After returning home from Beijing, Xia Minmin rested at home for more than a month without looking for a job. She spent her days reading all sorts of books. Her college classmates and doctoral classmates were mostly working in major financial investments or starting businesses, earning considerable annual salaries.
Xia Minmin also had university classmates who worked at the Big Four investment banks, who invited her to work for their companies. However, she declined because the work location had to be in Beijing. Compared to the cold of Beijing, she preferred Shenzhen, where the seasons were comfortable except for the summer.
Li Chunmei and Xia Jianguo didn't urge their daughter to find a job. Over the years, their daughter had been studying away from home and hadn't had much time to relax. Now that she had finally graduated, they wanted her to rest for a while before looking for a job.
Many people feel it's a pity that he didn't immediately start working after finally obtaining his doctorate; it's such a waste! I only say these things to my family behind their backs. Whenever I see the Xia family of three coming over, I change the subject.
The gazebo in Dudu Garden residential complex receives all sorts of gossip every day, filled with the latest happenings from each household. Sometimes Xia Minmin thinks that if the gazebo had its own consciousness, it probably knew all the secrets of everyone in Dudu Garden. The same repetitive things happen here every day: picking vegetables, gossiping—it's all unavoidable.
"Xia Jianguo's daughter has actually obtained a doctoral degree at such a young age."
"I don't know what they were thinking. They got their doctoral degrees, but they didn't immediately look for jobs."
"Yes, yes, I also find it strange. Xia Jianguo's daughter is indeed very outstanding. A top student like her would never lack jobs. Her resume alone would be enough to beat many people."
"Then why don't you go find a job?"
"Jianguo and the others said they wanted her to rest for a while, but the child is still young, not even twenty-one years old yet."
"I wish my son could be as successful as her."
"However, his family is not short of money. A few years ago, they received a lot of houses as compensation for the demolition. The houses were handed over recently. I don't know how many houses they have."
A stylishly dressed elderly woman looked around, then held up five fingers, exclaiming, "This number!"
"Five sets?" the speaker asked, half-believing.
The old lady shook her head. "Keep guessing?"
"It can't be fifty sets, can it? Is your information reliable?" Many people in the pavilion looked doubtful.
“Absolutely true. My son got the documents for them without my knowledge. They put all fifty houses under Xia Minmin’s name to collect rent.”
"Whoever marries a daughter of the Xia family will become rich! Such a huge dowry!"
“A month or two ago, Xia Jiangguo and his wife ordered a Beetle from a 4S store. They heard that the car costs 300,000 to 400,000 yuan to order, and there are so many brands to choose from for that price, and it’s very cost-effective.”
"Kids these days love these weird and wonderful car models. They have no other drawbacks except that they're not practical."
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Chunmei and her daughter are coming over."
As Xia Minmin and Li Chunmei passed by, they could feel the gazes of the elderly couple picking vegetables in the pavilion. She had gotten used to it during her time back home, and the flashy cars had become one of the topics of conversation.
“Mom, I think the grandpas and grandmas in the neighborhood have been talking about me lately, wondering why I haven’t gone to find a job yet,” Xia Minmin said.
Li Chunmei said with a smile, "Nobody meant any harm. We're just chatting about everyday things when we're bored. You'll get used to it."
The elderly people in the community usually chat quietly behind each other's backs and don't say anything to each other's faces. They are also very helpful. Last year, an elderly person living alone in the community accidentally fell at home. It was the elderly people who noticed that the elderly person hadn't gone out for their regular walk. Fearing that something might have happened, they went to check on them and saved the elderly person's life in time. There are countless examples like this.
There are also some dual-income families who don't have time to pick up their children, so the elderly in the community organize a help group to pick up and take care of the children. For this reason, the property management of the community specially prepared a room for the children to do their homework.
The harmonious neighborly relations in the community are also the main reason why Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei are unwilling to move away. The new community may be better in all aspects, but it is too difficult to establish new neighborly relations.
“I understand.”
"How about enrolling in a class? Many of your dad and I have friends whose kids are taking civil service exams and have enrolled in classes. Your aunt's daughter, Wang Qi, is also taking classes to prepare for the military civilian position exam," Li Chunmei asked. Last night, her daughter suddenly told them that she wanted to apply for an accounting position at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and she went to buy relevant books early this morning.
This morning, the couple used their connections to inquire about the position. It's a popular position in Shenzhen, with a large number of applicants and a very difficult exam.
"No need, I'll just study at home. I didn't hear Qi mention it when I had dinner with her yesterday."
"Don't ask her in front of her. Your aunt specifically told me that Xiaoqi was under a lot of pressure after failing the college entrance exam. Her work has also been unsatisfactory in recent years, causing her a lot of psychological pressure. Your sister Qing told her to take the military exam. She has been preparing for almost a year. She passed the exam once but failed the interview. This time, she resigned to prepare for the exam."
If it weren't for her daughter taking the civil service exam, this matter would have remained a secret in Li Chunmei's heart. Ever since her daughter took the college entrance exam, the younger generation in the family has been under a lot of pressure to get into better schools, constantly being compared to others, especially after returning to their hometown.
"Oh, I got it! Don't worry, my mouth is sealed tight!" Xia Minmin said, using her fingers to zip up her mouth.
Li Chunmei was amused by her daughter, but then said with concern, "In previous years, the national civil service exam was in November, which is less than three months away. The time is too tight. How about we take it next year?"
Xia Minmin put her arm around her elderly mother's shoulder and comforted her, "Oh, don't worry! There won't be any problems. I didn't take all those exams and read all those books for nothing. Besides, it's not a bad thing to test the waters and get a feel for things."
Thinking about it this way, Li Chunmei's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. "It's fine to give it a try and experience the atmosphere of the examination room."
Since Xia Minmin decided to take the civil service exam, she has hardly stepped out of her house for the past three months, and her daily routine has returned to the five-to-ten-day schedule she had when she was studying.
The national civil service exam arrived on time at the end of November. Given Shenzhen's terrible traffic, Li Chunmei specially booked a hotel near the exam site to avoid being late.
Standing in the hotel corridor, Li Chunmei asked, "Are you sure you don't need your mother to come with you?"
"No need, I'm not a child anymore. I don't need my parents to accompany me to exams. You should go back with Dad!" Xia Minmin winked at Xia Jianguo again.
Xia Jianguo chimed in, "Xiaomin is right. Your presence here is disrupting her studies. Why don't we go back first and come pick her up tomorrow afternoon?"
Li Chunmei found her husband's words amusing; he hadn't even brought a book to review.
After seeing her parents off, Xia Minmin turned on the TV to listen to the news. She wasn't nervous at all about the exam this time; she was well-prepared and confident that she would pass unless something unexpected happened.
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