When you come to Beijing, how can you not eat mutton hotpot
Originally, Liu Mingfei planned to treat Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan to hotpot, but he really had no way to take care of a little baby, so he took Liu Huaqing directly to North City.
After parting ways, Gu Qinghan found a guesthouse, put his luggage away, and took Wen Nuan and his daughter to an old hotel.
The restaurant happened to be in Wangfujing, quite close to the guesthouse where they were staying, and there was also a department store nearby. Wen Nuan had already made up her mind that after eating and drinking, she would go shopping in the department store and buy some daily necessities.
The old shop has an antique style. When you enter the door, you can see a large copper pot that is almost as tall as a person. Although it is not as magnificent as later generations, it is already quite high-end compared to several state-owned restaurants nearby.
The little one in the warm arms was very excited when he saw the colorful things. He stretched out his little hands to touch everything. His big black eyes turned around following the yellow light in the store. He was so cute.
Fortunately, she had made two cotton-padded jackets for the child in advance. She just touched the child's back and felt that the child was still warm.
Because they came early and it was not yet time for dinner, they didn't have to wait for a seat.
But an old brand is an old brand. Although it was only four or five in the afternoon, more than half of the seats in the store were already occupied. The store was warm and filled with various Beijing accents, and it was very lively.
The mutton slices in the store are also freshly cut by hand by the chef on the spot. They are cut thin and tender, and the red and white colors are very tempting.
Wen Nuan couldn't help but say: "It's so lively!"
Since she came to the 1970s, she has never seen such a lively scene, especially in the capital.
But as poor as she is, what Wen Nuan cares most about is the price.
When she saw that a pound of mutton was only RMB 1.88, her eyes widened. It was not just a plate, but a pound!
A pound of mutton costs only a little over one dollar
The warmth that I had been saving all this time seemed so cheap at this moment!
When Gu Qinghan saw her expression, he misunderstood that Wen Nuan was reluctant to eat it because she thought it was too expensive, so she was so surprised.
Then he pursed his lips and whispered, "I have money, it's okay to have a meal occasionally."
Gu Qinghan had been to the capital before on a mission, but his food and accommodation were arranged by the troops, and he had never eaten mutton hotpot.
When Wen Nuan was chatting with Liu Mingfei on the train, they mentioned the mutton hotpot in Jingshi several times and seemed to be looking forward to it, so he also wanted to try it.
After hearing this, Wen Nuan paused, looked at him and asked, "Do you have any money left?"
You can't blame her for being curious. After all, Gu Qinghan had just remitted 180 yuan to her half a month ago, and she thought that was all his savings.
And as far as I remember, his allowance was not paid at this time, so he still has money
No wonder when Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong needed money, the first thing they thought of was to ask him, he had quite a lot of money.
Gu Qinghan followed her footsteps, walked to a dining table, pulled out a chair, and explained in a muffled voice: "Last month's allowance."
Wen Nuan sat down on the chair he pulled out, and also pulled out a chair next to it so that the little one could also sit down.
Then he asked, "What is the 180 yuan you gave me before?"
He sent almost all of his monthly allowance back home, and even if there was a little left for himself, he gave it to other comrades in need.
After Gu Qinghan sat down, he patiently told her about the promotion for meritorious service. Wen Nuan pricked up her ears and listened attentively.
The original owner knew that Gu Qinghan was a soldier, but he didn't even know which unit he was in or what branch of the military he was in.
I only know how high Gu Qinghan's allowance is, but I don't know the dangers of being a flying soldier.
As Wen Nuan listened, she felt an inexplicable pain in her heart. Finally, she lowered her voice and said, "I won't spend that money recklessly."
She wanted to spend every penny wisely, because that was what Gu Qinghan paid for with his life.
Gu Qinghan glanced at her and said, "The money is given to you, you can spend it however you want."
Wen Nuan smiled, thinking of the new life that their family was about to start, and shook her head: "That won't work. Our daughter is still young, and I don't have any income. It would be difficult to rely on your allowance alone."
Gu Qinghan subconsciously glanced at the cotton-padded jacket she was wearing. Although it was a girl's style, the cotton had been worn out in several places. He said, "We still have to buy what we need. My allowance should be enough. There's no need to save money."
Wen Nuan felt that Gu Qinghan seemed to have talked a little too much, and she didn't know if it was because she had also spoken too much on her own initiative.
It's good this way. Wen Nuan is actually a chatterbox. She loves to gossip with her besties. If Gu Qinghan is too taciturn, life will be really hard.
After a while, the hot pot ingredients were served. The base of the pot was the traditional dried shrimp and shiitake mushroom soup, with a little scallion. The taste was lighter, but the shabu-shabu mutton would preserve the most delicious flavor of the mutton.
White smoke rises from the bronze pot, adding a touch of warmth in this cold winter.
The most important part of shabu-shabu is the seasoning.
They have seven kinds of condiments. Wen Nuan ordered sesame paste, fermented tofu, and chives, and then added some chopped green onions, coriander, and chili oil.
"Try this!" Wen Nuan pushed the seasoning plate to Gu Qinghan and said with a smile, "It's delicious!"
"good."
The little guy looked at Wen Nuan pushing the plate to Gu Qinghan, and seemed a little unhappy, stretching out his arm to grab it back.
She babbled a few words and tried to struggle to stand up with her short legs. The little girl was unhappy!
Gu Qinghan was afraid that her hand might touch the hot pot stove, so he directly hugged her and coaxed her, "Let mom eat first."
The little one couldn't eat such a big piece of meat, and Wen Nuan didn't want her to eat so many seasonings, so the little one could only eat a little side dish, and she would slowly tear a little meat for her to eat.
In the past, Wen Nuan always held the baby while feeding her, but today Gu Qinghan was taking care of her, so it was a rare opportunity for Wen Nuan to eat meat to her heart's content without having to hold the baby. She was very happy and ate half a pound of mutton piece by piece.
While taking care of the child, Gu Qinghan watched Wen Nuan eat meat, his eyes inadvertently revealing a tenderness he had never seen before, and the curve of the corners of his lips slowly relaxed.
This was the first time for the three of them to go out to a restaurant, and they actually had such authentic mutton hotpot.
Wen Nuan felt that their family's new life had started off very happily.
*
After eating the mutton hotpot, they went to the department store next door. It had three floors and a wide variety of goods. Almost everything they needed could be bought here.
Gu Qinghan kept observing Wen Nuan along the way to see if she was cold, but after eating the hot pot, Wen Nuan didn't feel cold at all and was full of energy.
However, considering that winter has just begun, it is still necessary to prepare two more sets of clothes.
Gu Qinghan originally wanted Wen Nuan to buy two coats, but when Wen Nuan saw the prices, she backed off.
A coat is almost as expensive as a meal of mutton hotpot for them, and the coats of that era are too ugly!
No matter the style or the color, Wen Nuan's eyes turned dark and she rejected it outright.
Anyway, people in the north stay at home during the winter, so there will be nothing to do in the spring of next year, so you might as well make one yourself.
Wen Nuan pushed Gu Qinghan, who was holding the child, to the cloth counter and said, "I can just make it myself."
"By the way, how come you still have the cloth coupons?"
Logically, Gu Qinghan had special uniforms, shoes and socks in the army, all of which were provided by the army. She had never seen him wear ordinary clothes. Even his casual clothes were issued by the army.
Gu Qinghan seemed to be holding the seven-month-old baby with ease, and said calmly: "The provincial and ministerial political commissar, lend me some."
Wen Nuan suddenly asked to join the army, but he was actually not prepared at all.
He had neither much money nor tickets on him, but the political commissar arranged for someone to give him some money and tickets at the guesthouse.
"If you need anything, feel free to buy it. I will return it to him slowly later. Otherwise, it will be difficult to buy it when you get to the base."
Wen Nuan frowned slightly, but then slowly relaxed: "Okay."
If you have to use it, you still have to buy it.
Clothes are indeed necessities. I would rather spend a little more money to wear thicker clothes than catch a cold or fever, otherwise it will cost more.
But when Wen Nuan really had to choose the fabric herself, she was in a dilemma. She liked floral and pink fabrics, but looking around the entire department store, very few people used such fabrics, mainly because they were not resistant to dirt and were especially for women, so men would never use them.
"Comrade, please get me the blue plaid one." Wen Nuan pointed to a very popular piece of cloth nearby, suitable for both men and women.
But before the salesman could make a move, Gu Qinghan stepped forward, pointed at the floral fabric that Wen Nuan had been looking at, and said, "Hello, comrade. My wife was wrong. She wants the white floral one."
Wen Nuan pulled his sleeve and said, "White floral prints don't last long, blue ones are fine."
If there is any leftover cloth, I can make him a shirt as well.
When the salesperson saw Gu Qinghan's handsome face, he forgot what Wen Nuan said and said hurriedly, "The floral pattern is beautiful. Comrade, you have good taste. All the female comrades here like to buy this. You are lucky today. This cloth just came back. If it is a day later, you will probably have to wait again."
When Wen Nuan was still hesitating, Gu Qinghan said, "Then please help me cut a 12-foot-long floral one, a 12-foot-long pink one."
"You don't need that much!" Wen Nuan quickly stopped her.
Gu Qinghan grabbed the little guy's hand in his arms and smiled: "For the rest, make two sets for my daughter."
Hearing this, Wen Nuan curled the corners of her lips, reached out and gently pinched the little guy in Gu Qinghan's arms, and said deliberately: "Look how good Daddy is to you!"
When the little guy saw Wen Nuan, he smiled and tapped his feet twice, looking very happy.
After buying the cloth, they went to buy some cotton. Because the winter in the north is cold, the supply of cotton is a bit tight. They only bought a little more than two kilograms, but it should be enough.
After buying these things, Wen Nuan went to buy soap and soap nuts for washing clothes. When she finished buying these daily necessities, Gu Qinghan on the other end of the road took out four bottles of clam oil and Shanghai vanishing cream.
Gu Qinghan's face was a little unnatural. When he met the warm eyes, he whispered, "The winter in the north is dry. You and the child will need these."
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "You don't need to buy so much."
After thinking for a while, he said, "But for the three of us, it should be used up soon."
Gu Qinghan turned away and said nothing more.
After shopping in the department store, Wen Nuan followed Gu Qinghan to a trust store. It was called a trust store, but it was actually similar to the second-hand trading store in later generations.
But there's nothing I can do. I just looked at some wooden boxes in the department store, and they cost more than 40 yuan each.
So Wen Nuan planned to look at second-hand items. As long as they were usable, they would be fine and they didn't require a ticket. Besides, if they were items of this era, she might be able to find some treasures.
The purpose of buying a box is to be practical, so without much choice, they bought two, one for quilts and one for off-season clothes, which is just right.
Because it was inconvenient to transport, Gu Qinghan made an appointment with the salesperson to deliver it to the pick-up location at nine o'clock tomorrow, so that it could be directly loaded into the car at that time.
After buying the wooden box, Wen Nuan took a fancy to a Huanghuali jewelry box. She didn't want to buy it at first, but Gu Qinghan had already paid for it while she was hesitating, and directly asked someone to put the jewelry box in the wooden box and send it over together tomorrow.
Wen Nuan whispered to him: "You should bargain!"
They bought several boxes at once, so they should be able to save a dollar or two.
Gu Qinghan was stunned for a moment, and then he was about to go back to find the clerk, but was grabbed by Wen Nuan, who couldn't help laughing: "You are so silly, who will care about you if you go back now!"
Gu Qinghan touched his nose and said, "I will next time."
Wen Nuan doesn't mean he will bargain next time!
When we came out of the trust store, it was already dark, with white snowflakes floating in the sky.
The warmth swept away all the tiredness and he exclaimed in surprise: "It's snowing! It's so beautiful!"
You can't blame her for making a fuss. People in the south probably have the same reaction when they see snow.
However, Gu Qinghan glanced at her and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Wen Nuan held the child and went to grab some snow. Without even turning her head, she smiled and replied, "It's not cold at all."
It was the first time for the little guy to see snow. He kicked his little feet excitedly and laughed heartily.
Gu Qinghan looked at the woman and child laughing in the snow, looked up at the snowflakes falling in the sky, and his expression relaxed.
*
It was indeed not cold when she was playing in the snow, but when she returned to the guesthouse, she could no longer smile.
The guest houses of that time were very simple. It was impossible to take a shower, and there was not much hot water for washing feet. They drew two pots of hot water and simply washed their feet.
What bothers Wen Nuan the most is that even the coal in the stove is in limited supply, and once it’s used up, it’s gone.
In the second half of the night, Wen Nuan was awakened by the cold. Although she was wearing a coat, the whole room became cold after the stove ran out of coal. No matter how thick the quilt was, she couldn't feel warm, especially her feet, which were frozen.
Wen Nuan hugged the child tightly, fearing that she would catch a cold. However, the child was warm, not only did she have Gu Qinghan's military coat as a bed, but she was also covered with a thick blanket, so she should not be cold.
Wen Nuan subconsciously looked at the rocking chair opposite the bed.
Because the bed was relatively small, only 1.35 meters, Gu Qinghan spent the night in a military sleeping bag on a rocking chair nearby.
There were no curtains in the room, so one could still see what was happening on the opposite side. Gu Qinghan was seen folding his arms with his long legs resting on a long bench. Although he looked very uncomfortable, he did not wake up, so he was probably asleep.
Wen Nuan turned over and leaned towards her daughter, hoping that sleeping close together would warm her up.
She reached out and touched the child's little hand that was stretched above his head, and found that it was still warm, so she felt relieved.
As the stove cooled down, Wen Nuan felt colder and colder. She curled up slightly but still felt chilly, so she turned over again and looked at Gu Qinghan on the recliner.
Not knowing if it was because of his own noise, Gu Qinghan opened his eyes in the dim light and the first thing he looked at was the two people in the ambush.
The military's keen sense made him realize that the warmth in the body must have awakened, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Awake?"
Wen Nuan bit her lip and thought seriously for two seconds. In fact, she felt more embarrassed than cold and uncomfortable.
So he mustered up his courage and whispered, "You... come over here and sleep."
Wen Nuan couldn't see Gu Qinghan's expression. In the silent night, she could only recognize his presence by his voice.
"What's wrong?" Gu Qinghan's voice was very low and deep, like the sound of a cello floating in the darkness.
After waiting for a while, Wen Nuan felt really cold and couldn't stand it anymore, so she said aggrievedly, "It's so cold!"
Then she said very quickly: "Come here quickly, it will be warmer if the three of us squeeze together."
He added guiltily, "So that the child doesn't catch a cold."
In the dark night, Wen Nuan couldn't see what Gu Qinghan looked like, but she knew that her face was burning hot, and she didn't feel so cold anymore.
After a few seconds, the recliner over there made a sharp "creak" sound as Gu Qinghan stood up, which sounded like thunder to his warm ears.
Gu Qinghan deliberately slowed down his movements, but could still hear the rustling sounds.
It was not until a tall figure walked towards the bed that Wen Nuan realized what oppression was. It made her whole body tense up, and her originally curled up body became even stiffer.
She took a deep breath and moved her body with all her strength to make room for the man to lie down.
A wave of heat came over her, and Wen Nuan watched the figure slowly falling on the bed beside her. Her heart couldn't help but beat wildly, and her body began to tremble. She didn't know if it was because of the cold or the nervousness.
The man's warm breath enveloped her, and she could smell a hint of sweat, but it wasn't unpleasant. There was also a hint of soap, the same smell that was used in her hometown.
As the man lay down, the bed made a sharp "creaking" sound again. Wen Nuan turned over nervously, turned her back to Gu Qinghan who was lying beside the bed, and reached out to hug the sleeping child beside her.
In the darkness, the man also turned over and moved inside. Both of them were lying sideways, but they seemed to be deliberately keeping a distance.
Although they were not pressed tightly together, she could feel the warmth instantly and her body stopped shaking so much. However, the warm breath of the man beside her ear made her lose all desire to sleep.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep quickly, but the more she thought about it, the clearer her mind became, and even Gu Qinghan's breathing could be heard clearly.
When Wen Nuan moved restlessly for the fifth time, Gu Qinghan said in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you say you weren't cold?"
Wen Nuan's mind was in a mess, and it took her several seconds to react after hearing Gu Qinghan's words.
Is he making fun of her
Did he smile just now
Wen Nuan turned her face slightly. Although she couldn't see Gu Qinghan's expression, for some reason, she felt that he must be smiling at this moment.
Her originally tense state instantly relaxed, and she said stubbornly: "I didn't know the nights in the north would be so cold!"
Suddenly, Gu Qinghan stretched out his long arms and hugged her and the child.
"Stop moving and go to sleep."
The hot breath sprayed on my warm ears, and I couldn't help but blush, but my mood was no longer as nervous as before.
She felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so she asked quietly, "Have you thought of a name for the child?"
We will go to the family compound tomorrow, and her household registration and that of her children will be registered here.
When they were in their hometown, they had already agreed that when the child arrived here, they would directly register his/her household registration, thus saving a procedure.
As a result, after three days of traveling, the two of them still couldn't come up with a name. They just chatted with Liu Mingfei and took care of the children.
Gu Qinghan was silent for a while. Just as he was about to speak, Wen Nuan interrupted him and said, "Don't call her Ju, Hua, Mei, or Lian. It doesn't sound good."
In the original book, the child's name was Gu Meilin, which is not an unpleasant name, it's just not nice.
"… "
How did she know that he was planning to give birth to a girl named Meilian
"Then what do you think sounds good?" Gu Qinghan asked back.
This question stumped her, so Wen Nuan simply pretended to think and said nothing.
As she thought about it, Wen Nuan started to feel sleepy. She felt that coming up with a name was really difficult!
She was so confused that she felt her feet were like popsicles. If her feet were not warm, it would be difficult for her body to warm up either.
After thinking about it, she pretended to move towards Gu Qinghan's legs casually, and then slowly placed her icy legs between his legs...
After feeling the warm temperature, she leaned towards the child's blanket and fell asleep contentedly.
Gu Qinghan looked at the ceiling of the room and couldn't sleep all night.
*
Because she didn’t sleep well the night before, Wen Nuan didn’t wake up until her child cried the next day.
The little fellow had already kicked off the blanket and was chewing his fingers with great relish.
Wen Nuan woke up dazedly and saw the child still sucking her fingers, so she took them away from her and asked, "You are so old now, stop sucking your fingers. Where is your father?"
She touched the quilt beside her. Although it was warm, she should have gotten up long ago.
The little guy had no idea where Gu Qinghan had gone. When he saw Wen Nuan wake up, he turned over, lay in Wen Nuan's arms, and reached out to pull her clothes.
Because it was cold last night, Wen Nuan wore a cotton jacket to sleep, which gave the child a good opportunity.
She yawned lazily and thought that the weather was so cold, so she just lay sideways and fed the child until he was full first.
Before the child finished drinking milk, the door of the room was opened, and it was the sound of Gu Qinghan's footsteps.
He saw Wen Nuan lying on the bed feeding her, then turned around and said, "I bought breakfast, we'll eat later and then take the bus."
Wen Nuan quickly fed the child, then planned to wash up and clean up. However, when she came out of the shower, her luggage seemed to have not been unpacked and was neatly placed aside.
Moreover, Gu Qinghan's tall figure was standing beside the bed, holding a diaper, and seemed to be figuring out how to change the little guy's diaper.
Wen Nuan didn't care about him. After all, the child was already a few months old and not as fragile as a newborn, so she just let him go.
By the time Wen Nuan finished her breakfast, Gu Qinghan had already changed the little one's diaper and was now sitting in the bed playing attentively.
"Okay, we can go now."
Wen Nuan asked curiously: "How long will the ride take?"
Gu Qinghan glanced at her calmly, then said, "Maybe six or seven hours."
warmth:"… "
Well, no wonder Gu Qinghan bought a lot of breakfast. She just thought that Gu Qinghan treated her like a pig.
It turned out to be the dry food for this journey!
Gu Qinghan noticed Wen Nuan's helpless expression and asked, "Are you carsick?"
Wen Nuan shook her head. "I've never been on a car for so long, so I don't know."
Before Gu Qinghan went out, he put the plums and wind oil he had bought earlier into the pocket of his military coat, in case he might need them later.
After packing up, Gu Qinghan carried the bags and led them to an inconspicuous store.
There was already a large army green truck waiting there, and a few women with their heads wrapped in plaid scarves were waiting nearby, carrying bags, bamboo baskets, and woven bags.
Wen Nuan guessed that all of them should have gone to Beicheng Air Force Base together, and they should be some family members.
Wen Nuan is a little worried. It seems that people in the north have to store vegetables in winter, unlike in the south where they can grow some vegetables in winter.
But they came at the wrong time. It was snowing now, and there should be no vegetables to sell.
I had planned to buy 20 kilograms of potatoes yesterday, but Gu Qinghan said that it was not necessary and that I could buy food at the staff quarters.
The women looked at Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan beside her. It was rare to see such a handsome couple, especially the little one in Wen Nuan's arms, who was delicate, fair and plump, and not common either.
Several people were whispering to each other, and pairs of eyes looked them over several times, as if they wanted to see through them.
An older sister who looked older than her and Gu Qinghan came over and asked with a smile, "Are you also taking this train?"
Because Gu Qinghan was still wearing his military uniform and there was no need to hide his soldier identity, Wen Nuan nodded.
The older sister introduced herself in a familiar manner: "My name is Deng Juxiang. You are here to join the army, right? How old is your child?"
Wen Nuan also smiled: "Yes, we are from the southern province of G. My name is Wen Nuan."
Then she fiddled with the child's little hand and said, "Almost eight months old."
Deng Juxiang's eyes widened in surprise when she heard this. "So far? No wonder he has to follow the army. Otherwise, we wouldn't see him for two or three years."
Wen Nuan didn't know either. In the past, even if Gu Qinghan was in this province, he could only come back twice a year. If he happened to be on a mission, he might not even come back once a year.
She glanced at Gu Qinghan and then said, "Yeah, that's why I followed my man to join the army. After not seeing him for so long, the child doesn't even recognize his father."
Gu Qinghan was helping to put away the luggage. When he heard Wen Nuan say this, his hands paused.
Deng Juxiang smiled again and sighed with feeling: "It's not always possible to see him every day when you are with the army."
Then she looked at the child and said with a smile: "The child is so young, can he adapt to the climate here? Did you bring enough clothes? I heard that there is no winter over there."
Wen Nuan patiently explained: "It's not that there is no winter, it's just that it's not cold for long and it doesn't snow."
Then Deng Juxiang started talking about her hometown again, introducing the local specialties and climate. Wen Nuan listened with a smile on her face. The little guy was also very well-behaved, watching Deng Juxiang talking with his big eyes rolling around, without making any noise.
As we were chatting, we were about to get on the bus. A large military truck can carry a lot of people, but maybe because it snowed in the past two days, there were not many people today, but half of the bus was still crowded.
After getting on the military truck, the vehicle shook and swayed. The child found it fun and did not cry. Instead, he looked at the receding scenery with curiosity in his big eyes.
Deng Juxiang was also very excited and talked to Wen Nuan a lot. However, Wen Nuan finally found out that Deng Juxiang talked to her because she was prone to motion sickness and wanted to divert her attention.
Unfortunately, she still felt dizzy and wanted to vomit, so Wen Nuan said to Gu Qinghan beside her: "Take out the plums and wind oil that you bought before getting on the train. This sister-in-law is carsick."
Gu Qinghan quickly took out plums and wind oil from his pocket. After Deng Juxiang took it, she applied two drops of wind oil under her nose, and the symptoms really improved a lot.
She smiled a little tiredly: "Your man is really thoughtful. He has prepared everything for you."
Upon hearing this, Wen Nuan looked up at Gu Qinghan, but the other party turned his face away embarrassedly.
Slowly, the truck drove into the mountain forest road. The environment became more and more desolate, and the temperature slowly dropped. The mountains and forests in the distance were all white, and it looked like it had snowed.
Wen Nuan held the child and subconsciously leaned towards him. People who knew each other in the truck snuggled up to each other to avoid being too cold.
Gu Qinghan smelled a unique sweet fragrance and without thinking, he prepared to take off his military coat.
"No need to take it off, just keep your coat on and wrap the child in it." Wen Nuan stopped him from taking off his clothes. She didn't want Gu Qinghan to catch a cold. It just so happened that the child had seen him more often in the past few days and was willing to be with him.
It would be better to just wrap the child in clothes.
"I'll give it to both of you." Gu Qinghan insisted.
Wen Nuan held his hand, her face a little serious: "You are only wearing two pieces, don't take them off!"
Gu Qinghan had just been transferred to the unit here, and he took sick leave right after arriving, which might have a bad impact.
Although birth, aging, sickness and death are natural phenomena, we hope to avoid them if they can be avoided.
Gu Qinghan glanced at the other people in the truck. Everyone was huddled together, leaning against each other for warmth.
After thinking for a while, he spread out one side of his military coat and wrapped Wen Nuan and the child in his arms.
"Don't move. We still have more than an hour to go." Gu Qinghan's body tensed up and his voice became low.
Compared to Gu Qinghan, Wen Nuan was indeed not that tall, and she was holding the child to her chest, so she easily put them both into her coat.
Wen Nuan looked out from her military coat with her moist, dark eyes, and saw several military wives looking at her with unhappy expressions.
She tilted her head and rested it on Gu Qinghan's collarbone, hoping that out of sight, out of mind.
Only Deng Juxiang smiled with a hint of envy in her eyes, and whispered to Wen Nuan: "Your man is really caring."
"It's still good to be young, so sweet and happy. I envy you so much."
The warm face became even hotter.
I looked up at Gu Qinghan, but he didn't show any expression and was still cold and unsmiling.
He just wrapped his arms around her and the child, and tightened them tightly, fearing that even a little air would leak out.
Slowly, Wen Nuan leaned in Gu Qinghan's arms and fell asleep.
When the truck stopped, it had arrived at a gate guarded by soldiers.
There is a striking inscription on a wall at the entrance of the compound: "Go all out to annihilate the invading enemy."
There were fighter planes flying overhead, like a huge silver eagle spreading its powerful wings, cutting through the thick clouds in the sky and returning home.
The truck passed the inspection and started driving back into the staff quarters.
In the north, the trees wither in the winter, and the shrubs on both sides of the flower beds are also bare. However, unlike when we came here, the weather is clear now.
The sunny day after the snow is the most beautiful. The clouds in the sky look like balls of cotton candy, soft and white, and the sky is as blue as the ocean.
The truck stopped in front of the gate of the family compound. When Deng Juxiang got off the truck, she took out a bag of pine nuts from her sack and stuffed them into Wen Nuan's pocket. She said, "Sister, this is a specialty from my hometown. I'm giving it to you to try. You can also come and chat with me when you are free. My husband is Zhao Yongfu, the commander of the 37th Battalion."
Wen Nuan nodded at her: "Okay, I will. Thank you, sister-in-law."
Gu Qinghan said a few words to two male comrades who were also in military uniforms. Then one of them ran over and shouted, "Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Li Daxiang. Welcome to North City. If you need any help in the future, just let me know."
Wen Nuan didn't know what to say. She just said thank you twice and walked towards Gu Qinghan with the child in her arms.
I don't know if the child gradually got close to Gu Qinghan, but as soon as he came to him, he opened his arms and wanted him to hug him.
Gu Qinghan carried several bags in his hands, but he didn't want Wen Nuan to carry them, so he said, "Wait a while before you carry them."
Wen Nuan also coaxed: "Dad still has to get the luggage, don't worry."
Gu Qinghan turned around and said, "Let's go back and put our luggage away first, and you follow me."
On the other side, Li Daxiang and another comrade each carried a wooden box bought in Beijing and walked in front.
I don’t know if it was because they knew that there was a new military wife coming, but several military wives gathered in the house in the same row and the house opposite, and they all looked at Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan.
"Is this the new deputy group leader Gu? He looks so handsome."
"It's a pity that we got married too early. I would have introduced him to my cousin a year later."
Some people couldn't help but shake their heads: "Why does his wife look so weak?"
"Oh my goodness, if the northwest wind blows, they will probably all be blown away!"
"There's also a little baby. My god, he's so young. Why did you bring him to the North City?"
Some people said: "But she is so pretty, so beautiful. I have never seen such a pretty lesbian. Her skin is so white! Her waist is so thin! I want to pinch her!"
In the corner, someone said sourly: "What's the point of being pretty? She may not even be able to cook a dish. Why is she joining the army..."
*
Gu Qinghan led Wen Nuan and the child through a row of three-story courtyards in a concave shape, and finally stopped in front of a row of red brick and green tile houses. Li Daxiang raised his voice: "Deputy Captain Gu, this is it."
Wen Nuan took a look at the house in front of her. It was a traditional red brick house, but the houses were connected, not concave, and lined up in a straight line. Their house was the last one, and there was a large open space in front of each house. It seemed that they could grow vegetables after the spring.
The structures of these rows of houses are probably the same and uniform.
There are five houses in a row, which is a little different from the concave-shaped family compound. Wen Nuan guessed that it should be divided according to job positions.
Just now she had seen a small courtyard with a separate entrance and exit.
There are several rows of houses in a straight line, with perhaps more than twenty houses in total, but there shouldn't be many that actually need to be occupied, probably only about ten.
Gu Qinghan took the key handed to him by Li Daxiang, pushed open the half-height courtyard door, and then used the key to open the door of the house.
Gu Qinghan turned around and said to her: "Come in and take a look."
Wen Nuan carried the child in her arms and walked in. There was a small living room at the entrance. There was a stove in the living room, which should be used for heating. Wen Nuan had never used this kind of stove before.
There is an octagonal table in the middle of the living room, four chairs, and a chest of drawers and a dining cabinet on one wall. The furniture is complete.
On the left side of the entrance is a kitchen, which leads to the yard and has an independent door, probably for ventilation.
There was a big pot on the stove. The pot was not new and should have been prepared temporarily.
Apart from the pot, there were no other tableware.
But this kitchen has obviously not been used much, the walls are still white and have not been blackened.
It feels good to be warm.
The room is at the end, with a blue wooden door and a glass…
There was a bed in the middle of the room, with nothing on it. Wen Nuan thought everyone here slept on a kang, but when she thought about how cold it was last night, she wondered what she would do without a kang in the future.
There is a window next to the bed, also a blue wood-framed glass window. When you open the window, you can vaguely see the runway in the distance between the rows of leafless trees.
It turns out that their row is the last row!
That’s great, I can see the neighbor’s door without opening the window!
After dropping his luggage, Gu Qinghan followed Wen Nuan around the house. Seeing that she opened the window and looked at the runway in the distance, he was afraid that she would not like it.
I said, "It's a bit noisy because it's close to the runway. If you don't like it, we can apply again later."
Wen Nuan shook her head and looked at him with a smile: "No, actually it's quite far away."
In fact, if you really want to fly, the entire family compound cannot escape those noises, and it will be the same no matter where you move.
“It’s nice here, I like it very much.”
And the most important thing is that the house is very clean and new, so the previous family probably didn't live there for very long.
When she walked into this room just now, she saw there was a small room next to it. Although it was not big, it would be useful in the future.
Gu Qinghan met her warm eyes and felt that she was not being perfunctory at all, so he said, "As long as you like it."
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "I really like it."
Then she teased the child in her arms and asked, "Baby, do you like it here?"
The little guy was dancing with joy and laughing so hard that saliva was dripping from the corners of his mouth, as if to say that he liked it very much.
Gu Qinghan finally let go of the worry in his heart.
After putting down his luggage, Gu Qinghan went to report without stopping.
Wen Nuan walked around the house with her child to see if there was anything they needed to buy.
Just when she was thinking about buying a few bowls, there was a knock on the door.
I saw a military wife wearing a red floral dress, a red scarf, and a neat braid standing outside the door with a smile on her face. She asked with a smile, "Are you the wife of Deputy Commander Gu?"
"Hello, I am Liu Meili, the wife of Chen Jiawei, the head of the 79th Regiment. I have something I want to discuss with you."
Wen Nuan suppressed her doubts, nodded at her, and smiled politely: "Hello, what can I do for you?"
Liu Meili looked up at Wen Nuan's house, then walked in without hesitation, saying, "It's like this, I want to exchange houses with you, I wonder if you are willing."