When Wen Ci woke up, the sky had already darkened considerably. Seeing that the lights were on in the room, she got up and sat on the edge of the bed, taking a few minutes to gather herself.

Walking into the living room, she didn’t see anyone, but she heard the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen. Dragging her just-awoken body, Wen Ci leaned against the doorframe and caught the scent of chili peppers in the air.

Instantly snapping back to attention, Wen Ci’s face lit up with surprise: “Stir-fried pork?”

In the kitchen, Huo Jingyuan was wearing an apron tied around his waist. Hearing Wen Ci’s voice, he turned to look at her, his voice soft and tender: “Dinner will be ready in half an hour. You can go watch some TV in the living room first.”

“Huh?”

Wen Ci blinked. When she had walked over earlier, she hadn’t noticed much in the living room. She turned her head to glance at it.

There was a television set in the living room.

Wen Ci turned on the TV, and the screen displayed a colorful picture.

When she had been at the mall, Wen Ci had wandered through the electronics section. The most expensive item there was the color television, priced at around twelve hundred yuan, but it included delivery and installation.

Wen Ci’s delight was evident on her face as she moved closer to the kitchen door: “When did you buy a color TV? How much did it cost?”

Huo Jingyuan, holding a spatula, replied: “The TV didn’t cost a single penny. It was a wedding gift from my aunt, who had someone deliver it last month.”

Last month, Wen Ci had still been in a remote mountain village.

“Your aunt?”

“Yes, my aunt runs a company abroad or something.”

Wen Ci’s eyes widened in shock: “A company abroad?”

In this day and age, someone who could run a company abroad must be worth at least tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions or even more.

Back home, even having ten thousand yuan was considered rare.

Wen Ci couldn’t help but click her tongue in admiration: “Your aunt is really impressive.”

Half an hour later, Huo Jingyuan brought several dishes to the table. He served the rice, his deep voice carrying a hint of affection: “Wen Ci, let’s eat.”

Wen Ci immediately stood up from the sofa and sat down across from Huo Jingyuan. Looking at the dishes that were both visually appealing and aromatic, she raised her head to look at him:

“I thought you didn’t know how to cook?”

Huo Jingyuan smiled: “At noon, I asked one of the aunties in the cafeteria for some advice. It looks like I did an okay job, but I’m not sure about the taste…”

He couldn’t guarantee how it would taste.

This was his first attempt at cooking. After days of eating bland food on the train and the long journey to the northwest, he wanted to give Wen Ci a good experience.

“Let me try it and see if it’s good!”

With that, Wen Ci picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The dish had just been cooked and was still a bit hot: “Wow, it’s delicious.”

Huo Jingyuan watched her expression, a hint of amusement in his eyes: “As long as you like it. From now on, I’ll cook for you at least once a week, every Friday.”

His work at the regiment kept him very busy, so finding even one day a week to cook was already quite difficult.

“Okay.” Wen Ci smiled with satisfaction.

As Wen Ci was eating, Huo Jingyuan suddenly stood up from his chair. Wen Ci asked: “Why are you standing up? Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m going to get something.”

With that, Huo Jingyuan went into the master bedroom. In less than half a minute, he came out and sat back down, handing a bankbook to Wen Ci:

“I don’t spend much money at the northwest military base, so I’ve saved all of it. My parents also deposit money into this account for me.”

Wen Ci put down her chopsticks and smiled teasingly: “Comrade Huo, are you handing over your salary?”

“Yes, handing over my salary.” Huo Jingyuan lowered his head and continued eating.