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

Spring has arrived in Northeast China, and wild vegetables are sprouting one after another on sunny slopes. Tender shoots of wild thorns are emerging, and dandelions are pushing their way out of the ground. The canteen's menu has also been updated, with various cold wild vegetable salads on the table, and of course, the most precious fish available right now is the first catch of the season.

The fish in the river have been simmering all winter, resulting in firm and tender flesh that is so fresh it has no muddy taste. The chefs prepare them in various ways: some are braised in soy sauce, some are stewed to make a milky white broth, and some small fish are pan-fried until crispy and fragrant. The aroma of stewed fish is palpable as soon as you enter the canteen.

"The river has thawed, so the cafeteria has started serving fresh river fish. Otherwise, how could I dare to bother you, Mr. Ye? I haven't been able to eat with you for days." Lu Weidong carried several rice bowls and set them on the table.

Ye Wenxi looked up at the 1.9-meter-tall, burly soldier. He was tall with broad shoulders and a wide back. He was saying such sticky things. A word popped into her mind.

—A clingy big dog.

"Which big dog did I eat with last night? And the night before last, and the night before that, how did you say 'I haven't been able to eat with you for several days'?" Ye Wenxi picked up a piece of fish without even looking up.

Lu Weidong remained expressionless: "Then let me add something: lunchtime."

"How about this, I'll have a meal with you every other day, okay?" Ye Wenxi glanced at him sideways.

"Okay~" Lu Weidong drawled out the last syllable, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

"By the way, how was that design assistant today? Is he any good?" Lu Weidong asked casually.

Ye Wenxi paused, her hand still holding the food, and her brows furrowed. It seemed the plot had a real impact; she recognized him after only meeting him once? Lu Weidong, who was so bad at recognizing women, could remember her after just one glance at him at the bookstore entrance?

"You recognized me?" Ye Wenxi asked indifferently without looking up.

"Huh? What recognized you?" Lu Weidong picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

Ye Wenxi raised her head, squinting at Lu Weidong. Lu Weidong raised his head and saw her gaze.

The two people stared at each other across a table. One's eyes seemed to say, "What are you pretending for?" while the other's face seemed to say, "What are you talking about?"

"What?" Lu Weidong asked, chewing on the fish, his words muffled.

Ye Wenxi: "Why are you asking me this if you didn't recognize me?"

Lu Weidong: "Didn't you say yesterday that your assistant was coming over today to coordinate work?"

Ye Wenxi put down her chopsticks, crossed her arms, and looked at Lu Weidong as if interrogating a criminal:

"Who was sitting behind me when you called me today?"

Lu Weidong paused, blinked, and his chopsticks stopped in mid-air: "Was there someone sitting in the back seat at the time?"

Ye Wenxi's eyes widened: "??"

Lu Weidong frowned and thought for a moment: "Is it that design assistant?"

Ye Wenxi narrowed his eyes and turned his head.

You better tell me the truth, kid. Although I'm not jealous (stubbornly), I need to keep track of the situation and the plot development.

"Hmph!" Ye Wenxi snorted at him, feeling inexplicably angry.

Lu Weidong was completely dumbfounded by the snort.

Ye Wenxi turned his head and began to look at the crowd queuing in the canteen and the officers and soldiers eating.

Lu Weidong: "Who are you looking for?"

Ye Wenxi: "I need to find a new employer."

"Hiss—" Lu Weidong narrowed his eyes and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Ah!" Ye Wenxi covered her face in pain and lowered her head.

"Huh?...Did you squeeze too hard?" Lu Weidong panicked, threw down his chopsticks, and quickly sat down next to Ye Wenxi to lift her head.

Ye Wenxi slapped his hand away and turned her face away angrily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Lu Weidong leaned closer and lifted her chin again. "Let me see."

"Ugh~ Get away!" Ye Wenxi dodged to the side, her neck turning red with anger.

Lu Weidong had already turned Ye Wenxi's face around, gently pressing his thumb against the red mark on her cheek. He frowned and looked at it for a long time, only letting go after confirming that he hadn't broken it, completely ignoring Ye Wenxi's angry glare at him.

Several staff officers at the next table, each holding a rice bowl, turned to look at us in unison.

Old Liu nudged the person next to him with his elbow: "In this situation, let me offer a proverb."

"The previous line was: Chief of Staff Lu coaxing his wife, what's the next line? Here's a friendly hint, look at this..."

As he spoke, Old Liu tapped several rice bowls on the table with his chopsticks.

This group of people at the table are truly all advisors.

The group exchanged glances and said in unison, "Just a simple meal."

Then the table erupted in uncontrollable laughter.

It took Lu Weidong a lot of effort to appease them and get them to finish the meal.

After Ye Wenxi finished eating and returned to the venue, he was stopped by Zhang Yunxia as soon as he entered the door.

"Wenxi, when are you going to Harbin again?"

"In the next couple of days. Once the packaging samples arrive and some of the bulk orders are ready, we can go." Ye Wenxi took off her coat and draped it over the back of the chair.

"What's wrong, Sister Yunxia?" She turned to look at Zhang Yunxia, ​​guessing that she might have something else on her mind.

Zhang Yunxia leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I want you to come with me to take care of something."

"What's wrong?" Ye Wenxi asked in a low voice, looking down as well.

"I want to go to Qingning Temple to fulfill my vow."

Ye Wenxi looked up at her: "Fulfilling a vow?"

"Yes!" Zhang Yunxia nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "It's the child's wish."

"Ah~~~~" Ye Wenxi understood. "Okay! Where is it?"

"It's not too far, just over an hour's drive. Old Chen has something to do lately and can't get away on weekends, so I was thinking of asking you and Weidong to come with me," Zhang Yunxia said a little shyly.

"Okay, I'll have him drive us there when he's off work on the weekend," Ye Wenxi readily agreed.

"Yes!" Zhang Yunxia responded, patted Ye Wenxi's hand, and turned back to work.

"Wait—!" Ye Wenxi suddenly called out to Zhang Yunxia, ​​who was about to leave.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yunxia asked, puzzled.

"Sister Yunxia... um... does anyone here know how to tell fortunes?" Ye Wenxi stammered, even surprised that she had suddenly asked this question.

Zhang Yunxia pulled her a little further away, and the two sat on a stone platform not too far from the warehouse. She lowered her voice and whispered to her:

"No, generally not. The abbot doesn't do fortune telling or divination."

"However, Abbot Guanchen has profound understanding of the Dao. If someone has any mental issues or confusion, he can offer some guidance through his physiognomy."

"Is there something you want to ask?"

Ye Wenxi gazed at the hazy shadows of the trees in the distance, and after a long while, she sighed softly, "I can't explain it..."

"I stayed there for a few days a few years ago. I told people I was doing volunteer work, helping the temple receive and assist pilgrims, but actually I was just feeling down and wanted to meditate there," Zhang Yunxia continued.

"Abbot Guanchen talked to me a lot during those days, and I found it very helpful. If you have something on your mind that you can't resolve, you can talk to him; maybe he can help you feel at ease."

Ye Wenxi kicked at the pebbles on the ground, thinking to herself, "I can't tell fortunes... This abbot is probably a high-end version of a psychologist, applicable to everything. It seems he can't answer my questions."

"But don't ask him about cause and effect. I don't think his understanding of cause and effect is very accurate. Sometimes it changes." Zhang Yunxia stood next to her, her hands in her sleeves, and smiled with her shoulders hunched.

"Really? What are you talking about?" Ye Wenxi asked with interest.

"He told me before... that I have little affinity with having children, and that I should let go of my obsession." Zhang Yunxia lowered her head and kicked a pebble at her feet. "But when I went there last time, he said that worldly ties are unpredictable and cannot be fully known."

Ye Wenxi stopped kicking the pebbles and looked up at Zhang Yunxia.

When was the last time you visited Qingning Temple?

"It was probably around December last year, just a few days before you arrived." Zhang Yunxia kicked a pebble away from her feet.

After hearing this, Ye Wenxi looked up at the sky and watched the clouds being pushed by the wind, none of them able to decide where to stop or where to go.

"Sister Yunxia, ​​could you please introduce me to Abbot Guanchen?"