Wen Ci’s words, both explicit and implicit, suggested that her life would become tough after joining the army. Just as Father Jiang was about to say something, he abruptly closed his mouth.

“I heard you don’t plan to hold a banquet in the capital?”

Huo Jingyuan nodded. “This leave isn’t long enough. We can only stay in the capital for one more day at most, so I plan to hold the banquet in the northwest.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhenjun, seated at the head of the table, frowned and looked at Wen Ci. “No, the wedding must be held. I’ve already spoken to the owner of the state-run restaurant. No matter what, we’ll hold it tomorrow.”

Although he didn’t have much affection for Wen Ci,

she was still his biological daughter, lost to him for so many years.

The daughter of the Jiang family must have a grand wedding, especially since his biological daughter was marrying the grandson of Elder Huo, a high-ranking official.

Everyone in the compound knew that Elder Huo’s greatest wish was to see his grandson marry and have children.

Su Guilan tugged at her husband’s sleeve.

“Xiao Huo, Elder Huo has always hoped for you to get married. The banquet must be held. You two don’t need to worry about anything. Just be there by noon tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhenjun’s expression was serious, but his tone softened slightly. His demeanor was that of a concerned father, earnest and thoughtful.

Listening to her biological father’s words, Wen Ci couldn’t help but ponder. There was some truth to what he said. The reason Huo Jingyuan had ultimately agreed to this marriage was to fulfill his grandfather’s dying wish.

Now that she had become the granddaughter-in-law of the Huo family, it was only right to hold a banquet.

Wen Ci met Huo Jingyuan’s gaze and nodded. “After all, we should still hold a banquet in the capital.”

“Mm.”

That night, a phone call disrupted their original plans.

Huo Jingyuan had planned for Wen Ci to wear the wedding dress his grandfather had custom-made long ago. However, after taking the call, his expression turned unusually serious. “Wen Ci, we might not be able to hold the banquet in the capital tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong?” Wen Ci asked, noticing his grave expression.

Huo Jingyuan took a deep breath. “The northwest has booked us the latest sleeper train. They want me to return to the military region immediately to handle some matters.”

“Then let’s hurry and go!”

It was the 1980s, and many places were still unstable.

The fact that they had booked a train ticket for Huo Jingyuan to return to the northwest overnight suggested that something major had happened.

Wen Ci said, “Let’s hurry to the train station.”

She didn’t have much luggage to pack and could leave the capital with Huo Jingyuan at any time.

“I’ll explain things to Uncle Jiang.”

“Okay.”

That night, Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan boarded the train and left the capital. The sleeper carriages were separate from the seated ones, and the two of them were in the same compartment.

By the time Jiang Zhenjun received the news, he had already sent out all the invitations. As a ministerial-level official, he was well aware of the situation in the northwest.

He couldn’t blame the young couple.

He ended up hosting a wedding banquet without the newlyweds. Almost all the guests were officials from the compound, and they understood that Huo Jingyuan had been recalled by the northwest military region.

–

When Wen Ci woke up, she felt her purse. Inside were 1,500 yuan and a gold bracelet. Seeing that the money was still there, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, she had dreamed that a thief had sneaked into the sleeper carriage and stolen all her money.

“What’s wrong?”

Huo Jingyuan noticed Wen Ci’s flustered expression and couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing.” Wen Ci slowly exhaled. “Last night, I dreamed that a thief came into the sleeper carriage and stole my dowry and gold bracelet.”

“I’m here,” Huo Jingyuan said.

Wen Ci met Huo Jingyuan’s steady gaze, which alone was enough to make her feel safe. She had almost forgotten that Huo Jingyuan was a soldier.