Wen Ci took the golden bracelet from her bag and slipped it onto her wrist. She figured it was better to wear it openly than to keep worrying about it in her bag.
With her skills, she wasn't worried about the thieves of the 1980s.
The train journey from Beijing to the Northwest took three days. After lying in the sleeper car for two full days, Wen Ci was about to die of boredom. The carriage was filled with the stale smell of long-distance travel.
They were three hours from Sea City in the Northwest.
Sea City was the provincial capital of the Northwest, but the military base was in an even more remote part of the region. After arriving in Sea City, she would still need to transfer to a bus for a half-day ride.
Wen Ci suddenly sat up in her bunk, a money-making plan striking her: she would use her dowry to buy goods from a wholesale store and then resell them!
In the past, that was called speculation and profiteering.
But the government was gradually easing restrictions and encouraging workers to start small businesses.
Wen Ci excitedly told Huo Jingyuan her plan. "Do you think I can make money?"
Huo Jingyuan shook his head. "No."
The Northwest was different from the Southern regions. If Wen Ci were joining a post in the South, her resale plan would surely have her making a fortune.
The military compound in the Northwest was extremely far from the city!
Furthermore, the road to the compound was a restricted area in the Northwest; aside from military vehicles and a small number of buses, no other vehicles were allowed to approach.
"Why?" Wen Ci asked, confused.
Huo Jingyuan broke it down for Wen Ci from every angle. After listening, she let out a soft sigh. She had almost forgotten that the place she was moving to was the Northwest.
As noon approached, Huo Jingyuan decided to change into his military uniform ahead of time. He took off his civilian clothes, revealing toned abs and a wheat-colored chest.
"What are you doing?" Wen Ci exclaimed, her face paling in shock.
Huo Jingyuan said, "Changing into my uniform."
Wen Ci: "..."
She got off the bunk and put on her shoes, her gaze fixed on the V-cut muscles at Huo Jingyuan's waist. She gave a self-conscious cough. "Well, I'll go get us some boxed lunches."
Wen Ci wanted to stay and watch Huo Jingyuan change from start to finish.
But her relationship with Huo Jingyuan wasn't there yet.
Wen Ci passed through the hard-seat carriage and was hit by a heavy, unidentifiable stench. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, her face a mask of disgust.
The hard seats on this train were almost completely full.
The gleaming golden bracelet on Wen Ci's wrist was exceptionally eye-catching. That, combined with her own stunning looks, drew the eyes of many people.
After passing through the hard-seat carriage, Wen Ci reached the dining car.
The meals on the train were incredibly expensive—half a yuan!
Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan's trip had been arranged at the last minute, so they were unprepared. Having boarded the "green-skinned" train overnight, their only option was to eat the boxed lunches provided on board each day.
The boxed lunch contained two meat dishes, with the only non-meat item being an egg.
Wen Ci paid one yuan and took two boxed lunches.
On her way back to the sleeper car, Wen Ci saw a few men furtively approaching a young girl. The girl must have bought a standing-room-only ticket.
She was crouching alone in a corner in the gangway connection between cars.
Wen Ci strode over in a few steps. When she saw the daggers tucked into their waistbands, her frown deepened. "What do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
"Mind your own business!"
Hearing a woman's voice, the men turned to glance at Wen Ci.
The words had barely left his mouth when the men noticed the golden bracelet on Wen Ci's wrist and the boxed lunches in her hands. Their own hands drifted toward their waists. "And here I thought you were just a busybody. Didn't realize you were making a delivery."
Pickpockets were rampant in the '80s, especially on the "green-skinned" trains. It was common for belongings to go missing, and even open robberies occurred.
Wen Ci noticed their gazes. She raised her wrist and smiled. "Oh, you've taken a fancy to my things?"