After the meeting, Zhu Jing remembered that her birthday was in a couple of days. With a smile on her face, she said, “My birthday is in two days. Everyone, come over to my place for a meal.”
“Who did you invite?” Xiang Qin asked.
Things were different now compared to before. In the past, there were fewer people in the family quarters, and they could set up tables in the yard to eat. Now, a large number of new families had moved into the quarters.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for just the few of them to sit in the yard eating chicken, duck, fish, and meat.
Zhu Jing replied, “I didn’t invite many people, just us.”
“Where are you planning to have it?”
Zhu Jing was momentarily stumped by the question. She blinked and pointed to the open space beside the stairwell. “Right here, like last time. Didn’t we eat here before?”
She was referring to the time they welcomed Wen Ci to the family quarters.
“All the nearby buildings are fully occupied now. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to have a small banquet in the yard? Besides, the men care about their pride and prefer eating out…”
Xiang Qin’s words made Zhu Jing fall into deep thought.
She understood the underlying meaning of Xiang Qin’s words. The birthday celebration would definitely include the men from each family. Originally, she had planned to have two tables—one for the men and one for the women and children.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Zhu Jing turned to Wen Ci and asked, “Sister Wen Ci, could we have the meal at your place in two days?”
The yard of the three-bedroom house could easily accommodate three or four tables.
“Of course,” Wen Ci agreed without hesitation. “Absolutely. I can even help out over the weekend.”
After chatting, Wen Ci returned home. Her 28-inch bicycle was casually parked in the middle of the yard, the bright sunlight reflecting off it, making it particularly eye-catching.
The door to the inner room was wide open. Wen Ci glanced inside, thinking her husband was still home, and called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Huo Jingyuan~ Regimental Commander Huo~”
Although she was willing to let him go, she still wanted to ride the 28-inch bicycle at least once, even if it was just a lap around the yard with that “dog man” pedaling.
When no one responded after a while, Wen Ci walked up the steps to the inner room. After circling the room and not finding Huo Jingyuan, she muttered to herself, “Huh? Did he go to work already?”
The next day, Wen Ci went to work as usual.
The day before, she had received a landline call from Huo Jingyuan at home. He mentioned that he might not be able to return for the next couple of days and asked her to make do with cafeteria meals for the time being.
He promised to make it up to her when he returned.
As soon as she arrived at the hospital, Wen Ci overheard colleagues discussing how the military district had temporarily suspended bus operations. Curious, she chimed in, “What about the families in the family quarters?”
“I heard they’re sending military vehicles to pick them up.”
Yu Qing walked over to Wen Ci and whispered, “Is this related to the tire punctures?”
“Probably.”
Wen Ci’s expression turned serious. It seemed her suspicions were correct. The repeated incidents of bus tires being punctured were definitely suspicious.
“What about our performance costumes for the military art show…”
Wen Ci: “…”
She had almost forgotten about that.
Wen Ci took a deep breath. There was still half a month until the military art tour. By then, they should be able to resolve the issue.
If necessary, she could ask someone to bring a couple of water-sleeve dance costumes from Haishi.
Calmly, Wen Ci said, “Let’s focus on practicing our dance for now. Don’t worry about the costumes.” She paused, then added humorously, “As the old saying goes, the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge.”
Yu Qing burst into laughter.
The sun rose in the east and slowly set in the west. After work, Wen Ci headed straight to the cafeteria. The house felt empty, and she didn’t feel like doing the dishes, so she decided to eat at the cafeteria.
Since the new chef had taken over the kitchen, the number of people eating there had noticeably increased.
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