Wen Ci walked into the kitchen and saw Huo Jingyuan preparing to add water to knead dough. She glanced around the kitchen, took an apron from the right of the door, and said slowly, "Wear this. It'll keep your clothes from getting dirty."
Flour tends to get everywhere when you're kneading dough.
Huo Jingyuan's hands were already dusted with flour. He looked up at Wen Ci, then raised both arms. A smile touched his lips as he said in a low voice, "Help me."
Wen Ci moved behind Huo Jingyuan. The apron was an old-fashioned half-apron. She wrapped the long straps around his waist and, after a moment's thought, tied them into a bow.
At that moment, her stomach rumbled inopportunely.
She had jumped into Shichahai that morning, and now she was starving.
Wen Ci suggested, "How about I help with the side dishes?"
"Can you go to the canteen?" Huo Jingyuan asked.
Wen Ci blinked, understanding the implication in his question. Besides, she was curious to see what the food at the military compound's canteen tasted like in the eighties.
"Then I'll go get the dishes."
Having only just been brought back to the Jiang Family, Wen Ci wasn't familiar with the military compound. She had to rely on watching where other residents were coming from with their prepared meals to find her way.
"Where did this pretty girl come from?"
"Probably a relative of one of the families?"
"What a pretty face!"
Although Wen Ci had grown up in the countryside, she had inherited her looks from her parents in the Jiang Family: naturally fair skin, thick eyebrows, and large, beautiful eyes.
Wen Ci asked politely, "Which way is the canteen?"
"Daughter-in-law of the Huo family, you're going to the canteen to get food?" The few aunties who had been chatting with Huo Jingyuan earlier walked over and asked, seeing the empty bowl in Wen Ci's hands.
"Jingyuan is making me a specialty from the Northwest Region. I'm just getting some side dishes to have with the noodles."
"Xiuxiu, you know this young lady?" Liu Fang, the most sociable woman in the compound, heard the other women refer to her as "the Huo family's daughter-in-law" and asked with a puzzled expression, "Which Huo family?"
"The Huo family of Old Commander Huo!"
Everyone's eyes widened. It was common knowledge in the compound that there was a marriage agreement between Old Commander Huo's family and the Jiang Family, but the Jiang daughter had never been seen around.
Seeing her in person, one of them couldn't help but praise, "As the old saying goes, a daughter takes after her father. She and Minister Jiang look like they were carved from the same mold."
Wen Ci offered a gentle smile and made an excuse. "Ladies, I should get to the canteen, or all the good dishes will be gone."
The compound canteen prepared roughly the same amount of food each day. If you were late, you'd only find scraps.
Following the aunties' directions, Wen Ci arrived at the compound canteen. A long line had already formed at the service window. It was rare to see a young woman like her getting food here.
She drew quite a few stares.
Wen Ci held an enamel bowl decorated with an exquisite, bright red painting. It was recognizable at a glance as a reward given to high-ranking officials by the military.
Wen Ci's gaze swept to the words on the small chalkboard at the window.
Today's Specials: Sweet and Sour Ribs and Scrambled Eggs with Tomato.
"What are you doing here?"
Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Wen Ci. Before she could even turn, she heard it again, this time in a low, furious whisper: "Who said you could come to the canteen?"
Wen Ci rolled her eyes.
She didn't even have to turn around to know who was behind her.
Her biological brother, Jiang Chen.
Wen Ci replied, "Why can't I come to the canteen?"
"You promised!"
Wen Ci recalled that when the body's original owner was first brought back to the military compound, she had been told not to go out whenever she pleased, especially not to crowded places like the canteen.
"Mind your own business," Wen Ci said in a flat tone.