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

In this era, getting into Qingbei University was an incredible achievement. Out of tens of thousands of hopefuls, only a select few could cross the "single-plank bridge" to this top-tier institution.

"Can’t you get in even if you’re first in your school?" Zhu Jing asked curiously.

Her ancestors were Imperial Chefs, so her family was relatively well-off. They encouraged her to test into high school, but her grades were just too poor to pass the entrance exam.

She later heard that the top student in her school ended up going to Qingbei.

Wen Ci shook her head. "The resources at each school are different. The school I went to was in the countryside. The top student from a provincial capital city could probably get in."

"Have you all thought about getting jobs?" Wen Ci asked.

"We want to, but as soon as we go to the literacy classes, we get drowsy."

The Northwest Military Region didn’t offer many jobs for family dependents. Besides working in the cafeteria kitchen, which didn’t require an education, all other jobs required literacy.

Besides, even if you passed the literacy class exams, job assignments were still allocated.

It wasn’t like you could get a job right away.

Wen Ci chatted with the women until it was time for lunch, and they all started heading home to cook. Wen Ci also stood up, ready to go home herself.

Every day at noon, Huo Jingyuan would bring back food from the cafeteria.

-

Wen Ci had just gotten home when Huo Jingyuan arrived right after, carrying their meals. He hung his coat by the door and said with his head lowered, "I might not be able to go with you to the hospital to report for duty tomorrow."

Wen Ci didn’t ask why. She knew that if he couldn’t go, it must be because of an arrangement with the military. Still, her tone revealed a hint of disappointment. "It’s okay. The hospital isn’t far. I can go by myself."

"There’s a regimental meeting I have to attend," Huo Jingyuan explained.

"Mm-hmm."

Wen Ci wasn’t actually upset, but she couldn’t help feeling nervous. It felt like being back before the apocalypse, looking for an internship.

Suddenly, she asked, "If I don’t do a good job, will it make you lose face?"

"No."

Huo Jingyuan had faith in his wife’s abilities.

As a frequent visitor to the military hospital, he knew how simple a nurse’s job was. If someone had a cold or fever, they just needed to help take a temperature.

If someone was injured, they just had to help bandage the wound.

All the important work was done by the doctors.

"By the way," Wen Ci said as she ate the food from the cafeteria, reminded of Zhu Jing’s cooking. "I met an older sister who is an amazing cook. Her ancestors were Imperial Chefs."

"Imperial Chef?" Huo Jingyuan placed a few pieces of lean meat into Wen Ci’s bowl. "What’s her name? Next time, I’ll go get you some food from her."

"Sister Jing doesn’t work in the cafeteria kitchen."

"Hmm?"

Huo Jingyuan frowned. The cafeteria kitchen staff were almost all from the family dependents’ compound. For a talent like someone with Imperial Chef ancestry, they would definitely be invited to take charge of the cooking.

But Wen Ci was saying she didn’t work there.

"What’s her name? I’ll have someone look into it."

"Zhu Jing."

Huo Jingyuan nodded. "Got it."

The head chefs in the kitchen had to pass a regimental assessment and prove their cooking was truly delicious before being assigned the post. He remembered Wen Ci had mentioned this person once before.

Now that Wen Ci brought it up again, he felt they couldn’t let such a talent slip away.

"So, are you staying home for a nap this afternoon?"

"Can’t." Huo Jingyuan ate quickly. He had a meeting to get to on base in the afternoon, and a nap would take too much time. "I’ll have to trouble my wife with the dishes. I need to get back to the base."

"I know."

The tips of Wen Ci’s ears turned red.

She couldn’t handle it when Huo Jingyuan used the term "wife." Even though they were married, the word felt so incredibly intimate.

"So, will you be back tonight?"

"I will."

Before he was married, Huo Jingyuan could never appreciate what his married comrades meant when they talked about the warmth of having a beautiful wife waiting at home. After getting married, he couldn’t wait to rush home the second work was over.

"Then I’ll wait for you at home."

-

Huo Jingyuan didn’t get back until the middle of the night. Hearing a noise from the living room, Wen Ci woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

The man didn’t turn on the light. He moved very quietly to the bedside and saw that Wen Ci was already awake. "Did I make too much noise and wake you?"

"No," Wen Ci replied.

She had thought Huo Jingyuan wouldn’t be coming back tonight.

Wen Ci stretched her arms out to the man, asking for a hug. Her voice, thick with sleep, was a little childlike. "Why did you come back so late?"

"I promised you I’d be back," Huo Jingyuan said.

The base offices were some distance from the family compound. By the time the meeting ended, it was nearly one in the morning, and the regimental committee had told him to just sleep in the barracks.

Huo Jingyuan refused.

He had promised Wen Ci he would go home.

Wen Ci hugged Huo Jingyuan’s arm. He felt chilly. "You’re cold. Get in bed and warm up."

"I’ll go wash up."

The man washed up extremely fast. In less than two minutes, he had brushed his teeth and washed his face. He took off his coat and slid into the warm covers, a faint scent of Wen Ci surrounding him.

No matter how exhausted he was, in that instant, Huo Jingyuan no longer felt tired. He wrapped an arm around Wen Ci’s slender waist. "Go to sleep. You have to work tomorrow."

Wen Ci rested her hand on his chest. "I’m not sleepy, really. I’m just still a little nervous."

Huo Jingyuan smiled. "Don’t be."

The man’s comfort helped Wen Ci relax considerably. She shifted her head to rest on Huo Jingyuan’s chest. "Does that mean you have to leave early again tomorrow?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she heard the man’s steady breathing.

She looked up at Huo Jingyuan. He was already asleep.

On Friday night, Huo Jingyuan had rushed to Sea City overnight. The round trip took a lot of time, and then he’d spent the next day in meetings. He was utterly exhausted.

-

「The next day.」

Wen Ci was startled awake by the sound of Huo Jingyuan getting out of bed. The morning training bugle hadn’t even sounded yet. She reached out, grabbing his wrist, and asked in a hazy voice:

"You’re leaving so early?"

"Yeah, last night’s meeting isn’t over yet."

Huo Jingyuan said as he got dressed, "I’ll have Xue Li bring you breakfast in a bit."

"Don’t," Wen Ci refused.

It wasn’t like she couldn’t walk. The cafeteria was closer to the hospital, and she planned to go report for duty right after eating breakfast. There was no need to trouble Xue Li.

"I’ll go to the cafeteria myself in a bit. No need to trouble Xue Li."

"Alright."

Wen Ci let go of Huo Jingyuan’s wrist and said coaxingly, "So... can I have your homemade noodles tonight? I’m kind of craving them."

She had only been in the Northwest Military Region for a few days, but the food was so good it was ridiculous. Still, she suddenly found herself missing the noodles Huo Jingyuan used to make for her back in Beijing.

"You want to eat the noodles I make?"

"Mhm," Wen Ci nodded.

Huo Jingyuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I think so. Should I come pick you up after work?"

"No need~"

After Huo Jingyuan left, Wen Ci went back to sleep for a little longer. It was only when she heard the bugle call for morning training that she slowly climbed out of bed and put on a color-block shirt.

She opened the door to the inner room and saw that it was gray and misty outside. She threw on Huo Jingyuan’s military greatcoat and headed out, running into Zhu Jing and a few others just as she was leaving the family compound.

Wen Ci called out, "Sister Jing, are you all heading to the cafeteria too?"

Zhu Jing was carrying two bowls. She smiled and said, "My little rascal won’t wake up, so I have to bring some congee back for him."