At the state-run hotel, private rooms and ordering were handled on the second floor. As Wen Yaozu stepped onto the stairs, he grumbled, “Those two we just saw are even worse than I am.”
At school, he was known as a villain who stopped at nothing.
But after encountering those two, he felt outmatched. Talking behind others’ backs was one thing, but being caught and then having the tables turned was another level entirely.
Huo Jingyuan glanced at him and smiled faintly. “Today, whatever you want to eat, your brother-in-law will treat you.”
“Do you even have money on you to be offering that?”
Huo Jingyuan’s entire salary was handed over to his wife, leaving him penniless. “We’re husband and wife. Your money is my money, isn’t it?”
Wen Ci recalled a popular online saying and grinned, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “Your money is my money, and my money is still my money. Understand?”
“What’s the difference?”
“There’s a huge difference.”
They reached the second floor, where the private rooms were decorated in an elegant style. Behind a screen was a miniature landscape, and the gentle sound of flowing water echoed in the air.
A server brought over the menu. “You can order anything on the menu. If there’s something you’d like that isn’t listed, you can also request it.”
“Okay.”
Wen Ci opened the menu and ordered a snakehead fish soup, as it was known to be nourishing for the body.
She then handed the menu to Wen Yaozu. “You choose the rest, but only four dishes.”
Three people sharing four dishes and a soup would be more than enough—portions at the state-run hotel were generous.
Wen Yaozu pouted. “Sis, only four dishes?”
“Are four dishes not enough for you?”
“Not enough. I want to order five dishes.”
Wen Ci sighed softly. “Fine.”
In the end, Wen Yaozu ordered: Peking roast duck, sweet and sour pork ribs, Sichuan-style twice-cooked pork, soy-braised beef, and stir-fried shredded potatoes.
Wen Ci raised an eyebrow.
She had expected him to order five meat dishes.
Surprisingly, he included a vegetable dish.
Wen Yaozu grinned widely. “A balanced mix of meat and vegetables is essential for good nutrition. Shredded potatoes are pretty good.”
Among vegetable dishes, shredded potatoes were his favorite. He could tolerate other vegetables, but bitter gourd was the one exception.
Before long, all the dishes were served.
Wen Ci stood up and served Huo Jingyuan a bowl of snakehead fish soup. “Drink this. It’ll help you recover faster.”
“It’s not that miraculous.”
“Drink it for me.”
Huo Jingyuan obediently followed his wife’s instructions and downed the entire bowl of soup in one go.
The next moment, another piece of snakehead fish landed in his bowl. He looked up helplessly. “Can I serve myself?”
“You don’t like it?”
“I do.”
Wen Yaozu quietly focused on his meal. Every extra word meant one less bite of food—opportunities to eat at the state-run hotel were rare.
By the time they finished eating, it was already dark outside.
The streets had grown quiet. Wen Ci slipped her hand into Huo Jingyuan’s coat pocket to keep warm.
“Have you made up your mind? If you really want to learn computers, you’ll have to behave from now on.”
Wen Yaozu wore an expression of unprecedented seriousness and raised three fingers of his right hand. “I’ll learn. I swear, from now on, if my brother-in-law tells me to go east, I won’t go west. If he tells me to go south, I won’t go east.”
Wen Ci was pleased with his attitude.
“So, how much do we need to pay for the Beijing military district?”
“Probably nothing,” Huo Jingyuan replied.
Earlier in the year, a document had been circulated to military districts across the country stating that, where conditions permitted, units should purchase computers using public funds. If military personnel purchased computers at their own expense, the unit would cover the cost of connecting them to the front line for free.
The Northwest Military District was simply too remote—signal stations didn’t reach that far, and only the provincial capital had coverage.
“Huh? No fee?”
“I’ll go ask tomorrow. If it’s possible, I’ll have Grandpa send that computer over.”
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