Huo Jingyuan sat in the driver’s seat.

Xue Li, seeing Wen Ci open the door, coughed lightly and then, along with the young men standing behind him, greeted her in unison: “Hello, Sister-in-law.”

“Hello…” Wen Ci blinked in surprise.

Noticing her confusion, Xue Li quickly explained, “We’re here to help.”

Wen Ci suddenly understood and opened the gate fully. She went back inside to boil water and glanced at the clock in the living room. It was almost five o’clock.

Dinnertime was approaching.

Huo Jingyuan carried the wooden planks into the yard.

Wen Ci took small, quick steps toward Huo Jingyuan and waved him over. When he approached, she said, “Since you’ve brought your subordinates to help, how about you show off your cooking skills tonight?”

The man’s expression darkened slightly.

His cooking was only for his wife, and he had no intention of letting his subordinates taste it.

“We’ll get food from the canteen later.”

“Is that really okay?”

Huo Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

The wooden planks for the pavilion were designed to be assembled directly. Huo Jingyuan had specifically bought spray paint, as the natural wood color looked a bit odd.

As he worked, Xue Li asked, “Sister-in-law, can we stay to watch TV tonight?”

Wen Ci smiled warmly. “Of course.”

With everyone working together, the pavilion was completed in just an hour. They also laid a path of crushed stones in the yard leading to the pavilion.

Finally, Huo Jingyuan sprayed the pavilion with a rosewood-colored paint and applied a layer of preservative varnish both inside and out. The yard renovation was now halfway to completion.

Wen Ci looked at the pavilion in the yard, feeling extremely satisfied.

…

Meanwhile, in the Jiang family’s residence in the capital.

Jiang Ye had locked herself in her room, curled up in bed. She hadn’t eaten for three days, surviving only on the few snacks left in her room.

After being reborn, she had no money.

Her only option was to go on a hunger strike to force her family to agree to her demands.

Suddenly, Jiang Ye heard a noise outside her window. She turned over in bed and looked toward the window, where a figure appeared.

Jiang Chen climbed up to the second-floor balcony, opened the window, and slipped into the room. He walked over to the bed and sighed softly. “Xiao Ye, is it really necessary to go on a hunger strike for three days?”

Jiang Ye hid under the covers and didn’t respond.

“Have you really thought it through? Are you sure you want to go to the northwest?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ye peeked out from under the blanket. Her face was pale, and tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffled and said, “I’m serious, Brother.”

“Ah.” Jiang Chen let out a long sigh. Over the past few days, he had come to understand that once Jiang Ye set her mind on something, she would find a way to make it happen no matter what.

Rather than stopping her, it might be better to let her go to the northwest and face some setbacks.

Jiang Chen took out a few hundred yuan from his bag and spoke in a serious tone. “I’ve asked a comrade to arrange a teaching job for you in the northwest military district. If you find it too hard there, come back and focus on preparing for the college entrance exam.”

“Brother, you’re letting me go to the northwest?!”

As soon as she spoke, Jiang Ye threw off the blanket and grabbed her brother’s arm, unable to contain her excitement. “Brother, do Mom and Dad know?”

“No, they don’t. So you’ll have to sneak out. Your high school boyfriend is still waiting for you at the gate of the compound.”

The residential compound in the capital was a restricted area, and non-military family members were not allowed to enter freely. Gu Zhe had no one to bring him in, so he could only wait at the gate.

Jiang Ye: “…”

After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Ye made up her mind. Sneaking out it was. After all, she wasn’t the Jiang family’s biological daughter. Once she managed to separate Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan, her life would be far better than it was in the Jiang family.

Jiang Ye took the money from her brother and prepared her suitcase. She planned to take the train to Haishi that very night. As for Gu Zhe, she had no intention of seeing him again.