Hearing what the neighborhood aunties said, Wen Ci recalled a few things about Huo Jingyuan. The marriage between the Jiang and Huo families had been arranged decades ago.
When he was younger and more rebellious, Huo Jingyuan had joined the army and gone to the Northwest to avoid this exact marriage. He only agreed to it after Mr. Huo Sr. passed away this year.
Wen Ci pondered.
'If there's no one else in the Huo family home, does that mean I'll have to cook tonight?'
Huo Jingyuan exchanged a few more pleasantries with the aunties until the compound's lunch siren sounded. Many people grabbed their lunch pails and headed out to the communal cafeteria to get food.
Hearing the sound, the aunties all said their goodbyes to Huo Jingyuan.
The military region's cafeteria was famous for its food, which was delicious, inexpensive, and a great value.
Wen Ci wasn't hungry, but thinking about Huo Jingyuan having been a soldier in the Northwest Region made her curious. "Do they eat a lot of noodle and bread dishes in the Northwest Region?"
Huo Jingyuan nodded.
"So, do you know how to cook them?" Wen Ci asked.
"I do."
"Then are you cooking for lunch?"
At her words, Huo Jingyuan stopped walking. He lowered his gaze to Wen Ci, who was beside him, blinked, and said, "Aren't we going to the state-run restaurant for lunch?"
Back in the Northwest Military Region, he'd heard plenty about Jiang Ci. She had been coddled since childhood and would only eat food from the state-run restaurant.
After returning to Beijing, Huo Jingyuan had specifically exchanged for a lot of ration coupons, planning to treat Jiang Ci to a few more good meals. After all, the Northwest Region was nowhere near as prosperous as Beijing.
You couldn't get anything particularly good to eat there.
"Why would we go to the state-run restaurant?" Wen Ci asked.
During her years in the apocalypse, Wen Ci had eaten plenty of gourmet food from her personal storage space. The one thing she'd never had a chance to stockpile was the flour-based cuisine from the northern regions.
She was absolutely craving a taste of it!
Wen Ci frowned. "Don't tell me you can't actually cook them?"
"That's not it."
Huo Jingyuan chuckled.
He was one of the first officers to be stationed in the Northwest Region. Back then, conditions were harsh, so he'd learned to make many of the simple, local dishes.
"Well, I can help you out then."
Huo Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one who supposedly never lifts a finger to do housework?"
"Er..."
It suddenly occurred to Wen Ci.
'I should be honest with Huo Jingyuan about my identity.'
Wen Ci bit her lower lip, unsure of how to break it to Huo Jingyuan. He was supposed to marry a daughter of the Jiang Family, and while she technically was one...
...she wasn't the one he was expecting.
Seeing the troubled look on her face, Huo Jingyuan's gaze softened. His voice, a magnetic and gentle baritone, spoke. "Comrade Jiang, we are a legally married couple now. I hope that, as husband and wife, we can be direct with each other."
He'd always been a straightforward person, and now that they were married, he didn't like the idea of hiding things from each other.
Hearing those three words, "legally married couple," seemed to give Wen Ci a surge of courage. She raised her head and looked Huo Jingyuan straight in the eye:
"There's something I need to be honest with you about. Let's talk about it at home."
"Okay."
-
Back at the Huo family home, they pushed open the gate to a spotlessly clean courtyard. To the left was a patch of withered yellow vegetables, and to the right, a pavilion for playing chess.
Wen Ci surveyed the courtyard.
Large houses assigned within the military compound were supposed to be reclaimed after the owner's death. Even if family members remained, they would be reassigned to a different house.
As far as Wen Ci knew, Huo Jingyuan was the only one left in the Huo family.
Yet this house hadn't been reclaimed!
Stepping back into the Huo family home, Huo Jingyuan felt an indescribable emotion. This house held so many of his memories, but now...
Huo Jingyuan glanced over at Wen Ci and said slowly, "I also need to tell you everything about my family's situation."
"Should I go first, then?" Wen Ci asked, blinking.