The man didn’t answer. Glancing sideways at the courtyard gate, he raised his hand and patted her bottom, curling his lips into a smile. “Because someone’s here.”
When Huo Jingyuan’s large hand made contact with her buttocks, her pupils widened like copper bells, and her cheeks flushed crimson instantly. “Huo Jingyuan, are you looking for death?”
He actually dared to spank her.
How audacious.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
Just then, a knocking sound came from the iron gate.
Following the sound, Wen Ci turned her head. Her cheeks still flushed, she saw Su Guilan standing at the gate. Although the door wasn’t locked, she waited outside without entering, as if seeking permission.
Wen Ci frowned.
She deeply disliked the Jiang family disrupting her peaceful life.
Huo Jingyuan nudged Wen Ci with his elbow and whispered, “Let her in.”
“Mm.”
At least on the surface, she hadn’t formally severed ties with her biological parents. Living in the family compound, if she were seen refusing her mother entry, she would become a target of public criticism.
Wen Ci got up to open the door.
Su Guilan looked at Wen Ci with an appreciative gaze, a smile spreading across her face. “Your father mentioned you’ve been doing business lately? Clothes brought in from the south? How much are you selling them for, and what’s the profit margin?”
As a businessperson, profit is the top priority. As an experienced older generation businesswoman, she wanted to share some tips with Wen Ci on avoiding common pitfalls in business.
Wen Ci asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to check in on you.”
Wen Ci answered truthfully, “Nine yuan per jin.”
“Selling by weight?”
Wen Ci really didn’t want to explain too much to Su Guilan. The reason she wasn’t selling clothes in the afternoon was to spend time with Huo Jingyuan.
Not to chat with Ms. Jiang here.
With a detached expression, Wen Ci said bluntly, “Sorry, I still need to change Jingyuan’s bandages. If there’s nothing important, perhaps you could leave for now.”
Hearing this, the smile on Su Guilan’s face instantly froze. She blinked a few times, as if in disbelief. “I just arrived, and you’re asking me to leave?”
“Surely you don’t want to watch me change Jingyuan’s bandages?”
Su Guilan’s gaze shifted to Huo Jingyuan sitting in the chair. Although covered with a blanket, the bandages wrapping his wounds were still visible.
For some reason, Su Guilan felt a pang of sadness, as if something was slipping away from her heart.
“Alright, I’ll leave now. A’Ci, if there’s anything you don’t understand about business, you can always come to me.”
“Mm.”
Wen Ci’s tone was very flat.
Once the visitor had left, Wen Ci walked back to the man’s side. The sunlight fell on the corners of her eyes and brows, reflecting a bright light from within her gaze.
Wen Ci spoke slowly, “Do you want to stay here and sunbathe, or go back to the room?”
The small balcony of the second-floor room also allowed for sunbathing, but the trees outside the courtyard blocked some of the light, making it less ideal than the yard.
Receiving his wife’s visual cue, Huo Jingyuan immediately threw off the blanket and stood up from the chair, taking her hand in his large one.
As they walked, Wen Ci said, “Did the doctor say how often your wounds need dressing changes?”
What she had said to Su Guilan was just an excuse.
But it reminded her of Huo Jingyuan’s injuries.
“Tomorrow. I’ll go to the military hospital to get them changed.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
Huo Jingyuan shook his head. “No need, you focus on your business.”
“Is business more important than you?”
Hearing this, Huo Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. “You’re right, wife. What business could be more important than me?” After a pause, he continued, “But the military hospital is only a few hundred meters away. There’s not much point in you accompanying me.”
Wen Ci thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll have Wen Yaozu go with you. He can also take a look around the military compound.”
Coincidentally, Wen Yaozu had been complaining about not wanting to stay home all the time.
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