“You said you were transferred where?”
“Hangzhou, West Lake Sanatorium.”
Regiment Commander Li: “…”
The benefits of the West Lake Sanatorium in Hangzhou were well-known among officers of the Regiment Commander rank. Everyone would jump at the chance to be demoted just to go there as a squad leader.
“And you’re angry about this?” Regiment Commander Li was speechless.
He paused, then continued, “Are you being transferred as a squad leader for a detachment or as a guard?”
“Squad Leader.”
“Damn.”
“Huh?” Jiang Chen, who had been fuming, saw Regiment Commander Li’s reaction and tilted his head. “Is being a Squad Leader at the sanatorium some kind of coveted position?”
“Get lost.”
With that, Regiment Commander Li walked away directly, even spitting on the ground and muttering, “Damn it, complaining about such a good post. Must be nice having a minister for a father. Can’t envy that.”
He was already nearly forty-five years old.
Becoming a Regiment Commander had been incredibly difficult. But Jiang Chen wasn’t even thirty yet; he might even make Regiment Commander before thirty-five.
His life was just too comfortable.
Jiang Chen heard everything Regiment Commander Li said and murmured quietly, “Could it be… that the Squad Leader position at the sanatorium is really a good post?”
He thought about the nonsense he had spouted in the office earlier.
Should he go back and apologize to his dad?
But then he thought, wouldn’t going back now make him seem spineless?
Forget it,he’d go to Hangzhou first and see.
…
At West Lake, they soon arrived in front of a traditional courtyard house (siheyuan). There were several other similar courtyard houses in the vicinity. Wen Ci tugged on Huo Jingyuan’s sleeve and asked quietly:
“When we meet them in a moment, should I call them Grandpa and Grandma directly?”
“Of course.”
Wen Ci was about to explain when Huo Jingyuan smiled and said, “What, won’t you call them Grandma and Grandpa unless they give you the ‘name-changing’ gift money?”
“No! Don’t talk nonsense.”
Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan hadn’t had a wedding ceremony yet. The customary etiquette was to give the “name-changing” gift money in front of relatives and friends.
After getting out of the car, Wen Ci saw an elegant old woman wearing a subtle cheongsam standing at the gate of the courtyard house.
“Is that Grandma?”
“Yes.”
Before Wen Ci could approach, an old man leaning on a cane stood beside the woman. A gentle, refined voice sounded: “Old woman, what’s the rush? The children aren’t going to disappear.”
Then, the old woman saw Huo Jingyuan and Wen Ci, her face breaking into a joyful smile. “They’re here! Our eldest grandson and granddaughter-in-law are back!”
Huo Jingyuan took Wen Ci’s hand and walked up to his grandparents. Smiling, he said, “Grandpa, Grandma, I’ve brought my wife back to meet you. This is A’Ci.”
Before he finished speaking, the two elders took several thick red envelopes from their pockets, beaming. “Although you’ve been married for a few months now, this is our first meeting. As elders, we still have to give the ‘name-changing’ gift money.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary,” Wen Ci repeatedly refused.
“This is the custom.”
Wen Ci’s eyes curved into smiles. “Grandpa, Grandma, you really don’t need to give the gift money.”
“This isn’t just from the two of us. It’s also from A’Yuan’s parents. They work in confidential units, so they couldn’t be here.”
“Uh.”
Wen Ci felt overwhelmed.
Huo Jingyuan reached out and tucked the four red envelopes into his own pocket. “A’Ci is shy; let me accept these on her behalf.”
After the initial greetings, Wen Ci was invited inside. The courtyard house was divided into a front hall, a main hall, and a backyard. In the central courtyard, there was a rockery and a pond.
Wen Ci was wide-eyed and astonished.
The Huo family truly lived up to being “whale” investors from the start. Their family’s accumulated heritage was incredibly substantial. And this was West Lake in the 1980s!
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