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

Ding Jiahe walked quickly to the small mirror in the corner of the room and looked at herself from left to right.

The golden earrings shimmered on her earlobes, the necklace pendant rested just below her collarbone, and the ring on her finger rotated slightly with her movements.

She touched her ears and neck, looking as happy as a child who had just received a New Year's gift.

Wang Hao stood behind her, looking at her smiling face in the mirror: "Do you like it?"

I like it~

Wang Hao hugged Ding Jiahe from the floor above and asked softly, "Do you like me more, or do you like these four-piece bedding set more?"

Ding Jiahe turned around and gave him a playful look: "I like them both."

Wang Hao grinned, revealing his little tiger teeth.

She lowered her head, her voice suddenly becoming softer, like a mosquito's buzz: "...I like you more."

Wang Hao grinned, turned her around, and hugged her tightly.

"Let's go buy some more things for the wedding tomorrow."

"I've bought almost everything," Ding Jiahe said.

"But I still have a lot of things I want to buy," Wang Hao said softly, rubbing his chin against the top of her head.

"What?" Ding Jiahe looked up at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao held her and gently rocked her:

"Pretty hair clips...pretty bicycles...don't you also like exquisite tea sets? Let's go to the Friendship Foreign Trade Store and buy a Western-style teapot set. We'll also buy two vases to put in the bedroom and living room. And perfume, face cream..."

As Ding Jiahe listened to Wang Hao recount all the things she loved, she buried her face in his chest, embraced him, and embraced happiness in return.

..........

When Ye Wenxi woke up the next day, she felt much better.

The bedside was empty, and the warmth of the pillow had long since dissipated.

Lu Weidong must have gotten up early again to train.

In the corridor of the family compound, Lu Weidong and Lu Weiguo ran side by side. Both of them wore military green vests and shorts, and were covered in sweat. Their vests were soaked through with sweat and turned dark green.

"Weidong, Wenxi will be starting school in September. Will she live at home or at school?"

"I don't think it's either of them," Lu Weidong chuckled.

"Where does she live?"

"I'm guessing...the Light Industry Bureau, physical stores, or near trade fairs. Anyway, it'll all be related to work."

"Yes, very likely."

The two ran two more laps and returned to their front door.

As soon as I entered, Aunt Sun was carrying a plate out of the kitchen.

"Go take a shower and eat," Aunt Sun said. "Weidong, I made some pancakes this morning, the kind you like."

"Wow, thank you for your hard work, Aunt Sun."

When Lu Weidong returned to the room, Ye Wenxi had already finished washing up and was sitting in front of the dressing table applying face cream in front of the mirror.

The lid of the white porcelain bottle was open, and a faint fragrance filled the room.

He walked up behind her and put his arm around her.

Ye Wenxi pushed him away: "Oh dear—you're all sweaty, you should go take a shower."

"Are you still feeling unwell?"

Ye Wenxi shook her head, raised both arms, and made a powerful gesture at him: "Full of energy!"

Lu Weidong smiled, reached out and patted her head, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.

"Wenxi, go eat. Aunt Sun has already made all the pancakes."

"Okay."

After finishing breakfast, Ye Wenxi and Lu Weidong drove to the department store where Ye Wenxi had accompanied Ding Jiahe to buy home appliances last time.

The two of them compared several models in front of the appliance counter.

Ye Wenxi originally had his eye on an imported one, which cost over two thousand.

Lu Weidong said he was worried that buying something too expensive would put pressure on Ding Jiahe and Wang Hao.

Ye Wenxi thought he was right.

My own domestically made computer is fine, so I bought her the same model.

The two paid for their tickets and told the salesperson to put them together with the appliances they had bought before, and that someone would pick them up from the warehouse later.

Back in the car, Lu Weidong asked, "Where to?"

Ye Wenxi pouted and blinked, "I'll go take care of something else, and then I'll spend time with you, okay?"

Lu Weidong was amused by her: "You can have as many as you want."

Ye Wenxi had Lu Weidong drive her to the International Hotel.

She returned to her room, but Wang Yingxue and Ding Jiahe were no longer there.

So I went to the front desk on the first floor: "Hello, comrade."

The waiter recognized her: "Hey, are you all better now? Are you alright?"

"Thank you for your concern. Thanks to your help, everything is fine now." Ye Wenxi paused for a moment. "I wanted to ask, what room did the comrade who gave me the medicine yesterday stay in? I'd like to thank her in person and return the medicine to her."

"Oh, that lady," the receptionist said with a troubled expression, "she's from Hong Kong, and I'm not comfortable giving her her room number. How about this, you can leave your things here with me, and I'll hand them over when she returns."

"Oh... alright then." Ye Wenxi, having failed to find out anything, reluctantly handed the medicine and key to the receptionist.

Just as Ye Wenxi was about to leave, another staff member approached: "Hello, are you Comrade Ye?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Someone left you a message. It's from a comrade surnamed Liu from the Women's Federation. She said if you come back, please give them a call; they need to contact you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wenxi's face lit up with joy: "Okay, okay, thank you."

Ye Wenxi dialed the Women's Federation, and Xiao Liu answered, telling Comrade Ye that Section Chief Liang wanted to meet with her and also conveyed his desire to visit the military region in person. She asked when would be a convenient time for her.

Ye Wenxi rolled her eyes: "It's convenient for me now. Shall I go over now?"

"Okay, please come on over."

Ye Wenxi hung up the phone, returned to her car, and glanced at Lu Weidong.

Looking into her eyes, Lu Weidong knew what she meant without her saying a word: "Say it, where are we going?"

Ye Wenxi tugged at his hand and said coquettishly, "The Women's Federation. Section Chief Liang wants to talk to me."

"Alright~~ We March 8th Red Banner Bearers have to go to the meeting."

Ye Wenxi hugged his arm, giggling, and even grabbed his chest muscles twice: "Tsk tsk~~ So handsome and considerate."

Lu Weidong was so charmed by her that he grinned wildly, stepped on the gas, and drove straight to the Women's Federation.

__________

Lin Wanzhi and Cai Shan came out of the Friendship Store, carrying several paper bags. They then went to the nearby post office to retrieve the grain coupons, meat coupons, and other receipts that the company had sent to them.

On the way back in the black sedan, Lin Wanzhi's expression remained somber.

Cai Shan followed behind, and after walking for a while, she finally couldn't help but speak up: "Linda, should I ask Director Liu if he can do me a favor in these matters?"

"How long can our tickets last?"

Cai Shan took out a booklet from her small bag and flipped through a few pages: "Based on the recent dinner schedule... it'll be this week by then. If we continue to arrange banquets, we won't have enough. We'll probably have to use our daily allowance."

Lin Wanzhi closed her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Damn it."

The Friendship Store has a window open to foreign visitors, with special quotas. Foreign businessmen can buy things with their credentials, without being restricted by domestic tickets.

Apart from specialized stores like Friendship Store, even foreign merchants needed ration coupons to eat at restaurants, buy things at department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives.

Oil coupons, meat coupons, non-staple food coupons, and industrial coupons were all required.

When she first arrived, Michael assured her that she didn't need to worry about receipts here, as he had his own channels.

But when the latest batch of coupons arrived today, Lin Wanzhi looked through them and found that the grain, oil, and meat coupons were significantly less than before.

It was obvious that Michael started deliberately blocking her way.

In the days to come, she will be hosting banquets for suppliers and factory leaders, and she will also be connecting the Light Industry Bureau with other foreign trade business. All of these require meat coupons and grain and oil coupons.

"Let's secure our tickets first, and the banquet plan for next week will proceed as scheduled," Lin Wanzhi said.

"But the two of us..." Cai Shan hesitated for a moment.

Lin Wanzhi turned to look at her: "Amy, I'm sorry. For the next while, our quality of life may have to be a bit lower. Try to use your tickets sparingly."

Cai Shan nodded: "It's okay. We won't starve to death."

Lin Wanzhi chuckled and patted Cai Shan on the shoulder: "What time is the Women's Federation meeting?"

Cai Shan glanced at her watch: "At twelve o'clock, we'll host a banquet for several leaders from the Women's Federation."

"Okay. Let's go upstairs and rest for a while. Thank you for your hard work, Amy."