In the Northwestern Military District, the Political Commissar happened to be in the Department Head’s office. Hearing the landline phone on the desk ring, he familiarly picked up the receiver.
His expression gradually turned serious. “Who did you say? Regiment Commander Huo is requesting discharge? He’s only been hospitalized for about a week at most!”
The telephone operator explained to the Political Commissar, “We’ve inquired with the hospital. They could manage to restrain him when his wife was there, but as soon as she left, he started acting up again, insisting on being discharged.”
Hearing this, the Political Commissar adopted a stern expression. “Connect me to the Beijing hospital immediately.”
“Okay.”
As the operator made the connection, the Political Commissar heard Huo Jingyuan’s irritatingly familiar voice: “Reporting to leadership, this is Huo Jingyuan of the Northwestern Military District. My health has returned to normal. I request permission to be discharged from the hospital.”
Before Huo Jingyuan could finish, the Political Commissar’s voice came through, a barrage of scolding: “Huo Jingyuan, are you throwing a tantrum over there in Beijing? How many days has it even been since you started resting up, and you’re already yelling about discharge? Are you trying to ruin your health?”
Huo Jingyuan: “…”
He had asked the operator to connect him to the Department Head’s line. Why did the Political Commissar have to be the one to pick up? He and the Commissar were on very good terms. His face darkened. “Why are you the one answering? Where’s the Department Head?”
“Even if the Department Head were here, he wouldn’t agree to your discharge.”
“The doctor said I could be discharged, that I can recuperate at home.”
The Political Commissar knew that once Huo Jingyuan dug his heels in, persuasion was useless. Being far away in the Northwest himself, he suddenly had an idea and said calmly, “Trying to get discharged won’t work, no matter which high-ranking official you look for. First, you need approval from the leader in your own household.”
“The leader in my household?” Huo Jingyuan frowned.
Since both his parents worked in classified units, their details couldn’t be investigated. On paper, his only identity was being Old Huo’s grandson.
“But my grandfather isn’t…”
Before Huo Jingyuan could finish, the Political Commissar explained, “Your discharge needs Wen Ci’s approval. Only if your wife agrees to the discharge will the Military District agree.”
“…” Huo Jingyuan was speechless. “My wife has gone to another province.”
The Political Commissar couldn’t suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. “What a shame. In that case, you’d better just stay put in the hospital and wait for Wen Ci to return to Beijing.”
“Can you stop pretending?”
The Political Commissar didn’t give Huo Jingyuan any chance to argue further. He hung up directly and called the operator, instructing them to relay an order to the hospital.
Huo Jingyuan’s discharge application could be approved, but only upon receiving personal permission from his wife.
·
On the green-skinned train, Wen Ci wrinkled her nose at the smell in the hard-seat carriage. It was an indescribable mix of various odors.
However, since this train was half-passenger, half-cargo, it had no sleeper berths.
Wen Ci found her seat and sat down. Next to her was a girl with braids, holding some orange peel. The fresh, citrus scent of the peel made Wen Ci feel considerably more alert.
Wen Ci had only brought one change of clothes for this trip.
The young girl blinked her large, watery eyes, reached out, tore off a piece of the orange peel, and said with a smile, “Here, big sister, this is for you.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than the middle-aged woman sitting opposite the little girl visibly tensed. “Ahua, don’t bother your elder sister.”
The little girl named Ahua lowered her head and said, “Oh.”
Wen Ci thanked her.
The fresh scent of the orange peel helped reduce the strong, unpleasant smell in the carriage. She took a White Rabbit creamy candy from a box in her bag and gave it to the little girl.
She had a box of White Rabbit candies in her bag.
Xiaochuan’s maternal grandparents had bought them for him after he returned to the Xu family.
Xiaochuan had declared that any good things must first be given to his “boss” to eat, so he entrusted Wen Ci to deliver this box of White Rabbit creamy candies to Wen Yaozu.
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