The family compound has recently installed telephones in every household, but they can only be used to communicate within the army and cannot be used to make calls outside.
But with this phone call, everyone was happy for several days.
Lele was equally happy. When she went to Beijing, she saw Commander Lu making a phone call and loved to go over to listen. She even imitated Commander Lu's phone call in a very realistic way.
So after a telephone was installed at home, Lele loved to call Gu Qinghan's office.
Holding a microphone to her ear, she said cutely, "Hello, Dad."
"Dad, I'm Lele. When will you come home?"
But the little guy didn't know that the call had to be transferred to the communication station. Every time the female comrade at the communication station heard the child's baby voice, she couldn't help laughing and said to Lele: "Little comrade, this is the communication station. Who is your father? Which department is he in? I'll transfer the call to you."
When Lele heard the stranger's voice, he called Wen Nuan over and said to her, "Mom, where is Dad?"
Wen Nuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "..."
In fact, Lele had already memorized his parents' names and birthdays, and knew that Gu Qinghan was from the 76th Regiment of the 34th Division of the Air Force. But when it came to the actual practice, he didn't know how to answer.
Wen Nuan taught her to say it once. Fortunately, Lele's spoken English was good, and she would often learn it after Wen Nuan said it once or twice.
When he turned to Gu Qinghan, Lele laughed and said, "Dad, a sister just talked to me on the phone."
"Really? That's the sister from the communication station." Gu Qinghan paused for a moment before realizing that the sister the little guy was talking about was the female comrade from the communication station, so he asked, "What do you want to talk to Dad about?"
Lele smiled and said, "Mom asked you to go home for dinner."
She didn’t seem to say anything while preparing the food?
Gu Qinghan had to attend night training four or five days a week. When we were having the flight crew meal at noon, he said he would not come back.
"Dad may be late, do you want to wait for him?" Gu Qinghan was also thinking that he had been very busy recently and basically had not been home for dinner. Today, it was a rare call from his child, so he also wanted to go home early.
"Then I won't wait any longer. Bye, Dad." Lele hung up the phone and said to Wen Nuan, "Mom, Dad said he won't be back for dinner."
"… "
As a result, when Wen Nuan and the children finished their meal and were ready to go for a walk, Gu Qinghan came home.
Wen Nuan looked at him: "Why are you so early today?"
Gu Qinghan asked back: "Didn't you ask me to go home for dinner?"
Wen Nuan glanced at Le Le who was happily biting an apple, and said helplessly: "Your daughter said you won't come back."
"… "
Gu Qinghan walked over and rubbed the little guy's head, and said with a smile: "Unreliable messenger."
Lele smiled and handed the half-eaten apple to Gu Qinghan, "Dad, don't be angry. Please have a bite."
Gu Qinghan picked her up directly and planned to take a walk with them and then go home to eat something.
Lele was curious for two days and then stopped playing with the phone. Sometimes when Gu Qinghan called home, the little guy didn't want to answer and would rather listen to the radio.
*
The factory's recruitment is almost complete. Ever since the quartermaster posted the vegetable donation notice, people's efforts to build relationships have finally slowed down.
Colleagues in the kitchen no longer accepted those dinners with a purpose, and everyone began to slowly return to normal life.
During this period, Wen Nuan had no contact with any recruitment matters. When she asked about it, the quartermaster said that they had almost recruited enough people and the work in the factory was proceeding in an orderly manner.
On this day, Wen Nuan was on holiday and planned to take Le Le to a nearby village to buy some wild fruits.
Ever since Gu Qinghan finished eating the fruits, the little one has been clamoring to eat this and that. Wen Nuan thought there was nothing to do, so she decided to take her for a walk in the village.
Before Wen Nuan went out, she walked over to Sister Guihua's house.
Now Sister Guihua is in the late stage of pregnancy, seven months pregnant, and her belly is round. Sometimes when Lele goes to her house, he is very curious about whether there is a brother or a sister in Sister Guihua's belly.
Sister Guihua likes Lele, and sometimes she likes to pull Lele to touch her belly and let her guess whether it is a brother or a sister inside.
However, Lele doesn't seem to understand it very well, and his younger brothers and sisters often take turns to speak. But it is precisely because of this that Sister Guihua is more looking forward to it.
As soon as Wen Nuan entered the door, she saw Sister Guihua and Aunt Liang having breakfast.
Now Sister Guihua sleeps well and gets enough sleep. She looks very energetic. When she goes out for a walk, she walks as fast as before. Captain Zhou almost wants to tie her around his waist.
Zhang Guihua saw Wen Nuan and Le Le coming over, so she waved at them, "Little Sister Nuan, have you had breakfast?"
Wen Nuan took Le Le's hand and walked over, saying, "We just ate too, and now we plan to take her to a nearby village to buy some wild fruits."
Then he asked, "Sister Guihua, do you want to bring some medicinal herbs? I should be passing by Mr. Zhao."
Before, Wen Nuan heard Captain Zhou say that he wanted to find something for Sister Guihua to use during her confinement period. Wen Nuan thought that Captain Zhou was busy with work and it was inconvenient for Sister Guihua to move around with her big belly, so she came over to ask her.
Sister Guihua had finished eating, so she put down her chopsticks and said, "It just so happens that Lao Zhou said he would come with me to the hospital at noon to see a doctor about the fetus, so why don't I go with you to see Lao Zhao."
Sister Guihua had not gone for a check-up before, even though she was already 34 years old. But there were military wives in their 30s who were still giving birth in the family compound, it was just her first child.
However, after Wen Nuan became pregnant, she told her several times that she needed to go for prenatal checkups. Zhou Jianshe was already nervous, and after hearing what Wen Nuan said, he took her to the hospital every few days.
However, after some people in the family compound found out about it, they came to her to complain. On the surface, they told her a lot of things to pay attention to during pregnancy with a smile, but behind her back they said she had petty bourgeois behavior. If her family had not been farmers for three generations, she would have been thoroughly discredited by these jealous people.
But the more Zhang Guihua heard those people talk about her, the more cautious she became. After all, it was her own body. If something really happened to her one day, those people would probably say that she was old and should have been more careful.
Wen Nuan was different. She really cared about her, so she asked her to go to the hospital for more checkups. She would prepare extra food and drinks for her. Now that she was doing so well, it was also Wen Nuan's contribution.
So Zhang Guihua is very obedient now. She goes to see a doctor for a checkup once a month. Sometimes she also goes to see Grandpa Zhao, but he lives in the cowshed in the village, and it takes half an hour to walk there, which is really a bit difficult for her now that she is pregnant.
When Wen Nuan heard what Sister Guihua said, she thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I ask someone to lend me a car? It's probably a bit far for you to walk there."
Besides, the sun in the north city is quite scorching in summer. It is definitely not possible for Sister Guihua to walk in the sun for half an hour with such a big belly.
"It probably won't be necessary. It's not very far to walk there. We can just walk there." Zhang Guihua planned to go back and change her shoes, then take an umbrella,
But Aunt Liang said, "Hua, stop making such a fuss. When Jianshe comes back later, he will say that I didn't think highly of you."
Zhang Guihua sighed and said, "Forget it, let's go to the hospital when Lao Zhou comes back."
If she had taken a car there, the people in the family compound would probably have more to talk about, and Zhang Guihua wouldn't have to bother them with warmth.
Wen Nuan had heard Sister Guihua talk about the gossip in the family compound earlier, and guessed that the reason why she hesitated this time must be because of what those people said about her, so Wen Nuan said directly: "Anyway, we can go anywhere to see it, and I feel more at ease with Mr. Zhao."
Soon, Wen Nuan asked Xiao Zhu from the kitchen team to drive the car over. This car was used to load goods. When the time comes, Xiao Zhu will go to the village to buy some vegetables to make dried vegetables.
The vegetable fields of their army have only been reclaimed for a short time and are not yet ready for harvest. It would be a good idea to collect some from the villagers so that they can make adequate preparations for the winter.
In this way, let’s see if those gossipy women in the family compound have anything to say!
When Xiao Zhu saw Sister Guihua getting on the bus, he asked, "Sisters, are you all seated?"
"Okay, Xiao Zhu, drive slower." Wen Nuan reminded, because Xiao Zhu usually drives rather recklessly and even Lao Zhong has scolded him a few times.
Lele smiled and said, "Brother Zhu, drive slower."
When Xiao Zhu heard Brother Zhu, he didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed and said, "Okay, with Lele here, Brother Xiao Zhu will definitely drive slower."
Xiao Zhu had been transporting fruits and vegetables casually before, but he didn't dare to do it this time, after all, there were children and pregnant women behind him.
*
Warmth hasn't come for two months.
When I saw Mr. Zhao again, I found that he didn't seem to be as hunched over as before. Although his back was not very straight, it was much better than before when he looked cautious.
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao, are you free?"
When Mr. Zhao saw Wen Nuan and Le Le coming over, he nodded at her and said, "Come over, there's no one in the room."
The old man knew that Wen Nuan came here with Sister Guihua, so he sat Zhang Guihua on a more stable chair, felt her pulse, and asked some basic questions.
After a while, Mr. Zhao said, "You look pregnant, and it seems you are eating well."
Then the old man reminded: "But you have to eat less sweet potatoes and fatty pork, eat some eggs and fish, and walk more while you are still relaxed."
Zhang Guihua was once again impressed by the old man's medical skills. How come he even knew that she liked to eat sweet potatoes
Zhang Guihua asked, "Isn't it said that eating sweet potatoes can make the fetus better?"
Mr. Zhao glanced at her and then said, "Eat in moderation. Eating too much will easily cause the fetus to be too large. And if you get fat after you get pregnant, it will be difficult to give birth."
Hearing this, Zhang Guihua smiled. When she was preparing for pregnancy, Mr. Zhao told her that she had polycystic ovary syndrome or something. She didn't understand, but one of the items he told her was to lose weight.
I did lose weight at that time, but after I got pregnant, it started to increase again. Now I do feel that I have gained a lot of weight.
But that bastard Zhou Jianshe was getting thinner and thinner every day, and he even lost his appearance. He asked her to eat better, but she ended up eating too much all of a sudden...
Wen Nuan, who was standing by, saw Sister Guihua blushing and said, "Maybe the soup we drank didn't have the oil skimmed off. Sister Guihua, remember to skim off the oil next time."
Mr. Zhao nodded: "It's true that you can't eat too greasy food. You should also pay attention to fetal movements and record your weight."
After that, the old man talked about a lot of things that needed attention. Aunt Liang almost couldn't remember them all. She had given birth to five children, so how come she didn't know there were so many things before
After seeing Sister Osmanthus, Wen Nuan chatted with the old man for a while. The old man was obviously more talkative than before and was in no hurry to send her away.
Then he saw that Lele was adorable and took the initiative to stretch out her hand for him to feel her pulse. The old man also cooperated and felt her pulse. Then he said, "I'll write you a prescription for some food supplements. When the time comes, go to the pharmacy and get some to make porridge for the child."
In fact, Lele is already very well taken care of, but we still need to pay attention to digestive problems.
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhao."
Mr. Zhao pursed his lips, looked at Wen Nuan, and hesitated to speak, then said: "If there is nothing else, I will go and get busy, you guys go back."
Wen Nuan nodded: "Okay, I won't bother you anymore."
When they came out of Mr. Zhao's house, Wen Nuan said that she wanted to take Lele to the village to buy some things, and to go buy some vegetables from the villagers with Xiao Zhu.
Zhang Guihua also planned to take a walk, so she followed Wen Nuan into the village. When they returned to the staff quarters, it was already noon.
*
That night, Gu Qinghan came back a little late. As soon as he entered the door, he saw his wife operating a sewing machine in the living room with a pile of processed down feathers beside her.
After hearing the noise, Wen Nuan turned her head to look at him, raised her chin and said, "I made some noodles for you. Wash your hands before eating."
This mixed noodles was made from the dried dough she got from the kitchen, which was similar to instant noodles except that it was not fried. However, it was still very fragrant when mixed with the sauce she prepared. She also added a fried egg for the man.
Gu Qinghan comes back at about the same time every now and then, so Wen Nuan calculated the time and made it for him.
Just as I sat down to put on my down jacket, Gu Qinghan came home as expected.
Gu Qinghan glanced at his wife's busy back and said, "I'll take a shower first and come out to eat later."
After Gu Qinghan came out of the shower, he moved a chair and sat next to Wen Nuan. While eating the loving midnight snack she made, he asked softly, "Is the little one asleep?"
Now that the child is a little older, he will often wait with Wen Nuan for him to come home before going to bed. However, tonight it was not yet 9:30 and the door of the room was already ajar, and there was no sign of the little one making a fuss.
Wen Nuan didn't even raise her head, her hands were still moving, and she chuckled, "I took her for a walk with Sister Guihua tonight, and I promised to buy her a popsicle, but after she went home and took a bath, she drank milk and climbed onto the kang to sleep."
"I'm not sleepy yet, so I got up and fixed my down jacket."
Gu Qinghan raised his hand and gently lifted a strand of hair that had fallen from her eyes, and asked, "Why are you making down jackets so soon?"
Although the summer in the north city is not long, there is still some time before it snows. How come Wen Nuan started making down jackets so soon
Wen Nuan responded, "I'm making this as a sample for Deputy Commander Shen. It just so happens that we have more duck and goose feathers this year than last year, so I made one first and then sent it over."
During the Chinese New Year, Wen Nuan had already handed the booklet on making down jackets to Shen Chuanshan. Two days ago, Wen Nuan called Commander Lu and told him that Deputy Commander Shen had almost prepared the down needed for the down jackets and would start production soon.
Gu Qinghan said before that it would snow in the border area in late September or early October, and by November the mountains would be basically blocked by heavy snow, and the temperature would be very low.
Therefore, we had to send the samples over quickly, because this down jacket is prone to shedding hair and clumping after getting wet. Therefore, Wen Nuan has been looking for a more suitable fabric for the past six months, planning to use real silk to make the fabric of the clothes. Although it is not as dense as later fabrics, it is better than ordinary fabrics.
Gu Qinghan knew that Wen Nuan had stayed up for several nights to make this down jacket, so he said distressedly: "Then don't stay up late, let's go to bed early later."
Because Lele usually makes trouble, and the fur is so fluffy and light that people walking by will often stir up a piece or two of it, not to mention that Lele is very playful, so Wen Nuan has to do it at night.
Hearing this, Wen Nuan nodded, "I know, it's almost time anyway, even if I have to stay up for one or two nights."
Although it is still summer, there is a slight breeze in the nights in North City. Because of Gu Qinghan's company, Wen Nuan is even more focused.
When she stretched, the man stood behind her and rubbed her sore shoulders: "Are you done?"
"Not yet." Wen Nuan yawned and shook her head. "But today I took Le Le to the village outside and went to the cowshed to see Mr. Zhao. Now I'm a little sleepy. There's still some finishing work left. I'll do it tomorrow."
Moreover, in order to dry more noodles and instant noodles in the factory recently, Wen Nuan has also been busy for a few days and is really a little tired now.
When Gu Qinghan heard his wife mention Mr. Zhao, he rubbed her shoulders and said, "Commander Xu came to see me a few days ago and said that Mr. Zhao should be able to get rid of his cap soon."
After hearing this, Wen Nuan immediately became alert and her eyes lit up: "Really? I thought this was a very troublesome matter and was thinking of asking Grandpa about it the next time I call him."
It would be a pity if such a great man as Mr. Zhao was buried in the cowshed. If he could be transferred back to the military hospital, it would definitely be a choice that would benefit the people and the troops.
No wonder when we went to the village today, Mr. Zhao seemed to be hesitant to speak. He probably wanted to tell her about this, but he didn't say it in the end. It was probably because she was not sure whether she could get rid of the poverty label, so she never said it.
Gu Qinghan smiled. He didn't expect his wife to have been thinking about this matter all along, so he said, "The higher-ups must know about this. Don't worry. It's just that the procedures are a bit complicated. Now it's almost done."
Wen Nuan turned around, looked at the man, and smiled: "Where will Mr. Zhao go then? You said before that he is a student of Jingshi University. Is it possible for him to go back there?"
"Let's go back to the room first." Seeing that his wife seemed to be no longer sleepy, Gu Qinghan simply carried her back to the kang in the room. Lele was sleeping soundly at this moment, and the two of them lay down on the kang without moving at all.
After the two of them lay down, Gu Qinghan said, "It's still unclear where Mr. Zhao will go, but if Beijing knows the news, they will definitely extend an olive branch to Mr. Zhao. It depends on what he chooses at that time."
Wen Nuan nodded and couldn't help but say, "It would be great if she could stay in our military hospital. Qinglan has always wanted to learn from Mr. Zhao. When we are in the same hospital, Qinglan will have a chance."
Gu Qinglan has always wanted to be a doctor. She is diligent and studious. In her previous life, she was able to study on her own and was admitted to medical school. She also became a famous doctor.
This time, she will definitely be able to do it.
Gu Qinghan thought for a moment and said, "That's good, but we still have to respect his opinion."
Gu Qinghan looked at his wife, seeing her eyes sparkling when she said this, and he also felt that Qinglan would definitely be very good if she could learn from Mr. Zhao.
But this is just a thought. In the end, we still have to respect Mr. Zhao's own opinion. Besides, there are many departments that want to keep Mr. Zhao, and their army is indeed not the best choice.
Wen Nuan must have known this, so she said, "It's just a thought, but no matter where Mr. Zhao goes, I'm happy for him."
*
A few days later, Wen Nuan took the down jacket and took Le Le to the post office, intending to send a package to Shen Chuanshan who was far away in the border area.
After sending the package, Wen Nuan went to the hospital to find Gu Qinglan again.
Gu Qinglan saw her sister-in-law coming over early in the morning and asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, why are you here so early? What's up?"
Usually Wen Nuan would come to see her at lunchtime or in the evening. Gu Qinglan was still a little curious when she came at this time, but she was relieved to see that she and Lele looked energetic.
Wen Nuan had been walking for half an hour. She was really tired because she wanted to hold Lele in her arms and on her back. So she didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Aren't you very familiar with Dr. Xu? Qinglan, do you want to write a brochure on prenatal checkups to popularize the knowledge of prenatal checkups?"
When I think about how hard it was for Sister Guihua to get pregnant, but she has to endure so many rumors, it would be really painful if she suffers from postpartum depression later.
Wen Nuan also knew that most people might not really be bad-hearted. They probably just had doubts about Mrs. Gui because they didn't realize the importance of prenatal checkups.
No matter what, it is necessary to popularize prenatal examination knowledge.
When Gu Qinglan heard her sister-in-law say this, her eyes lit up. "Sister-in-law, your suggestion is really great. Every time those pregnant sisters-in-law come for a checkup, they say that our hospital seems to be trying to cheat them out of money and they refuse to accept it. Now it's time to do something."
After Gu Qinglan spoke a few words to Wen Nuan, she immediately went to look for someone to attend a meeting.
A few days later, Gu Qinglan took the booklet she had made and showed it to Wen Nuan. Wen Nuan didn't really understand these things, but she just thought it was better to have them than not.
The next day when Wen Nuan went to work in the kitchen, she saw Gu Qinglan's booklet posted on the bulletin board, which attracted a lot of people's attention.