"Hand over your golden bracelet and all your money, and we'll let you live. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
Before the thug could finish, Huo Jingyuan's voice suddenly rang out as he appeared before them, clad in a striking military uniform.
Huo Jingyuan had suddenly remembered something while changing into his uniform.
The pickpockets on these trains were notoriously brazen, and Wen Ci was openly wearing a golden bracelet. She was bound to become their target.
He'd finished changing in a hurry and came looking for her.
The men were about to make their move in the confusion, but then they caught a glimpse of the piece on Huo Jingyuan's hip and immediately backed down. "A misunderstanding! This is a complete misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding!"
Wen Ci dangled the golden bracelet on her wrist, a look of pure innocence on her face. "Weren't you the ones threatening me to hand over this golden bracelet?"
"N-Nothing of the sort!"
The train's railway police heard the commotion and rushed to the vestibule between the cars. They saw Huo Jingyuan in his military uniform, with a weapon at his hip.
Soldiers weren't allowed to carry weapons while traveling on public transport.
Unless his rank was high enough to authorize it.
The railway police turned to the other men and barked, "I'm warning you all, hand over your weapons! Hands up, and squat down!"
Huo Jingyuan walked over to Wen Ci and took her hand. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Wen Ci said with a shrug.
'She wasn't the least bit concerned about these petty thugs. So what if they had daggers? When it came to grappling and combat, she was number one in all of China. The title of War God wasn't just for show.'
The petty thieves were handed over to the railway police. Back in their sleeper car, Wen Ci asked, "So, once I'm officially a military dependent, will I just be staying at home?"
"No."
The leadership at the Northwest Military Region has already made plans. They arrange jobs for the military wives. The educated ones can become primary school teachers, and the uneducated ones will attend literacy classes first.
They'll be assigned jobs after that.
Huo Jingyuan asked, "Is there anything you'd like to do?"
"What are my options?" Wen Ci countered.
"You could be a primary school teacher, or you could assist the military doctor as a nurse."
Wen Ci pursed her lips, considering it carefully. 'I don't have the patience to be a primary school teacher. Besides, my persona is supposed to be an uneducated country girl.'
'Wait…'
'On the surface, I'm a daughter of the Jiang Family.'
'How could a daughter of the Jiang Family possibly be uneducated?'
After thinking it over, Wen Ci said, "I'll assist the doctor as a nurse, then."
"Alright."
-
After a long, three-day journey, they finally arrived at Sea City Railway Station. As Wen Ci stepped off the train and stretched, she noticed the last of the evening light had already faded.
Huo Jingyuan thought for a moment before saying, "Let's stay at a guest house tonight. We can get a proper bath, and then take the bus back to the military compound first thing in the morning."
At the mention of a "bath," Wen Ci's eyes lit up. She flexed her wrists. "I can finally take a bath!"
You couldn't really bathe on the train, only wipe yourself down with a cloth in the restroom.
Wen Ci had been disgusted by the yellowish tap water on the train, so she hadn't even done that. The last time she'd been properly in water was when she'd jumped into Shichahai.
When they arrived at the guest house, the receptionist glanced at Wen Ci and Huo Jingyuan. "We only have one room left at the moment," she said. "If a man and a woman want to share a room, I'll need to see a marriage certificate and a letter of introduction."
Huo Jingyuan handed the marriage certificate and his letter of introduction to the receptionist.
A letter of introduction from one's work unit was required to check into the guest house.
After confirming the documents were genuine, the receptionist took out a key. "Your room is Room 2 on the third floor. It has a private bathroom."