Chapter 21

My mother moved her lips, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

“Forget it, I won’t take the exam.”

Taking the Graduate Entrance Exam is like going to war.

You go all out at first, then your energy wanes, and finally, you’re exhausted.

My drive is already gone.

Now, I just can’t summon it anymore.

My father bought Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance.

I remember each person paid a little over a hundred yuan.

My parents bought it after I persuaded them. At the time, Aunt even mocked us, saying it was a waste of money.

But now, it’s come in handy.

With Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance, you have to pay the medical expenses yourself first, then get reimbursed later.

I didn’t have enough money on me at the time, so Zhou Xiang helped me pay over ten thousand yuan.

During the New Year, the reimbursement came through, but my parents didn’t say a word.

When I asked, they hesitated and said, “It’s almost New Year’s, we need money for everything. About the reimbursement, your dad and I were thinking…”

“At the very least, we should pay Zhou Xiang back.”

My mom mumbled, “He’s your boyfriend, isn’t it normal for him to spend some money on your dad…”

I was so angry my head buzzed: “You know he’s just my boyfriend. Fifteen thousand isn’t a hundred and fifty. Mom, if I take this money, how will I ever face him again?”

I threatened, “If you don’t give me the money, I’ll never give you another cent for the rest of my life!”

In the end, my mother handed over the money.

At night, the thin door couldn’t block out her low sobs.

“If you can’t earn money in the future, I’ll still have to take care of you. Qiuqiu is about to start university, and there’s no income at home at all. I just wanted to keep some money on hand to feel secure.”

“I know she’s having a hard time, but she’s young and capable. We’re old now.”

My father was silent for a long time before he muttered, “It’s my fault for drinking. I ruined Xiaxia’s future. I really deserve to die!”

This is what real parents are like.

They have many flaws, many shortcomings.

But…

They raised you, and gave you a bit of love.

They make it impossible for you to love them deeply, but also impossible to cut them off completely.

I’ve read so many books, but none of them have taught me how to handle my relationship with my parents.

My roommates and classmates all felt sorry for what happened to me.

But I still had things to do.

First, my Graduation Thesis. Second, after the New Year, I still had to take the TEM-8. Third, I needed to find a job.

Originally, I had given up on the TEM-8 to focus on preparing for the Graduate Entrance Exam.

Now, I had to pick it up again.

Zhou Xiang tried to persuade me, “Why don’t you just relax for a while?”

He was worried about my mental health.

“It’s fine,” I smiled. “I can’t sit idle, and wasn’t it because I worked so hard that you liked me in the first place?”

“But now I feel sorry for you. I hope you can take it easy.”

But I’m just so ordinary.

If I don’t work hard, I could slip and become just like everyone else at any moment.

I believe he means what he says right now.

But a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, will he still think the same?

After finishing the TEM-8, I started looking for a job.

With a Second Tier University degree, and having missed the previous Campus Recruitment, finding a suitable job was incredibly difficult.