First Night with the Army: The Stoic Big Shot Is Done Pretending

Wen Ci found a few lunch boxes at home, planning to go to the cafeteria to get food for Huo Jingyuan’s subordinates. Xue Li noticed a case of instant noodles on the living room cabinet.

His eyes widened, and he swallowed hard in shock. "Wen Ci, you’ve actually stockpiled this much instant noodles at home?!"

As soon as he spoke, the other young men stared intently at the instant noodles. Seeing their eager expressions, Wen Ci asked tentatively:

"How about we have instant noodles for dinner?"

The men all looked at Wen Ci and said in unison, "Can we really, ma’am?"

"Why not?"

As she spoke, Wen Ci glanced at Huo Jingyuan. The man nodded slightly, and she immediately broke into a beautiful smile. "Then I’ll go boil the water. It’ll just be a few minutes."

Making instant noodles was a simple, straightforward process. Each packet came with a seasoning pouch. Wen Ci figured that since they were all young men, one block of noodles wouldn’t be enough, so she put two blocks in each bowl.

She sprinkled the seasoning into the bowls, and as soon as the water boiled, she poured it over the noodles. Wen Ci then called out to the young men sitting in the living room watching TV, "Come and get your own bowls. The last one is mine."

’She hadn’t originally planned on eating dinner.’

But the aroma of the instant noodles awakened her hunger.

Huo Jingyuan’s subordinates stayed until eight o’clock. It was only after the TV show ended that they noticed Mr. Huo’s dark expression. The men quickly prepared to leave.

Xue Li: "Ma’am, we’re heading out now."

The single soldiers lived in collective dormitories and had a fixed time for lights-out every day. After saying goodbye to Wen Ci, they scurried off faster than rabbits.

Wen Ci had just started to wave when all she could see were their retreating backs.

Once they left, the house fell quiet again. A kerosene lamp lit the living room. The man sitting on the sofa, his expression cool, made a move, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness.

Huo Jingyuan had blown out the kerosene lamp.

"What are you doing?"

In the dark, Wen Ci could clearly see Huo Jingyuan approaching her. The next second, his warm breath enveloped her senses.

Wen Ci reached out and pinched the man’s ear, affectionately stroking his earlobe. With a slight smile, her gaze flickered to his bobbing Adam’s apple as she said slowly:

"Is Mr. Huo in such a hurry?"

"What do you think?"

The man’s voice was deep, as if he was trying his best to restrain himself.

The sensation on his earlobe made him lose all composure. He cupped the back of her head with one hand, leaned in, and kissed her. Then, he wrapped his other arm around Wen Ci’s waist and lifted her up.

He walked toward the bedroom while still kissing her. In the quiet room, the sound of their kisses seemed exceptionally loud. Their two hot bodies pressed tightly together in an intensely intimate embrace.

The man, who had only just gotten his first taste, had been holding back for several days and simply couldn’t endure it any longer. Once again, he was like a wolf that had been starved for decades, but this time, he knew to be gentle.

He was no longer rough like the first time. He paid more attention to Wen Ci’s feelings. Cradling her in his arms, he kissed her and asked, "Ah Ci, have a child with me."

His comrades of the same age already had kids old enough to run errands.

But he had only just gotten married. He’d never before considered having children with a woman. He had genuinely disliked this arranged marriage his grandfather had set up.

But now...

Wen Ci moaned in response, the corners of her eyes flushed red. Her voice was soft. "Let’s let nature take its course."

「The next day, the weekend.」

Wen Ci stretched lazily and slowly sat up. The space beside her in bed was cold. She was already getting used to the dog of a man’s stamina, aside from a slight ache in her lower back.

Last night, Huo Jingyuan had been afraid of making her swollen and sore again.

His movements were gentle, a light touch that stopped just short of going too far.

Wen Ci slipped on her slippers and pulled open the curtains. The sky was brightening, and the sound of the morning training bugle call drifted in from outside. When she walked out of the room, she saw congee and steamed buns on the table.

She couldn’t help but smile.

She sat down in a chair in the living room. The congee in the bowl was still steaming. She blew on it, took a bite of a steamed bun, and washed it down with the warm congee.

Just as Wen Ci finished her congee, she heard the man’s footsteps. She looked up at him as he walked in, her eyes filled with a smile, and said playfully, "You’re back just in time. Help me wash the bowl."

Huo Jingyuan’s eyes were dark as he stared intently at her. "Are you swollen?"

’You can’t tell if there’s swelling on the same night.’

Wen Ci rolled her eyes at him. "I’m not."

"Not swollen..."

Wen Ci: "?"

’She could hear a hint of disappointment in the dog of a man’s tone.’

"What do you mean by that? You wanted me to be swollen, didn’t you?"

"No." Huo Jingyuan shook his head. Meeting Wen Ci’s angry gaze, he curled his lips into a playful smile. "Applying the medicine for you... that feeling was quite..."

’Wen Ci’s expression twisted. Just a few days ago, this dog of a man was so cold, but now he’s full of dirty talk. It’s enough to make even me blush.’

"Get out, get out, get out."

In the morning, Wen Ci reviewed the nurse’s guide at home again. She was starting her job at the military region hospital tomorrow and couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

She had looked into what a military nurse in this era did. The requirements weren’t as high as for doctors; it was mainly about fully cooperating with and carrying out their requests, so the work was relatively easy.

The Northwest Military Region wasn’t that large, and the hospital mainly treated soldiers injured during training.

Around nine-thirty, Wen Ci decided to go visit Sister Jing for a while. A few of the women were sitting around, chatting and knitting, with a few little kids playing nearby.

When the little kids saw Wen Ci, they trotted over to her. "Good morning, Sister Wen Ci~"

Wen Ci smiled. "You should call me Auntie."

With that, she handed the little kids a few pieces of candy she had brought from home. "Go on and play." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Thank you, Auntie Wen Ci."

Wen Ci walked over to a small stool and sat down. Watching the women knit, she was suddenly reminded of the matching wool sweaters for her and Huo Jingyuan. "Isn’t knitting a lot of trouble?"

"Not at all. Want us to teach you?"

Wen Ci shook her head. She probably wouldn’t have time to knit; she was starting at the hospital tomorrow. "I’m going to be a nurse at the hospital, so I won’t have time to knit."

"Wen Ci, you got assigned to be a nurse at the hospital?"

"Yes." Wen Ci nodded.

The most popular job in the Northwest Military Region was being a nurse. It didn’t have the high requirements of a doctor; you just had to assist, but you did need to be literate.

"Did you go to high school?" Zhu Jing asked.

Usually, families in the countryside didn’t have the money to send their daughters to school. By the time they were teenagers, they were expected to take on chores like laundry and cooking.

Wen Ci shook her head. "No, I finished middle school."

The original owner of this body had been raised in the poor countryside and had managed to finish middle school only thanks to her excellent grades. She couldn’t afford the high school tuition, so she didn’t go.

But her teacher had valued Wen Ci greatly and let her audit classes for free. Unfortunately, when her adoptive parents found out, they nearly broke her legs.

"Then your grades must have been excellent."

"I was first in my school."

Hearing this, the women all showed expressions of regret. To be first in the entire school in middle school and not be able to attend high school was a real shame. "If you had gone to high school, you might have even had the potential for Qingbei."

Wen Ci burst out laughing. "Ladies, you think too highly of me. Getting into Qingbei isn’t that easy."