Saying that, she fled in haste.
Wen Ci watched as Yu Qing ran off, her brows furrowing slightly. She raised her hand and playfully hit Huo Jingyuan’s chest, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness.
“Huo Jingyuan, just how bad is your reputation in the Northwest Military District? Dr. Yu reacts to you like a mouse seeing a cat—running as far away as possible.”
Huo Jingyuan: “…”
He had some impression of Yu Qing. Earlier that year, he had captured a spy in the military hospital, and Yu Qing had happened to witness it. That might have left a lasting shadow in her mind.
Huo Jingyuan’s gaze slowly moved from Wen Ci’s eyes to her lips. The thought of her performing on stage stirred a sense of possessiveness within him.
“Can you not participate?”
Wen Ci shook her head. “I can’t.”
She hadn’t wanted to join the military arts performance either, but the head nurse had already hinted so strongly. If she refused again, it would be outright disrespectful.
“Then why did you come home early?”
“No major tasks today, so I just came back.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Ci looked at Huo Jingyuan with warm eyes. Resting her chin on her hand, she spoke slowly and deliberately. “That doesn’t sound right. Your tone is off.”
Normally, Huo Jingyuan’s tone was neutral.
But the way he had just said, ‘No major tasks today, so I just came back,’ sounded way too indifferent—so much so that it felt unnatural. She reached out and pulled him into the courtyard.
Wen Ci wrapped her arms around his neck, gazing into his deep, ink-like eyes as if trying to see through him and gauge the truth of his words.
“Really nothing happened?”
Huo Jingyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He wanted to say no, but he didn’t want to lie to Wen Ci.
After hesitating for a moment, he exhaled deeply, suppressing the emotion in his eyes, and said with a hint of resignation, “Something happened. Let’s talk over dinner.”
“Alright.” Wen Ci released his neck and shrugged.
Since Huo Jingyuan wasn’t in a hurry to discuss it, that meant it wasn’t anything too serious. She reached for the bag in his right hand to help carry it.
Huo Jingyuan lowered his gaze. “I got it. You go watch TV.”
Suddenly, Wen Ci remembered that after dinner, a few little kids would be coming over to watch TV. She chuckled, “The little monkeys are coming over tonight.”
“How many?” Huo Jingyuan frowned.
Wen Ci counted on her fingers as she spoke. “There’s Sister Jing’s son—you’ve met him, the little rascal. Then Sister Qin’s twins, A’Wang and A’Hua, and Sister Li’s son, Little Shitou.”
Huo Jingyuan fell silent.
He could already imagine the four children chattering non-stop around him, and his brows furrowed even tighter. “Won’t they be a bit too naughty?”
“Well, kids are naturally energetic.”
As she spoke, Wen Ci casually linked her arm through his and smiled gently. “Just think of it as getting a head start on adjusting to life with kids.”
At those words, a trace of warmth and happiness flickered in Huo Jingyuan’s expression.
After entering the house, Huo Jingyuan went straight to the kitchen to prep the vegetables and meat. It was still early, so there was no rush to cook dinner. Meanwhile, Wen Ci sat in the courtyard, sketching designs for the water sleeve costumes.
Huo Jingyuan walked over and glanced at the drawings in her notebook. His eyes darkened slightly. “Is this what you’re planning to wear for the military arts performance?”
“Mhm.”
“Do you need me to contact a master tailor for you?”
Wen Ci set down her pencil and looked up, her eyes glimmering with excitement. “Really? But we only have a budget of thirty yuan.”
Huo Jingyuan pressed his lips together. “Do you want the truth?”
“Of course!”
“It’s not enough.”
The tailor he had in mind came from a century-old family of craftsmen.
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