Huo Jingyuan kept a close watch on Wen Ci. They walked in step, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. His gaze swept over her face. "What were you like when you were little?"
"Me?"
Wen Ci had been taking in the sights of Beijing. When she heard Huo Jingyuan's voice, she glanced at him and mulled over her childhood memories. "I was born in the countryside. My adoptive parents intentionally swapped me with their child. From what I remember, I had to do every chore imaginable and never got anything good to eat."
Wen Ci's childhood had been utterly miserable.
The slightest thing that displeased her adoptive parents would earn her a beating.
As she grew older, they stopped being physical and instead resorted to deliberate emotional abuse. She had thought the Jiang Family would be her salvation, but it turned out to be just another kind of hell.
Listening to her, Huo Jingyuan reached out and took her hand. Her palm, just like his, was covered in calluses—marks of hard labor.
His heart ached for her. "And the Jiang Family?"
"I feel nothing for them."
"I understand."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the state-owned restaurant. Jiang Chen, who had clearly been waiting for some time, saw them approach and said flatly, "What took you so long?"
Wen Ci shot back, "And how much faster did you expect us to be?"
Jiang Chen was rendered speechless. He looked up at Huo Jingyuan, unsure of how to address him.
Huo Jingyuan was his senior.
But his biological sister had married Huo Jingyuan.
Technically, that made Huo Jingyuan his brother-in-law.
But the situation with Wen Ci wasn't so simple. After a moment of internal debate, he finally managed, "Mr. Huo, my parents are already inside waiting for you two."
Hearing this, Wen Ci blinked. "My cousin didn't come?"
Jiang Chen: "..."
He shot Wen Ci a sidelong glance.
Wen Ci ducked behind Huo Jingyuan, pursing her lips and putting on an aggrieved expression. "Didn't you yourself say in front of everyone today that Jiang Ye is our cousin, brother?"
"Jiang! Ci!"
Wen Ci found his frantic anger amusing.
A small blackboard stood at the entrance of the state-owned restaurant, listing the home-style dishes available for the day. The ground floor served as the main dining hall.
Wen Ci took Huo Jingyuan's arm as they entered the state-owned restaurant. Her eyes widened a little when she saw the daily specials written on the blackboard.
Today's Specials: Braised Pork Belly, Braised Noodles with Gravy, Beijing Roast Duck, Soft-Fried Pork, and Beef and Potato Stew.
Su Guilan had booked a private room on the second floor. Unlike in the main dining hall, guests in the private rooms could order dishes à la carte, which would then be personally cooked to order by the chef.
Inside the private room, Su Guilan and Jiang Zhenjun were seated at the head of the table.
Huo Jingyuan greeted them politely. "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie."
Wen Ci sat beside Huo Jingyuan. Once everyone was present, a server brought over the menu and handed it to Jiang Zhenjun at the head of the table.
Jiang Zhenjun accepted the menu, then passed it to Huo Jingyuan. "Conditions in the Northwest are harsh. Xiao Huo, see if there's anything you'd like to eat."
Huo Jingyuan looked to Wen Ci. "Is there anything you want to eat?"
Wen Ci instinctively glanced at her biological parents. Her former self had been subconsciously timid and cautious around them. A small smile played on her lips. "In that case, let's get all the house specials!"
'As the old saying goes, it would be a shame not to eat for free.'
'Besides, she was already planning to cut ties with them. This meal might be the last time they ever saw each other. And in any case, she wasn't the one paying.'
"Won't that be too much?" Su Guilan asked worriedly.
The restaurant's house specials consisted of ten dishes and a soup. With only five people at the table, there was no way they could finish it all; a massive amount would be left over.
Wen Ci replied, "Is this really that much? Once I go to the Northwest to be with the army, I won't be able to eat any of this again. Besides, it's not like we can't pack up the leftovers."