Just then, Su Wanqing, who was in the living room, overheard Wen Ci’s excited announcement. She raised an eyebrow slightly and sneered, “I wonder if the money Nurse Wen earned is even enough to buy me a bag.”
In the 1980s, foreign luxury goods began entering the market, and extremely expensive handbags became a standard for the wealthy attending banquets.
“Huh?”
Wen Ci blinked.
Were there already luxury bags costing tens of thousands abroad at this time?
Thinking this, Wen Ci couldn’t help but shake her head slightly. She needed to keep working hard to make money. The true lifestyle of the wealthy was merely a tiny glimpse of a grand palace beyond her current imagination.
Huo Jingyuan’s eyes held a trace of anger, his expression cool as he said, “What does it matter to you whether my wife earns money or not?”
He didn’t want Su Wanqing’s words to discourage Wen Ci.
He had seen all the hard work Wen Ci had put in since returning to the capital. She had to get up before dawn to go to the suburban warehouse.
“Brother Jingyuan…”
“Don’t call me brother. I’m not familiar with you.”
The man’s voice was icy cold. Impatience was evident in his eyes, even turning into disgust, but out of respect for the elders present, he refrained from saying anything harsher.
Feeling protected, Wen Ci smiled. If they weren’t in the main hall, she would have wanted to kiss him as a reward.
Su Wanqing bit her lip, her face full of grievance. Staring at Huo Jingyuan’s exceptionally handsome face, her expression of grievance gradually turned into shyness.
She blushed and lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, “Brother Jingyuan, you’re so mean.”
Huo Jingyuan: “…”
Suddenly, Grandma Liu appeared, her face filled with a kindly smile. “Children, dinner is ready.”
The Huo family had a chef. Outside the garden, the sunset glowed, the sky tinged with evening clouds, and the main hall was lit with bright electric lights.
Wen Ci looked at the variety of dishes on the table, each plated exquisitely. The soup was a black fish soup, nourishing for the body.
“A-Yuan, your parents wrote saying they might get leave this year.”
At the dinner table, Grandpa Huo mentioned the letter received a few days ago. Huo Jingyuan’s parents worked in classified units; usually, they could only communicate with family via letters.
Each letter had to go through layers of inspection after being sent. By the time it reached the families of the research personnel, it took at least a month or two.
Huo Jingyuan’s hand, holding the chopsticks, paused. His expression remained normal. “Oh, we’ll talk about it when they actually return.”
As a child, he had received several letters with similar promises, only for his parents to cancel their return at New Year due to sudden work commitments at their unit.
After being let down too many times, he stopped expecting it.
“They really will return this time. They said they’re coming back to meet A-Ci.”
“I see.”
After a moment of silence, Su Wanqing suddenly spoke up. “Brother Jingyuan, last night I heard my mother say that Dr. Nader is in London. Would you like to go abroad for treatment?”
Nader was a renowned foreign surgeon.
Su Wanqing’s mother was a doctor working abroad.
Huo Jingyuan replied, “No need.”
He was currently a regimental-level officer. Going abroad required approval through multiple layers of leadership, and there was a certain probability it could affect his future prospects.
Although domestic hospitals were temporarily not as advanced as foreign ones, his injuries had been operated on and only required rest for recovery.
“The medical standards are higher abroad.”
Grandma Liu, after some thought, said, “A-Yuan, why don’t you go check it out? You could also visit your aunt while abroad.”
Huo Jingyuan sighed helplessly. “Grandma, I’m a regimental-level officer. I can’t go abroad casually. Besides, domestic standards are already developing towards international levels.”
Many high-tech medical instruments were already being targeted for independent research and development by domestic companies. It probably wouldn’t be long before all the equipment in hospitals could be domestically produced.
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