Chapter 31 Spring Dreams and Autumn Clouds
The morning sun is rising, the lotus leaves are dry from the overnight rain, and each lotus leaf is swaying in the wind.
After washing up, Ye Zhenzhen stood in front of the mirror, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. She looked at the mirror with a firm look, constantly cheering herself up.
Ye Zhenzhen, you can do it!
When I arrived at the steamed bun shop, the bamboo steamer was emitting white steam. When the shop owner opened the steamer, the fragrance of chives filled my nose along with the rising white mist.
She was a little craving for the buns stuffed with leeks, and two seconds later, she bought black rice porridge and tea eggs.
After drinking the black rice porridge, I rode my electric scooter and rushed to the agreed interview location facing the rising sun.
The business building is located in the bustling urban area, towering into the sky, with a spacious and bright entrance. Men coming and going are dressed in suits and ties, while women are all in O L suits and high heels.
Ye Zhenzhen squeezed into the elevator, her body stiff and she dared not move, and her breathing was a little weaker than usual.
The man who interviewed Ye Zhenzhen claimed to be the company's vice president.
"Ye Zhenzhen, right?" The man put down his resume and crossed his fingers. "I've read your resume. You're a good fit for our company."
Ye Zhenzhen sat upright on the chair, holding her thighs tightly with both hands.
"What are the specific salary packages?"
"The basic salary is 5,000, the commission is 120, and you can work five days and rest two days." said the man.
"It's normal to get a commission of over ten thousand for a successful order. As long as you work hard, there's no upper limit to your salary," the man added.
Ye Zhenzhen hesitated and asked, "You said it's a technology company, what exactly do you sell?"
The man said, "Our company is very strong, and many of our employees have already bought cars and houses not long after starting work."
Ye Zhenzhen glanced at the man's collar. The collar of his white shirt was a little soft.
"However," the man paused and raised his voice, "because it involves commercial secrets, you need to pay a deposit of 2,000 yuan to join the company. If you pay the money now, you can start working immediately."
The man pointed to the door and said, "As you can see, there are so many people here for interviews, but we have very few positions. If you are sure you want to work here, you should hurry up."
Ye Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows, then smiled and said, "I'll think about it."
"There are so many people looking for jobs now. Why are you still considering it?" The man rubbed his nose and raised his voice again.
"I don't have any money and need to gather some. I'll go back and think of a way."
“Young people must be courageous! Seize the opportunity! Once you lose it, it will never come back again!”
The man's voice was excited and energetic. He must have been soaking in chicken blood every day.
Ye Zhenzhen stood up, holding her resume, with a humble look on her face, and bowed as she left the office.
There was a long line of people waiting for interviews outside the door. Some were tidying up their appearance from time to time, while others looked nervous.
In the office next door, in the closely packed cubicles, the sound of frequent telephone dials could be heard. Employees held microphones and talked nonstop, with saliva flying all over the cubicles.
Ye Zhenzhen hurried out of the company without noticing that she had knocked a leaf off the money tree at the door.
She went straight to the elevator entrance, not daring to look around.
The elevator door slowly closed, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her tense heart relaxed a little.
It’s so hard to find a job, these cheating liars deserve to die!
Hopefully, those who are queuing up will not be cheated.
Unfortunately, she is not a heroine and does not have the courage to expose the scam in the den of thieves. She can only protect herself first and then pray that others will not be fooled.
You should really eat leek-stuffed buns for breakfast!
Walking out of the building, it was almost noon. She looked up at the sky, the sun was so bright that she quickly raised her hands to cover her eyes.
Don't be discouraged! Ye Zhenzhen will get better. She put away her disappointment and kept encouraging herself.
Under the gilded sun, she found a small electric scooter and sat down.
"what!"
Ye Zhenzhen suddenly jumped up, and her lower abdomen hit the handlebars hard. She was like a cooked shrimp, hunched over and not daring to squat down.
My butt was burned by the seat cushion and my pubic bone was hurting.
Rubbing anywhere in public would be indecent.
The cell phone rang and she answered the call despite the pain.
"Zhenzhen, how was the interview?"
“…Not very good.”
"I've prepared dinner, come and eat!"
After hanging up the phone, she paused for a moment, then rode her electric scooter to Lin Xiaoxi's home.
Walking down the stairwell, she quietly rubbed her butt when no one was around, as a way of comforting it for her previous recklessness.
Lin Xiaoxi recovered well, her complexion gradually became rosy, and her mental state was much better.
As soon as she opened the door, Ye Zhenzhen smelled the aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs. Lin Xiaoxi is a good cook and the dishes look good.
Ye Zhenzhen took a deep breath, "Xiaoxi, it smells so good!"
Lin Xiaoxi, wearing a pink apron, brought a bowl of hot rice.
Ye Zhenzhen hurried to the small balcony kitchen to get the dishes and chopsticks. The small kitchen was bright and clean without a trace of grease. Through the glass, the sundries on the opposite balcony were clearly visible.
In the room, the lucky bamboo in the vase is emerald green, and there is not a trace of dust on the shoe rack.
Lin Xiaoxi served the rice to Ye Zhenzhen, "Did the interview go well?"
"Yeah! I met a liar!" Ye Zhenzhen took the rice and put it on the table, saying angrily: "There are so many people going for the interview, I hope everyone can see through the tricks of the liar!"
"Okay, don't be angry, let's eat first!" Lin Xiaoxi picked up a piece of pork ribs and gave it to her.
Ye Zhenzhen bit the ribs lightly, and the delicious and juicy meat aroma spread between her teeth, "Xiaoxi, these ribs are so delicious!"
"Then you should eat more." Lin Xiaoxi picked up another piece of pork ribs for her, "Zhenzhen, I plan to go to work too."
Ye Zhenzhen was stunned for a few seconds, and then she slowed down her chewing. The ribs in her mouth were tasteless. She lowered her eyelashes, and her heart kept sinking.
Ye Zhenzhen put down her chopsticks lightly, closed her eyes and swallowed the ribs.
How deep should friends talk to avoid hurting each other's feelings? Too shallow will not hurt each other, but too deep may cause a quarrel.
Ye Zhenzhen held her breath and slowly sat up straight, "Xiaoxi, have you really thought it through?"
Lin Xiaoxi pursed her lips and nodded, "Yes! I've made up my mind! I want to make money!"
"Xiaoxi, everyone gets into a dead end sometimes, but there will always be a day when they wake up. I regret it now, very much." Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips, "I suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence recently, it's a very ordinary sentence. Now I'm telling you, just listen to it casually."
Ye Zhenzhen felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if an invisible needle pierced her lungs with every breath.
"That sentence is: Be careful when you are a person, and don't do things that make you feel shameful, because these things will hurt you in the end."
Lin Xiaoxi looked at Ye Zhenzhen blankly and pouted, "But you have 60,000 in savings, and I don't. I also want to make money."
Lin Xiaoxi raised his voice and stared at her, "Zhenzhen, if I were you, I would never leave the nightclub. You are so popular! Why would you leave? What's the difference between working there for one day and working there for several years?"
The huge rock pressed down on Ye Zhenzhen's chest, and the oxygen she breathed in was blocked in her throat and could not reach her lungs.
Lin Xiaoxi held Ye Zhenzhen's hand and whispered:
"Zhenzhen, I didn't persuade you to go back after you left the nightclub. Don't stop me from going to the nightclub. Okay?"
She heard the determination in Lin Xiaoxi's words, and Ye Zhenzhen was suddenly at a loss for words. Who was the person who was blinded by a leaf?
Everyone has his or her own wall to hit. Faced with her best friend's stubbornness, Ye Zhenzhen felt a little sad.
Lin Xiaoxi sat opposite her, holding her hands tightly, but she had the illusion that they were walking further and further away.
They all come from remote rural areas. Their fathers are farmers who work hard all year round and have little money left. Sometimes, when they encounter natural disasters, they have to borrow money to survive.
If you get a serious illness, you can only bear it. Someone in my hometown village got diabetes and would rather wait for death than take medicine. For them, since it can't be cured, it's better not to treat it, and it can also reduce the burden on their wives and children. Illness and death are not scary at all, but having no money is the scariest. It's better to leave some money for your son to marry a wife. Even if you can't save money for your children, at least you can't leave them with debts. If the children are crushed, how can you pass on the family line?
Neither of them had a good education, nor was they gifted in studying. They both had younger brothers. In rural areas, everyone had similar ideas. Daughters would get married sooner or later. Besides, given the family conditions, their parents were powerless to help.
They are all the same, except for their youth and good looks, they have no other advantages or specialties.
Ye Zhenzhen has come to her senses and is unwilling to exchange her youth and appearance for money, but she has no right to stop Lin Xiaoxi. Her life is her own, and she only hopes that Lin Xiaoxi will not regret it in the future.
Close friends began to become estranged.
The air in the room was extremely tight, making it difficult to breathe.
The meal was not pleasant. After the meal, Lin Xiaoxi sent her downstairs.
Standing under a cement pole tangled with intricate electrical wires, with a dilapidated wall behind her, the people around her were dressed simply, speaking a dialect that Ye Zhenzhen could not understand.
"Xiaoxi, you have to take care of yourself no matter what."
"Zhenzhen, you have to take care of yourself too."