Chapter 84

Last night, Lele had gone to bed the earliest, yet when Wen Nuan woke up, the child was still fast asleep.

General Lu’s small building had sufficient heating, and after two nights, Wen Nuan had not felt cold at all.

She estimated that Lele had simply played too energetically yesterday. Combined with the warm room and the heavy curtains blocking out light, it was no wonder that Lele was having such a long sleep.

Moreover, Lele had hardly changed positions throughout the night. She was now lying with her small hands raised above her head, and except for one leg being bent, she looked quite composed.

Wen Nuan was just about to get up to prepare breakfast when she suddenly realized that Gu Qinghan was holding her tightly around the waist. He had taken up the middle of the bed, making it somewhat inconvenient for her to move.

She shifted her body slightly and looked at the man’s handsome face as he slept peacefully. Initially, she had been a bit annoyed that he had stayed up so late the previous night, but now, seeing his face, she found it hard to remain angry.

The next moment, the man opened his eyes, and Wen Nuan felt like she had been caught in the act. Nevertheless, she smiled and said, “You got drunk again last night!”

Gu Qinghan rarely drank alcohol. Wen Nuan had only seen him drink two or three times, and on two occasions, he had gotten drunk.

Although the drunk version of him seemed to have no significant difference from his usual self, even looking almost identical to when he was sober, the soreness in her waist and legs reminded her that the man had indeed been intoxicated the night before. In that regard, he had entirely behaved like a different person, and just thinking about it made Wen Nuan blush.

She heard the man softly respond with a gentle “Hmm,” and then he added, “I had a bit too much.”

After saying this, he pulled his wife closer and whispered in her ear, “Grandfather drank even more than I did, so he probably won’t wake up early either. Let’s sleep for a little while longer.”

Wen Nuan had been thinking that Uncle Zhao would be on vacation for the next few days and that she wouldn’t be helping with breakfast. That was why she had planned to get up early.

However, after hearing Gu Qinghan’s words, she decided to be lazy in bed and resolved to lie down for another half hour before getting up.

But this time, Wen Nuan ended up sleeping until nine-thirty. When she woke up, Lele was sitting on her small pillow, intently tearing open the red envelopes that Wen Nuan had given her the night before.

Seeing the bed covered in red paper scraps, Wen Nuan couldn’t sleep any longer. She quickly reached out to stop Lele from further destroying the envelopes.

“Lele, don’t open red envelopes on the bed next time.”

Originally, Wen Nuan had planned to wait until the Lantern Festival to open the red envelopes with her, but she hadn’t expected the child to open them on her own, leaving a mess of paper all over the bed.

When Lele saw that Wen Nuan was finally awake, she excitedly held out the few large bills she had just taken out, grinning as she handed the money to her mother. “Mommy, money.”

Looking at the large bills in the child’s hands, Wen Nuan guessed that they were from Lele’s great-grandfather. He probably would have given her even more if the highest denomination hadn’t been ten yuan.

Wen Nuan smiled as she took the money from Lele and said, “Alright, Mommy will keep the money safe for you, and Lele can help clean up the paper scraps on the bed.”

At her young age, it was clear that the child couldn’t manage the money herself, and thankfully, she still had no awareness of money’s value. So, it was best for Wen Nuan to hold onto the New Year’s money for now.

When the child grew older…

Well, that was something to think about later.

Lele watched as Wen Nuan took the money away, her face showing a moment of confusion. However, upon seeing Wen Nuan get out of bed, she began to reach out and pick up the torn red paper, gathering it piece by piece and placing it on the desk beside the bed.

When Gu Qinghan opened the door and walked into the room, he saw the child diligently cleaning up the scraps of paper one by one.

Hearing the door open, Lele stood on the bed and smiled as she said, “Daddy, look at me!”

“I’m cleaning up the paper!”

Gu Qinghan looked at the pile of red scraps on the nearby desk and knew that this little one had taken advantage of her mother’s sleep to open the New Year’s envelopes.

He walked over, smiling as he asked, “Lele, you’re being so good! Where’s your money?”

Lele turned her head and pointed at Wen Nuan, who was already combing her hair, saying, “I gave it to Mommy.”

Gu Qinghan raised an eyebrow, chuckling as he replied, “That’s fine. Let Mommy keep it safe for you.”

As he spoke, he walked over to his wife. Seeing her combing her hair, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he asked, “Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

Wen Nuan winced at the pressure and shot him a glare. “Get off me! You’re pulling my hair!”

She kicked him lightly with her foot and added, “What time is it? You woke up and didn’t even call me! Is Grandfather up yet?”

For some reason, Wen Nuan felt as if she had done something wrong, thinking she should have gotten up earlier to avoid letting anyone know she had slept in.

Gu Qinghan feigned innocence. After releasing his wife, he scratched his nose and replied, “He’s up.”

Then he added, “He just woke up, actually. I’ve already cooked dumplings. You can wash up, and then we can have breakfast.”

Wen Nuan responded with a soft “Oh,” then asked, “Grandfather said he would take us to the Forbidden City today. Let’s eat and head over early.”

On the evening they arrived, General Lu had mentioned several places for her to choose from— the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. At the time, Wen Nuan hadn’t made up her mind, but considering that Grandfather would be busy starting tomorrow, she decided it would be good to visit the Forbidden City.

Previously, when they had come from their hometown to the North, they had spent one night in Beijing without the opportunity to see its most famous buildings.

Coincidentally, it had been snowing for the past couple of days, making it an even better time to visit the Forbidden City. Although Wen Nuan had visited it in her previous life, she had never been there when it was snowing.

Gu Qinghan handed Wen Nuan a hair tie and said, “Grandfather has already prepared the camera. We’ll set off after we finish the dumplings.”

“Then we need to hurry,” Wen Nuan replied, glancing at the black hair tie Gu Qinghan offered. She rejected it with a look of disdain and instead took a red hair tie with white floral patterns from Lele’s collection. She used it to secure half of her hair into a ponytail.

Beijing was relatively more refined compared to the military base in the North, where everyone had their hair tied in braids or wore short, practical styles and dressed quite simply.

However, over the past few days, Wen Nuan observed that the women in Beijing tended to wear brighter colours, and a small number even styled their hair with curls and products.

Thinking about taking photos that day, Wen Nuan let down half of her hair, believing the pictures would turn out nicer that way.

“Mommy, I want pretty braids too!” Lele suddenly appeared, hugging Wen Nuan’s leg and wanting her to help with her hair.

Noticing that Lele wasn’t even wearing shoes, Wen Nuan picked her up and placed her on a nearby chair. “Alright, Mommy will help you with pretty braids and put in a nice hairpin for you.”

Lele clapped her hands excitedly. “I want to look as pretty as Mommy!”

Then she struggled to climb up from the chair again, declaring, “I want to choose by myself.”

Wen Nuan was further delighted by the child’s antics. She grabbed a comb from the side, first smoothing Lele’s hair before braiding it into two small braids and pinning in the hair accessories Lele had chosen.

But that wasn’t all. Lele pointed at a mirror on the wall and said to Wen Nuan, “Mommy, I want to see the mirror.”

Wen Nuan pinched the chubby little face of the child and smiled, saying, “I’ve never seen such a vain little kid like you. Let your dad take you to see yourself in the mirror. Mommy has to brush her teeth now.”

Wen Nuan then shot a glance at Gu Qinghan, signalling him to take the child to the mirror so she could admire herself.

Gu Qinghan looked at Wen Nuan, who had wrapped a red scarf around her neck, making her skin appear even fairer. With her hair partly down, she seemed a bit more playful than usual.

He picked up Lele, who had been calling for her dad, and said with a hint of displeasure, “Your mom looks really beautiful today.”

Lele tilted her little head toward her dad and asked, “What about Lele?”

Gu Qinghan, holding the child, pointed at her reflection in the mirror and said, “Our Lele is really cute; she is the cutest little friend.”

Gu Qinghan usually heard Wen Nuan talk to the child this way, so he was imitating her.

Gu Qinghan thought one glance would be enough for Lele, but Lele suddenly pouted and said, “No, Lele is pretty too!”

“Lele is beautiful!”

Gu Qinghan: “…”

No wonder your mom says you’re vain.

After they had eaten dumplings, Shen Chuanshan came over, saying he planned to visit the Forbidden City with them.

Seeing his old comrade, General Lu complained, “I’m not saying anything, but you must have gone there more times than you can count. Why are you coming to join the fun? Are you specifically trying to disturb us?”

Hearing his old comrade say that, Shen Chuanshan hurriedly replied, “Is there anyone who talks like that? I’m just being a good host, and I’m planning to take Xiao Nuan and Qing Han to see the Forbidden City.”

When General Lu heard Shen Chuanshan refer to his granddaughter and son-in-law so affectionately, he felt even more envious. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought that Xiao Nuan was his granddaughter!

General Lu had originally planned to have his comrade bother them, but then Wen Nuan said, “The more, the merrier! After visiting the Forbidden City, we can all go for hot pot together.”

Now, General Lu would do whatever Wen Nuan said, so he stopped talking, and a group of people set off toward the Forbidden City.

All the way, General Lu carried Lele. When she first came to Beijing, she was only a few months old and didn’t know anything.

After they reached the North, apart from the town, she hadn’t been to many places, so when she saw the modern buildings and the ancient architecture flashing by outside the window, her eyes widened in excitement, as if she couldn’t bear to blink.

General Lu introduced her to the names of the places along the way. Although it was only a twenty-minute drive from Lu City, he almost ran out of breath trying to explain everything.

General Lu smiled as they got near the Forbidden City and asked her, “Does our Lele want to stay here?”

Without thinking, Lele beamed and replied, “Yes, it’s so beautiful here.”

Hearing the child’s words, General Lu glanced over at Gu Qinghan, who was chatting with Wen Nuan, and said, “Then let your dad work a little harder so that we can come to Beijing and live with great-grandpa.”

With her big, round eyes looking up at General Lu, Lele cheerfully said, “Okay! I want to live with great-grandpa!”

The serious yet adorable expression on Lele’s face softened General Lu’s heart, which was as tough as steel. He couldn’t help but say, “Alright, great-grandpa will be waiting for you all to come.”

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Wen Nuan took the camera General Lu gave her, discussed it briefly with Gu Qinghan, and began taking pictures all around.

Although the film was expensive, the scenery at the Forbidden City was so beautiful that Wen Nuan couldn’t help but take a few more pictures.

The Forbidden City was one of the first national key cultural heritage sites in the country and boasted the largest wooden structure ancient architectural complex, renowned both domestically and internationally. Naturally, she had to take several more photos.

She also managed to capture the moment when General Lu was talking to Lele, snapping pictures of their smiling faces.

Seeing Wen Nuan take so many pictures, Gu Qinghan asked, “Do you want me to help you take some?”

Looking into the man’s deep, dark eyes, Wen Nuan smiled and said, “I want to take a photo together with you.”

They only had one photo together, taken when they bought their bicycle, and since then, they hadn’t found the time to take more. Now that they had this opportunity, Wen Nuan certainly didn’t want to miss it.

Hearing Wen Nuan’s words, the smile in Gu Qinghan’s eyes grew even more intense. “Then let’s have grandpa help us take one.”

Before Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan could walk over to ask General Lu, a man visiting the Forbidden City nearby suddenly spoke up, “Hello, comrades, why don’t I help you take a picture?”

Gu Qinghan took a quick glance at the sudden stranger. The man had a camera hanging around his neck and was dressed quite neatly, looking nothing like a bad person.

Wen Nuan didn’t say anything; with Gu Qinghan around, she didn’t need to handle it.

The man continued, “I work in the photography department of the Beijing Film Studio, and my name is Zhong Zhiguo. Don’t worry; I’m confident I can take a good photo for you.”

Seeing General Lu leading Lele further ahead, Gu Qinghan handed the camera to Zhong Zhiguo and said, “It doesn’t matter how well I’m photographed; please help me make my wife look good.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but squeeze his hand upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s words, feeling a bit awkward. “You’re quite bold to say that!”

Zhong Zhiguo looked at the handsome couple standing together and smiled, saying, “Comrade, don’t worry. Your wife is very photogenic; she looks great.”

Hearing his words, Gu Qinghan’s smile became even more pronounced. Although they were outside, the thought of it being a couple’s photo made him deliberately lean closer to Wen Nuan, standing beside her.

Zhong Zhiguo clicked away, taking several photos, and then returned the camera to Gu Qinghan, saying, “All done.”

Gu Qinghan replied, “Thank you, comrade.”

Zhong Zhiguo glanced at Wen Nuan, hesitating for a moment before blurting out, “This comrade, I see you look so beautiful. Our studio is preparing to shoot a movie, and I wanted to ask if you might be interested.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan instinctively frowned but didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked at Wen Nuan to see how she would respond.

However, Wen Nuan didn’t seem to think too much of it and directly refused, saying, “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Zhong Zhiguo looked visibly taken aback but persisted, asking, “Can I know why?”

He continued to promote his studio, saying, “Our film studio is a legitimate state-owned unit. You’ll be able to see the movies you shoot in theatres. I’m not a scammer. I just think your image is very suitable for the big screen, so I took the liberty to ask.”

Zhong Zhiguo spoke earnestly, and it didn’t seem like he was lying. He probably thought Wen Nuan would be a good fit, so he approached her.

Wen Nuan glanced at the professional camera hanging around Zhong Zhiguo’s neck, noting that it indeed looked quite professional, likely used for location shooting.

Not wanting to waste anyone’s time, she straightforwardly said, “I’m really sorry, but I’m not very interested in that kind of work. You should look for someone else.”

Wen Nuan had originally planned to mention that she was a military wife, but since Gu Qinghan and General Lu weren’t in uniform today, she didn’t want to bring it up specifically.

Zhong Zhiguo didn’t seem like the type to press too hard, but even if he did, she wasn’t worried; after all, she had several elite military members by her side!

Zhong Zhiguo looked slightly disappointed as he lowered his gaze and said, “Oh, alright then. Sorry for the interruption.”

Wen Nuan sighed in relief, but just then, Zhong Zhiguo asked, “Do you have any sisters or younger sisters? They might be suitable as well.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but smile wryly, “Sorry, I don’t have any siblings.”

At that moment, Lele came running over and hugged Wen Nuan’s leg, exclaiming, “Mommy, take a picture of me!”

Wen Nuan looked down at the little bundle of energy, noticing that she had somehow found a tiger head hat. Lele blinked her big eyes, wanting Wen Nuan to take her picture.

Wen Nuan asked, “This hat is so cute! Where did you get it, Lele?”

Lele giggled and pointed at General Lu, saying, “Grandpa bought it!”

General Lu was chatting with a young man in military uniform, looking like they had just bumped into each other and struck up a conversation.

Lele urged again, “Mommy, hurry and take my picture!”

Wen Nuan took the camera and snapped several photos of the little one. It was no wonder many kids in the ’70s and ’80s loved wearing tiger hats for photos; they were adorable.

After Lele finished posing, she ran back to General Lu.

Zhong Zhiguo, who had been standing nearby, asked curiously, “Comrade, is that your daughter?”

Wen Nuan nodded, “Yes.”

Zhong Zhiguo’s eyes lit up. “If you don’t have any sisters or younger sisters, your daughter would be perfect.”

Wen Nuan: “???”

Gu Qinghan stood in front of Wen Nuan and directly refused, “Comrade, you should find someone else.”

After saying this, she didn’t give Zhong Zhiguo a chance to respond and pulled Wen Nuan over to General Lu.

Zhong Zhiguo stood in place, watching them leave with disappointment.

Later, Wen Nuan took a photo with General Lu and asked General Shen to help them take a family portrait.

After they finished the family portrait, Wen Nuan suggested that the two elderly gentlemen stand together, saying, “General Shen, Grandpa, let me take a picture of you.”

To her surprise, both men simultaneously expressed their disdain, saying, “I won’t take a picture with him.”

Wen Nuan smiled wryly, “Such an opportunity is rare; you might not get another chance in ten years. Are you really not going to take a picture?”

Her words made the two elderly gentlemen feel a bit awkward. Shen Chuanshan adjusted his clothes and said, “Since Xiao Nuan asked, I’ll give her a favour.”

With that encouragement, General Lu cleared his throat, “It’s only because my granddaughter asked; otherwise, I wouldn’t take a picture with you.”

Wen Nuan saw the two standing together and quickly pressed the shutter, capturing their proud expressions on film.

Just as Wen Nuan finished taking the picture, Lele suddenly rushed over, saying, “Grandpa, I want to take a picture with you!”

With Lele joining, the two men naturally softened and took another photo together. Afterwards, they had someone help them take a group photo of both families.

As they stepped outside, General Lu suddenly asked Wen Nuan, “Who was that person who just took pictures for you?”

Wen Nuan hadn’t expected General Lu to notice Zhong Zhiguo. She recounted the little incident from earlier, concluding, “I directly rejected him.”

General Lu chuckled, “So he’s from the film studio.”

Wen Nuan added, “Later, he even wanted to take Lele to film.”

General Lu raised an eyebrow and smiled at Lele, “Really?”

Then he asked Lele, “So, Lele, do you want to go and film a movie?”

Lele had no idea what filming a movie entailed; she thought it was just a fun game. So she smiled and nodded, saying, “I want to!”

Gu Qinghan, maintaining a stern expression, interjected, “Don’t think about it; how old are you?”

General Lu, however, dismissed her concern with a laugh, “That comrade thought Lele looked adorable, which is why he approached you for a movie.”

“Our Lele really is cute; everyone loves her.”

General Lu said this with a touch of pride, and after they returned to the compound, he specifically boasted to Shen Chuanshan about it.

Wen Nuan felt a bit embarrassed by the conversation, quickly pulling Lele along as they headed back to the small building.

Gu Qinghan smiled and said to Wen Nuan, “That’s the truth; your daughter is beautiful, which is why they want to cast her in a movie.”

This kind of flirting was different, and Gu Qinghan, like General Lu, felt a bit proud.

However, when it came to actually letting them film a movie, Gu Qinghan felt reluctant. He had always known his wife’s beauty, and while he occasionally wanted to show off their child’s cuteness, just like General Lu, he was still hesitant to let her go into the film industry.

Wen Nuan glanced at him and then teasingly asked, “If that’s the case, should I go to the film studio and find that Comrade Zhong Zhiguo to tell him I want to act in a movie?”

As soon as she said this, Gu Qinghan’s smile froze on his face, and he immediately put on a serious expression, declaring, “No way!”

Then, he turned to Lele, who was happily munching on a red date cake, with a stern look and said, “You can’t either.”

Lele thought her father was telling her she couldn’t eat the red date cake, so she quickly shoved the remaining small piece into her mouth.

Wen Nuan noticed the child’s cheeks puffing out and, fearing she might choke, rushed over. “Silly child, spit it out!”

Now, thinking her parents were forbidding her from eating snacks, Lele covered her mouth and tried to run away.

Wen Nuan decided to take a firmer approach, grabbing her hand and directly reaching in to dig out the food.

Once she had dealt with Lele, Wen Nuan turned to Gu Qinghan and smacked him playfully, saying, “Look what you’ve done!”

Gu Qinghan looked bewildered, “Huh?”

Was it really his fault again?

Lele covered her mouth and looked at him while stifling a giggle.

The next day was the second day of the New Year, and Wen Nuan knew her grandfather would be busy with work in the military.

She discussed with Gu Qinghan that she would go to meet Chen Meijiao today and return to the Northern Military Base tomorrow.

After General Lu left to handle work matters, Wen Nuan planned to head out to meet Chen Meijiao. They had arranged to meet at a teahouse in East City.

Wen Nuan told Lele she would spend half the day with Gu Qinghan, saying, “Mommy isn’t taking you out today. You can play at great-grandpa’s house with Daddy.”

Lele immediately pouted, looking at Wen Nuan with big, pleading eyes. “I want to go with Mommy.”

Wen Nuan was worried that there would be too many people around, and in this day and age, there weren’t even any surveillance cameras. Lele was at the age of boundless curiosity, running around everywhere, and Wen Nuan didn’t feel comfortable taking her out.

Gu Qinghan was also uneasy; he had originally planned to accompany his wife, but Wen Nuan said it wasn’t necessary since Grandfather had arranged for her transportation.

Wen Nuan gently patted the child’s head and smiled, saying, “When Mommy comes back, I’ll bring you some tasty treats, okay?”

Seeing the child tilt her head and ignore her, Wen Nuan continued, “What if Mommy buys you candy? That big rainbow lollipop.”

Upon hearing this, Lele showed a moment of compromise but still didn’t look at her. Instead, she pouted her little lips, clearly sulking.

Wen Nuan patiently asked again, “How about I buy you chocolate?”

Lele mumbled with her lips pursed, then looked at Wen Nuan and, in a sweet, childish voice, said, “And you have to buy me a toy too!”

Wen Nuan leaned in and kissed her rosy cheek, replying, “Okay, I’ll get you a toy as well!”

Lele finally stopped being upset and wrapped her arms around Wen Nuan’s neck, giving her a kiss. “Mommy, be safe.”

Wen Nuan smiled, feeling warmth in her heart. “Okay, Mommy will be careful.”

She had expected the child to sulk for a while, but after setting her down, Lele dashed straight to the small television in the living room, exclaiming, “Daddy, come quick! I want to watch TV!”

Gu Qinghan cast a helpless glance at Wen Nuan and said, “Don’t worry; I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Seeing Lele happily turning on the television, Wen Nuan left for her meeting. Since she had transportation, she quickly arrived in East City.

After several months, when she saw Chen Meijiao again, Wen Nuan nearly mistook her for someone else. Not only had Chen Meijiao’s skin improved, but her hairstyle was different as well, and there was a complete transformation in her overall aura.

When Chen Meijiao spotted Wen Nuan walking towards her, she raised her hand and called out, “Comrade Wen Nuan, I’m over here!”

It had been a long time since Chen Meijiao had seen Wen Nuan, and she felt that she was beautiful every time she looked at her. Even in simple clothes, she couldn’t help but stand out in the crowd.

“Have you been waiting long?” Wen Nuan asked as she sat down across from Chen Meijiao, removing her scarf from around her neck. “There are so many people here that I almost thought I had gone to the wrong place.”

This teahouse was near Wangfujing, and being the New Year, it was packed with people. After getting off the bus, Wen Nuan asked several people for directions before finally finding her way there.

She had thought that there would be fewer people at this time, but it turned out that there were crowds no matter the occasion.

Chen Meijiao poured her a cup of tea and smiled, “I thought it would take a long time to see you. I didn’t expect you to come to Beijing for the New Year.”

Chen Meijiao had only recently learned of Wen Nuan’s background from correspondence with Sister Juxiang. It turned out that Wen Nuan was General Lu’s granddaughter, which was quite a coincidence.

Wen Nuan did not hide anything and said, “Yes, I just recognized my grandfather, and I came here to celebrate the New Year with him.”

“By the way, Mei Jiao, how have you been?”

Chen Mei Jiao began to recount what had happened since she returned to her family home. At first, she felt very insecure about living at her parents’ house as a divorced woman, fearing that others would ridicule her family.

However, after talking with her parents for an entire night, Chen Mei Jiao realized that these concerns were unimportant. What mattered was that her family was willing to accept her and wanted to protect her.

So, Chen Mei Jiao moved back to her parents’ compound. She had thought she would face a lot of gossip, but once she returned, she discovered that everyone detested abusive men and even encouraged her to divorce sooner rather than later.

Chen Mei Jiao smiled and said, “Although I don’t know whether everyone is sincere or not, having my parents, older brother, and sisters-in-law supporting me feels enough.”

“That’s great,” Wen Nuan said happily as she saw the transformed Chen Mei Jiao. Then she added, “If you hadn’t bravely taken that step, you wouldn’t have such a good life now.”

Chen Mei Jiao displayed a bright smile and replied, “Indeed, my life has improved, and my cooking skills have greatly advanced!”

“Our manager often praises me and even plans to promote me!”

Wen Nuan sincerely expressed, “I’m so happy for you.”

After chatting for a while about their past, Chen Mei Jiao then inquired about Wen Nuan’s earlier attempt to buy goats, “Have you been in touch with that goat seller? Our manager said that if you sell there long-term, the prices could be discounted a bit, so you should discuss the price.”

Wen Nuan nodded, saying, “Okay, I understand. Thank you.”

Then she took out a bag of meatballs and handed it to Chen Mei Jiao. “These are meatballs I made for you. You can take them home to try and have your manager taste them to see what needs improvement.”

Wen Nuan was also expanding the Beijing market, and places like the state-run restaurant where Chen Mei Jiao worked likely had a significant demand.

Chen Mei Jiao accepted the meatballs with a smile. “This is great! Although I work at a state-run restaurant, I still miss your cooking, Comrade Wen Nuan.”

Wen Nuan felt a bit regretful. “If I weren’t heading back to Bei Cheng tomorrow, I would have loved to make you something delicious!”

Chen Mei Jiao placed the meatballs in her bag and replied, “There will definitely be opportunities in the future. Besides, your grandfather is in Beijing, and Vice-Captain Gu is an outstanding soldier. Who knows, he might come to the headquarters as well!”

The two chatted and laughed, and later, Chen Mei Jiao took Wen Nuan to the state-run restaurant where she worked.

Wen Nuan also met the restaurant manager whom Chen Mei Jiao had often mentioned. She had imagined the manager to be an older middle-aged man. Still, upon meeting him, she realized he was actually just in his early thirties.

Chen Mei Jiao had initially planned to take the meatballs home for her husband to try, but the manager was curious about the food and decided to cook a big bowl of them in their kitchen.

The manager raised an eyebrow and said, “Not bad… Are all of these made by you, Comrade Wen Nuan?”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Not entirely; these meatballs require a lot of pounding, and most of the work was done by our cooking team comrades.”

The manager looked at the meatballs with chopsticks and remarked, “No wonder! These meatballs have a special elasticity; it must have taken a lot of effort to pound them.”

Then the manager asked, “By the way, Comrade Wen Nuan, will these meatballs be available for external supply? If our restaurant wanted to order some, would that be possible?”

Wen Nuan’s face lit up with joy, but she did not immediately respond. Instead, she said, “I need to go back and ask our logistics officer; I can’t make that decision.”

The other party nodded, “Okay, then please help me ask after you return to the unit.”

Initially, both the manager and Chen Mei Jiao wanted to invite Wen Nuan to stay for a meal, but Wen Nuan thought her grandfather might be coming back tonight to have dinner with her, so she declined.

After leaving the restaurant, Wen Nuan headed to the bus station. Unsure how long the conversation would last, she didn’t have the driver wait for her.

Fortunately, after waiting for about half an hour, a bus arrived. About forty minutes later, she returned to the Air Force Compound in the West City.

Once she got off the bus, she had to walk a bit further. During that time, the area still lacked the towering buildings of later years; the surroundings consisted of small wheat fields and residential plots.

As Wen Nuan walked along, she suddenly spotted two familiar figures she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Wen Nuan thought she might be seeing things, but just as she was about to step forward, a familiar voice called out to her, “Xiao Nuan, we finally found you! Your mom is about to collapse from exhaustion!”

She saw Mother Wen struggling to walk toward her, dragging two large sacks of items, while scolding Wen Wenkang behind her, “You brat, why aren’t you calling your sister?”

When Wen Wenkang saw Wen Nuan, he froze for a moment, almost unable to believe his eyes. “This… this… this…”

Although it was undeniable that Wen Nuan had always been pretty, she had once looked thin and lacked any feminine charm.

Now, however, she was different. Wen Nuan’s complexion was rosy, her hair was dark and shiny, and she wore a light-coloured cotton jacket paired with a red scarf, which accentuated her fair skin—bright and fresh, not pale in a sickly way.

In short, she looked exceptionally beautiful, so much so that he felt a moment of disbelief as if he had been starving all day and was hallucinating.

Wen Wenkang received a kick from Mother Wen and then shouted, “My good sister, your little brother has come to find you!”

Wen Nuan frowned and replied coldly, “I don’t have the fortune to be your good sister.”