After coaxing his mother to sit on the sofa and watch TV, Jiang Chen lowered his voice and spoke slowly, “How are things going for you in Haishi? How’s your progress there?”
Jiang Ye’s grievances surged instantly, and she choked back sobs as she said, “Brother, the conditions here in the northwest are just too harsh. There’s no private bathroom, so I have to use the communal toilet in the hallway. It’s pitch black, and I’m scared.”
Listening to her complaints, Jiang Chen muttered under his breath, “You brought this upon yourself.”
Jiang Ye continued, “Could you call Brother Jingyuan and ask if I can stay at their place? They were assigned a three-bedroom apartment.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chen furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend how his younger sister could even suggest such a thing. He had already allowed her to go to the northwest to meddle in Huo Jingyuan’s affairs. And now, she wanted to move into their home to cause more trouble?
Suppressing his anger, he said, “If you managed to break them apart, that’s your own doing. But moving into someone else’s home? What kind of idea is that?”
“But there’s an extra room, and…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Chen interrupted her, “No more ‘buts.’ I won’t help you with this. You insisted on going to the northwest. If you can’t handle the hardship, come back and prepare for the college entrance exam.”
These past few days, every time he stepped out of the military compound, Jiang Ye’s ex-boyfriend would corner him, asking where she had gone.
After saying this, Jiang Chen hung up the phone without another word.
The Next Day
Wen Ci left for work at the usual time. Huo Jingyuan, dressed in his gleaming military uniform, took her hand and noticed that the thick calluses on her palm had softened considerably.
In the past, Wen Ci had done farm work in the village.
After being recognized by the Jiang family, she had never done heavy labor again.
“Should I take you to work?”
“No need,” Wen Ci replied, glancing at Huo Jingyuan’s gleaming military uniform. She recalled how, before dawn, he had been ironing something with a cup of hot water.
“Were you ironing this earlier?”
“Yes.”
Huo Jingyuan’s deep, ink-like eyes gazed at Wen Ci, filled with tender affection. He asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?”
“No, no,” Wen Ci quickly refused.
Huo Jingyuan’s striking appearance was already otherworldly, and the gleaming military uniform only accentuated his best features. The northwest hospital was predominantly staffed by women.
She would feel jealous.
“How about I cook for you tonight?”
Wen Ci raised an eyebrow, “You’re up to no good.”
“Not at all.”
As he spoke, Huo Jingyuan leaned in close to Wen Ci’s cheek. Originally, he had intended to whisper something risqué into her ear, but seeing her soft, fair cheeks, he couldn’t resist planting a quick kiss.
His voice was low and charming, but his face broke into a silly grin, “Wife, your cheeks are so soft, like little buns.”
Wen Ci: “…”
She could admit they were soft, but comparing them to buns? No way.
With a look of disdain, she pushed Huo Jingyuan away and pouted, “You’re the one who looks like a bun.”
“Didn’t you say I was as hard as reinforced steel?”
A simple sentence, but when it came out of Huo Jingyuan’s mouth, it took on a different meaning.
Wen Ci’s face flushed slightly, “Don’t twist my words! When did I ever say that?!”
She had poked his abs at the time, and her exact words were, “Your abs are so hard, I wonder if they could withstand iron rod training.”
She had once seen soldiers training their endurance by striking their abdomens with iron rods. How did it turn into “reinforced steel” when Huo Jingyuan mentioned it?
Wen Ci narrowed her eyes.
She strongly suspected the man was making an innuendo.
Outside, the morning training horn sounded. Huo Jingyuan released Wen Ci’s hand, his playful expression instantly replaced by a serious one. He said slowly, “I should get going.”
“I’ll have breakfast at the cafeteria.”
At the cafeteria window, Wen Ci saw Zhu Jing, who was on duty.
Zhu Jing had been promoted to head chef, but in the mornings, she still helped distribute steamed buns and porridge. Wen Ci walked up to the window and greeted her, “Sister Jing.”
Leave a Reply