Chapter 53

Lin Ting had so much to say to her husband.

She talked non-stop all the way back, and even after reaching the temporary dormitory arranged by the factory, she kept chattering.

For example, although reporter Ning seems cold and indifferent, he is actually a kind person who takes good care of her.

For example, she and her second brother wanted their eldest sister to stay in Tianjin, and their eldest sister agreed.

For example, her second brother might participate in an upcoming consolation performance ^[1]a morale-boosting event for soldiers and workers. by the art troupe.

For example, Captain Cao Wenzhe was transferred and escaped from his tough situation: “…You don’t know how happy the military families were about Captain Cao’s transfer. They all said he had strong connections…”

Huo Xiao didn’t talk much, but he loved listening to his wife and remained patient the entire time.

He squatted to check if her feet were swollen. Only after confirming they were fine did he stand up to remove his wife’s thin coat. However, before he could, she suddenly stopped him.

Huo Xiao raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Ting first touched the inside pocket of her clothes to confirm something was there. Then, she mysteriously took out an envelope.

“This is…?”

“Guess! I kept it safe, afraid it might get lost.”

“Translation fee?”

Lin Ting’s eyes widened. She wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. “I wanted you to guess! You got it right so fast—no sense of accomplishment.”

Huo Xiao chuckled and rubbed his wife’s head. “My Tingting is amazing! But making money is one thing—your health is more important. Don’t overwork yourself.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not reckless. I’m just a little busy these days. Once these factories finish copying the documents, I can earn money from home… By the way, this is just from three factories. The steel factory is in a hurry, so I haven’t received their payment yet. The recording factory will likely pay tomorrow morning… It’s a lot of money!”

She was exhausted, her head dizzy, but it was all worth it.

She wasn’t sure if the timeline she had read about translation fees was wrong or if this was just a parallel world.

Currently, translation fees ranged from 5 to 11 yuan per thousand words.

Thanks to her timely work, Lin Ting secured the highest rate of 11 yuan.

With over ten hours of work, and the help of Qian Haitao and Ning Yu, she translated nearly 20,000 words.

This meant she earned around 200 yuan a day—an extremely high income. How could she not be excited?

Huo Xiao, who was mixing water for her foot bath, was surprised. In just one day, Tingting had earned nearly two months’ worth of his salary.

Lin Ting sat on the bed, removed her socks, and placed her feet into the basin. After her husband placed his feet in as well, she habitually rested hers on top of his and smiled. “When your mission is over, come back and help me. You can learn, too.”

Huo Xiao had studied at a military academy and was fluent in Russian, but his English was limited to basic communication. Since he had the opportunity to learn while helping his wife, he naturally agreed.

“By the way, I originally wanted to split the translation fee with Qian Haitao and Ning Yu, but they refused. I feel a bit guilty. How about we buy them gifts later?”

“It’s your call. As for Cao Wenzhe…” Huo Xiao was about to speak but stopped when he felt a weight on his shoulder.

He turned to look—his energetic wife had fallen asleep against him in an instant.

Huo Xiao found it both amusing and endearing. He carefully wiped her feet before gently laying her down in bed.

Then, as he stepped out to dispose of the footbath water, he ran into Director Cheng, who was escorting reporter Ning back.

Huo Xiao nodded at them. “Can I pour out the footbath water here?”

“Ah?… Oh, it’s fine…” Director Cheng hesitated, feeling awkward. He hadn’t expected Captain Huo to not only prepare footbaths for his wife but also dispose of the water himself. To him, it was embarrassing for a man to do such a chore.

Unaware of Cheng’s thoughts, Huo Xiao simply nodded again and strode toward the back of the dormitory row.

_

The next morning—

By the time Lin Ting woke up, Huo Xiao had already left, as usual.

She wasn’t surprised; this was common in the army.

However, there was no time to dwell on it. After washing up and having breakfast, she got back to work.

She remained busy for another two days.

Aside from three factories unable to operate due to missing parts, machines in over ten factories had resumed production.

As the key contributor, Lin Ting not only earned an extra 600-700 yuan but also gained respect from the factory directors.

To maintain good relations, these directors promised her discounted factory products and even offered one or two jobs per factory.

Lin Ting immediately understood. The discounts were for her, but the job offers were meant for military dependents.

While she was pleased, she couldn’t help but admire the factory directors. No wonder they held such positions—they handled things flawlessly.

The military dependents’ jobs were settled, but Lin Ting still had to secure her eldest sister’s employment.

She had a good impression of Director Fang from the steel factory, and Qian Haitao’s uncle was the deputy director…

So, when Director Fang handed her a stack of documents copied from Shanghai, she casually mentioned buying a job for her eldest sister.

Director Fang didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he first asked for more details.

After confirming that she was from a good family and had attended junior high school, he nodded and said, “You don’t need to buy a job. Just bring her here, and I’ll assign her to the Materials Department, which needs people. This job may not seem as prestigious as accounting or publicity, but it’s actually quite easy—just managing materials and keeping records. What do you think?”

It was better than expected!

Lin Ting didn’t want her elder sister working in the workshop, but she needed to buy a house and transfer her household registration first. She thanked him and hesitated, “It may take about half a month before she can start. Is that okay?”

Director Fang, simply repaying a favor, didn’t even ask why. “No rush. If she’s in Tianjin, she can report first to secure the position and start in half a month.”

Lin Ting immediately understood. “Thank you, Director Fang. I’ll bring my sister over in the next few days.”

Three days away from home, Lin Ting found herself missing it.

But she didn’t return to the army right away.

She still had to deliver the fried fruits to her husband.

Huo Xiao’s troops were stationed near the embankment. The road was muddy, making it impossible for cars to pass.

Just as they were about to roll up their trouser legs and walk in carrying the fried fruits, several young soldiers spotted them.

These soldiers, all from Huo Xiao’s regiment, recognized the beautiful sister-in-law of their commander. Without needing an explanation, one quickly ran off, shouting, “Captain! Your sister-in-law is here!”

Lin Ting…

Hearing laughter beside her, Lin Ting, already socially awkward, wasn’t sure if it came from the driver or the photographer.

Then came an even more awkward moment.

When Huo Xiao strode over, a group of soldiers followed, all enthusiastically calling, “Sister-in-law!”

Since they knew Lin Ting had a kind personality and didn’t look down on anyone, they were completely at ease around her.

They eagerly asked about her recent experiences in the factories, clearly aware of her translation work.

Finally, Huo Xiao, noticing the setting sun and worried about his wife getting home late, turned serious and tossed the two large bags to the soldiers. “Go ahead and share them.”

The soldiers, delighted by the unexpected treats, thanked Lin Ting again before running off, laughing before their commander’s face could darken.

Seeing their high spirits despite the harsh conditions, Lin Ting couldn’t help but laugh too. She then took a large paper bag from her bag and handed it to her husband. “When will this be over?”

Huo Xiao took the bag. “At most the day after tomorrow. What’s this?”

Lin Ting coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed. “The food factory gave us a lot of snacks and canned food, but it’s not enough for all the soldiers. You can keep these egg cakes for yourself.”

“Okay, I won’t share them.” Huo Xiao, pleased to be treated specially, smiled.

Seeing his joy over something so small, Lin Ting felt helpless but still laughed along.

With no streetlights and poor road conditions, she had to return to the army before dark.

So, after a brief reunion, the couple parted ways.

This time, Lin Ting was in a good mood—her husband would be home in two days.

Huo Xiao was equally pleased. Carrying the food his wife had given him, he headed to the temporary tent.

Inside, Dong Cheng, Cao Wenzhe, and several first battalion officers were eating fried fruits.

Seeing Huo Xiao, they invited him to join them.

Dong Cheng even handed him some, grinning. “Our sister-in-law is so generous! With two big bags, all the soldiers got some. Everyone’s thrilled. Here, these are yours. If I hadn’t grabbed extra, you wouldn’t have gotten any.”

Huo Xiao shook his head. “I don’t need it, you guys eat.”

Dong Cheng insisted. “No, it’s a token of our sister-in-law’s kindness. You’ve been busy all day—have some food and take a break.”

After a pause, Huo Xiao agreed and took the snacks. He poured half a cup of tea, sat on a wooden stake, and started eating.

Not satisfied with just the fried fruits, he opened the paper bag, pulled out an egg cake, and continued eating.

Dong Cheng stared. “Old Huo! That’s not fair. You got special treats from your wife!”

Huo Xiao, expecting this comment, glanced at him indifferently. “I saw it from the Wife-Watching Stone.”

This petty remark silenced Dong Cheng, who had laughed at others for missing their wives just the day before.