Huo Guangji stood at the doorway, looking at the woman inside the room.
Her thin face was still gaunt, but her eyes were shining brightly, filled with a light he couldn’t quite understand.
Although he didn’t know why she and the children had ended up in such a terrible state, Huo Guangji felt that since they were his own children, there was no reason for them to carry someone else’s surname.
He dropped the large bundle he was carrying onto the floor and saluted Wei Wenjie.
Wei Wenjie immediately gave Huo Guangji a meaningful look.
The children had already been given their mother’s surname. If he didn’t hurry up and coax his wife, she might really leave for good!
“You two haven’t seen each other in so long. I’m sure you have plenty of private things to talk about. We’ll get out of your way and stop being third wheels!”
She grabbed the other woman and turned to leave. Before going, she thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
Now only Huo Guangji, Qin Yue’e, and the two children remained in the room, staring at one another.
The children didn’t recognize Huo Guangji at all. They simply kept burrowing into Qin Yue’e’s arms.
Huo Guangji was the first to speak.
“The money I sent was all addressed to Mother. I sent it to the production brigade once every three months. How could you possibly not have received it?”
What was he implying?
Was he saying that she had taken the money but deliberately starved his children?
Qin Yue’e’s expression immediately darkened.
“So, Captain Huo, are you saying I deliberately withheld food from my own children? I must be incredibly capable, then. Not only could I somehow hide the wages you sent from your entire family, I could also starve myself and my children half to death while refusing to spend a single cent on food!”
Huo Guangji’s gaze shifted slightly. He frowned.
“That’s not what I meant…”
He was simply confused.
He clearly sent his entire salary home. So why did Qin Yue’e and the children look as though they had never seen a single cent of it?
With his rank, his monthly salary and allowances totaled around thirty-five yuan.
It wasn’t exactly a fortune, but it was certainly enough for Qin Yue’e and the children to live on.
Qin Yue’e rolled her eyes and ignored him.
She refused to believe that this man genuinely had no idea what his family was like!
There were nine siblings in the Huo family.
Huo Guangji was the eldest.
Below him were younger brothers and sisters, including some who were barely old enough to walk.
With such a huge family, when Huo Guangji sent thirty-five yuan home every month, Qin Yue’e would be lucky if even fifty cents made it into her hands!
And his mother was the worst of all.
Seeing that her eldest son showed no concern for his wife and children, she took advantage of the situation and relentlessly abused the original Qin Yue’e.
She practically treated her like a servant, forcing her to do every imaginable chore without giving her a moment to rest.
The original Qin Yue’e woke up earlier than a rooster and went to bed later than a dog every single day.
Even while pregnant, she still had to work in the fields under the scorching sun.
When she finally returned home, the entire family would already be sitting around the heated brick bed with their legs crossed, waiting for her to cook.
Thinking about it, Qin Yue’e couldn’t help snorting.
“If Captain Huo finds us mother and children such an eyesore, you can just give us some money and send us on our way. As long as you give us enough money, we absolutely won’t stay here one day longer than necessary!”
She had no intention of maintaining any connection with this family.
As long as Huo Guangji paid enough child support, she would have money and children but no man.
What could be more carefree than that?
Huo Guangji’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
This woman had traveled such a long distance to find him…
Just to ask for money?
No wonder the matchmaker had mentioned before their marriage that her father was drowning in gambling debts.
If it hadn’t been for the betrothal gifts, she probably wouldn’t have agreed to marry him so hastily.
“I don’t have any money with me right now. If you insist on staying with the unit, then stay.”
Huo Guangji’s voice suddenly turned cold.
He dropped the words and walked away without looking back.
“Bang!”
The door slammed shut.
Qin Yue’e’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Did this man think she had come here just to mooch off him?
Was his heart eaten by a dog?!
His own children were practically skin and bones from starvation, yet this man still wanted to keep his precious salary locked away in his pocket?
What a scumbag!
The moment Huo Guangji stepped outside, Xiao Li came over carrying two large bundles.
The instant he saw Huo Guangji, Xiao Li’s face lit up.
“Captain Huo! How did it go? Did Sister-in-law forgive you?”
If he hadn’t mentioned Qin Yue’e, everything would have been fine.
The moment he did, Huo Guangji’s already dark expression became even darker.
Thinking about that woman standing there with her chin raised, firing one accusation after another at him, made the anger in his chest flare up again.
Then he noticed the two bundles in Xiao Li’s hands—one large and one small.
“What’s inside those?” Huo Guangji asked.
Xiao Li didn’t notice anything unusual about his captain’s expression.
Instead, he excitedly opened the two bundles and began explaining everything like he was taking credit for a great achievement.
“The big one has clothes for Sister-in-law and the two children. Section Chief Wei gave us two sets of new fabric, and the unit’s Women’s Federation donated some things too. The rest are old military uniforms from us soldiers. They aren’t new, and the sizes aren’t exactly right, but we can alter them for the children to wear!”
“The smaller one has food for the children!”
Xiao Li excitedly opened the lunchbox.
Inside were three plump, perfectly white boiled eggs.
“The little girl said eggs were delicious, so I got three!”
There was also millet porridge, some stir-fried sweet potato leaves, and two enormous sweet potatoes the size of fists.
They were clearly the red-fleshed kind, which meant they were probably sweet.
There was even some sesame-oil-seasoned pickled vegetables on the side.
Huo Guangji’s brows furrowed slightly.
The unit wasn’t exactly short of food, but the meals certainly couldn’t be described as luxurious.
The food in this lunchbox was practically on par with the meals provided to section-level cadres.
For an ordinary captain like him, the standard daily ration was only four mixed-grain steamed buns.
Sweet potato leaves were unlimited, but they weren’t very filling. They mostly made you run to the latrine without actually putting any weight on your body.
He didn’t want to take advantage of the unit’s resources.
He was about to refuse when he suddenly heard a soft, childish voice coming from inside the room.
“Mommy, does Daddy not like us?”
Huo Guangji’s heart suddenly tightened.
He immediately remembered the children’s huge eyes—eyes that had become almost numb from hunger.
His expression darkened.
Forget it.
If it wasn’t technically within the rules, then so be it.
He hadn’t used this month’s meal tickets yet. He should still be able to support the three of them.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out several meal tickets, and stuffed them into Xiao Li’s hands.
Xiao Li hurriedly refused.
“No, no, Captain Huo! The company commander already said that the little girl’s meals should be charged to his ration!”
“Take them.”
Huo Guangji firmly pushed the tickets back into his hands.
How much could Liu Shutong’s ration possibly cover?
His own wife and children shouldn’t have to rely on the company commander to feed them.
Huo Guangji lowered his head and closed the lunchbox.
“Take it inside. It’ll get cold.”
After saying that, he lowered his head and walked away.
Xiao Li stared at his retreating back, completely confused.
Had the captain made up with his wife or not?
He hadn’t said a word!
How was he supposed to report back to the company commander?
Xiao Li glanced into the room.
Then suddenly, an idea came to him.
He could just ask Sister-in-law indirectly!
The company commander only wanted an answer anyway.
As long as he gave him one, that should be good enough!