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

"Okay, Aunt Lang. I'll make up the difference between the bill and the purchase price from the service store." Ye Wenxi looked at her and softened her tone.

"But this time, I'll only pay you twenty for the portion of the ingredients you bought privately."

"This 20 yuan isn't because you did the right thing, but because you actually ran errands and spent time, and we ate the food. You'll have to pay for the rest yourself."

This ruling means that Lang Yuqin will have to subsidize at least several yuan herself, as she has worked for nothing for the past two weeks.

Lang Yuqin's eyes reddened and her nose tingled with emotion.

She felt suffocated, aggrieved, and embarrassed by being seen through.

She was indeed trying to save Ye Wenxi money.

Otherwise, buying groceries from a grocery store would be much more convenient and reliable.

She helped this person save money and helped that person clear out their household inventory, but in the end, she was criticized and fined.

Thinking of this, Lang Yuqin, who was nearly sixty years old, burst into tears.

Ye Wenxi sighed, took two steps forward, and stood in front of her:

"Aunt Lang, I appreciate your kindness in trying to save us money. But I can't ignore the fact that you made the decision on your own and bypassed the rules."

"In this garment company, what's most important isn't my words, Ye Wenxi. It's all the rules and regulations. These are established together and followed by everyone."

Ye Wenxi paused for a moment, then continued:

"Without rules, there can be no order. They are the bottom line for our survival and development, and no one can break them, including myself."

"If you want to stay with the company and grow together with us, we hope you can prioritize the rules and regulations."

Lang Yuqin stood there, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.

Ye Wenxi's seemingly casual conversation hit the nail on the head. Through the seemingly perfectly legitimate reason of "saving money," she exposed Lang Yuqin's rudimentary logic in dealing with people and dealing with others.

Even though she herself wasn't really aware of that thing.

That was a deeply ingrained flaw in her: judging people based on their status, prioritizing seniority, and always finding excuses and justifications before doing anything...

She's made this routine an instinct.

If it were her usual temperament, she might have already started yelling and throwing a tantrum by now.

But after Ye Wenxi said those things to her, she felt ashamed and annoyed. And this annoyance overwhelmed her other emotions.

"Okay, sure." Lang Yuqin nodded, still not quite daring to look at Ye Wenxi.

"Okay, it's settled then. Come back to the venue later and I'll settle the payment for you," Ye Wenxi said, looking at her.

"Also... the weekly purchasing budget will be increased to fifteen dollars."

"Besides that, I'll also have some extra expenses for entertaining guests, which I'll pay you one to ten yuan per table each time. For example, tonight I'm treating a friend to dinner, Aunt Lang, would you be willing to help us prepare the dishes for this table?"

Lang Yuqin was stunned for a moment, as if she had heard something she couldn't believe.

"Extra banquets?" she asked again, meaning that in addition to the lunch, they could earn extra money?

"There will be about three of us tonight, so let's prepare five dishes and a soup, three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. The dishes should be more innovative and taste better than what's served in the cafeteria. We'll charge two yuan tonight, is that okay?"

"Sure, sure, no problem!" Lang Yuqin nodded repeatedly. "What would you like to eat? I'll go buy it in a bit. Don't worry, I'll definitely get it from the restaurant!"

She had just finished answering when she suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"So... are you eating in the cafeteria, or will it be delivered to the clothing company?"

"Send it to the garment factory," Ye Wenxi said.

"Oh dear, it's not quite as fresh as it used to be. Some dishes taste better right out of the pot," Lang Yuqin said earnestly, frowning.

She figured that given Ye Wenxi's status here, it shouldn't be a problem for her to ask the military region for a small private room.

Why didn't she just cook it all and eat it there?

Anyway, there are several small kitchen private rooms, which are mostly empty.

"It's alright," Ye Wenxi smiled. "Your cooking skills can make up for that. Your dishes taste good even when they're cold."

"Oh dear, it's not that good!" Lang Yuqin smiled sheepishly, her face instantly brightening from gloomy to cheerful.

"Okay, I'll head back now. You can cook whatever you like; I trust your skills." Ye Wenxi prepared to leave the small kitchen.

"Okay! Don't worry!" Lang Yuqin responded loudly, her whole demeanor filled with enthusiasm.

"Oh, right, we can't keep the spoiled ingredients." Ye Wenxi gestured for her to throw away the basket of potatoes.

"Then...can I take it home?" Lang Yuqin asked softly.

"You handle it as you see fit, but our employees can't eat it," Ye Wenxi said.

On the way to the clothing store, Ye Wenxi recalled Zhang Yunxia's words from back then.

"They were both victims of their time and environment, except that Li Yanyu had seen the light, while Lang Yuqin had not."

If judged by the strictest standards, Lang Yuqin would definitely not stay at the clothing company, no matter how delicious her cooking was.

If someone makes such a fundamental mistake during their probationary period, she will fire them immediately.

But now, having had more contact with the women in the compound, she has gradually begun to deeply understand Zhang Yunxia's perspective.

When she saw someone's strength, she saw their insecurity instead.

When she saw someone who always wanted to be superior to others, she realized that it was because they were afraid of being looked down upon.

She saw someone who treated others differently based on their status and was calculating in everything, but what she saw was something that person never knew—that one can be treated fairly and kindly without having to fight for anything.

Zhang Yunxia must have seen all of this as well.

As Ye Wenxi walked, she suddenly smiled. There was another person who might have seen all of this today.

That was Lang Yuqin herself.

Today, Ye Wenxi is like a mirror, reflecting a true nature that Lang Yuqin herself was unaware of, completing an unprecedented round of self-examination.

Seeing another person is compassion; seeing yourself is awakening.

What truly changes a person is not criticism and punishment, but rather their decision to change their way of life after recognizing themselves in the mirror.

Ye Wenxi is now a little curious and expectant about what kind of changes will occur in Lang Yuqin, this typical old-fashioned person.

"Hey, you're not lame anymore?" A voice suddenly came from behind. "My safflower oil is still the best, isn't it?"

Ye Wenxi turned her head and saw Su Feng standing there shirtless, wearing only a black tight-fitting vest, exposing his shoulders and arms with obvious muscle lines.

Ye Wenxi: "......."

"Hey, do you feel temperature differently than humans? Why are you dressed so lightly in this freezing weather?" Ye Wenxi looked him up and down. "What do you do in the summer? Carry a blanket of ice?"

"We won't dress like this in the summer. We'll wear a jacket even in the hottest days of summer. It's warm in winter and cool in summer," Su Feng said seriously, hands on his hips, his expression earnest.

"These are basic training exercises for special forces soldiers; they're used to them," Su Feng explained casually.

Ye Wenxi suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He was working so hard, and she was still making sarcastic remarks.

"Oh, you special forces soldiers are really amazing," Ye Wenxi replied softly, her tone sincere.

"Lu Weidong used to be able to do it, but now..." Su Feng paused meaningfully.

"Lu Weidong? Don't let his position as chief of staff fool you; he sits in his office all day long. I think his physical fitness and stamina are just as good as his." Ye Wenxi immediately chimed in, earnestly defending Lu Weidong.

"That's your opinion. Even special forces members are greatly affected after they get married," Su Feng blurted out.

Wait, something's not right!

The next second, both Su Feng and Ye Wenxi went numb.

Ye Wenxi was a quick learner; her face flushed red and then turned pale.

Su Feng cursed himself inwardly: Damn it, I said the wrong thing.

"Ah, I have something to do, I'll go first." Ye Wenxi said quickly, her legs moving like a race walker, her upper body remaining still while her lower body sprinted forward.

“Pah!”

Su Feng slapped his own mouth hard.

"What a foul mouth."