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

Jiang Ye’s grades were average, but more than enough to be a primary school teacher in the Northwest Region. In this era, even having a middle school education was a rarity.

Listening to Jiang Ye’s self-righteous speech, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she’d traveled a thousand miles to serve the Northwest and support its education.

After she finished, Jiang Ye looked at Huo Jingyuan with teary eyes, her voice trembling with a hint of vulnerability. "Brother-in-law, I’ve been on the train for days and nights. I didn’t rest well last night. Could I please just get some sleep?"

A cunning glint flashed in her eyes. ’As long as I can move into the family housing compound, I’ll throw a fit and refuse to leave. That’s how I’ll get to Huo Jingyuan.’

Guesthouses required a letter of introduction. Since Jiang Ye had snuck away from Beijing, she had no one to write one for her and had been forced to spend half the night at the train station.

Wen Ci’s eyelids lowered. "Didn’t the Northwest Primary School arrange a dormitory for you?"

Jiang Ye fell silent.

Before she came, Jiang Chen had made it very clear to her that most of the primary school teachers were military family members. Therefore, her living conditions would be very poor.

She’d heard the room wasn’t even as big as her own bedroom back home.

Suddenly, Jiang Ye’s gaze fell on the lunchbox in Huo Jingyuan’s hand. Rather than remain deadlocked at the door, she decided to find an excuse to get inside first. "Then... can I at least have a bite of hot food?"

"No," Huo Jingyuan replied flatly.

He had only gotten enough food for himself and Wen Ci. If he went back to the cafeteria now, there would likely only be scraps left. Huo Jingyuan’s expression was cold.

"You just arrived in the Northwest. You should find the person in charge at the school to get things arranged."

Hearing this, Wen Ci looked at Huo Jingyuan, a surprised and pleased glint in her eyes. ’This dog of a man can actually spot a green tea.’

"Sis—"

Wen Ci held up a hand. "Stop right there. I don’t have a sister. Stop trying to claim we’re related."

"Do it for the sake of my biological parents."

The moment she said it, Wen Ci swept a light gaze over her, a chill rising in her eyes. Her voice was unhurried. "If you hadn’t mentioned them, I might have softened and invited you in for a meal."

"But you just had to bring them up."

Her memories of her adoptive parents were filled with nothing but pain.

When Jiang Ye brought up her adoptive parents, a murderous, hostile glint appeared in Wen Ci’s eyes as she looked at her.

Suddenly, Huo Jingyuan took her by the wrist. She looked down at his large, rough hand, and the emotion in her eyes gradually melted away. Lifting her head, she curved her lips into a smile.

"I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Jiang know you’ve come to the Northwest."

Wen Ci was certain Mr. and Mrs. Jiang had no idea.

No parents would want their daughter, whom they had pampered for over twenty years, to come to the Northwest to be a primary school teacher, especially not when Jiang Ye was at a critical time for her college entrance exams.

"I..." Jiang Ye faltered, her eyelids drooping. After thinking it over, she picked up her suitcase and bit her lip. "I’ll... I’ll come visit another day, then."

-

After Jiang Ye left, Huo Jingyuan took his wife’s little hand and led her inside. On the green-skinned train, Wen Ci had told Huo Jingyuan everything.

She didn’t want to hide anything from him.

As a result, Huo Jingyuan had an extremely poor impression of the Jiang Family woman who had stolen Wen Ci’s identity.

But he was also grateful that the one he married was Wen Ci.

At the dinner table, Wen Ci stared intently at Huo Jingyuan, her gaze bold as she sized him up, mulling over Jiang Ye’s reactions and words at the door.

It suddenly clicked. Wen Ci raised an eyebrow, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips, and said lightly, "So, she came here for you."

"Hm?" Huo Jingyuan was confused. "What do you mean, for me?"

"It’s nothing."

「Elsewhere.」

Jiang Ye dragged her exhausted body to the base’s administration office. When they learned she was a high school student who had volunteered to teach in the Northwest, they treated her with great enthusiasm.

After assigning her a room, they took out two keys and said, "Teacher Jiang, would you like to live in the family housing compound or the school dormitory?"

The Northwest Primary School had two old dormitory rooms that were used for storing miscellaneous items. The rooms were old but quite large; it was just that the bathing facilities were a bit far from the dorms.

Jiang Ye asked, "What’s the difference?"

"Not much of a difference. One’s older, one’s newer. It’s inconvenient to bathe at the school dormitory, and there’s no one around at night. In the family housing compound, you can bathe right in the building."

Jiang Ye thought for a few seconds. "I’ll choose the family housing compound, then."

’Even if I can’t live in Huo Jingyuan’s home, being in the same family housing compound will give me more opportunities to run into him.’

So, Jiang Ye returned to the family housing compound once again.

The three-bedroom apartments and the one-bedroom apartments were in completely different directions. Jiang Ye stood downstairs, frowning as she looked up at the building. Her apartment was on the fourth floor.

Each apartment had about two windows. Jiang Ye gritted her teeth and hauled her suitcase up to the fourth floor. After opening the door to Room 402, her eyes went wide.

The room before her was tiny, containing only a table and a bed. The only place to walk was a narrow path. She bit her lower lip tightly.

’The conditions in the Northwest are just too poor.’

Even though she had suffered countless grievances after marrying Gu Che in her past life, her standard of living had always been excellent. She had never lived in such a small room before.

"Where are the showers?" Jiang Ye murmured.

Her gaze involuntarily swept from side to side. At the end of the hallway were the shower room and the public toilet. She covered her nose and mouth in disgust. Remembering the apartment Wen Ci lived in, she clenched her fists.

’Why?!’

’Why does she get to have a private bathroom?!’

’Why does she get to live in such a big apartment?!’

’Everything she has was stolen from me!’

Jiang Ye was filled with hatred and rage, but it was useless. Suddenly, she thought of her brother. She tossed her luggage into the room and went to the guardhouse of the family housing compound, asking in a delicate voice, "Can I make a phone call?"

"Who are you calling?" the guard asked.

"My brother, back home."

"The phone in the guardhouse only connects to the Northwest Military Region’s internal lines. If you want to make an out-of-province call, you have to go to the main base or pay to use the phone at the cafeteria."

Jiang Ye remembered she still hadn’t eaten. "Which way is the cafeteria?"

When she got to the cafeteria, the various service windows were already being cleaned. Jiang Ye walked up to a window and asked, "Excuse me, is there any food left?"

"Nope."

Jiang Ye was speechless.

She felt on the verge of a breakdown. Staring at the scraps on the large metal trays, she remembered the meager meals from the green-skinned train and couldn’t help but swallow.

"Can you sell me those leftovers?"

The cafeteria server glanced at Jiang Ye and said impatiently, "You’re dressed so nicely. Why don’t you order a dish made to order? Why would you want these scraps?"

The food left over after the cafeteria windows closed could be taken home.

People would occasionally pack it up to take home, saving them the trouble of one meal.

Jiang Ye: "How much is it?"

"Not expensive. One yuan."

Jiang Ye nodded. "That’s not expensive at all."

She ordered a portion of the food, planning to make her phone call first. A call to Beijing was long-distance. She paid one yuan to call home and heard Mrs. Jiang’s voice on the other end.

Jiang Ye kept her mouth shut.

Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang still didn’t know she was at the Northwest Military Region. After sneaking away, she and Jiang Chen had fabricated a lie, telling them she was staying at a classmate’s house to study for the college entrance exams.

"Who is this? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

Jiang Chen heard the phone call and quickly darted to the landline. "Mom, it’s probably for me," he said seriously. "Let me take it."