Chapter 175: Chapter 175: I’m on Vacation
Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan had been home for less than twenty minutes. They had just taken a sip of tea when they heard Su Wanqing’s voice.
"Grandma Liu, I’m here."
Huo Jingyuan’s grandmother’s surname was Liu. Her courtesy name was Zi.
Immediately after, Su Wanqing came trotting in, wearing a pastel pink dress. The moment she saw Wen Ci, her expression froze.
Although she didn’t live in the Beijing Military District Family Courtyard, she had friends who were military dependents. As soon as she arrived in Beijing, she’d heard that Wen Ci was busy selling clothes all over the place.
Later, she heard that Huo Jingyuan was returning to Hangzhou for a trip.
She had figured Wen Ci would be too busy selling clothes all over Beijing to ever come to Hangzhou.
But against all expectations, she was here.
Su Wanqing composed herself and walked over to Grandma Liu. Handing over the gift she’d brought, she said with a sweet smile, "My grandmother asked me to give this to you."
"Just having you here is enough. You didn’t need to bring a gift."
Then, Su Wanqing turned to look at Huo Jingyuan, her eyes filled with worry. "Brother Jingyuan, I heard you were seriously injured. Are you doing okay?"
Huo Jingyuan replied coolly, "I’ve recovered."
"Huh?" Su Wanqing blinked.
’Weren’t his injuries supposed to be really serious?’
’I heard he’d need at least a year to recover in Beijing—that he’d even clashed with the Northwest Military Region Hospital and been stripped of his post as a military doctor.’
"So when are you going back to the Northwest?"
Huo Jingyuan said coolly, "More to the point, weren’t you just starting as a doctor in the Northwest? How do you have the time to come back to Hangzhou?"
The Northwest had gone to great lengths to hire Su Wanqing, a doctor who had studied abroad, but her vacation policy was the same as any other doctor’s.
She had to work a full year before she was eligible for leave.
Su Wanqing bit her lower lip. "I’m on leave."
Huo Jingyuan called her bluff immediately. "You’ve only been there a few months. How could you have any leave?"
The Northwest Military Region was poor, not to mention its limited openings for doctors. To bring Su Wanqing on board, they had to turn away several other excellent candidates.
And now she’d quit after just a short time.
It was an embarrassment for the Northwest Military Region.
"I..." Su Wanqing trailed off. She had, in fact, been fired. Her gaze shifted to Wen Ci. "Then what about her? She hasn’t been working for a full year either, has she?"
Wen Ci gave a faint smile. "I’m Jingyuan’s wife. Is it not perfectly normal for me to come back and take care of him when he’s injured?"
The elderly woman in the seat of honor caught the subtext.
Years ago, Su Wanqing’s grandmother had called, suggesting a marriage alliance between their two families, but Huo Jingyuan already had a childhood betrothal.
Besides, he himself had said he didn’t like Su Wanqing.
So she had never agreed and had been putting the matter off ever since.
Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Su Wanqing was blunt. "Fine, I quit! So what? It’s not like you’re forbidden from resigning from the Northwest Military Region. The pay is low, and the conditions are terrible."
’A whole year’s salary from the Northwest Military Region wouldn’t even cover the cost of one of the handbags she’d bought overseas.’
’Her reason for staying in the Northwest Military Region was Huo Jingyuan.’
’Now that Huo Jingyuan was injured and no longer in the Northwest Military Region, why should she stay there and waste her precious time?’
"Hah."
Huo Jingyuan didn’t want to speak harshly in front of his grandmother. He stood up from his chair and said calmly, "Grandma, Ah Ci has never been to Hangzhou before. I’m going to take her for a walk around West Lake."
"Yes, yes, go on."
In front of everyone, Huo Jingyuan took the initiative, grasping Wen Ci’s slender, pale wrist and leading her out the door.
The moment they stepped outside, a warm breeze drifted in from the lake. Bright sunlight illuminated the man’s profile, and Wen Ci looked up at Huo Jingyuan.
She was utterly captivated.
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