Father Wen’s real name is Wen Guangping.
He met Lu Fanghua eighteen years ago, when he was twenty-two.
That year, Wen Guangping was still a traveling vendor, with both parents alive and unmarried.
In the snowy weather, the cold was such that even a breath could turn into mist.
Wen Guangping came to the county town to stock up goods, and afterward, he put them back into the donkey cart, preparing to go to a nearby stall to have a steaming hot soy milk to warm his stomach.
As he passed through the alley, he heard the distressed cries of a woman inside.
Wen Guangping was a straightforward person, and upon encountering such situations, he was never one to walk away pretending it wasn’t his business. His first reaction was to help.
He walked a few steps forward and saw a beautiful woman behind a pile of old wood.
She was sitting against the wall, with quite a bit of moss on her back, clutching her stomach with both hands, sweating profusely from pain.
A bit disheveled, but that did not affect Wen Guangping being captivated.
She was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his life, not only because of the face that one couldn’t look away from but also due to her noble demeanor that set her apart from village girls.
Not yet married, and without any romantic experience, Wen Guangping’s thin skin blushed instantly. In a tone full of awkward budding feelings, he stammered, "Mis... Miss, how are you, are you okay?"
The woman didn’t clearly see the man standing at the alley entrance and fainted after uttering just three words.
Wen Guangping reacted immediately, disregarding any propriety, and directly picked her up sideways and headed to the medical hall.
Xinglin Medical Hall.
The woman slowly regained consciousness and saw the man watching over her nearby, hesitated for a moment, then recalled the events before she fainted, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "Big brother, it was you who saved me?"
Wen Guangping felt a small flutter of happiness seeing her awake, but then he remembered the doctor’s words, bowed his head slightly, nodded gently, and added, "Rest assured, the baby is fine and saved."
The woman’s slender and fair hand instinctively moved to her abdomen, her gaze a bit distracted.
Unable to discern whether she was happy or sad, Wen Guangping conveyed the doctor’s warning to her, "The doctor said you ate something that pregnant women should avoid. Had it been a little bit later, the baby would have been lost. Be careful with what you eat from now on."
"I understand, thank you."
The woman gave him a grateful smile.
Initially intending to ask, seeing her attire clearly indicated she was a lady from a wealthy family, why she ended up alone in such a dirty and chaotic alley without a servant? However, Wen Guangping swallowed his words back, not wanting his prying to irritate her.
"I bought some meat buns, they’re still warm. Please eat them!"
He handed over a cloth bundle.
The woman noticed he had been holding the bundle close to his chest to keep it warm.
Seeing her gaze at him, Wen Guangping became even more flustered and explained, "I was afraid you’d wake up hungry. I bought them early and worried they might get cold, so I kept them warm. If you find them dirty, I can go out and buy freshly steamed ones."
"My name is Lu Fanghua."
She took the bundle, casually opened it, took out the warmed bun and ate in small bites, then looked up at him, "The bun is delicious. Thank you."
"My name is Wen Guangping, second in the family. Miss Lu... oh no, madam is too polite."
Before leaving the medical hall, Lu Fanghua asked him, "Second Brother Wen, can you take me to a place?"
"What place?" Wen Guangping asked, puzzled.
Lu Fanghua replied, "A place where no one can find me, where I can safely give birth to the baby."