Chapter 97.3

After leaving the hospital, Wen Nuan asked Gu Qinghan, “What about Aunt Liu and that man? Is it just going to end like this?”

Although the incident hadn’t caused any actual harm to Qinglan, to prevent similar events in the future, the commissar’s side wouldn’t take it lightly and would certainly handle it.

Moreover, the reputation of female comrades was very important. If it continued like Aunt Liu, casually bringing a man over just to say they were looking for a match, that would be a disaster!

Gu Qinghan scoffed lightly, “The commissar gave Zhao Dazhong a thorough reprimanding. Then, Director Xu from Qinglan’s hospital also came over. Under the questioning of her son and daughter-in-law, Aunt Liu revealed that the man had given her some benefits to help find a partner. She was promised ten yuan upfront and told there would be a generous reward once it was settled, so Aunt Liu was particularly eager to facilitate this marriage.”

Wen Nuan cursed quietly, “No wonder! It’s always about money!”

Gu Qinghan glanced at his wife and said, “Zhao Dazhong and Director Xu both assured the commissar that they would send Aunt Liu back to her hometown right after the New Year.”

“As for that cadre from Beijing, I made a call to inquire about the situation, and I heard he is…” At this point, Gu Qinghan paused, and his expression turned a bit unusual.

Wen Nuan turned her head to look at her husband, anxiously waiting for him to continue. Seeing his difficulty in speaking, she asked, “What’s wrong with that person?”

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips together and then lowered his voice, saying, “I heard that he had been married before, but that female comrade said he was unable to consummate the marriage.”

Then Gu Qinghan corrected himself, “It’s not that he couldn’t; it’s just that it was quite difficult. After getting married a few times, they hadn’t been intimate with each other again.

Later, the in-laws kept saying that the female comrade couldn’t conceive, which made her furious. She directly stated that aside from the month they got married, they hadn’t had any marital relations, so they ended up getting divorced.”

“However, according to this male comrade’s friends and colleagues, he has always led a healthy lifestyle, runs every day, has a simple social circle, and there are no romantic entanglements with other female comrades.”

After hearing Gu Qinghan’s words, a thought struck Wen Nuan’s mind—

That man, could he possibly be into men?

She wouldn’t discriminate against any sexual orientation; having been born in a later time, she had seen quite a bit and felt no surprise at all.

However, if he was a marriage scammer who deceived his way to her doorstep, that would be a different story.

No wonder he was so generous, giving Aunt Liu ten yuan to help find a partner.

Otherwise, with his background as a cadre and a resident from Beijing, even if he weren’t particularly good-looking, there would be plenty of female comrades eager to pursue him.

He probably faced some damage to his reputation in Beijing, prompting him to seek a partner outside of the city.

Men like that usually had a bit of pride and arrogance; they likely felt that if they married a rural girl, they would be taken advantage of and would lose face.

So, he came to the North military region.

If he ended up finding someone from the military, it would benefit his career, and the couple wouldn’t have to face each other daily, making it unlikely for her to discover his true sexual orientation. He probably just wanted to find a girl to carry on the family line.

If she had known sooner, Wen Nuan was certain she would have given him more than just a single blow!

Wen Nuan took a moment to compose herself and then asked, “That male comrade isn’t one of our North military people, so it seems there’s no way to deal with him, right?”

This time it was Gu Qinglan, but who knew which female comrade would be unlucky next time.

He definitely couldn’t be let off the hook like this!

Gu Qinghan met Wen Nuan’s somewhat annoyed gaze and said, “Don’t worry, the commissar has already sent someone to the Commercial Department, and he won’t escape a serious reprimand and demotion.”

Wen Nuan nodded, deep in thought as she asked, “Is everything alright with Qinglan over there?”

Gu Qinglan had originally been in Director Xu’s department, but due to the recent issues, she wondered if Director Xu might hold any grudges against her.

As she held Lele’s hand, Gu Qinglan smiled and said, “I’m not scared at all. I walk with my head held high, so what’s there to fear!”

“Besides, I’ll be transferring to Doctor Zhao’s department after the New Year, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan sighed in relief. With the old man around, there was no need to worry about Qinglan being bullied.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the increasingly darkening sky, feeling that the snow seemed to be falling heavier. He then walked over to Wen Nuan, stretching lazily before picking her up.

Wen Nuan, caught off guard, lost her balance and, in a dizzying swirl, instinctively exclaimed, “Ah—”

She quickly grabbed onto Gu Qinghan’s clothes and scolded, “You scared me to death! Put me down!”

Gu Qinghan smiled slyly, “The roads are slippery in the snow; I’ll carry you back.”

Upon hearing his words, Wen Nuan’s face turned bright red. “No way! I’m fine, I can walk by myself!”

Seeing that he was ignoring her, Wen Nuan became flustered, her entire face reddening as she reminded him, “Be careful! What if the patrol team catches you?”

The military had stricter rules regarding relations between men and women than anywhere else.

Yet, the man continued to hold her and strode forward, merely lowering his gaze to glance at her. He noticed her delicate face had turned a rosy hue, resembling an enticing cherry.

In a husky voice, he said, “The roads are slippery, and you’re pregnant now. Am I not allowed to help a pregnant woman?”

The urine test form still sat in his pocket. If someone were to catch him, he could simply pull it out to show them.

Gu Qinglan laughed heartily, saying, “That’s right! I’m a nurse, and I can testify that my sister-in-law isn’t feeling well and needs assistance. It’s only reasonable.”

Listening to the nonsensical banter between the siblings, Wen Nuan felt embarrassed and buried her head in the man’s shoulder, mumbling, “Then you’d better walk faster; this is so embarrassing.”

Gu Qinghan couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth as he said to Lele, “Lele, keep up with Dad; we’re going home.”

Upon hearing him say “Dad,” Lele tugged at Gu Qinglan’s hand, his big, round eyes wide with excitement as he called out, “Auntie—”

Gu Qinglan thought the child wanted sunflower seeds, so she replied, “All the seeds are gone; Auntie doesn’t have any left.”

The little girl’s hands were small, and although it looked like he had grabbed a big handful, he had only taken about ten seeds. As they walked, she had been peeling them and had finished them all in no time, all of it ending up in Lele’s stomach.

However, Lele giggled and then said to Gu Qinglan, “I want to be like Mom! Auntie, you carry me home!”

“Auntie, carry me—”

“Auntie, please carry me—”

Seeing the adorable expression on the little girl’s face, Gu Qinglan’s heart melted. She squatted down and said, “Little ancestor, you should consider how heavy you are now. Auntie can only carry you on my back.”

Lele succeeded in his request and, with a bounce, jumped onto Gu Qinglan’s back. Unfortunately, they both ended up tumbling into a snow pile.

“Gu Wanyue, don’t just jump on me like that!”

Sitting in the snow, Lele looked at Gu Qinglan, who was now covered in snow from head to toe, and laughed heartily, “Auntie has turned into a big snowman!”

Seeing that the child had not been hurt, Gu Qinglan grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it at him, saying, “Haha, Lele is a snowman too!”

Originally, Wen Nuan had planned to attend the New Year’s Eve celebration to receive commendations from General Xu, but upon learning of her pregnancy, she decided not to go.

Around four in the afternoon, General Xu’s assistant delivered a certificate to her.

Wen Nuan was surprised that at her age, she could still receive such an award, so she placed the certificate in a frame and set it alongside their family portrait.

Their family photo had grown, now featuring several new images, including ones with Qinglan and others with General Lu.

Knowing that Gu Qinghan had called Grandpa, Wen Nuan thought she would find a time to wish him a happy New Year tomorrow, so there was no need to rush today.

After arriving home, Wen Nuan discussed with Sister Guihua the plan for the upcoming hundred-day celebration for Zhuzi. They decided to invite Sister Juxiang over to join them, so the three families could have a New Year’s Eve dinner together.

Sister Juxiang had no objections and brought along her three children, as well as Captain Zhao and her mother-in-law.

They pushed two tables together, arranging the children at a coffee table while the adults formed a large circle around the main dining table.

The snow continued to fall as they gathered for their New Year’s Eve dinner.

This year’s dinner was prepared by several men, with Wen Nuan and the other women not lifting a finger, only occasionally offering guidance.

The feast was lavish, featuring steamed fish, iron pot braised goose, lamb and sea cucumber soup, spicy stir-fried seafood, pork with vermicelli, braised lamb chops, steamed chicken with mushrooms, and sweet and sour pork.

There were a total of eight meat dishes along with two vegetable dishes, completing a perfectly balanced New Year’s Eve meal.

Each dish was served in generous portions, ensuring that even with three families gathered, everyone could eat their fill.

Once all the dishes were on the table, everyone raised their glasses, toasting, “In the new year, may everyone have good fortune.”

After dinner, Gu Qinglan took Lele outside to the courtyard to play with firecrackers with the children from the family compound.

Wen Nuan nestled in Gu Qinghan’s embrace, sitting on the sofa covered with cushions, watching Lele and Qinglan joyfully playing in the snow through the window.

As she observed the children playing, Wen Nuan couldn’t help but murmur, “So childish!”

Gu Qinghan agreed with his wife’s comment, saying, “Yes, two little fools.”

Wen Nuan sighed softly, “But… I want to play too.”

Gu Qinghan thought for a moment and then grabbed a scarf and hat from the side, putting them on her. “Come on.”

Wen Nuan looked at him in surprise, initially thinking that Gu Qinghan was concerned about her falling and didn’t want her to go outside.

“Don’t you want to play?” Gu Qinghan handed her the gloves, saying, “Hurry and put these on. Let’s go light fireworks with Lele.”

Wen Nuan shot him a glance. “I thought you were worried I’d fall again.”

As he grabbed a coat, Gu Qinghan looked at her sideways. “What’s there to be afraid of with me around?”

With that, Wen Nuan took Gu Qinghan’s hand and stepped outside with him.

As soon as Lele saw Dad and Mom coming, he excitedly waved his sparklers in the air.

“Mom, look! Aren’t my fireworks beautiful?” Lele shouted joyfully.

Wen Nuan smiled at the child’s beaming face and nodded, “Beautiful!”

Lele beamed and handed Wen Nuan an unlit sparkler, saying in his sweet, childish voice, “Mom, I’ll give you one so you can light it too.”

Wen Nuan laughed and replied, “But Mom wants two!”

Without hesitation, Lele handed all the sparklers in his hands to Wen Nuan, saying, “Here you go, here you go!”

After giving Wen Nuan the sparklers, Lele ran over to Gu Qinghan and tilted his little head up to him, saying, “Dad, this is for you.”

Gu Qinghan looked at the two small firecrackers in his hands and frowned.

Why did he get firecrackers?

Lele, looking up at him with a cheerful expression, explained sweetly, “Dad, you light the firecrackers, and Mom will light the sparklers.” Hearing this, Gu Qinghan smiled indulgently at the child. “Alright.”