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

As Song Xiaotang was pondering this, several female military dependents who had come to pick up their children started chatting.

"Did you register?" one of the women asked.

"I'm registered to cook. I used to work in restaurants, so I have some skills." That was another answer.

"So what did you register?"

"I registered as a sewing worker. I used to assist the tailor in our village; I don't know if that counts as professional?"

"That's not considered a profession. They said it has to be something you can use to make a living."

"Well... I'm making money too, though not much..." the woman said somewhat hesitantly. "I... I'm still learning, aren't I?"

"I saw it today! They were hiring caregivers for Xiaoxue's mother, the highest-end ones starting at 2.5 yuan a day. Tell me, how much could someone with some traditional Chinese medicine and physiotherapy skills earn in a month?"

"What a pity, we just don't know how."

"Oh dear, I should have gone to learn it. Now that we're with the military, there's nowhere to learn. I tried to learn a trade from Aunt Li before, but she's too old to teach everyone, and I felt bad about always going to her."

"Me too," the woman who had mentioned registering for sewing chimed in. "But Aunt Li suggested we apply to the military region to see if they can organize some training courses or something. We're so short-staffed right now, every position is lacking people, and we can't contact the outside world here, where would we learn?"

"Yes, I've heard that too. Some people even want to form a group to learn hairdressing."

"Haircut? How many people does our military region need for haircuts? Do we even need to send a group?"

"No, you don't know? Now even hair salons in the city are offering perms, and they can even curl them."

"Huh? Get your hair permed? Oh my god, what will that look like? Hahaha, I wouldn't dare."

"Hey, I knew you wouldn't dare. Let me tell you, if anyone in our military region could get their hair permed, just watch, those girls at the clothing store would definitely dare. It's just us, we're not really that bold."

"That's true. They're working at the garment factory now, where they can earn money and broaden their horizons. I heard that Company Commander Sun's wife earns more than Company Commander Sun himself."

"Oh, I'm so envious! I'm so anxious, I really want to go in and work with them. But my skills aren't good enough."

"Hey, I'm not talking to you anymore, my son's out. I'm leaving now."

"Okay, my daughter's out too. Goodbye."

Song Xiaotang stood there, watching them pick up their children and walk away, her mind replaying the fragmented information from their words.

"Company Commander Sun's wife earns more than he does..."

"I really want to go in and work with them..."

"Those girls at the clothing company guarantee they'll dare..."

.........

Has the influence of the clothing company reached this level in these casual family conversations?

Song Xiaotang became increasingly curious about this mysterious clothing company and the woman named Ye Wenxi.

She walked around the courtyard and clearly felt an atmosphere: Ye Wenxi's clothing store and mutual aid society had changed the lives of the people here.

It's not just about material conditions, but also about these women's mindset and living circumstances.

She looked around the military dependents' compound, which housed about two thousand people, and was surprised to find that it felt more open and progressive than the outside world.

What she had been yearning for and pushing forward had gradually become a reality here, reflected in every detail, in the way women walked, and in the tone of their voices.

Song Xiaotang wandered aimlessly around the family compound.

She wandered around for a long time before arriving at the service center.

As she passed by, she saw several women entering together, and they looked somewhat familiar to her.

I then recognized them; they were technicians from the clothing company. They had probably just finished get off work and came to buy things together.

Song Xiaotang followed her inside.

"Is it here yet?" one of them asked the salesperson.

"Here you go, I specially saved a few for you." The sales clerk took out several bottles of Yu Meijing Pearl Cream from the cabinet and placed them on the counter.

"Oh, great! We've finally waited for this!" Several people couldn't wait to unscrew the caps, lean in to smell them, and their faces were full of satisfied smiles.

Someone scooped out a little and rubbed it on the back of their hand. "It smells so good!"

"Let me tell you, it smells even better when you rub it behind your ears."

Several people sat around the counter, chatting and laughing.

Song Xiaotang knew Yu Meijing; that stuff wasn't cheap, and most women wouldn't be willing to buy it.

But what she saw next completely stunned her.

After buying the pearl cream, the technicians picked out a few high-end daily necessities, then bought meat, grains, and fruits, each one quicker than the last in taking out their money.

They were carrying bags one after another, showing that they had plenty of money in their hands.

"Sister Li, could you please pick my child up from the after-school program later? I have a bit of an upset stomach. Also, could you tell them not to bring me dinner tonight?"

"Okay, it's yours today, so I won't get your food. Do you want me to bring back Old Zhang's food?"

"Yes, just bring one for Old Zhang for us."

"Okay, got it."

So those small catering services and child pick-up services I just saw were for the children of these skilled workers?

The questions and surprise in her heart were almost overflowing, and she could no longer hold back.

"Hello!" she greeted, stepping forward. "Excuse me, are you technicians from the clothing company?"

Several technicians turned around and recognized her: "Hey, isn't this Producer Song? Yes, we're from the clothing company."

After greeting everyone, Song Xiaotang suddenly froze.

She herself was puzzled as to why she couldn't help but come up.

She wanted to ask: How much money do you earn? Why are you so willing to buy things? Why do you hire after-school care services to pick up your children even though you don't get off work late? Why do they dare to do so many things that most women in this era wouldn't dare to do?

Song Xiaotang opened her mouth, but didn't ask anything.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to see if this moisturizer is any good. If it is, I'll buy one." She changed the subject.

"It smells so good! I heard about it from other people in our clothing store. They've all bought it, and we're the only ones left. We waited so long to get it, and they even saved some for us," a technician said with a smile.

"Why keep it? Aside from high-ranking officials and their families, only a few of you in the compound can afford it," the sales clerk retorted.

Upon hearing this, the technicians' smiles widened even more.

It was as if joining the clothing company was something they were extremely proud of.

"Thank you," Song Xiaotang said, taking out her money to buy a bottle. After paying and getting a receipt, she walked out of the service center with the moisturizer in her hand.

She watched the female technicians walk away with light, brisk steps; their backs were straighter than the poplar trees in the yard, their movements graceful and confident.

The reason she held back those questions she wanted to ask was because...

Actually... it's because she already knew the answer in her heart.

Why are they able to do so many things that most women in this era wouldn't dare to do?

It's probably because Ye Wenxi gave them the confidence to dare to think, dare to spend money, dare to hire someone to pick up their children, and dare to speak with their heads held high.

Behind this lies high compensation and favorable career development opportunities for women. In this closed military dependents' compound, someone has cleaved a crack in the sky for these women.

The light leaked in and fell on the women.

Song Xiaotang gripped the moisturizer in her hand, took a deep breath, and strode out.

In the evenings of June, the setting sun bathed the entire road in an orange-red hue.

The road in the military compound is narrow, lined with poplar trees whose leaves rustle in the wind.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, falling in fragments onto her shoulders before sliding to the ground.

An officer who had just finished get off work pushed his bicycle past, the bell jingling; an old lady carried a vegetable basket and walked slowly home; several teenagers kicked pebbles by the roadside, chasing each other, their laughter echoing from one end to the other.

People were coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere, but Song Xiaotang didn't notice anything.

She clutched the bottle of moisturizer tightly in her hand.

She suddenly wanted to see Ye Wenxi.