In this era, Tsinghua and Peking Universities held extremely high prestige. Only a select few out of thousands could cross the narrow bridge to these top-tier institutions.
“Being first in your school still isn’t enough?” Zhu Jing asked curiously.
Her ancestors had been imperial chefs, and her family was relatively well-off. They had encouraged her to take the high school entrance exam, but her grades were too poor, and she didn’t make the cut.
She had often heard that the top student in a school would eventually go to Tsinghua or Peking University.
Wen Ci shook her head. “School resources vary. The school I attended was in a rural area. The top student from a provincial capital city might have a chance.”
“Don’t you all plan to work?” Wen Ci asked.
“We’d like to, but we feel like dozing off as soon as we attend literacy classes.”
The Northwest Military District didn’t offer many job opportunities for family members. Aside from the canteen kitchen, which didn’t require literacy, most jobs required basic reading and writing skills.
Moreover, even after passing the literacy class exams, job assignments weren’t immediate.
Wen Ci chatted with the sisters until mealtime, when they each headed home to cook. Wen Ci also stood up from her stool, planning to return home.
Every noon, Huo Jingyuan would bring food back from the canteen.
…
Wen Ci had just arrived home when Huo Jingyuan returned with the food. He hung his coat by the door and said with his head slightly lowered, “I might not be able to accompany you to the hospital tomorrow for your orientation.”
Wen Ci didn’t ask for the reason, knowing that if he couldn’t accompany her, it must be due to military arrangements. Still, her tone carried a hint of disappointment. “It’s okay. The hospital isn’t far. I can go by myself.”
“There’s a meeting I need to attend at the regiment,” Huo Jingyuan explained.
“Mm-hmm.”
Wen Ci didn’t mind much, but she couldn’t help feeling nervous, as if she were back in the pre-apocalyptic days, looking for an internship.
Suddenly, she asked, “If I don’t do well, will it embarrass you?”
“No.”
Huo Jingyuan had faith in his wife’s abilities.
As a frequent visitor to the military hospital, he knew how simple the nurses’ tasks were. Usually, if someone had a cold or fever, they only needed to take their temperature.
If someone was injured, they just needed to help with bandaging.
The important work was handled by the doctors.
“By the way,” Wen Ci said as she ate the food from the canteen, remembering Zhu Jing’s cooking skills, “I know a sister who’s an amazing cook. Her ancestors were imperial chefs.”
“Imperial chefs?” Huo Jingyuan picked up a few pieces of lean meat and placed them in Wen Ci’s bowl. “What’s her name? I’ll get food from her for you next time.”
“Sister Jing doesn’t work in the canteen kitchen.”
“Huh?”
Huo Jingyuan frowned. Most of the canteen kitchen staff were family members from the residential compound. Someone with a background like that would usually be invited to cook.
But Wen Ci said she didn’t work in the canteen.
“What’s her name? I’ll have someone look into it.”
“Zhu Jing.”
Huo Jingyuan nodded. “Got it.”
The head chef in the canteen needed to pass a regiment assessment to ensure their cooking was truly exceptional.
He had heard Wen Ci mention Zhou Jing before.
Now that she brought it up again, he felt such talent shouldn’t be overlooked.
“Will you stay home for a nap at noon?”
“No.” Huo Jingyuan ate quickly. He had a meeting to attend at the regiment in the afternoon, and a nap would take up too much time. “Please take care of the dishes, my wife. I need to get back to the regiment.”
“Understood.”
Wen Ci’s ears turned red.
She couldn’t handle it when Huo Jingyuan called her “my wife.” Even though they were married, the term felt overwhelmingly intimate.
“Will you be back tonight?”
“Yes.”
Before getting married, Huo Jingyuan hadn’t understood the warmth his married comrades spoke of—having a loving wife waiting at home. Now, he couldn’t wait to return home after work.
“Then I’ll wait for you at home.”
…
Huo Jingyuan didn’t return until late at night. Hearing the noise in the living room, Wen Ci woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
The man didn’t turn on the lights. He moved quietly to the bedside and saw that Wen Ci was already awake. “Did the noise wake you?”
“No,” Wen Ci replied.
She had thought Huo Jingyuan wouldn’t come back tonight.
Wen Ci reached out for a hug, her voice soft and childlike from sleep. “Why did you come back so late?”
“I promised you I would,” Huo Jingyuan said.
The regiment office was quite a distance from the residential compound. The meeting had ended close to 1 a.m., and the regimental committee had suggested he stay in the dormitory.
Huo Jingyuan had refused.
He had promised Wen Ci he would return.
Wen Ci hugged Huo Jingyuan’s arm, noticing how cold he was. “You’re freezing. Come to bed and warm up.”
“I’ll wash up first.”
The man washed up quickly, brushing his teeth and washing his face in under two minutes. He took off his coat and slipped into the warm bed, surrounded by Wen Ci’s scent.
No matter how exhausted he was, in that moment, Huo Jingyuan felt all his fatigue melt away. He wrapped his arm around Wen Ci’s slender waist. “Sleep now. You have work tomorrow.”
Wen Ci rested her hand on his chest. “I’m not that sleepy, but I’m still a bit nervous.”
Huo Jingyuan smiled. “No need to be nervous.”
With his reassurance, Wen Ci felt much more relaxed. She shifted her head to rest on Huo Jingyuan’s chest. “Will you have to leave early again tomorrow?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Huo Jingyuan’s steady breathing.
She looked up and saw that he had already fallen asleep.
On Friday night, Huo Jingyuan had rushed to Haishi and back, which took a lot of time. The next day, he had attended various meetings, leaving him utterly exhausted.
The next morning.
Wen Ci was awakened by Huo Jingyuan getting out of bed. The morning training drills hadn’t even started yet. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, her voice groggy.
“Are you leaving this early?”
“Yes, the meeting from last night isn’t finished yet.”
Huo Jingyuan dressed as he spoke. “I’ll have Xue Li bring you breakfast later.”
“No need,” Wen Ci refused.
She wasn’t incapable of walking. The canteen was closer to the hospital, and she planned to eat breakfast there before heading to the hospital for her orientation. There was no need to trouble Xue Li.
“I’ll go to the canteen myself later. No need to bother Xue Li.”
“Alright.”
Wen Ci let go of Huo Jingyuan’s wrist and said coquettishly, “Can I have noodles made by you tonight? I’m kind of craving them.”
After a few days in the Northwest Military District, Wen Ci had been eating so well that she suddenly missed the noodles Huo Jingyuan used to make back in the capital.
“You want noodles made by me?”
“Yes.” Wen Ci nodded.
Huo Jingyuan hesitated for a moment. “That should be possible. Should I pick you up after work?”
“No need~”
After Huo Jingyuan left, Wen Ci went back to sleep. When she heard the morning training drills, she slowly got out of bed and put on a patchwork shirt.
Opening the door to the inner room, she saw a hazy gray mist outside. She threw on Huo Jingyuan’s military coat and left the house. Just outside the residential compound, she ran into Zhu Jing and the others.
Wen Ci called out, “Sister Jing, are you heading to the canteen too?”
Zhu Jing was carrying two bowls and smiled. “My little rascal won’t wake up, so I have to bring congee back for him.”
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