Chapter 85.2

After Lele finished eating, she climbed down from the chair and pointed at the television, saying, “Watch TV.”

At first, Wen Nuan didn’t want to let her watch it, considering she had been watching TV since they returned. However, knowing they would be heading back to North the next day, she thought Lele wouldn’t have many chances to watch TV in the future, so she turned it on for her.

With the television on, Lele didn’t bother asking for food or drinks; she sat properly on the sofa, fully engrossed in the show.

As it neared eight in the evening, Wen Nuan planned to heat water to wipe her body. Just then, she heard the sound of a car coming from the entrance.

Before long, General Lu walked in first. Upon seeing Wen Nuan and the child, his previously stern face transformed into a bright smile.

Noticing General Lu’s return, Wen Nuan asked, “Grandpa, how did it go?”

To be honest, although General Lu appeared quite stern and authoritative, after seeing how he had unconditionally doted on Lele over the past few days and had granted every request, Wen Nuan worried that he might soften and choose to resolve matters with money, sending Wen Wenkang and Mother Wen away for convenience.

However, solving problems with money would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Mother Wen might still feel they could be bullied, and there would certainly be a next time.

General Lu smiled gently at Wen Nuan and said, “Don’t worry, your grandpa has never failed.”

“I’ve already sent them away.”

Wen Nuan was still a bit skeptical and asked, “Really? Sent them back to their hometown?”

She hadn’t expected it would be so easy to send them back.

She had thought it would take at least a few more days of negotiation.

Gu Qinghan entered behind him, looking refreshed, and smiled, “Really, they are already on the train.”

“How did you talk to them?” Wen Nuan curiously walked over to Gu Qinghan, affectionately brushing the snow off his shoulders and indicating for him to take off his overcoat. She then asked, “Is it snowing outside?”

“It’s just a light snow, it doesn’t matter. Let me drink some water first before I talk to you,” Gu Qinghan said as he took off his overcoat and hung it on a nearby rack. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa by the coffee table.

General Lu, watching his granddaughter brush the snow off Gu Qinghan, snorted softly.

Lele, who was sitting next to him watching TV, heard the sound and stood up from the sofa. Imitating Wen Nuan, she said, “Great-grandpa, stand still. Lele will help you get clean.”

As she spoke, she actually patted the overcoat a few times with her small hands, but since Lele didn’t know how to pat properly, it felt more like she was thumping his back.

General Lu looked at the cute little girl, and the earlier pang of jealousy instantly vanished, replaced by a smile as he picked up the child and said, “What a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket.”

Lele laughed and tugged at General Lu’s hand, saying, “Great-grandpa, let’s watch TV together.”

Meanwhile, Wen Nuan followed behind Gu Qinghan, and after he poured himself some tea, she also poured a cup of warm water for General Lu. “Grandpa, you should have some warm water too.”

Seeing Wen Nuan offer him a cup of tea, General Lu felt even happier. “Little Nuan, don’t worry, the Wen family won’t bother you again in the future.”

Before Wen Nuan could respond, General Lu continued, “It’s all my fault. Last time I went to the Wen family shrine, I should have shown them some color, so they wouldn’t have disturbed us on such a great day!”

He had been too eager to return to the capital, too impatient to reunite with Wen Nuan, and thus had overlooked Mother Wen and Wen Wenkang, the two young ones.

After acknowledging their relationship, he had been busy and had even less time to deal with them, which is why he had not addressed the issue. However, their visit this time was actually good, as it provided an opportunity to intimidate them a little. He estimated they would not come to the capital to look for them again in the future.

Upon hearing General Lu’s words, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but respond, “This isn’t your fault, Grandpa. It’s because I didn’t warn you; they are just greedy, thinking of ways to take advantage of the situation. Previously, she even wrote me a letter to the Northern City troops.”

“If only I had said something earlier, we wouldn’t have to wait until now.”

General Lu sneered, “People like them, so thick-skinned, would still come to find you even if you cut ties with them.”

Some things were indeed better dealt with in person.

“So what did you say? Would they listen? Grandpa, you…” A bit uncertain, Wen Nuan looked at General Lu and asked, “You didn’t give them money, did you?”

“Ha ha ha…” General Lu looked at his granddaughter and laughed, “I’m not that foolish, throwing money away on them.”

Giving money to people like the Wen family would undoubtedly be a waste, and there might be a next time.

He would never waste his money on such people; buying a few more candies or chocolates for Lele instead was better.

Gu Qinghan took a sip of tea and scooted a bit closer to Wen Nuan, then said, “Actually, this time, your adoptive mother brought Wen Wenkang over because she wanted Grandpa to help arrange an easy job for him. She said it could be anything. General Shen mentioned that the border troops were short on manpower and would take Wen Wenkang to the border to serve in the army tonight. Grandpa said that General Shen was an old comrade of his and could definitely arrange an easy position for Wen Wenkang.”

“Who would have thought that as soon as your adoptive mother heard that, she immediately said she didn’t want him to work. But she was too embarrassed to ask for money, so she later claimed that Wen Wenkang was going to get married and needed more betrothal gifts. General Lu offered to introduce him to a girl, and Wen Wenkang flatly rejected that, too.”

Dealing with someone like Mother Wen, who acted so shamelessly, required quick thinking. It was impossible to give them money or a job; fooling them a little was acceptable.

Moreover, Mother Wen didn’t want her son to go to the border for military service. She was frightened, thinking General Shen was going to take her son away immediately, and she clung tightly to him, not letting go.

Wen Nuan also understood that they needed to annoy Mother Wen a bit. She then asked, “So how did they agree to go back?”

Upon hearing Wen Nuan’s question, General Lu looked at Gu Qinghan with appreciation and said, “Qinghan had already asked Comrade Lu Wei to investigate their backgrounds when your adoptive mother wrote to the Northern City before.”

“It turns out that Wen Wenkang had a girlfriend before, and after he got her pregnant, he abandoned her,” General Lu said with a look of disgust, adding, “Oh, that was during the time I went to your hometown to recognize relatives.”

It was easy to guess that the Wen family thought they were about to live a good life, so they abandoned the girl.

Gu Qinghan picked up from General Lu’s words and continued, “That girl originally didn’t want to come forward to testify against Wen Wenkang. This afternoon, I called her family again and said that Wen Wenkang had come back to the capital with a large sum of money. I told them to wait for Wen Wenkang to return to his hometown and then demand compensation from him. Otherwise, they would report him for being a scoundrel.”

With slight astonishment, Wen Nuan looked at Gu Qinghan, “So you really gave them money?”

Gu Qinghan smiled, “I covered the cost of the train tickets. Grandpa gave them a red envelope, but I don’t know how much was in it.”

In essence, it was as if they were escorting them to the train station; if they had waited for them to leave on their own, they would unlikely have done so.

Wen Nuan then looked at General Lu and asked him, “Grandpa, how much did you give them?”

Remembering the red envelope Grandpa had given Lele was two hundred yuan, she thought that while two hundred yuan didn’t sound like much, it was equivalent to more than half a year’s salary for an ordinary worker.

If that money went to Wen Wenkang and Mother Wen, Wen Nuan instantly felt heartbroken; she didn’t want to give these people a single cent!

General Lu smiled, “The red envelope I gave was quite substantial.”

Seeing Wen Nuan’s little expression, General Lu chuckled and said, “That was a prank I pulled with that old fellow Shen Chuanshan. I used twenty sheets of red paper to wrap them in a ‘big red envelope.'”

Wen Nuan was almost in a panic as she asked, “How big was it?”

“One cent,” General Lu said with a grin, “It was just enough to buy a newspaper.”

Wasn’t that supposed to be thick and substantial?

General Lu recalled the expressions on Wen Wenkang and Mother Wen’s faces as if they had stumbled upon a great bargain. They quickly grabbed that thick, large red envelope, their eyes squinting joyfully.

They probably thought there were several hundred inside.

Even if they opened it and found that there wasn’t much money, did it matter?

They could always say they had been cheated, that it had been switched out, and it would just be their bad luck!

That was why they willingly boarded the train. Once they returned to their hometown, there would naturally be someone to deal with such people.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, giving him a big thumbs up: “Grandpa, you’re the best!”

Gu Qinghan patted Wen Nuan on the shoulder, comforting her, “Don’t worry, once they go back to their hometown, they will have their own troubles.”

Moreover, Wen Wenkang’s behavior was so vile—getting a girl pregnant and then abandoning her. He would likely end up serving some time in jail.

Thinking about Wen Wenkang’s smug face, Wen Nuan huffed, “It’d be best if he sat in there for ten or eight years!”

After a moment of thought, she looked at her grandfather and Gu Qinghan and asked, “Grandpa, haven’t you two eaten yet? I’ll get some hot pot going for you.”

In this weather, a hot pot was the only option; otherwise, it would be impossible to keep the ingredients warm.

General Lu rubbed his belly and exclaimed, “I really haven’t eaten! Hurry up, I’m starving. I should have just let them be sent away earlier. It’s all Shen Chuanshan’s fault for wanting to create a scene and mess with them.”

Seeing that they really were hungry, Wen Nuan went to the kitchen to grab two bowls and chopsticks. “Let’s just eat hot pot; it’s quicker.”

General Lu gestured for Wen Nuan to sit down, saying, “Little Nuan, you should eat with Grandpa, too. I probably won’t have time to see you off tomorrow, so be careful on your way back to the Northern City.”

Wen Nuan nodded and then asked Gu Qinghan for help with a bowl. “Okay, I’ll eat a bit more with Grandpa, and I want to have a drink with you, Grandpa.”

General Lu smiled with satisfaction, “Alright, I’ll go get some liquor and cups.”

Just as he brought out the Moutai and cups, Shen Chuanshan knocked on the door and walked in. “Oh! Coming early is better than coming just in time! Isn’t this great? Old Lu, give me another cup; I want to drink a little too!”

General Lu looked at the old fellow who had come again and snorted, “I see you purposely came over while I was getting the liquor!”

“Shameless!”

“Hey, I’m just shameless. What’s wrong with that?” Vice General Shen sat down directly next to General Lu. Since last night’s dinner of braised pig trotter made by Wen Nuan, he could not stop thinking about it, so he had thickened his face and came again.

Vice General Shen smiled and said, “If I cared about my face, I wouldn’t be full. Being shameless allows me to enjoy food and drinks!”

General Lu shot him a glance of disdain. “No respect for your elders.”

Everyone had settled down. Wen Nuan poured wine for the two elders. She originally wanted to pour some for Gu Qinghan, but after thinking about returning to the North the next day, she handed him a bottle of Northern Ice instead.

When the two generals saw this, they both snorted derisively.

Just as everyone was about to toast, Lele, who had been completely focused on the television, somehow ran over and squeezed between General Lu’s arm and the dining table. Looking at the hot pot on the table, he chirped, “I want to toast too.”

Everyone burst into laughter, and General Lu picked up the child, sitting him on his lap, chuckling, “Come on, let’s toast together with our Lele.”

This year quietly slipped away amidst everyone’s joyous laughter.

The next day, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan took the children back to the military base in the North.

General Lu had already left early in the morning. It was Xiao Zhang who came to see them off, informing Wen Nuan that General Lu was already on a plane to the southwest.

Wen Nuan knew her grandfather would be busy and didn’t ask further.

Just before leaving, Xiao Zhang handed her a thick stack wrapped in red paper, saying, “Comrade Wen Nuan, this is something General Lu instructed me to give you, to be opened only after you return to the North.”

Wen Nuan hadn’t fully reacted when Xiao Zhang placed the thick stack of red paper into her hands, looking pitiful as he said, “You must take it; otherwise, General Lu will blame me for not doing my job well.”

Wen Nuan nodded, smiling, “Okay, then tell Grandfather I accepted it.”

In addition, Uncle Zhao, back at work, arranged for two guards to help load things into the car, completely filling the trunk with no space left.

Wen Nuan: “…”

Uncle Zhao chuckled, “All these are prepared by General Lu for you and Lele. You can sort them out slowly after you return to the North.”

Seeing the full car, Wen Nuan felt it was impossible not to be moved, but since her grandfather was already on the plane, she couldn’t thank him.

Wen Nuan then took out two red envelopes, one of which was given to Xiao Zhang and one to Uncle Zhao, before getting into the car.

Lele, held by Wen Nuan, looked out the car window toward General Lu’s yard and asked, “Mom, where’s great-grandpa?”

“Are we going back?”

Wen Nuan replied to Lele, “Yes, we’re going back to the North now. Great-grandpa is busy, so we’ll come back to play with him next time.”

Lele let out a disappointed “oh” and then fell silent.

As the car drove out of the compound, Lele suddenly looked at Wen Nuan and asked, “Mom, can we take the TV with us next time?”

Wen Nuan found it amusing and pinched the little guy’s cheek, saying, “At such a young age, you’re already a TV addict!”

After a few hours of driving, they returned to the military base in the North.

Although only a few days had passed, Wen Nuan felt like those days had stretched for a long time. The frozen family quarters reminded her that winter had not yet passed.

Once Gu Qinghan and the driver unloaded everything from the car, Wen Nuan finally opened the red paper package her grandfather had given her. Lele curiously leaned over, even reaching out to help her unwrap it, but Wen Nuan pulled back.

As the red paper was spread open, a thick stack of big bills appeared, neatly stacked, and it looked like there were several hundred, maybe even over a thousand.

Even Lele, the little guy, exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, so much money!”

As if that weren’t enough, there was also a bankbook inside. Wen Nuan flipped it open and realized it contained her biological father’s compensation money from years ago.

Seeing this, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but get teary-eyed. Her grandfather was so thoughtful.

This amount wasn’t much—just two hundred yuan—but her grandfather had saved it all these years and gave it to her.

Gu Qinghan had just finished unloading everything from the car and saw that his wife’s eyes were red. He walked over and put his arm around her shoulder. “This is all Grandpa’s intention.”

Actually, he had guessed it would be money when he saw Xiao Zhang with the red paper package, but he didn’t expect there would also be a compensation fund, especially after twenty years.

Wen Nuan nodded, “Yes, this is all Grandpa’s intention.”

While the two were feeling sentimental, Lele tugged at Wen Nuan’s hand and asked, “Mom, how much candy can we buy with all this money?”

Wen Nuan suddenly laughed, lifting the child into her arms and giving him a kiss on his chubby cheek. “We can buy a lot of candy!”

“Can we buy as big as this house?” Lele asked curiously.

Wen Nuan glanced at their house, which, thankfully, wasn’t as big as General Lu’s. She smiled and replied, “Probably, but if we buy that much candy, when would we eat it all?”

Upon hearing this, Lele clapped his hands excitedly. “Wow, then I can eat candy every day!”

“I can eat it all!”

Gu Qinghan watched the adorable little guy and couldn’t help but pinch his cheek, laughing, “If you eat that much candy, your teeth will fall out, and you won’t have any teeth left!”

Lele quickly covered his mouth with his tiny hands, furrowing his brows and shaking his head. “Lele doesn’t want to lose all his teeth.”

Then he turned to Wen Nuan and said, “Mom, then I won’t eat candy.”

Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow, seeming a bit skeptical of the little guy’s words, but then Lele grinned at her and added, “I’ll eat chocolate instead!”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. “You little foodie, all you think about is eating!”

She then said, “Great-grandpa prepared chocolate for you. Go check and see where it is!”

Lele immediately perked up, jumped down, and dashed over to the pile of things, digging through it like he was searching for buried treasure.

Wen Nuan looked at the two large tables piled high with items and sighed at Gu Qinghan, “With so much stuff, when are we going to finish eating it all?”

Gu Qinghan wasn’t much of a snack person, and since Lele was still small, Wen Nuan wouldn’t let him eat too much. They only indulged in a bit of candy and chocolate occasionally.

Was all this meant for her to eat?

They would be eating it until the monkeys came home!

By the time Lele lost all his teeth, she might lose hers first.

Gu Qinghan, also feeling a bit overwhelmed by the massive pile, suggested, “How about we share some with Sister Juxiang and Sister Guihua later?”

Wen Nuan smiled and, for the first time, said a bit sulkily, “But this is all from Grandpa for me!”

Gu Qinghan chuckled and raised an eyebrow, “Then should I eat it with you?”

Wen Nuan smiled at him. “No way! You’re a pilot, eating so many snacks, you wouldn’t want to fly anymore!”

Suddenly, Lele found the chocolate and ran over to Wen Nuan, saying, “I’m eating it! I’ll eat it all!” The couple said in unison, “In your dreams!”