“No, no, no.” Wen Ci quickly looked at the employee holding the abacus and said, “There’s no need to give me more short-sleeved clothes. Thirty percent is enough. I prefer long, winter-style garments.”
“Why is that?” A’ze asked, puzzled.
With summer approaching and temperatures gradually rising, one would think that short, cool clothing would be more popular. So why did she only want winter clothes?
Wen Ci explained, “The north isn’t like the south. In the north, winter temperatures can easily drop to minus ten degrees Celsius. Thick clothing is more essential and appreciated. Besides, I sell by weight, and winter clothes bring in more profit.”
“Alright then, I’ll have them pack more winter clothes for you.”
Wen Ci thanked him.
The factory had dedicated transport trucks, but Shenyang was far from Beijing. Relying solely on trucks would not only be more expensive but also time-consuming.
Wen Ci decided to rent space on a green-skinned train.
The front sections of these trains were for passengers, while the rear sections were specifically used for cargo transport.
Xu Jinghe offered, “Do you need me to help you get in touch with the railway station leadership?”
“Yes, I do,” Wen Ci replied honestly.
As a newcomer to Shenyang with no connections, having some leverage would make renting state-owned assets much easier and reduce potential complications.
“Okay.”
Learning that there was a train returning to Beijing that very afternoon, and since her purpose for coming to Shenyang had been accomplished, Wen Ci decided to take that train back to Beijing.
The journey from Shenyang to Beijing would take 48 hours.
Xu Jinghe didn’t try to persuade her to stay. Instead, he smiled warmly and said, “Sis, once Jingyuan has recovered from his injuries, you both must come back to Shenyang. I’ll host you at the Peace Hotel.”
“Deal,” Wen Ci replied with a bright smile.
Once she sold off the 200,000 yuan worth of clothing, she would return.
·
As Wen Ci boarded the train, Huo Jingyuan, lying in his hospital room, was so bored that he wanted to discharge himself. He examined his wounds—the stitches had already been removed, and the healing seemed to be going well.
After walking around the room a few times, he felt he had recovered sufficiently. He left his room and knocked on the door of the doctor’s office. “I want to be discharged,” he announced.
He couldn’t leave without going through the discharge procedures.
The attending doctor looked at the man standing at the door, took a deep breath, and said helplessly, “Regiment Commander Huo, must you be in such a hurry to leave?”
“The hospital is too boring.”
“But wouldn’t it be pretty much the same at home as here in the hospital?”
Huo Jingyuan retorted, “At least I can move around freely outside.”
The doctor was momentarily speechless. After some thought, he suggested, “How about you stay for two more days? Wait until your family comes to take you home.”
“There’s no need. I can leave on my own.”
“Well, the thing is, discharge procedures require a family member to handle them.”
“Oh?” Huo Jingyuan frowned. He distinctly remembered that officers like him didn’t need family members present for discharge. He narrowed his eyes. “Is that really necessary?”
The aura of an officer who had been on the battlefield was overwhelming. Especially when Huo Jingyuan fixed his deep, ink-like eyes on the doctor, it instilled a sense of fear.
“Regiment Commander Huo, please don’t make this difficult for me. How about you call your superior? If they agree to your discharge, we’ll process the paperwork for you.”
Huo Jingyuan nodded. “Fine.”
There was a landline phone in the office. Since Huo Jingyuan’s household registration was in the Northwestern region, his superior was the department head of the Northwestern Military District. “Connect me to the Northwestern Military District,” he said.
Hospitals and military districts were interconnected.
As soon as the call went through, Huo Jingyuan stated succinctly, “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.”
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