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

Ye Wenxi quickly wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, her voice slightly choked with emotion.

She took a breath and pulled a red invitation card from her bag: "Oh, right, there's something. Jiahe asked me to give it to you."

"Comrade Ding Jiahe?" Ji Tinglan took the invitation, her fingertips tracing the red paper. "Is she getting married at the end of the month?"

"Yes. This is an invitation; she hopes you can attend."

Ji Tinglan picked up the red invitation and looked at it, staring at Ye Wenxi in disbelief: "I can go? I really can go?"

Normally, military regions do not allow outsiders to attend weddings, except for immediate family members and a very few close friends.

Ji Tinglan was one of the outsiders who was invited to the military region to attend the wedding.

"She's already submitted your name, and it's passed the review." Ye Wenxi smiled. "That's why I dared to hand you the invitation. Xiaotang is going too."

Ji Tinglan clutched the invitation, a smile curving her lips: "Great, I'll definitely go."

She looked down at the red again. "Xiaotang actually told me that she contacted me a couple of days ago and said she would definitely come back at the end of the month and had to attend Jiahe's wedding."

Ye Wenxi said with a smile, "Actually, we also wanted to take this opportunity to invite you to visit our clothing store and mutual aid society."

Ji Tinglan nodded and carefully placed the invitation on the table: "That's exactly what I was thinking too. Okay, I'll definitely go at the end of the month."

"Is Sister Xiaotang still in Harbin?"

"I've gone back to Changchun, I just left."

"She just went back? She's been out of the military region for several days now."

Ji Tinglan leaned back in her chair: "She's been coming to see me a lot these past few days, and she's told me quite a few things. She was actually inspired by you."

"Me? What's wrong?" Ye Wenxi asked, puzzled.

Ji Tinglan held up one finger and shook it, saying mysteriously, "It's a secret for now."

"She also told me about your being featured in a special report by the Women's Federation. I didn't expect the Women's Federation in our province and city to have such advanced propaganda ideas. It really is the Women's Federation's propaganda department."

Ji Tinglan looked out the window and saw several sparrows chirping on the edge of the bed.

"In contrast, our newspapers and media outlets always report on women's achievements from a distance. The Women's Federation is different; they are more willing to push outwards from within and are more inclusive."

"Sister Tinglan, did you go to the Women's Federation to talk to them?" Ye Wenxi noticed.

Ji Tinglan smiled: "Yes, I've had a lot of communication with the comrades in the Women's Federation's publicity department these past few days."

"It's not just in the publicity; I've noticed that their selection criteria have also changed. Take this year's March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter selection, for example; they've made many breakthroughs this year."

"Oh? Really? What breakthrough?" Ye Wenxi asked.

Ji Tinglan leaned forward, resting her hand on the table, and pointed at Ye Wenxi with her finger: "You are a typical example."

"In the past, those who were recognized were mostly model workers in factories, or doctors, teachers, and so on. Their identities were quite traditional."

"But this time we've made an exception. Neither you nor Comrade Wang Yingxue necessarily have to have the status of a 'social role model,' but your spirit and deeds are commendable."

Ji Tinglan's face was full of admiration: "It's clear that the Women's Federation is making many attempts under the new policy changes. And they dare to think and act."

"To be honest, I'm very pleased to see that the Women's Federation is truly working hard to expand its influence and give women a voice."

She then sighed softly, smiled, and shook her head: "In comparison, those of us who have grown so large are actually bound by constraints. We have to be careful what we say to outsiders, and we also have to be mindful of what we say internally."

Yeh Wen-hsi: "Could it be because the Women's Federation's publication is an internal publication? If it were an external publication, with a much wider audience, they would probably be more cautious."

Ji Tinglan paused for a second, then nodded: "You're right. Internal publications have their own space, and external publications have their own rules. Each has its own difficulties."

After saying that, Ji Tinglan shook her head again: "However, even if the Women's Federation has foreign publications, I think they will be willing to publish them."

"Sister Tinglan, how can you be so sure?" Ye Wenxi asked with a smile.

Ji Tinglan said, "Actually, when I was in Beijing, I took some time to meet with colleagues from the All-China Women's Federation's publicity department. During that time, I discovered that the people in the Women's Federation, especially the colleagues from 'Half the Sky Newsletter,' genuinely approached their reports from a woman's perspective, truly embracing women and speaking up for them."

She paused, tapping her fingers lightly on the table: "Unfortunately... there isn't a single women's publication in China that's open to the outside world. If there were, it would be a very valuable channel for expression, and it would have a significant impact on the thinking of women across the country."

Ye Wenxi looked at her and guessed something.

Ji Tinglan's eyes narrowed: "Wenxi. Xiaotang, you, and I share many views. That's why I'm willing to help you. In fact, in many corners of the country, there are many 'we', but they need a way and an outlet; someone needs to help them speak out."

Ye Wenxi looked at Ji Tinglan, a suspicious smile playing on her lips: "Sister Tinglan, are you and Sister Xiaotang... researching this route and exit?"

"You, Wenxi, are so clever and mischievous," Ji Tinglan chuckled. "Keep it a secret."

After saying that, she got up, opened the cabinet door, rummaged through the packages, took out a small tubular box, and placed it in front of Ye Wenxi.

"What is this?" Ye Wenxi asked.

"I bought this foreign product in Beijing, a lipstick. I think all the lipsticks sold in Harbin are too bright, but this one is more subtle, so I can wear it anytime and it makes my complexion look better. I think it suits Jiahe quite well."

"This is new and hasn't been used yet; consider it a wedding gift."

"Okay, I'll pass it on to her for you. Thank you, Sister Tinglan."

---

A room in the military region's guesthouse was filled with a group of people.

Ding Jiahe and Wang Hao sat in the middle, with their parents and older siblings on either side.

With so many family members coming, they've spontaneously started dividing up the tasks to help Ding Jiahe organize things for the next few days.

"The number of people is about 150 to 180, so we'll prepare for 180." Ding Jiahe looked through the invitations and the list of people. "The relevant leaders of the military region and my two comrades-in-arms need 100 people. Almost all the members of the garment factory will come, so that will be 50 or 60 people. The rest are some neighbors from the military dependents' compound... Anyway, we need to prepare for at least 180 people."

Ding Jiahe looked up at her mothers on either side: "The wedding will be held in the military district's small auditorium, and the banquet will be held in the canteen. The canteen chefs will cook for us, but we'll have to prepare the ingredients ourselves. If you're free these next couple of days, please go and get some vegetables and meat for me."

"Oh dear," Ding Jiahe's father said, sweat beading on his forehead, "at a food allowance of two yuan per person, with so many people... after this banquet, will you two even have enough money to live on?"

"Oh, Dad, don't worry about that. I know what I'm doing."

Wang Hao chimed in, "Uncle, Jiahe is doing quite well at the garment company. The benefits are good, and to be honest, our combined income is quite high. We won't have any problem covering the wedding expenses, so don't worry."

"How much higher can it be?" Mr. Ding waved his hand, looking unconvinced. "An extra ten or eight yuan a month, that's the most you can get. If you ask me, you young people should be more frugal. One yuan is about right."

Ding Jiahe took out her wallet from her pocket, pulled out a stack of ten-yuan notes, and slammed them on the table with a "thud": "Here's five hundred yuan. Take this first. Let me know if you need more."

Wang Hao scratched his head, his eyes sweeping over the group of people... and no one spoke.

Ding Jiahe's older sister opened her mouth, and after a long while, she slowly asked, "Is your clothing company still hiring?"