Chapter 12 Cream Cake
He Guoqiang was a nightmare, erupting in He Xiaolan's life at irregular intervals every year. She could never understand why Ms. Zhang Xinrong, a lifelong fighter, could fall for a loser like He Guoqiang. Her aunt told He Xiaolan that He Guoqiang had been quite handsome in his youth, and that she looked about halfway like him in the mirror, with small eyes, a slightly sunken nose bridge, thin lips, and a slightly square face. She felt as if her aunt was trying to save face for her sister's blindness.
Before Yang Fan arrived, she quickly called her aunt and asked her to take the real estate agent to take photos of the house in her hometown. He Xiaolan finally borrowed 300,000 yuan from Hua Hudie and Qin Tiantian to fill the hole first. Second-hand houses are not easy to sell. Even if you put it on the market with an agent, you don't know when you can sell it.
"You still have to come back and take a personal look at this matter. After all, selling the house is such a big deal." Auntie spoke earnestly, leaving He Xiaolan helpless. He Xiaolan also wanted to go back, but when she saw Yang Fan walking into the company with a sullen face from the tea room, she knew that nothing good was going to happen today.
He Xiaolan hid in the corner of the conference room, afraid that Yang Fan would see her and vent his anger. Yang Fan was the typical man who wanted the horse to run fast but didn't give it any grass to eat. He Xiaolan had just arrived at the company that morning when she heard from a headhunter that a large company was laying off employees and that the company was currently short of a senior executive in its business line. After a long discussion with the finance department, Yang Fan rejected the offer in one sentence. He simply said, "There's no money." He told He Xiaolan to figure it out herself. In short, he wanted the person, but the salary was up for discussion.
"Nowadays, hiring is based on merit. He was laid off at 40. Doesn't he have any idea of his career prospects? Which company would offer this kind of salary to someone of his age? I saw that he still had some use, so I gave him a chance. This opportunity wasn't earned, it was given by me."
Every word Yang Fan uttered was like a bombshell, waking the still sleepy He Xiaolan completely. Never mind turning forty, it felt like turning thirty was like a volleyball in the job market, being tossed around by various companies, with no one daring to embrace them.
One day, He Xiaolan passed by a milk tea shop in a shopping mall. The shop was looking for milk tea makers, but only those under 27 years old could make them. I wonder if it was because the orange juice made by people over 27 wasn't youthful enough, or if the milk tea they shook wasn't strong enough.
He Xiaolan was terrified of losing her job, not just because of the financial hardship, but also because of her pride. In school, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even make the top ten in her class. Ms. Zhang Xinrong would always look at her report cards with dismay, scolding He Xiaolan for not being worth a finger of her neighbor's sister.
Once, while returning home, He Xiaolan heard that her neighbor's sister had gone insane. He Xiaolan couldn't sleep well the whole night after hearing this gossip. During her relatively peaceful childhood, the neighbor's sister was like an angel. When He Guoqiang wasn't home and Ms. Zhang Xinrong was busy with work, He Xiaolan was often left at the neighbor's house. After dinner, she would do homework and watch TV with her sister.
My sister was very beautiful, with thick, shiny black hair often braided into two pigtails, which would flip up and down while she skipped rope, a happy and gentle expression. Back then, my sister's bedroom was covered with awards; she'd done well in everything from essay competitions to dance championships. Later, He Xiaolan moved away, and I lost touch with her.
The next time they heard about her, it was her madness. Some said it was because she was trapped in love in college, while others said the gap in her life was too big to adjust to after entering college, making it difficult for her, who had always been proud, to adapt. Whatever the reason, the beautiful swan lowered its head. But He Xiaolan didn't dare to collapse. She always held herself to the highest standards, because she felt like the skeleton of Ms. Zhang Xinrong, and her greatest fear was that if she collapsed, she would take her mother with her.
Since He Guoqiang left home, He Xiaolan has not only been the daughter of this family, but also the husband of this family. During her adolescence, she began to shoulder marriage responsibilities that did not belong to her.
She was always afraid that her work wasn't good enough, so she tried her best in everything she did, just to get the approval of Zhang Xinrong. But her mother always said, "Other people's compliments are just politeness, only your mother would point out your shortcomings." When others praised her, He Xiaolan would naturally think it was a trap, a courtesy, and it must not be because she had done enough.
Yang Fan sent a message to He Xiaolan, telling her that there would be a meeting this afternoon to discuss the fate of several interns. At this critical juncture, he absolutely couldn't bear to ask for leave to go to Tianjin to participate in Yueyue's school activities. A glance at the time suggested that Ms. Zhang Xinrong had just returned from the community choir, so he decided to let her go to the school to show off.
"Mom, I ordered food and cake from Sam's Club. You can take them to Yueyue's school later."
There was a crackling sound on the other end of the phone, and I couldn't hear clearly what Ms. Zhang Xinrong was doing.
"Mom, I'm talking to you. You have to go at two o'clock in the afternoon. Don't forget."
"I can't forget. I'm not you. I can't change my mind tomorrow. Okay, I need to change my clothes. I won't talk to you anymore."
There is no need to think about it, Ms. Zhang Xinrong must be dressed up in the afternoon. Her current life goal is to become the most beautiful grandmother in the whole school.
"Sister, do you want to go downstairs for dinner? There's a new rice noodle shop that's open, and they say it's pretty good. I'll treat you." Ge Lin stood at the door with a smile, calling out to He Xiaolan with the delicious food.
The rice noodle combo, purchased in a group purchase, came to just 19.9 yuan per person. Ge Lin even ordered a snack. He Xiaolan insisted on giving her the money, but she refused. "Sister, it's just a few cents, why are you fussing with me?" Ge Lin said, but He Xiaolan still transferred the money to her Alipay account.
Ge Lin was seven years younger than He Xiaolan and had just turned thirty. She was always smiling, and her severely nearsighted eyes would squint when she did. She had met her boyfriend in college, and after graduation, they had moved in together to save on rent. They had been together for six years, but still had no plans to get married.
"I've told Director Xiong from the publicity department about your boyfriend. Ask him to prepare the company's materials. They'll have to review them when the time comes to see if the business segments match."
"I'll call him later. You have no idea how difficult this year has been. He didn't have any work in the first half of the year. I think he's become depressed staying at home."
He Xiaolan had never met Zhang Haiming before, but she heard from other colleagues that they had run into the two of them at Chaoyang Joy City before. "That guy is a handsome guy. Ge Lin is quite lucky."
"Aren't you two planning to get married yet?" He Xiaolan felt a little regretful when she asked this question. She felt like she had suddenly become the annoying relative who was cracking melon seeds and asking questions during the Chinese New Year.
Ge Lin didn't care. She pouted and complained that the little money she earned was not enough to buy a toilet. Zhang Haiming always said that he had not saved enough money yet, and it would be particularly unfair to Ge Lin if he got married without buying a house.
"I know I'm not good-looking, and I can't play any musical instruments or sing. Sister, think about his job shooting commercials. He's seen at least a hundred beautiful women, if not fifty. But I'm very happy that he wants to be with me. I don't care whether we get married or not. I can't afford to raise a child anyway. Sister, isn't raising a child very expensive?"
Ge Lin was like a happy little sparrow, chirping around He Xiaolan and telling stories about herself and Zhang Haiming.
"I fell in love with him at first sight. I don't know what he liked about me. I'm not good-looking, and my figure isn't good either..."
"He's been with you for six years. You must have something attractive to him."
"He prefers me to be nice to him, after all, others may not like him that much."
"Sister, I saw you secretly transferring money to me through Alipay, and you are still so distant with me," she said, handing the phone to He Xiaolan, saying that there was a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, and it would be a waste not to use it. He Xiaolan was trying to refuse, but the online loan repayment information suddenly popped up on Ge Lin's phone, which made He Xiaolan stunned for a moment. Ge Lin hurriedly wanted to swipe the money, but she was too nervous to do it after several attempts.
He Xiaolan didn't want to pry into her colleague's privacy, but this secret had forced its way into her eyes. He Xiaolan wouldn't ask, and Ge Lin wouldn't tell either. She still greeted all her work with a smile, after all, this was her last chance.
He Xiaolan knew that today was Ge Lin's birthday, and the company had already prepared a surprise for her. She even chose the surprise herself, a more expensive birthday cake that looked good in photos.
Ge Lin did not tell anyone, including her parents, that she had been with Zhang Haiming for six years, and that she paid for all their expenses, big or small. When they did not have enough money, Ge Lin did not know how to ask Zhang Haiming for help. If her credit card balance was not enough, she would borrow money from online loans.
She worked so hard just for Zhang Haiming's words, "When we save enough money and buy a house, we will get married." She kept this sentence from the age of 24 to 30.
The rented apartment outside the South Fifth Ring Road was illuminated by the flickering flames of two birthday candles. Ge Lin squatted at the coffee table and blew out her 30th birthday candle. A ten-inch cake from Happiness Cake, discounted at 180 yuan, was Zhang Haiming's birthday gift to Ge Lin. Next to it was a pile of McDonald's combos. This was Ge Lin's birthday wish this year: to order whatever she wanted from McDonald's on her birthday, but she still had to pay for it herself.
"I made a wish that we could get married next year."
"I said I didn't want fries when I ordered. Look, they're not tasty anymore." The limp fries were thrown on the table, shapeless and without dignity. Zhang Haiming didn't respond, instead playing with his phone while diligently chewing on his burger.
"Can we get married next year? Zhang Haiming."
The phone rang. It was his cell phone. The call came so timely and so annoying.
"I'm going out now. You don't have to wait for me to come back tonight. I have a job to do."
Ge Lin spent a long time choosing the angle to take a picture of the cake, fearing that her poverty would be exposed in any corner. After taking pictures for a long time, she only sent one photo to her friends.
"I wish my thirty years old will always be twenty-four."
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