“No need.” Yu Qing shook her head.
She knew that Su Wanqing had taken the morning off, and if she went back to the dorm to rest, she might still be disturbed and unable to sleep. Her eyes were filled with exhaustion: “I’ll rest in the duty room at noon.”
She was on the day shift today, which would end at 2 p.m.
Wen Ci nodded: “Then, if there’s anything, just let me know.”
On the other side, Huo Jingyuan had just arrived at the military base. Xue Li, panting slightly, ran up to him and teased mischievously: “Regiment Commander Huo, who hasn’t been late in ten years, what happened this morning?”
“None of your business.”
Huo Jingyuan’s lips curled slightly, clearly in a good mood.
The political commissar spoke up quietly: “Look at his smug and triumphant expression—it’s like a virgin celebrating wildly.”
Huo Jingyuan: “…”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he kicked the political commissar with an exasperated expression: “Do you have to run your mouth? Is getting married early something to brag about? Having a kid is something to brag about?”
The political commissar and Huo Jingyuan were old friends of many years. Knowing that Huo Jingyuan was embarrassed and angry, he smiled and patted the dust off his leg: “Yes, it is something to brag about. If you’re so capable, go have one yourself.”
“Get lost.”
The political commissar placed his hand on Huo Jingyuan’s shoulder: “Accompany me to the hospital this afternoon for a check-up. It’s a good chance for you to formally introduce your wife.”
“Uh…”
Huo Jingyuan hesitated. He had just agreed to Wen Ci’s three rules this morning and looked troubled: “Do we have to meet at the hospital? How about coming to my place for dinner tonight to meet her?”
“Isn’t it on the way?”
Huo Jingyuan told him about the three rules he had agreed upon with Wen Ci that morning. He had married early and was experienced, making him the go-to person in the regiment for relationship advice.
After listening, the political commissar took a deep breath and looked at him seriously: “How much does your wife resemble the photo?”
Not long ago, he had seen a photo of Huo Jingyuan’s wife in the household registration booklet sent from the capital. She was fair-skinned and beautiful, resembling a delicate princess raised in a greenhouse.
Xue Li immediately chimed in: “Sister-in-law looks like a fairy!”
The political commissar’s expression grew more solemn, advising: “Not many people in the entire Northwest Military Region know that you’re married. Since your wife works as a nurse at the hospital, you should assert your dominance.”
“Assert my dominance?”
“Take this opportunity while I’m seeing a doctor to pick her up after work.”
“But I promised her.”
There’s no ‘but’ about it. Picking her up after work is a husband’s duty. At most, you can just coax her when you get home. Women are easy to coax.
Huo Jingyuan pondered thoughtfully. He felt that his friend made some sense. Moreover, there were no penalties mentioned in the three rules he had agreed upon with Wen Ci.
…
Wen Ci had just finished two hours of her shift. As she passed by the outpatient clinic on the first floor, she saw a man sitting in a hospital wheelchair. He was alone by the wall, his foot wrapped in thick bandages, with no one accompanying him.
She walked over and smiled gently: “Do you need any help?”
Hearing Wen Ci’s voice, the man in the wheelchair slowly raised his head. A ripple of life seemed to stir in his otherwise lifeless eyes.
“I’m a nurse at the military hospital. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I…”
The man had just opened his mouth to speak when another man in dark green military uniform ran back, shouting: “Zhang Mu, Dr. Su is on leave. I’ll bring you back tomorrow.”
“What happened to your leg?” Wen Ci asked curiously.
Zhang Mu quickly explained: “I’m not crippled. It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. I’ll be able to get out of this wheelchair in a month at most.”
Hearing his eager tone to clarify, Wen Ci’s eyes curved into a smile. The man in the wheelchair before her had a clear gaze that betrayed a hint of foolishness.
He reminded her of a college student from the 21st century.
“What I meant was, how did you get injured?”
Suddenly, Zhang Mu’s face turned bright red. He lowered his head and stammered, unable to get the words out: “I, I, I was…”
“He accidentally threw a grenade at his own feet during training,” the other man said with a slight smile.
Wen Ci: “…”
The amount of explosives used in training grenades was different from those used in actual combat. Training grenades wouldn’t be life-threatening, and he would recover after some rest. But his luck was really…
Zhang Mu’s face flushed with embarrassment. He tugged at his friend’s sleeve and said through gritted teeth: “Wu, can you shut your big mouth?”
Not far away, Xue Li had come to the hospital to pick up medicine for a comrade. When he saw Sister-in-law smiling warmly at someone in the outpatient clinic on the first floor, alarm bells went off in his head.
The Northwest Military Region was a real den of wolves. Apart from the female soldiers in the communications department, the only other place with single female was the hospital. The guys often pretended to be sick just to catch a glimpse of the beauties.
Although Sister-in-law wasn’t a doctor, she was stunningly beautiful. If Regiment Commander Huo didn’t assert his dominance soon…
He didn’t even bother picking up the medicine and immediately turned around to head back to the base.
When he arrived at the shooting range, Huo Jingyuan was recording the scores of the new recruits. Hearing Xue Li’s panting, he glanced sideways at him: “What’s up?”
The shooting range was several kilometers away from the hospital. Xue Li had run at full speed, the last time he had run this fast was during the hell week of special training.
“There’s something.” Xue Li took a deep breath to regulate his breathing, his expression serious: “Brother Huo, you should assert your dominance soon.”
“Huh?”
Huo Jingyuan stopped writing and looked up at Xue Li, frowning slightly: “Weren’t you supposed to pick up medicine for Old Wang?”
“Sister-in-law is beautiful and gets a lot of attention at the hospital.”
His words were brief, but Huo Jingyuan understood the underlying meaning.
…
As the sun slowly set, Wen Ci looked at the clock. She had ten minutes left before her shift ended. As the end of her shift approached, the nurses on the night shift had already arrived to take over.
Yu Qing yawned as she came out of the duty room. Hearing the nurses discussing who was the most handsome in the Northwest Military Region, she walked up to Wen Ci:
“Have you heard of the ‘Living King of Hell’ in the Northwest Military Region?”
“I’ve heard of him. One of my patients often complains about the Living King of Hell in the ward. Just how cruel is this person to be called the Living King of Hell?”
It’s worth noting that in the 1980s, people’s minds were still quite conservative. Just hearing the term “Living King of Hell” was enough to send chills down one’s spine.
Yu Qing spoke slowly: “It’s said that this Living King of Hell is decisive and impartial. He’s not only a regiment commander but also the captain of the Northwest Special Squad.”
Hearing this, Wen Ci took a sharp breath.
Why did this description sound like Huo Jingyuan?
Suddenly, as if remembering that Wen Ci was married, Yu Qing looked at her and asked unhurriedly: “Wen Ci, where does your husband work?”
“What? Nurse Wen is actually married?!”
“Wen Ci looks like she just turned eighteen. How is she already married?!”
The others, hearing about Wen Ci, widened their eyes in shock.
Wen Ci felt a little embarrassed by the praise and was about to speak when she noticed Yu Qing’s expression, as if she had seen a ghost. Following her gaze, she looked over.
Huo Jingyuan, dressed in casual clothes, stood at the hospital entrance. His figure was tall and straight, his expression cold, but his eyes were fixed directly on Wen Ci.
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