Shao Yan climbed the stairs and finally exited the subway station. A gush of cold wind hit her in the face right away. She reflexively grabbed the lapels of her windbreaker jacket and fasten them tighter to herself.
The weather had started to change. It was no longer the hot summer. It was drizzling today, and it was already around eight at night. The gloomy weather should have hide most people away inside their homes.
But this city was never asleep. Traffic was still bustling and some people still ran around the street trying to get back home quickly.
Shao Yan was carrying a transparent plastic bag in one hand containing her dinner, while the other hand was holding on to an umbrella.
She buried herself deep into the thin jacket as she fought her way for the rest of her cold and windy journey to walk back home.
She had been working overtime this whole week and only came home at midnight. For once, she could finally leave the office early. She walked slowly, sometimes she had to skip to avoid the water puddles. Her fingers unconsciously counted the chores that she needed to do tonight.
She brought her wrist up to glance at the time. Liwei was probably still in the office right now. When she arrived home, she would quickly do laundry first. Liwei would be travelling to Japan in two days, and he would need fresh clothes.
Oh. They also ran out of bread and Liwei always ate breakfast in the morning. She would have to stop by the bakery to get something later. She started to walk faster.
.....
She and Liwei had been living here for almost three years now. Around one week after her graduation ceremony, they registered for a marriage license and they moved here to settle down.
At the time, everything was so exciting. Everything was new for both of them. When Liwei was working during the day, she would go to the community centre to practice her English.
On the weekend, they would go to the farmers market or explore the restaurants together. They would walk around to talk to people. They would be holding hands, kissing each other; just enjoying each other's company.
Liwei would also accompany her to go to new places together. Shao Yan liked to get on the train, and randomly picked a station to stop at. And then both of them would walk around the area, and tour around like some lost tourists.
Every time they met new people, Liwei would put his arms over her shoulder, and proudly declare "This is my wife, my lovely wife" and grin happily.
They would spend nights full of love. He loved pampering her. He loved showering her with kisses. Despite owning so little, he would still try to give her little gifts every now and then to surprise her.
Their lives as newlywed was comfortable; and she was content and happy.
…..
After few months of playing around and practising her English, Shao Yan started to look for a job. Surviving on a single income in this city was too tight for both of them. She wanted them to at least able to live comfortably.
She sent out her resumes dilligently and she would also go around to look for any jobs that pay decently. Shao Yan knew she was not the straight A student who would get a job easily. Especially being a foreigner here.
But she could not help to feel sad whenever she received rejection. She would not have any appetite to eat for few days and she would just keep thinking of getting a job as quickly as she can. She lost some sleeps, and she got thinner. She felt dejected and disappointed.
After looking for some time, she finally secured a position as an intern in a newspaper company. It was only an intern, but alas, she felt accomplished and so excited to start immediately.
Every morning, she had to read different kinds of newspaper. She had to do paper clipping in the afternoon based on the theme of the day; and the theme changed daily based on headline news.
After that, she had to copy the clippings and distribute them to all the people in the office before the day ended.
Her fingers would be stained with ink for the whole day. She would be on her feet most of the time and have to run around to talk to a lot of people. Her only chance to rest was when she was on the train on the way back home.
To own a house in City N was so expensive. They could not afford to live near the city, so they had to rent at the outskirt. Every day, she had to travel for two hours by switching on multiple trains before reaching her office. She had to leave the house before sunrise and only arrived home around nine every night.
She was exhausted, but she continued doing this for two years.
…..
Liwei had always been a smart student in the university. He studied Engineering, and he secured a job with a gaming company in country U even before he graduated from university.
It was only a start-up company, so Liwei had to do almost everything on his own. And it was not easy to start from the beginning in a foreign country. People would make fun of his English. His pronunciation, his mannerism, and even his clothes; they would keep finding stuff to laugh about no matter what he do.
Being a minority brought a different level of stress to both Shao Yan and Liwei. But they continued strong because both of them had something to achieve for. Liwei had ambitions and dreams. Shao Yan was determined to be here to support him to make his dreams came true.
So they persevered. All of their hard work gradually paid off after two years. Liwei climbed the professional ladder steadily; and finally sat at a comfortable position. And Shao Yan was able to get a new job that gave her more stability.
He charmed all the people around him. Those that he worked with were impressed by his skills. He also started to learn the local jokes and adjust his mannerism. Soon, he was able to hang out with them like old friends.
He was promoted to a manager within two years time. And on the third year, Liwei was promoted again. This time, was to be a director.
All of these achievements gained within a short period of time sounded so glorious. But it came with a huge price to pay.
Their happiness.