Chapter 22

Many of my classmates signed job offers with salaries around 2,500 yuan; even 3,000 was rare.

After much thought, I contacted my former Teahouse Manager.

As expected, he took the initiative to ask if I wanted to return.

He could offer me a position as a Tea Art Trainer, with a base salary of 3,200 yuan plus sales commission.

This Tea Factory is quite large, and there’s room for advancement.

Now, with my pockets empty, I can’t afford to be picky.

This year, Zhou Xiang also completed his PhD.

He signed with a Big Company, with an annual salary of 50+.

This is…

The power of knowledge, I suppose.

Knowledge can be effectively converted into money.

After I graduated from university, my younger sister took the college entrance exam.

She had followed my advice and chose the science track. That year, the first-tier cutoff was 522, and her total score was 664.

When the results came out, Mom cried her eyes out.

“From now on, I can finally stand tall. Let’s see who dares say I can’t give birth to a son.”

“Do their sons have as much promise as my daughter?”

Dad was excited too.

“I have to take good care of myself so I can enjoy the blessings of my daughter in the future.”

In these past years, my second eldest cousin also got married.

Once again, Aunt’s savings were emptied.

Neither of my two sisters-in-law is easy to deal with.

One after another, they both got pregnant.

Aunt would take care of this one and neglect that one.

Life was simply a mess.

By contrast, my parents had none of these troubles.

When it came time to choose a university, my parents repeatedly expressed that they didn’t want my sister to go too far away.

Later, Zhou Xiang took her for a tour around Nan Zhong University, and she finally applied for their top program.

When the admission letter arrived, my parents held a banquet in the village, set up several arches, and even invited performers to put on a show.

They wished they could announce this great news to the whole world.

My sister did score better than I did back then, so their happiness was justified.

Mom explained, “If we don’t hold a banquet, we won’t get back the gifts we’ve given out. When you and Zhou get married, we’ll throw a banquet for you too.”

The cash gifts collected were enough to cover my sister’s tuition, and Mom also gave her an extra 2,000 yuan for living expenses.

She urged her earnestly, “When you get to school, spend what you need to spend. Don’t let your classmates look down on you.”

“If you run out of money, just send Mom a message on WeChat.”

I still felt a bit disappointed, but I was already used to it.

Besides, I no longer expect their love.

Because, in this world, there will always be someone who loves me wholeheartedly.

Zhou Xiang’s Senior Brother is now a teacher in my sister’s department.

He took us to dinner with his Senior Brother and introduced my sister.

Thanks to this, my sister was able to participate in some projects as an undergraduate and even published papers.

This will definitely benefit her future development.

Zhou Xiang had just started his job and was busy as a dog.

I, on the other hand, was much more relaxed than before.

I caught up on many dramas I’d missed and books I hadn’t had time to read.

After more than a month like this, I actually started to feel empty and bored.

Today is my birthday.

Zhou Xiang took me out for dinner and gave me a Dandelion Necklace.

“Xiaxia, I think you’re like a dandelion.”

I stroked the necklace. “Yeah, just ordinary.”

“No! No matter the storm or drought, fertile soil or cliff’s edge, it can survive.”

“It never dies.” He took my hand. “Xiaxia, why don’t you try taking the Graduate Entrance Exam again?”