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

Zhang Yunxia started working on herself in front of the mirror early in the morning.

She took out a long khaki trench coat from the closet. The material wasn't thick, but it looked particularly chic and sharp on her. She wore a white collared shirt underneath, and a high-waisted, fitted long skirt. She put her hair up in a bun, applied some mousse, and tidied up any stray hairs.

She then applied foundation and blush to her face, and finally picked up the bright red lipstick, carefully applied it in front of the mirror, pursed her lips, and gently wiped away the excess from the edges with her fingertips.

Chen Yuanchuan leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms, and stared at it for a long time.

"Are you going on a blind date?"

Zhang Yunxia rolled her eyes at him and said slowly, "Yes, I'm going to have a second spring in my life."

Chen Yuanchuan turned to the restaurant and called out, "Son, your mom's coming home for spring, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, a sock flew over and hit him squarely on the forehead.

"What nonsense are you spouting to the child!" Zhang Yunxia yelled at him.

Chen Yuanchuan took the socks off his head and chuckled twice: "Hey, I think the women in the military compound these days are all dressed up so smartly, it's all because of Wenxi."

"What? Can't we dress up? We want to, so what if we look good? You're supposed to be a division commander, and your thinking is so rude." Zhang Yunxia's mouth was like a machine gun, firing off a barrage of words.

"I...I didn't say anything," Chen Yuanchuan said innocently.

"We're taking employee photos today. Wenxi said that everyone has to dress up. And we all have to wear clothes from the clothing company, which Wenxi provided, and we can choose one ourselves," Zhang Yunxia said, her expression full of pride and satisfaction.

This is Ye Wenxi's new perk: every quarter, employees receive a piece of clothing from the clothing company as "work uniform." Normally, employees can get a 20% discount when buying their own clothes, but this one is free.

She touched up her lipstick again, straightened her collar, and turned to call out, "Xiangyang, are you finished eating? Mom is taking you to school."

"I'm done eating!" Zhang Xiangyang jumped down from the table, looked up at her with bright eyes, "Mom, you look so beautiful today."

"When is your mother ever not looking good?" Chen Yuanchuan suddenly blurted out.

Zhang Yunxia was stunned for a moment, then smiled broadly and led Zhang Xiangyang out the door.

Ye Wenxi's outfit today is particularly eye-catching.

She used the leftover material from making a leather jacket for Lu Weidong to make herself a short motorcycle leather jacket. The brown leather had a matte finish, and the classic lapel and slanted placket design made her neck look slender and long.

She wore black slim-fit straight-leg trousers and black women's knee-high leather shoes with shiny polished toes.

She tied her hair into a high ponytail, which was wrapped with a leather cord several times and swung neatly behind her head. She only applied a thin layer of powder to her face, drew a few strokes on her eyebrows, and put a touch of light color on her lips. Standing there, she exuded a cold and aloof aura.

Ye Wenxi made this garment herself. She had limited leather; not enough for a coat, and too much for a vest. After much thought, she cut out this short jacket. The style wasn't very popular; nobody would dare wear it on the street. She didn't plan to mass-produce it; she just made it for fun.

I didn't expect so many people to turn around after I left home.

From the family quarters to the garment factory, people passing by would glance at her twice, and even turn their heads to look at her after she passed. One young officer slowed his pace as he looked at her, tripped, and almost fell.

A few minutes later, Ye Wenxi arrived at the clothing store by bicycle. She pushed open the door, her voice bright and cheerful: "I'm here! Good morning!"

Several people were already waiting inside, each dressed in clothes chosen from the clothing store: shirts, dresses, and skirts, all in bright colors and made of either soft or flowing fabrics, perfect for spring.

"Sister Liu, why aren't you wearing makeup? Come on, let me help you wipe it off." Ye Wenxi pulled Sister Liu's hand and tried to push her into a chair.

"Oh dear, I'm so old, I won't wipe it anymore, I'm so embarrassed." Sister Liu quickly waved her hand, her face turning red.

"What are you saying? It has nothing to do with age. No matter when, we all have the right to be beautiful. Not to mention you, when Teacher Li comes later, I have to draw her too." Ye Wenxi unscrewed the cap of the lipstick, put her hand on Sister Liu's shoulder, and gently drew two strokes on her lips.

Sister Liu kept saying she wouldn't do it, but when she actually finished drawing, she looked in the small mirror and couldn't suppress her smile. She touched her lips with her fingers and then put the mirror down, embarrassed.

The members of the clothing company all arrived in a flurry.

Sun Xiaolan led Fangfang, with the little male model Lele following beside them.

Zhang Yunxia and Ding Jiahe also arrived. As soon as they entered, they began to examine each other's clothes, chattering and laughing non-stop.

Ding Jiahe did her own makeup today, and it's much better than the past two days. Her eyebrows a few days ago looked like Shin-chan's, thick and dark, but today they finally have a shape, thin and curved, and look much better.

Wang Yingxue pushed over a mobile clothes rack, on which were hung two rows of prints to be photographed that day.

"Wenxi, it's all here. Twenty-four styles of women's clothing, thirteen styles of men's clothing, and eight styles of children's clothing."

"Okay, thank you Yingxue." Ye Wenxi looked up and found that Wang Yingxue was still wearing her dusty gray coat and hadn't changed into the clothes from the clothing company.

"Xiaoxue, didn't you choose any clothes yesterday?" Ye Wenxi pulled her aside.

"I'm not an employee of the clothing company yet, so I won't choose. If there's anything I can help with today, I'll do it." Wang Yingxue waved her hand.

"Tell me this? It was bound to happen sooner or later. Aren't you helping me with the work right now?" Ye Wenxi pushed her towards the clothes rack. "Go, go pick something out from the mannequins, or I won't let you take a group photo with us."

Wang Yingxue was pushed a couple of steps, then looked back at her, a little embarrassed: "Then...seriously, should I choose one?"

Ye Wenxi: "Choose! Hurry up, everyone's here and filming will start soon."

Wang Yingxue stood in front of the clothes rack, her fingers tracing across the row of garments before finally settling on a light blue shirt dress. The fabric draped smoothly, the waistline was perfectly fitted, and a small button of the same color was fastened at the collar. She took it down and held it against herself, then glanced at Ye Wenxi.

Wang Yingxue: "Is this one okay?"

Ye Wenxi: "Okay, go change quickly."

Wang Yingxue ran into the fitting room carrying the clothes, and Ye Wenxi called out from behind, "The lipstick is on the table, put it on yourself!"

A soft "Hey!" came from inside, accompanied by laughter.

It was 8:50. The clothing store, including Wang Yingxue and Ding Jiahe, two non-staff "temporary workers," a total of seventeen people, all gathered next to the signboard of Wenxi Clothing Store.

The doors were wide open, behind which were rows of mannequins and office areas. Everyone was dressed in the latest spring styles, brightly colored and novel in design, standing together like a cluster of flowers in full bloom.

Qin Tianyu had arrived ahead of time, carrying Ye Wenxi's Seagull camera.

"Look from here, just press here. Before taking the picture, count 3, 2, 1, and take several pictures. Thank you, Comrade Qin," Ye Wenxi explained briefly.

"Okay, no problem."

Ye Wenxi turned and ran back to the line, shouting as she ran, "Everyone, get in position, get ready!"

"Wenxi, come here quickly, stand next to me!" Zhang Yunxia waved.

"Oh dear, I won't stand so close to the front, I'll just stand to the side." Ding Jiahe shrank back.

"Mom, can you check if my lipstick is smudged?" Sun Xiaolan said to Lang Yuqin.

"Teacher Li, the camera is in front of us. Keep an eye on the camera in this comrade's hand," Wang Yingxue whispered from behind.

The crowd chattered like a nest of sparrows.

"Everyone, get ready!" Qin Tianyu raised his camera, and the viewfinder was filled with seventeen people. Fangfang and Lele were squatting in the front row, holding hands and staring wide-eyed.

"3, 2, 1—Wenxi!!"

With a click of the shutter, the smiling faces of everyone were captured.

On April 10, 1979, the first group photo of Wenxi Garment Company's employees was taken on this spring morning.