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

A green-skinned train traveling from Harbin to Beijing.

Ji Tinglan had booked a hard sleeper carriage. She leaned against the window of the lower bunk, with a document spread out on her lap.

The materials came in a kraft paper file bag, and the seal of the military region's mutual aid society was still affixed to the bag opening, but she had already torn it open.

She was holding a booklet in her hand, the title of which was printed in bold:

《第39集团军随军家属互助社就业与收入情况统计（1978年12月—1979年6月）》。

Ji Tinglan turned the pages one by one, her fingers tracing the surface of the paper.

The first page is an overview.

Before the establishment of the mutual aid society, there were a total of 631 unemployed military dependents in the entire military region (who were able to work), with an average monthly extra income of 0.82 yuan per household.

They mostly did temporary work for the military region.

After the mutual aid society was established, it provided employment for 289 people, with an average monthly additional income of 39.4 yuan per household.

Of course, Ye Wenxi and the clothing company accounted for 90% of the income.

39.4 yuan. Ji Tinglan silently repeated the number to herself.

In 1979, what did this mean? It meant that a military dependent's family would receive nearly forty dollars more than the husband's allowance.

Forty yuan can buy two hundred kilograms of rice, freeing a child from their patched-up pants.

She turned to the second page, which featured key cases.

Case 1: Lang Yuqin, female, 65 years old, formerly unemployed. Sun Xiaolan, female, 27 years old, formerly unemployed. The two are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

After the mutual aid society was established, Lang Yuqin served as a cook in the garment cooperative, earning 28 to 40 yuan a month. Sun Xiaolan served as the group leader of the sewing group in the garment cooperative, earning about 90 yuan a month.

Currently, this family has gone from living in poverty to becoming one of the highest-earning families in the military region through their skills and hands, and with the help of the Wenxi Garment Company platform.

Case 2: Wang Yingxue, female, 22 years old, widow of a martyr.

Previously unemployed, Wang Yingxue had to support her mother's medical expenses and family costs, and at one point relied on borrowing money to make ends meet. After the mutual aid society and the garment company were established, she served as a management assistant, earning 45 yuan a month.

Her mother, Han Yulan, received rehabilitation care from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners coordinated by the mutual aid society (the clothing company covered 30% of the caregiver's fees). She has shown significant improvement, and the family's monthly income has turned from negative to positive.

Case 3: Zhou Pinde, male, 61 years old, former Grade 8 fitter at Harbin No. 1 Machine Tool Factory, retired.

After joining the army, he was unemployed for a time and his skills went to waste.

After the mutual aid society was established, Zhou Degui was appointed as a mechanical repair training instructor, teaching repair skills to military families, with a monthly income of 32 yuan.

He also assisted the garment company in maintaining sewing equipment and resolved 12 mechanical malfunctions. He described himself as "an old comrade who can still contribute his remaining energy."

Level 8 fitter is the highest professional title among workers, even more valuable than a college graduate.

Such talented individuals, after retiring and following their children to the military base, almost ended up sunbathing in the family compound until they were about to die.

Now it has been unearthed by the mutual aid society and has resurfaced.

Ji Tinglan continued scrolling down.

The following pages record the preparations made by the military region for the commencement of technical training courses, including basic sewing classes, mechanical repair classes, hygiene and nursing classes, and literacy classes...

The last page contained a passage written by Director Zhang in strong, vigorous penmanship:

"The issue of military dependents has always been a cornerstone of military stability. In the six months since its establishment, the mutual aid society has achieved remarkable results in promoting stability through employment and self-reliance through skills training. Comrade Ye Wenxi spearheaded the development of the mutual aid society based on the garment cooperative, combining commercial operation with social responsibility, and achieving the dual goals of economic benefits and military stability. This has created a virtuous cycle of 'enterprise-driven, skills-supported, and employment-oriented'."

Ji Tinglan closed the booklet, leaned against the window, and looked out.

The train was passing through the Northeast Plain, and outside the window were endless cornfields, green and undulating in the summer breeze.

In the distance, there were several low earthen houses, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys and being dispersed by the wind.

Ji Tinglan leaned against the pile of pillows on the sleeper berth.

She hadn't been to the former military base, but she could imagine what it was like.

The walls, the numbers—they were an impenetrable net woven from regulations and rules.

Here, the family members are simply referred to as "family members," and all that accompanies them is being with the military, being unemployed, and waiting.

Waiting for her husband to come home from get off work, waiting for her child to get out of school, waiting to split that few dozen yuan monthly allowance into several portions.

Yet, in such an almost enclosed space, someone actually turned the place upside down.

The initiator and promoter of all of this was Ye Wenxi.

Ji Tinglan recalled that when she asked Ye Wenxi for materials to promote last time, Ye Wenxi did not mention the mutual aid society at all.

It wasn't until she saw the package sent by Director Zhang that Ji Tinglan's last bit of hesitation completely vanished.

A clothing company is about business; a mutual aid society is about people's hearts.

She ran her business with great success, yet kept her true feelings hidden, as if it were just something she did casually and was not worth mentioning.

Ye Wenxi is indeed a businesswoman. She even wants to expand and strengthen her business.

What's wrong with that?

Ji Tinglan felt that she had been stuck in a dead end, and she had been trying to minimize the commercial aspects of her business dealings.

But who says business people can't have ideals and a sense of responsibility?

So what if Ye Wenxi went to such lengths? So what if she had ulterior motives? So what if she was shrewd?

"Heh..." Ji Tinglan let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.

The facts are already clear.

This is the most powerful evidence, more effective than any qualification document, and more persuasive than any "clean-looking, uncapitalized" packaging.

Ji Tinglan reached out and pulled a large kraft paper envelope from her bundle. She had already opened the envelope, but wanted to look at it again today.

She emptied the contents of the bed, and the scattered papers covered half of the sleeping berth.

Some were torn from grid notebooks, with blue and green grids, and the characters were written stroke by stroke in pen, the handwriting crooked and messy, like a primary school student's composition.

Some were on red-framed letter paper, the old-fashioned kind, with red lace around the edges, a horizontal line in the middle, and the words "Dear Organization" written at the top.

Others are made of kraft paper, thick and shiny, with words written in pencil, some of which are not very clear.

What made her heart clench the most was the back of a wrapping paper.

It's clear that it was torn from a cookie box or pastry box, and the front still has the faded word "Shanghai" and a few red flowers printed on it.

The back was covered with dense writing in ballpoint pen, and some strokes blurred because the paper was too smooth, like tear stains.

These papers were cobbled together by the family members after searching every corner of the house because they couldn't find proper letter paper.

Ji Tinglan picked up the sheet of paper with grid lines.

"...Before, all I did every day was cook, do laundry, and wait for him to come home. Now I can use a sewing machine, and Master Li says my stitches are straighter than anyone else's. Last week I received my first paycheck, forty-eight yuan, and I bought my daughter a new pair of shoes. She was so happy that she slept with them that night..."

She picked up the red-framed letter again.

"My husband has been retired for five years, and he spends all his time sunbathing in the yard, getting as stiff as a log. Now he goes to the mutual aid society to teach metalworking, and when he comes home he tells me, 'They all call me Master Zhou, but oh dear, I haven't heard that title in five years.' My husband's eyes were red when he said that..."

She picked up the white paper and looked at the beautiful handwriting on it.

"...When Sun Chenglin left, I thought my life was over. It was Comrade Ye who pulled me up. She said, 'Xiaoxue, your efforts and perseverance have moved me.' It was clearly what she did that saved me."

Ji Tinglan held the papers and looked at them one by one, over and over again.