daxiang still had an oxygen tube in place.

Seeing Wen Nuan had brought Lele along, Li Daxiang felt a bit embarrassed and greeted her, “Sister-in-law, I’m fine. You didn’t need to bring Lele out in this cold weather.”

Wen Nuan placed the apple and meat bun she was holding on the bedside table and said, “Vice-Captain Gu asked me to come see how you’re doing since he couldn’t make it. How are you feeling now?”

Perhaps due to timely treatment, apart from still looking a bit pale, Li Daxiang didn’t seem to have any other issues.

Li Daxiang smiled and said, “I’m doing great. Fortunately, Vice-Captain Gu and Class Leader Zhong got here in time; I can already bounce back to life. Sister-in-law, you don’t have to worry.”

Then he added, “But it delayed Vice-Captain Gu’s supply transport; they could have set off earlier.”

“You’re fine, but the supply transport doesn’t hinge on a few hours,” Wen Nuan replied, glancing at the slow-moving Gu Qinglan. She continued, “Even though you’re awake, you still need to undergo some tests to rule out any potential aftereffects.”

Gu Qinglan chimed in, “Exactly. Although you look okay now, the carbon monoxide could have affected your lungs and brain. You need to be checked before you can be discharged.”

Gu Qinglan was irritated at Li Daxiang’s casual remarks; when he woke up, he thought he was fine, so he insisted on being discharged.

Li Daxiang glanced at Gu Qinglan and nodded, “Then let’s get the check-up done before I leave.”

Seeing Li Daxiang lying in the hospital bed, Lele walked over and asked, “Uncle, are you okay?”

Li Daxiang smiled at Lele and said, “I’m fine little one.”

Lele held out an apple in both hands and offered it to him, “Then Uncle can eat this apple; it’s sweet.”

“Thank you, but Uncle isn’t hungry. You can have it, Lele.” Li Daxiang hadn’t really thought about things meant for kids, but the next moment, Gu Qinglan shot him a look and said, “Lele is sharing this with you. Don’t discourage her desire to share; just take it.”

Li Daxiang had never heard of the term “desire to share” before, but since Gu Qinglan said so, he accepted the apple and told Lele, “Then Uncle will take it. Thank you, Lele.”

“Not at all!” Lele replied, handing the apple to Li Daxiang before running back to Wen Nuan’s side.

Wen Nuan helped Lele sit on a chair beside her and then asked Li Daxiang, “Daxiang, how could you be so careless last night?”

To be honest, Wen Nuan didn’t believe Li Daxiang was a careless person. Given the precautions taken in the kitchen to prevent fires, with the ventilation openings left quite large, it shouldn’t have led to such an accident.

Li Daxiang held the apple and frowned slightly, saying, “I’m not too sure myself. I felt unusually sleepy for a while, and then I don’t remember what happened.”

Wen Nuan looked at him and asked, “Do you remember if anyone went to the kitchen last night? Were you the only one on guard?”

Li Daxiang shook his head, “Yeah, just me.”

After thinking for a moment, Li Daxiang added, “Before I passed out, I think I heard the two sheep in the chicken coop making some noise. Other than that, there was no other sound.”

Due to years of training, Li Daxiang was a light sleeper; he could hear even the slightest sounds. If someone had been there, he surely would have noticed. However, it was windy last night, and many items were placed outside the kitchen, causing rustling noises that could have affected his judgment.

But he was sure he had heard the noise from the two sheep.

Wen Nuan didn’t press any further. “Just make sure to rest well, get checked, and then you can be discharged.”

“Okay, thank you, sister-in-law.”

After leaving the hospital, Wen Nuan returned to the kitchen.