Wen Ci looked at the bankbook on the table, curious about how much Huo Jingyuan had saved over his twelve years of service. She reached out, picked up the bankbook, and flipped to the last page. The balance was a full five digits.

A solid ten-thousand-yuan household.

“F-five digits?” Wen Ci’s eyes widened in shock, her red lips curling into a faint smile as she looked at Huo Jingyuan with astonishment: “Your salary is this high?”

Huo Jingyuan lowered his gaze to meet hers and shook his head: “I’ve been stationed in the northwest for twelve years. For the first five years, my monthly salary was twenty-five yuan. In the middle five years, it increased to thirty-five yuan, and in the last two years, it rose to fifty-five yuan.

The remaining ten thousand or so yuan is the money my parents saved for my future wife.”

He paused deliberately, his voice lazy and unhurried as he continued: “Now, I’m handing over the ‘wife fund’ to my wife.”

Wen Ci looked at the composed man, her heartbeat suddenly quickening. A blush rose to her cheeks and quickly spread to the tips of her ears.

“You…”

Wen Ci didn’t know what to say. Shyly, she lowered her head and silently continued eating.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the outer door. After several consecutive knocks, Huo Jingyuan’s eyelids drooped slightly, and his voice was calm as he said: “Keep eating. I’ll go open the door.”

He had deliberately closed the courtyard gate when he returned, hoping to avoid any disturbances, but…

Huo Jingyuan exuded a faint chill as he walked to the door with his long strides, reaching it in just a few steps. He opened the door to find a group of shameless faces. He stood blocking the entrance:

“What are you all doing here?”

Xue Li had heard that Brother Huo had installed a television at home. He had gathered a few buddies and the regimental political commissar to come over and see the color TV.

“We’re here to watch TV.”

Huo Jingyuan’s gaze swept over the political commissar: “Are you here to join the fun too?”

“I’ve never seen a color TV either.”

Wen Ci, noticing that no one had come in, walked to the door and saw Huo Jingyuan blocking half the entrance. Xue Li peeked through the partially opened door and greeted her: “Sister-in-law!”

Wen Ci nodded.

Huo Jingyuan’s lips curled into a cold smile, his voice unhurried but carrying a chilling undertone as he slowly uttered: “Get lost.”

Xue Li, realizing that Brother Huo was angry, shrank his neck and muttered: “Brother Huo, don’t be so stingy. We’re just curious about the color TV.”

The others didn’t quite understand, but the married political commissar caught on and said with a smile: “Let’s go. We’ll come back another day.”

“Why?”

The political commissar smirked: “A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold.”

Hearing this, Huo Jingyuan reined in his emotions and said calmly: “In a few days, I’ll naturally invite you all over to watch TV. What’s the rush?”

With that little episode over, Xue Li and the others left.

Wen Ci stood at the inner door, unable to hear clearly what they had been discussing. Seeing Huo Jingyuan close the door again and walk toward her, she couldn’t help but ask:

“Why didn’t they come in?”

“They were just looking for trouble. Let’s go back and finish our meal.”

“Oh.”

After dinner, Wen Ci rubbed her stomach. She had eaten particularly well and felt satisfied. Leaning back in her chair, she said: “I’ll rest for a bit, then wash the dishes later.”

“I’ll do it.”

Seeing Huo Jingyuan clearing the dishes from the table, Wen Ci quickly stood up, her voice unusually serious: “We agreed that whoever cooks, the other person washes the dishes.”

“As you say,” Huo Jingyuan replied.

Based on his understanding of Wen Ci over the past few days, he knew she was someone who stood by her word. Sometimes she could be bold, and other times she could be very particular.

Wen Ci sat back down, nodding in satisfaction: “When men and women work together, the workload feels lighter. It’s not fair to make you do everything.”