Chapter 88.2

By the time Gu Qinghan returned, Wen Nuan had already fallen asleep.

The next day, during lunch, the men spoke about needing to visit Factory 112 next month. “I heard they’re preparing to film a documentary for the new fighter jets. They’ll be shooting some test flight footage next month, so I might need to go over,” he said.

Wen Nuan, curious, asked, “Isn’t that a good thing? Why do you look so unhappy?”

Gu Qinghan pondered for a moment before responding, “It’s mainly because I don’t want anyone interfering.”

This was the test flight for the new fighter jets, which were quite different from the already familiar combat aircraft.

Wen Nuan understood from his words that he wasn’t used to being in front of the camera, and he was primarily worried that outside influences might disrupt his flying.

Even with Gu Qinghan’s extensive experience as a seasoned pilot, he still maintained a sense of reverence in front of the new fighter jets.

Wen Nuan comforted him, saying, “It should be an internal documentary, right? They’re probably just recording this moment to commemorate our first independently developed fighter jet. Just treat it like a regular training session; don’t feel any psychological burden. I believe you can do it.”

This was a significant event, and making it into a documentary was quite normal.

Gu Qinghan likely didn’t want to be disturbed while flying, which explained his slight resistance.

He sighed; it was a decision made by higher-ups. There had been videos taken at the training ground before, but back then, there were many people, and the footage was sent back for the superiors to review.

Wen Nuan smiled as she sat next to him, saying, “I can’t wait to see my Vice-Captain Gu looking handsome. I’ve never seen you fly a fighter jet before.”

Usually, the flight team didn’t allow anyone inside, so Wen Nuan only saw Gu Qinghan’s fighter jet in the sky. She didn’t know what he looked like flying it and suddenly felt a bit excited.

Gu Qinghan raised an eyebrow and suddenly found it wasn’t so hard to accept. “This documentary probably won’t be released that quickly; at least, we’ll have to wait until the aircraft is finalized,” he replied.

Wen Nuan reached out to hold his warm hand and smiled, saying, “That’s okay. I can wait with you, no matter how long it takes.”

Just as Gu Qinghan felt moved by his wife’s words, Lele suddenly came over, clutching a half-eaten watermelon that was hollowed out, saying, “Daddy, Mommy, I’m done eating.”

She then let out a loud burp.

Wen Nuan finally noticed that the little one was covered in watermelon juice; her shirt was completely soaked, and even her chubby little face was marked with large water stains. It was quite the sight!

“Didn’t I say we’d all eat together? How did you end up eating the entire watermelon? What will Daddy and Mommy eat?” Wen Nuan stared at the watermelon in disbelief. Technically, Lele had consumed most of it, having scooped out the sweetest part, but still a lot was left.

Lele giggled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking pitiful as she said, “You guys were talking and didn’t eat.”

Then she pointed at the other half of the watermelon, generously saying, “Mommy, you can have that half. I saved it for you!”

Gu Qinghan looked at his daughter and smiled without scolding her. He simply said, “How about I get you a basin of water so you can take a bath?”

Now that the weather was warmer, filling a basin with warm water in the yard meant that Lele could play for a long time.

Upon hearing this, Lele jumped up joyfully, shouting, “Yay! Playing with water is my favourite!”

Lele ran over to the small room and dragged out a large wooden basin, saying, “Daddy, I want to use this basin to wash.”

Lele struggled as she pulled the wooden basin, which was almost as heavy as iron, but she didn’t give up.

Wen Nuan glanced at the blazing sun outside and then said, “It’s a bit sunny right now. Why don’t we wait a little while before you play? How about that?”

Lele was reluctant and insisted on playing with water. Once summer arrived, she loved water play even more; she could spend one or two hours just splashing around in a basin of water.

Seeing that the child had already dragged the basin out, Gu Qinghan quickly prepared a large basin of warm water for her and carried it to the shady spot in the yard, waving at Lele, “Come here, Daddy will carry you in.”

Lele scampered over, forgetting her slippers, and Gu Qinghan washed her feet before picking her up and placing her in the basin.

There was so much water in the basin that when Lele got in, it splashed everywhere, making her even more excited as she began splashing water all around…

Wen Nuan couldn’t bear to watch and pretended not to see anything, leaving the task to Gu Qinghan.

Before long, Gu Qinghan emerged with the child wrapped in a quilt, and he was already quite wet.

Wen Nuan took the child from him, intending to let Lele take a nap, and asked her husband to shower again.

When Gu Qinghan came out, Lele was still very excited, shouting that she wanted to play with her daddy: “Daddy, I want to play rock-paper-scissors!”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the child and then smiled, saying, “Sure.”

He added, “But if you lose, you have to take a nap.”

Lele jumped up from the bed, nodding, “If Daddy loses, he has to play a hundred rounds of rock-paper-scissors with me!”

Wen Nuan hadn’t fully grasped what was happening yet. She looked over at them and saw Gu Qinghan make a fist while the little one showed her palm…

Lele jumped up in delight, shouting, “Yay! Daddy has to play rock-paper-scissors with me!”

Lele then looked at Gu Qinghan and added, “Daddy, you promised a hundred rounds. You can’t cheat!”

Gu Qinghan frowned slightly, “……”

Wen Nuan chuckled at him, “You brought this on yourself. I’m going to take a nap now.”

Later, a weary Wen Nuan curved her lips into a smile and fell deeply asleep amid their laughter and playful noise.

By Friday, the factory’s job recruitment notice was posted.

Quartermaster Luo called Wen Nuan to the office and said, “Comrade Wen Nuan, how about you conduct the interviews for everyone this time?”

To be honest, if the factory were to operate without Wen Nuan, it simply could not function. Many of the items in the factory had been developed under Wen Nuan’s leadership, such as the seasoning packets, dehydrated noodles, dried vegetables, and meatballs; she had concocted them all.

The factory’s ability to start operating was largely due to her efforts.

One could say that without Wen Nuan, there would be no factory as it is now.

Wen Nuan thought for a moment and decided to directly refuse: “Quartermaster Luo, you know I still have to bring Lele to work with me. I really can’t manage any additional responsibilities. I believe with your leadership, the factory will continue to improve.”

Wen Nuan did not have much time to spend with Lele; although she brought her to the kitchen class, there were many times when others helped look after her, and sometimes the older kids would help out.

There was quite a lot of work in the factory, and the key issue was the lack of manpower. Wen Nuan had to handle many tasks herself, so she did not intend to take on additional responsibilities.

Moreover, the people in the family compound were much more familiar with Quartermaster Luo than with Wen Nuan, and he would certainly be more discerning in his selections.

Most importantly, Wen Nuan did not want to be involved in management work; the original intention of setting up the factory was for the experts at the research institute.

Now that the formulas were established, the comrades at the research institute could already have better quality food than before, which was enough for her.

Quartermaster Luo still seemed a bit unconvinced and asked, “How about discussing it with Vice-Captain Gu first?”

He probably did not realize the importance of this position!

This meant that in the future, she would have a say in the factory’s decisions and perhaps even be appointed to more significant positions.

Wen Nuan shook her head directly and smiled, “No need to discuss; I’m not going.”

Quartermaster Luo pressed, “Really? Are you not considering it for a couple of days?”

Wen Nuan nodded firmly, “Really, I’m not considering it.”

Upon hearing Wen Nuan’s words, Quartermaster Luo did not press her further. He simply said, “Since you feel that way, I’ll have others follow up on this task. I’ll see who is suitable.”

Wen Nuan replied, “Alright, then I’ll head out first.”

The news that the processing factory needed to recruit fifty people spread like wildfire in the family compound.

Except for the first two years when the troops were newly stationed here, there had not been a recruitment of this scale in a long time.

Only two people were hired the last time the kitchen class was publicly recruited, yet there had been fierce competition for those spots. Now that twenty people were needed, the military families went into a frenzy.

Someone remarked, “Fifty positions? How many people will be competing for those?”

“Anyway, five or six from my side already want to go for the interviews, including me. I have to seize this great opportunity.”

“Do you guys know who will conduct the interviews? Is it Quartermaster Luo or…?”

Previously, everyone in the family compound had heard that Wen Nuan was in charge of the factory, and they had learned that she was the granddaughter of General Lu. Seeing this recruitment, they all regretted not having built a good relationship with her.

But now it was too late; trying to make up for it at the last moment was futile!

Wen Nuan truly did not plan to get involved in the factory’s recruitment. She simply went to the factory daily to check on the drying progress of the dehydrated noodles. The comrades from the kitchen class had already produced quite a bit, and there was now a certain amount of stock available, as well as staples for the research institute.

One day, when Wen Nuan returned to the kitchen class, she saw Old Zhong come in looking exhausted. Even when Wen Nuan greeted him, he seemed to hear her but did not respond.

Wen Nuan thought something might have happened to him and asked, “Team Leader Zhong, what’s wrong?”

Old Zhong was usually among the first to return to the kitchen class. Every time Wen Nuan came back, Old Zhong had already completed his work and was enjoying a meal. Yet today, he was later than her.

Hearing Wen Nuan’s question, Old Zhong couldn’t hold back and yawned, his eyes barely able to stay open.

He said, “Oh, don’t mention it. I don’t know what’s gotten into my old friends these past few nights; they’ve all come to drink with me. I thought they never sought me out before!”

As soon as Old Zhong finished speaking, another comrade from the kitchen class returned, yawning just as much. He couldn’t help but chime in, “What a coincidence! My comrades from the same class have also suddenly come looking for me these past few days…”

Little Zhu, who was steaming rice rolls, couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “What else could it be? Don’t you all know that the military families in the compound have been discussing recruitment heatedly these days? They’re probably planning to use you to build connections.”

Little Zhu was all alone and didn’t know anyone from the family compound, so he had been enjoying his peace and quiet these past few days.

Old Zhong was puzzled and replied, “What does that have to do with me? I’m not in charge!”

Another person echoed, “Exactly! Even if they look for us, it’s no use! I’m really fed up; I haven’t slept well for several nights!”

Quartermaster Luo walked in with several large bags in his hands, sighing heavily and complaining, “Don’t mention it. Look at me—I thought when I went home yesterday that I had done something wrong and that everyone was going to throw spoiled vegetables at me.”

“But in the end, they were all vegetables and fruits from their own gardens. They insisted on stuffing them into my wife’s hands. My wife didn’t dare accept them, so those people just dumped all these vegetables at my front door.”

Everyone turned to look at Quartermaster Luo. Old Zhong had initially wanted to berate Luo Qingjun for bringing in such a mess, but when he saw the green vegetable leaves stuck in Luo’s hair, he felt that his own situation wasn’t so bad after all.

Old Zhong then asked, “So what about all those vegetables…?”

Quartermaster Luo, in distress, tossed the greens he was holding directly to the ground and said, “I’ll have Xiao Fang post a notice later, thanking the anonymous family members for donating so many vegetables and fruits to the kitchen class.”

After saying that, Quartermaster Luo turned to Wen Nuan, who was enjoying her rice rolls, and at that moment, he finally understood why Wen Nuan had been so adamant about declining the position of chief interview conductor.

Unable to hold back, Quartermaster Luo asked, “Comrade Wen Nuan, has no one come looking for you these days?”

Wen Nuan took a bite of the soft, chewy shrimp rice roll and shook her head, “No, not at all.”

Everyone turned to look at Wen Nuan, and Quartermaster Luo nearly cried out in disbelief, “Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

How could it be that Wen Nuan, the processing factory’s leader and General Lu’s granddaughter, had not been approached? More importantly, Wen Nuan appeared approachable and gentle; surely everyone would have been tripping over to visit her!

Old Zhong crossed his arms and snorted, “Exactly! You definitely haven’t been sleeping well either!”

Wen Nuan finished the last rice roll on her plate in one bite and looked at them with an innocuous smile, saying, “It’s probably because… I look tough to deal with?”

“???”

After returning home, Wen Nuan saw Lele holding a lollipop, and recalling the experiences of her comrades in the kitchen class, her heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that someone had targeted her daughter?!

Wen Nuan quickly walked over to Lele. Before she could say anything, Lele ran toward her, proudly showcasing the lollipop in her hand, and said, “Mom, look at my candy!”

Wen Nuan frowned, “Who gave this to you?”

Lele smiled brightly and pointed inside the house, saying, “Daddy took me to buy it.”

Wen Nuan sighed in relief, took the child’s hand, and walked back into the house, saying with a smile, “Alright, let’s go home.”

After the family had dinner, Wen Nuan washed her hair early. While sitting in the compound to dry her hair, she shared the matters concerning the kitchen class with Gu Qinghan.

Gu Qinghan, upon hearing Wen Nuan’s story, did not have a strong reaction.

He only inquired about her refusal of the chief interview position, asking, “Is it because the work is too tiring?”

Wen Nuan was taken aback; she hadn’t expected Gu Qinghan’s first reaction to be concern for her fatigue. After pondering for a moment, she shook her head, “I just feel that I’m not suited for such things, and it seems like it would easily offend people, just like Old Zhong and Quartermaster Luo know.”

Just thinking about it made Wen Nuan feel tired.

In truth, she had no desire to be involved with power-related matters. If she were to conduct the interviews, it would mean that people might come to her seeking favours. She could become busier, unable to manage her time as she did now, where she could take things at a slower pace and return home after work.

Her priority was to carve out more time to spend with Lele. She wasn’t short on money; the kitchen class work was easy, and the processing factory would gradually get on track soon.

In a few months, when winter arrived in the North with its biting cold and strong winds, it would be better to spend more time at home playing with Lele.

Wen Nuan leaned against Gu Qinghan’s shoulder and teased, “Besides, I think they might want to save face for Grandpa?”

Gu Qinghan chuckled and kissed her on the cheek, saying, “Trust me, you don’t need to rely on Grandpa for face. The higher-ups chose you because of your contributions and help to the processing factory.”

Gu Qinghan looked into her sparkling eyes and said earnestly, “Wife, you are truly outstanding.”

If Wen Nuan was willing, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to take on the role of factory director.

However, Wen Nuan’s previous statement also held validity. After all, in the eyes of some people, they could only see the interests involved, failing to recognize the efforts of those involved.

Gu Qinghan didn’t want Wen Nuan to get caught up in the whirlpool of public opinion; she could live a more peaceful life.

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “Whatever, I just don’t want to go. Lele will start kindergarten next year; with that time, I’d rather teach her some things properly.”

Due to the long winters in the North, aside from full-day care for younger children, many kids wouldn’t go to kindergarten during winter. It would be around spring, roughly April or May, when a large number of children would start school. Wen Nuan planned for Lele to attend the spring class, where she would have many little friends to play with.

So, this winter, Wen Nuan wanted to take a break and teach her child a little more.

Previously, when Lele visited Sister Juxiang and saw picture books with Xiaodong and Xiaomei, she had asked Gu Qinghan to buy some to bring back. Every evening, Wen Nuan would tell her stories and teach her some simple ancient poems.

Then, Wen Nuan wrapped her arms around Gu Qinghan’s strong waist and smiled sweetly, saying, “And also keep my Qinghan company.”

This sudden act of affection caught Gu Qinghan off guard for a moment, and then he embraced her tightly in return, saying in a deep voice, “Yes, thank you, Wen Nuan.”

Gu Qinghan rarely called her by her name directly. Wen Nuan recalled that he only did this during their most intimate moments, sometimes repeating it while whispering it into her ear.

Hearing him call her name so suddenly, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but smile sweetly, “You’re welcome; who told me I love you the most?”

Gu Qinghan’s dark, deep eyes locked onto hers, filled with a hint of disbelief as he asked, “The most?”

Upon hearing his question, Wen Nuan suddenly regretted speaking so hastily.

However, she steeled herself, looked at him, and nodded seriously, “Of course, it’s because I love you the most!”

Gu Qinghan caught the fleeting hesitation in her eyes, but at that moment, he felt both sweet and ecstatic. He pulled Wen Nuan close and kissed her deeply, saying, “I believe you.”

The two were lost in their kiss, completely oblivious to Lele, who was munching on a mango in the living room.

Until Lele piped up, “Mom, I want more mango!”

Wen Nuan pushed Gu Qinghan away gently and turned to Lele, saying, “That’s the last one.”

Lele loved mangoes, so Wen Nuan had set aside a few for her. Nearly half a month later, they had eaten them all.

Lele seemed to have trouble believing it. She climbed down from her chair and walked over to the spot where Wen Nuan had put the fruit, only to discover that there was nothing left.

With a forlorn expression, Lele walked to the door and suddenly wrapped her arms around her father’s waist from behind, her little hands barely able to reach.

Gu Qinghan had intended to pick up the child and sit outside with her to stargaze, but the next second, he heard the little one sigh.

Then Lele said, “Dad, why don’t you just go?”

“???”

Gu Qinghan frowned, “Where do you want your dad to go?”

Wen Nuan also looked at the little girl clinging to Gu Qinghan’s back in surprise, wondering what Lele would say next. To her surprise, Lele innocently replied, “Every time you leave and come back, there’s always lots of good food.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Gu Qinghan, however, didn’t know what to say.