Although Wen Ci joined the hospital after following the army, she still had seven days of marriage leave to take. The Northwest Military Region might be modest, but its benefits were quite good.
Downstairs in the family quarters, Zhao Dongmei sat on a chair with shoe soles in her hands, listening to everyone chatting. Like the other unemployed women in the family quarters, she could only pass the time by chatting with the neighbors.
“The Huo family is really generous. They just gave away a 28-inch bicycle without a second thought.”
“Exactly! That’s a 28-inch bicycle we’re talking about. Not only is it expensive, but the industrial vouchers needed to buy one are incredibly hard to come by. I heard that outside, the vouchers alone cost as much as a bicycle.”
The others widened their eyes in shock. “That expensive?”
Zhao Dongmei, who was sewing the shoe soles, accidentally pricked her finger when she heard them mention Huo Jingyuan. Her cloudy eyes filled with resentment.
The blood from her hand stained the white fabric of the shoe sole red.
“Sister Dongmei, you’re bleeding!”
Only when someone reminded her did Zhao Dongmei snap out of her thoughts. She put her pricked finger in her mouth to suck on it, the taste of blood filling her throat.
After a while, she took her finger out of her mouth. The tip of her finger had turned pale from being sucked on, and she forced a faint smile. “This shoe sole is a bit too thick.”
“Be careful, Sister Dongmei.”
Most of the family members who had followed the army hadn’t experienced the hardships of the past, so they didn’t know Zhao Dongmei well. They simply addressed her as “Sister Dongmei” out of respect for her age.
“I wonder who will win first place in the Hell’s Week.”
“By the way, can the bicycle be sold afterward? The Northwest isn’t that big, and having a bicycle doesn’t seem all that useful. It might just end up as a decoration.”
“What are you talking about? That’s a reward from the leaders. How could you possibly sell it?”
Hearing this, an idea flashed in Zhao Dongmei’s mind. If Qin Jin could win first place in the Hell’s Week, not only would he gain face in front of the Northwest leaders, but he could also get Huo Jingyuan’s bicycle.
Once they got the bicycle, they could sell it and humiliate him!
…
When Wen Ci woke up, there was a bottle of ointment on the nightstand. Her whole body felt as if it had been skinned and disassembled, especially her lower half, which was sore and aching. By now, all her sleepiness had vanished.
Wen Ci opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling.
Huo Jingyuan was such a dog.
There was a note on the ointment.
After resting for a while, Wen Ci reached out and took the note from the nightstand. The man’s handwriting was somewhat elegant: “Rest well and stay in bed. I’ll bring you lunch at noon and help you apply the medicine.”
The characters for “apply the medicine” were written with a more flowing stroke, revealing his satisfaction and delight.
Wen Ci, feeling both shy and annoyed, casually tossed the note aside and sat up on the bed. She didn’t need that dog of a man to help her apply the medicine. She could do it herself.
After a while, Wen Ci felt the effects of the medicine kicking in.
In the 1980s, ointments and medicines for treating wounds or injuries were particularly effective. It didn’t take long before she could feel her body gradually recovering.
Before Wen Ci could put her pants back on, the door to the room opened.
Huo Jingyuan stood at the doorway, holding a lunchbox. His gaze was intense as he looked at Wen Ci, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk. He spoke slowly, “A’Ci, don’t you want me to help you apply the medicine?”
Wen Ci: “…”
She felt as if she had been caught red-handed.
Wen Ci grabbed a pillow and threw it at Huo Jingyuan, her cheeks puffed up like an angry little pufferfish. “Who told you not to hold back last night?”
Huo Jingyuan tilted his head and caught the pillow with his shoulder.
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