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——Worth it!
Now, those who sold her the house, and the ones who competed with her for that house back then, must be regretting it enough to consider jumping into a river.
Gu's mother's mind still hadn't caught up, and she stared at her daughter in a daze.
Gu's father, who had just seen off Aunt Qiu, hurried back, and just happened to overhear his daughter's words at the entrance, which also startled him.
After all, it was his own cousin. Gu's father pondered for a while, then turned and walked to the staircase to call Aunt Qiu.
The next day, since Gu Nuan had returned home, she couldn't just talk and leave; she definitely needed to stay for a couple of days. So, it was a good opportunity to help her mother tidy up the house. Summer had arrived. Things like quilts needed to be taken out for airing.
As Gu Nuan spread out the quilts on the bamboo poles, she comforted her mother by saying, "I've started looking for someone to decorate the house. When it's done, you and Dad can move into the city together."
"What do we move there for? We have no friends there. If you get married, we might move there to help you take care of your children," Gu's mother said practically, not the least bit enthralled by the big city. Especially with examples of someone like Wa Zicong who deteriorated after going to the city, she felt it definitely wasn't a good place.
What her mother said wasn't entirely without reason. Gu Nuan respected her parents' choices.
Gu's mother then asked her, "You're getting someone to renovate your house? Where did you get the money for that? Did you find a job?"
When it came to her daughter's job search, Gu's mother was certainly worried. Her own daughter had a hearing impairment; most companies would likely be unwelcoming. And as for civil service exams, she would probably not pass the physical examination.
However, Gu Nuan wasn't very worried about it and said, "The renovation is just getting a designer friend to come over and plan it out for now, haven't spent any money on it yet. I plan to start once I have a budget from my salary. I used the money I earned from helping the professor write papers at school to pay the mortgage, with none left over. The professor has recommended some work units to me, so I think finding a job won't be too difficult."
The daughter was full of confidence. Gu's mother stopped what she was doing and looked at Gu Nuan, "I don't know what your academic performance at school was like. However, back then, did you and Zicong break up because you chose to pursue a master's degree while he went to work?"
Why one pursued a master's degree and the other went to work, Gu Nuan didn't tell anyone.
In reality, she and Wa Zicong were competitors.
Contrary to what everyone thought, pursuing a master's degree was much easier than getting into a good company.
Now, graduate schools are expanding their enrollment for fear of not having enough applicants. Good company recruitment, on the other hand, is like thousands vying to cross a single-log bridge; the competition can be brutally fierce.
The company Wa Zicong joined was not just any investment firm; it was called MN, one of the top 500 globally. With the level of the finance and economics college they attended—considered a second-tier university—it was nearly impossible to get into MN.
But her and Wa Zicong's performance at school was indeed outstanding. Her grades were even a bit better than Wa Zicong's. In such circumstances, she chose to withdraw. Of course, she knew then that there might never be such a good opportunity again because not all companies are like MN, both excellent and indifferent to her being deaf.
But after all, Wa Zicong was the man she was supposed to marry. Thinking about the future, as a couple, a man without a job couldn't simply stay at home like a housewife.
Wa Zicong had once sworn to her, "Gu Nuan, it doesn't matter if you don't have a job, I can provide for you."
The end result, he cheated on her.
In such matters, a woman always needs to learn from her missteps. The idea that the longer the time together, the stronger the bond, is all nonsense. Experience shows that people are fickle by nature.
After hanging the quilts, someone rushed to the door in a hurry. Gu's mother was startled, "Aunt Qiu?"
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