Chapter 49
Yu Shu did not eat enough for dinner. After taking a shower back at the hotel, she started craving barbecue and was going to order takeout and beer to have some fun with sisters Zhiyang and Zhixia. When she knocked on the door of the next room, she saw the two sisters crying their hearts out."What's going on? What's going on?" Yu Shu was puzzled. "Crying so sadly, did someone steal your men?"
Zhiyang spat at her: "I would never cry for a man!"
Yu Shu agreed: "That's right, there are plenty of men."
Zhixia wiped her tears: "It's because of my dad."
Yu Shu was exasperated: "It still has to do with a man!"
"..."
While drinking beer and eating skewers, Zhiyang and Zhixia slowly recounted what had happened to them in the past two years.
After graduating, the two returned to their hometown. At first, they did not find a satisfactory job, but their parents did not urge them, so they were in no hurry either. They stayed at home as freeloaders, slowly looking for work until two months later when their father's company organized a physical examination and found he had stomach cancer. In the second month, while their mother was keeping vigil at the hospital, she fainted and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Suddenly, the sky collapsed. The sisters didn't dare to be picky about jobs anymore, as long as the salary was a little higher it was fine. They also used all their spare time to make money on the side. The family savings were used up, the house was also sold, but fortunately the parents underwent surgery and the results were satisfactory.
The most difficult time was when the sisters lived in the hospital for half a month, one looking after their father and the other looking after their mother. Occasionally they met in the hallway or pharmacy, not saying a word, just looking at each other crying.
Fortunately they still had each other, relying on each other to get through those difficult days.
Yu Shu recalled that during that time, in their WeChat group, only Ou Doudou would occasionally share some daily life. The sisters rarely said a word. When asked about their situation by Ou Doudou, they would just keep silent. At that time, Yu Shu was too busy to care for herself, feeling exhausted every day. Every moment from opening her eyes to closing them was agony. Naturally, she did not notice anything unusual about them. Even if she had noticed, there was nothing she could do to help, since she could barely take care of herself.
"It's all over now." Yu Shu, not knowing how to comfort others, squeezed out a sentence. "You sold the house, so where are you living now?"
Zhiyang sniffed and wiped away her tears: "We're living in the old house left by our grandparents. It's old and shabby and can't be sold."
"Don't complain about the old house. What if it gets demolished!" Yu Shu joked. "It's fine as long as your aunt and uncle are healthy."
Zhixia nodded: "They recovered pretty well after the surgery. I got emotional on the phone today when Dad forgot to take his medicine again and yelled at him a couple times, so I cried..."
"It's good that they recovered well." Yu Shu cautiously asked, "Do you guys need to borrow some money?"
"What I mean is, I'm pretty well off right now. You can borrow as much as you want from me. There's no rush to pay it back, and I won't charge interest..." Yu Shu was afraid of hurting their pride, and ruffled her hair in frustration: "You know what I mean, right?"
"We know." Zhiyang smiled through her tears. "But we don't need it for now, really don't need it."
Zhixia hugged her tightly: "Thank you baby Yu." They sold the house for a lot of money and patched all the holes. Although life at home was tight now and not as comfortable as before, they were still getting by.
Yu Shu patted her on the back: "Don't pretend to be strong. If you need it, just say it. I'm rich now, so talk to me with more backbone."
"Oh, we didn't waste our time feeding you for four years in college. You've really made something of yourself, knowing to support your dad now."
"Screw you! Can't you talk nicely?"
Yu Shu was lazy by nature. Before, she was forced by reality and had no choice but to work hard to earn money. Once she had money, she didn't want to work an extra second. In college, whenever possible, Yu Shu would stay in the dorm for days without going out, having meals passed to her in bed by her roommates. She was like a freeloading mascot who couldn't take care of herself.
Over four years, she had lost count of how much they had cared for her.
"Don't worry, we really don't lack money. If we were truly poor and couldn't put food on the table, we wouldn't have come on this trip."
They hadn't originally planned to attend the wedding. It was their father who, upon learning about it, advised them to take a few days off and relax their minds. For the past two years, the two had been in a state of constant tension. The parents saw it and it broke their hearts.
Yu Shu felt more at ease and asked about their plans for the future.
Zhiyang shook her head: "No plans for now, but I don't really want to work anymore. It's too tiring."
It wasn't the work itself that was tiring, but things outside of work that exhausted them to no end. The workplace politics among colleagues, the oppression and difficulties from superiors who tried every means to exploit them, and the ever-changing, endless tricks of clients...
Every work morning, they started sighing from the moment they opened their eyes.
Seeing her sister, Zhixia said to Yu Shu somewhat helplessly: "To be honest, when you gave us that bangle, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Before that, we didn't even dare to think about quitting our jobs, afraid that if we lost our income we wouldn't be able to continue paying for mom and dad's medical expenses."
Not to mention selling the bangle, just selling the two cores would be enough for them to live comfortably for a while.
Yu Shu suggested: "Why don't you come to Rong City? We could start a business together, open a store or something. Let me tell you, my luck with money right now can't be stopped. Starting a business with me is a guaranteed profit with no losses! And the environment and climate there would also be good for uncle and auntie's health."
After hearing this, they were both somewhat tempted and decided to discuss it thoroughly with their parents when they returned.
Yu Shu was in no hurry. After eating her fill, she went back to her room to sleep. Since going out, she had been neglecting exercise and eating excessively. When she returned, she would surely be skinned by Rourou...
The next morning, Yu Shu was awakened by an urgent knocking sound. Zhiyang and Zhixia burst into the room excitedly, screaming as they hugged Yu Shu tightly.
Yu Shu could hardly breathe: "What happened? What happened?"
"Sister! My dad just called to say our old house is going to be demolished!"
"Huh?!"
"Ahhhhh! Just for that big grin on your face, we've decided to come to Rong City with you!"
The following is unrelated to the main text:
Recently I've been putting my ramblings at the end of the text. Please understand if it negatively impacts the reading experience.
Yu Shu: It's the Lunar New Year, and I don't have much to give as gifts. So I'll share my good fortune with everyone. I wish you all a wealthy Year of the Tiger, and money rolling in endlessly like me, unable to be stopped no matter how much you spend, spending more and more but never running out!