The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 163: Making Things Difficult, Disdain (960+) _1

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Making Things Difficult, Disdain (960+) _1

Facing the impolite scrutiny of the woman from head to toe, Huo Yingjie felt somewhat uncomfortable, but considering that he needed to quickly get to the county town to catch the train, he couldn’t ignore her.

"That’s fine. My surname is Huo, you can call me Comrade Huo," Huo Yingjie said concisely and straight-to-the-point, without looking sideways.

The young man, being straightforward, chuckled and said, "Comrade Huo, are you going home?"

"Yes, I’m on leave," Huo Yingjie answered.

"How long is your vacation?" The young man asked again, full of envy. He had been working for two years without a chance to go home and was missing it terribly.

"Ten days, plus I have some time off in lieu, making a total of fourteen days," Huo Yingjie replied, addressing some rather innocuous questions.

One of the women whispered to another medical professional beside her, "Wang Bing, I think I know where this guy is from."

So the woman who spoke more sharply earlier was called Wang Bing. At the moment, she was looking at the back of Huo Yingjie’s head, whispering back, "Feng Qiaoqiao, don’t just make wild guesses. Even I don’t know, so how could you?"

"Of course, I know. Look, although he is wearing a uniform, it’s slightly different from ours, and seeing him here, he must be a researcher from the research institute," Feng Qiaoqiao answered. "That’s why when he mentioned confidentiality earlier, it was understandable."

"Oh, I see." Wang Bing nodded. Indeed, the man didn’t look like he was used to being out in the wind and rain; instead, he was refined and composed.

"Where is your home? Maybe we can take the same train!" Feng Qiaoqiao smiled and said, "We’re also going home for the holidays."

Hu Yingjie answered concisely, "Nan City!"

"Ah, we’re also heading to Nan City, what a coincidence, we’re fellow townsfolk!" Feng Qiaoqiao declared. "Does your family have someone to pick you up? If not, let Wang Bing’s dad’s driver take you home."

"No need," Huo Yingjie said. "My home is very close to the train station."

Wang Bing found Huo Yingjie more and more appealing and, dropping her reservations, asked out loud, "Where is your place? When the New Year comes, we could return together."

"Right, my mom is definitely going to bring a lot of stuff for me. I won’t be able to carry it all by myself. If there’s a man to help get on the train, that would be much more convenient," Feng Qiaoqiao laughed and said, "Isn’t that right, Wang Bing?"

"Heh, with you putting it that way, you’ve probably scared Comrade Huo from wanting to travel with us," Wang Bing probed, trying to gauge Huo Yingjie’s reaction.

Huo Yingjie didn’t disclose his home address and didn’t follow up on their conversation, as if he hadn’t heard any of it, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Seeing his response, Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao exchanged glances and simultaneously rolled their eyes. No matter how good-looking he was, he was like a block of wood, completely clueless about romance!

The young man might have been naive, but he too sensed that Comrade Huo seemed uninterested in the two "flowers" of their unit, which earned his admiration. He, too, found Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao unpleasant; they were docile in front of their superiors but arrogant with their juniors, acting as if paying them any attention would demean themselves.

In the unit with so many staff members, there were only four doctors. It was common to get bumps and scratches during training, and although they were dissatisfied, they held their tongues because of the women’s gender and their status as doctors.

With Huo Yingjie not responding, Feng Qiaoqiao and Wang Bing lost interest in conversing and the inside of the vehicle fell silent.

After two hours, they finally arrived at the county town.

"You go and queue up for the tickets," Feng Qiaoqiao said as she took out her work ID, instructing the young man to buy tickets while they rested in the vehicle.

The young man was rather troubled and said, "The leader instructed us to drop you off at the station and then immediately return; there’s still work to do in the afternoon!"

"It’s almost New Year, what kind of work could there be! Go buy the tickets. It’s cold outside, we’ll wait here," Feng Qiaoqiao said, as if it were a given.

Wang Bing, though he didn’t say this, also did nothing to stop it.

The young man was so anxious he was close to crying, rubbing his hands together, unsure of what to do.

Huo Yingjie patted his shoulder, then looked toward Feng Qiaoqiao, and Wang Bing said, "He’s one of your colleagues, and you’re giving him such a hard time?"

"We have so much stuff, we can’t buy tickets," Feng Qiaoqiao said. "It’s our business, don’t meddle."

Huo Yingjie let out a cold laugh and said, "Okay then, young comrade, go buy your ticket. I’ll write a letter to your station to prove that it was these two female comrades’ orders that caused you to delay."

Hearing Huo Yingjie’s words, the young man felt grateful and said, "No need, Comrade Huo, I’ll go buy the ticket..."

"No need!" Wang Bing got off the train with his items and took his own identification to go buy the ticket himself.

Seeing Wang Bing leave, Feng Qiaoqiao glared at Huo Yingjie, then at the young man, and stomped her foot as she chased after Wang Bing.

The young man was somewhat afraid, worried they’d make things difficult for him when they returned next year.

"Don’t be afraid!" Huo Yingjie said, "First, explain the situation to your leaders, and if they are upright, they will surely protect you."

The young man’s eyes lit up on hearing this and he said, "Our leader, Qi, is great—upright and fair."

"That’s good to hear," Huo Yingjie responded. He suddenly remembered He Tiantian once mentioning in a letter that her good friend Qi Xiaoyan had an older brother working in Nan City. Could it be that this young man’s leader was also surnamed Qi? What a coincidence that would be.

"Is your leader named Qi Rongjun?" Huo Yingjie tentatively asked.

The young man was taken aback, then scratching his head, he said, "Hey, Comrade Huo, you know our leader?"

It really was a coincidence.

"I don’t know your leader Qi. I know people from Qijia Village, and I heard he works here. Plus, you just mentioned the surname Qi, so I asked out of curiosity," Huo Yingjie explained, patting the young man on the shoulder, "You better head back now, and be careful on the way."

Though puzzled, the young man didn’t know what else to ask and could only get back in the vehicle and leave. He’d have to talk to leader Qi about this, to find out if he recognized a soldier with the surname "Huo."

Huo Yingjie saw Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao in line and decided to queue at another window.

After half an hour, it was finally Huo Yingjie’s turn. Suddenly, hearing Feng Qiaoqiao request a sleeper berth, Huo Yingjie decisively opted for a hard seat instead, unwilling to share a small compartment with such a woman.

Feng Qiaoqiao muttered "Pauper!" under her breath once she heard Huo Yingjie say he was buying a hard seat.

Wang Bing’s gaze was icy, too, laced with a touch of regret.

It was a pity—a fine figure wasted. It was rare for a man to catch her eye at a glance, leaving such a memorable impression. If only he had some family background, perhaps he’d be a suitable match for her own Wang Family. But Huo Yingjie had none.

Even if she was interested in such a man, her parents would never agree.

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