Wen Ci looked at the passbook on the table, a little curious about how much Huo Jingyuan had earned in twelve years. She reached out, picked up the passbook, and flipped to the end. The balance was a full five digits.
A bona fide ten-thousand-yuan household.
"F-five digits?" Wen Ci's eyes suddenly widened. A slight smile played on her red lips, and her gaze, full of astonishment, landed on Huo Jingyuan. "Is your salary that high?"
Huo Jingyuan looked down at her and shook his head. "I was a soldier in the Northwest for twelve years. For the first five years, my monthly salary was twenty-five yuan. For the next five, it went up to thirty-five. These last two years, it rose to fifty-five.
The remaining ten thousand-plus yuan is the marriage fund my parents saved for me."
The man paused deliberately before continuing in a lazy, unhurried voice, "And now, I'm handing the marriage fund over to my wife."
Looking at the man's perfectly composed expression, Wen Ci's heart suddenly sped up. A blush instantly bloomed on her cheeks, quickly spreading to the tips of her ears.
"You…"
Wen Ci didn't know what to say. She shyly lowered her head and went back to eating in silence.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the outer door. After a few successive raps, Huo Jingyuan's eyelids drooped slightly. "You keep eating," he said calmly. "I'll get the door."
He had deliberately closed the courtyard gate when he returned precisely because he didn't want to be disturbed, and yet…
A slight chill emanated from Huo Jingyuan. With his long legs, he crossed to the entrance in just a few strides. He opened the door to several shameless faces and blocked the doorway with his body.
"What are you all doing here?"
Xue Li had heard that Brother Huo had a new television set installed. He had rounded up a few buddies and the group's Political Commissar, planning to come over to Brother Huo's place to see the color TV.
"To watch TV."
Huo Jingyuan's gaze swept over the Political Commissar. "You're here to join the circus too?"
"I've never seen a color TV either."
When no one came in after a while, Wen Ci walked over to the entrance. She saw Huo Jingyuan blocking half the doorway. Peeking through the half-open door, Xue Li greeted her, "Sister-in-law!"
Wen Ci nodded.
Huo Jingyuan's lips twisted into a cold sneer. In a slow, deliberate voice that carried a bone-chilling cold, he slowly spat out, "Piss off."
Xue Li realized Brother Huo was angry. He flinched, shrinking back, and mumbled, "Brother Huo, don't be so stingy. We're just curious about the color TV."
The others still didn't get it, but the Political Commissar, who was married, understood perfectly. He said with a smile, "Let's go. We'll come back another day."
"Why?"
The Commissar's lips curved. "A spring night's bliss is worth a thousand gold pieces."
Upon hearing this, Huo Jingyuan reined in his emotions. His tone became calm as he said, "In a few days, I'll naturally invite you all over to watch TV. What's the rush?"
The little interlude ended, and Xue Li's group left.
Wen Ci stood at the doorway of the inner room. She hadn't been able to hear what they were talking about. Seeing Huo Jingyuan shut the door again and walk toward her, she couldn't help but ask:
"Why didn't they come in?"
"They were just looking for trouble. Let's get back to our meal."
"Oh."
-
After dinner, Wen Ci rubbed her stomach, feeling exceptionally satisfied with the meal. She leaned back in her chair. "I'm going to rest for a bit. I'll do the dishes later."
"I'll wash them."
Seeing Huo Jingyuan starting to clear the bowls and chopsticks from the table, Wen Ci quickly stood up. Her voice took on a rare, serious tone. "We agreed that whoever cooks, the other person does the dishes."
"As you wish," Huo Jingyuan replied.
From what he had learned about Wen Ci over the past few days, he knew she was a woman of her word—sometimes bold, other times quite principled.
Wen Ci sat back down in her seat and nodded in satisfaction. "When men and women work together, the work isn't tiring," she said. "I can't let you do everything by yourself."