A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

Xie Linfeng remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone.

Ye Wenxi held the receiver and heard him take a deep breath over the line, then "click," like a lighter lighting a cigarette.

"Comrade Ye, I have something to tell you." His voice was no longer casual, but deep. "I've lived in Hong Kong for many years... but I don't have Hong Kong residency."

Ye Wenxi didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"When I was thirteen, my parents had an accident, and my aunt adopted me. Later, my aunt married a man from Hong Kong, obtained legal status, and then found an opportunity to bring me to live with her."

"I finished high school there and helped my uncle with his work." Xie Linfeng paused for a moment, and the sound of him putting away an ashtray could be heard on the phone. "My uncle runs a business; it's a fairly large clothing shop."

He stopped again, this time for an even longer period.

Xie Linfeng chuckled, a bitter laugh tinged with sadness, and didn't continue talking about his uncle and the shop.

"I've lived in Hong Kong for so many years, always wanting to make something of myself, wanting my uncle to see my abilities, and begging him to be my guarantor and give me a legal status..."

Xie Linfeng didn't continue speaking, but instead sighed.

Ye Wenxi listened quietly, and had probably already guessed what had happened.

"Later, I heard about the policies in the mainland. I thought, instead of begging others for food in Hong Kong, I might as well come back and make a living for myself."

"There's a Chinese saying, 'Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.' I don't want my aunt to be caught in the middle, and I don't want to drag this out any longer."

"So I came back."

Ye Wenxi paused for two seconds, then asked, "Would it be convenient for you to come for an in-person interview tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM?"

"Tomorrow? To the clothing store?" Xie Linfeng asked.

"Yes, bring your drawings and come to the clothing company to find me. Our address is inside the military region. Our work location and future accommodation will be here, which is quite far from Harbin."

"If you can accept this, come to the site tomorrow and we'll talk about it." Ye Wenxi paused for a moment, "However, the accommodation conditions may be a bit poor in the short term, a few months. We are preparing to build dormitories, which will be completed by the end of the year."

"No problem! I've lived in a basement for years, I'm not picky about the environment." Xie Linfeng's voice suddenly brightened. "Comrade Ye, see you tomorrow!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Ye Wenxi hung up the phone, wrote "Xie Linfeng" on a piece of paper, and drew a checkmark next to it. This guy is good; he's worldly-wise and has a stubborn streak. If everything goes smoothly, the clothing company will finally have someone to take charge of the design department.

She picked up the list and dialed the next number.

The remaining three phone calls were for positions as senior sewing instructors.

Ye Wenxi spoke with each of them individually, asking some basic questions: length of service, sewing techniques they were good at, how many people they had trained, what teaching experience they had, and their familiarity with new technologies and machines...

I wasn't very satisfied with the first two.

One only knows traditional flat sewing and knows nothing about machines; the other is too arrogant, wanting to be the supervisor right off the bat, and setting out his conditions before even starting any work.

The third was a woman in her forties, surnamed Feng, named Feng Guizhi.

He worked in a garment factory for over twenty years, rising from apprentice to workshop director, and mentored more than thirty apprentices.

When Ye Wenxi asked her for her opinion on overlock machines, she said, "Those machines are great, but you have to know how to use them. If the kids under you can't even stitch straight, it's a waste of time on the machine. My method is to practice by hand for three months first, then use the machine, so they have a solid foundation."

After several questions, Ye Wenxi had a good impression of Feng Guizhi.

Ye Wenxi tapped his pen twice on the paper: "Sister Feng, would it be convenient for you to come over tomorrow? To see our work in person."

"Sure, I'm free the day after tomorrow."

"Then it'll be 2 PM the day after tomorrow, at Wenxi Garment Shop. Write down the address. They'll call me when I get to the guard post, and I'll pick you up then."

"Okay, sure."

Ye Wenxi hung up the phone and wrote "OK" next to Feng Guizhi's name.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched. After a few phone calls, the morning was over.

She closed the notebook and decided to meet with Zhang Yunxia that afternoon to compare the information of these people.

At noon, Ye Wenxi rummaged through the cupboard and found a box of mung bean cakes, a few apples, a bag of brown sugar, and a can of malted milk powder, which she then put into two mesh bags.

She hopped on her bicycle and rode towards Wang Yingxue's house.

When she arrived at the door, she parked her car and knocked.

The door opened, and Zhao Chunfang, wearing an apron and with her hands still wet, exclaimed, "Oh, Comrade Ye! Come in quickly!"

"Aunt Zhao, I've come to see Aunt Han." Ye Wenxi handed over the net bag. "Xiaoxue has been doing fieldwork in Harbin these past two days, and I felt really bad about it, so I came to check on her."

"Oh, you're too kind!" Zhao Chunfang took the net and ushered her into the house. "Little Han! Comrade Ye is here!"

Han Yulan leaned against the headboard, her complexion looking better than it had been a few days ago.

When she saw Ye Wenxi, she propped herself up to sit up: "Wenxi, sit down, sit down! Look at you, carrying so much stuff again..."

"It's alright, everything's ready at home." Ye Wenxi sat down by the bed and squeezed Han Yulan's hand. "Aunt Han, how have you been feeling these past few days?"

"It's getting better every day." Han Yulan patted the back of her hand. "You've worked so hard on Xiaoxue. She's on fieldwork, and you're still thinking of us."

"Of course," Ye Wenxi smiled. "Xiaoxue is my person. If I don't take care of her family, who will?"

Han Yulan and Zhao Chunfang exchanged a glance.

Zhao Chunfang cleared her throat beside her: "Um... Wenxi, don't leave for lunch, eat here. I made a few side dishes, let's eat together."

Ye Wenxi was about to decline, but when she saw Han Yulan tug at her sleeve and then look at Zhao Chunfang's eyes, she understood.

She nodded: "Okay, then I'll have a simple meal with the two aunties."

Zhao Chunfang brought the food to the bedside, placed a small kang table on Han Yulan's quilt, and moved two stools over. The three of them sat around it.

There weren't many dishes: a plate of scrambled eggs, a dish of pickled cucumbers, a bowl of shredded potatoes, cornmeal porridge... and a few flatbreads. The porridge was steaming hot.

Han Yulan picked up her chopsticks, placed a piece of egg in Ye Wenxi's bowl, then put down her chopsticks and sighed.

"Wenxi..." she began, her voice a little hoarse, "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Auntie, please speak."

Han Yulan glanced at Zhao Chunfang, who lowered her head and used her chopsticks to stir the shredded potatoes in her bowl.

"Xiaoxue... oh dear, I'm a little embarrassed to say this." Han Yulan twisted the corner of the quilt with her fingers.

"It's alright, Auntie, say whatever you want."

Han Yulan glanced at Zhao Chunfang, who gave her an encouraging look, signaling her to speak up boldly.

"Actually, we two old folks have been trying to bring these two kids together lately."

Ye Wenxi stopped eating abruptly, looked up at Han Yulan, and smiled.