"The bride price is 300,000 yuan, not a single cent less!"
"I don't care about money, I just want to know how much I mean to you."
"Also, you can't write your mother's name in your suite, it must be transferred to my name."
Deep City, the seat by the window of Gray Whale Cafe.
Thirty-eight-year-old Jiang Qin looked at the marriage partner in front of him, and suddenly felt that her face was a little strange.
They met through a blind date and have been together for more than half a year. Because they are not young anymore and have no time to procrastinate, they have been discussing marriage recently.
To be honest, Jiang Qin didn't have much affection for her, and he believed that the other party thought the same way.
After all, it is the age of four, is it still for love to marry a wife and have children?
I just don't want to be alone forever...
But he didn't speak, but silently drank the water in the cup, and looked out of the glass window, his ears automatically blocked the other party's voice.
He thinks that life is actually kind of fucked up.
Because his parents said that knowledge can change his destiny, he studied hard since he was a child, and he felt that he would be rich or expensive in the future, and he would be extraordinary.
But he didn't realize until after work that he wasn't even an ordinary person
When he entered the workplace at the beginning of 16, he was drunk by a table full of customers and entered the hospital. He failed to see his grandmother who brought him up for the last time.
In 19 years, the project was thunderous, and he was forced to take the blame. He stayed in a rented house and ate instant noodles for five months, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality.
The later job was fairly stable, but it was far away from where he lived. His liver was broken, and he worked so hard that he saved money twice, just to buy a car.
In 22 years, he finally bought the car, but he found that he couldn't afford to fill up the gas, and he couldn't stop urinating.
After turning thirty, he found that the rent was rising faster than his salary, so he saved money desperately, and told his parents that he wanted to buy a house in Shencheng.
From that day on, no meat was ever seen on the parents' table.
But the down payment was still not enough, so my father kept it from him, went to work during the day and ran Didi at night, and almost had a brain hemorrhage.
Is poverty really related to laziness?
Jiang Qin has been thinking about this question for years.
He felt that he had worked hard enough to fully deserve his name.
But what about money?
Who made the money?
When he was a child, his parents once told him earnestly that as long as you are willing to endure hardships, you will surely succeed.
But what he discovered after growing up is that as long as you are willing to endure hardships, there must be endless hardships.
Now, his blind date wants 300,000 dowry.
"Jiang Qin, did you listen to me?"
"Well, I've been listening."
"Then why don't you say a word, I've been talking for a long time, and you don't care if your voice is hoarse!"
Jiang Qin put down his water glass, and after a long silence, he said, "This marriage, why don't we get married?"
The woman froze for a moment, and then flew into a rage: "What do you mean by that?"
"It's nothing, I just feel very tired and want to go home and sleep."
"Jiang Qin, you bastard, no wonder you are thirty-eight and no woman wants to be with you!"
Regardless of the woman's roar, Jiang Qin stepped out of the western restaurant and walked aimlessly along the road.
When he walked to a construction site, he saw a banner hanging on the wall, saying that beating workers is a superior person.
So he lit a cigarette, took two puffs and burned a hole in it.
He actually didn't have much complaints about that woman, and even thought her request was normal.
Everyone is thirty-five, what's wrong with being realistic?
He was just thinking about a question.
When will such days come to an end?
Those who have never worked part-time are desperately advocating that beating workers is a master, but those who have been working part-time dare not say anything, they can only nod and admit, ah, yes, yes, yes.
But how can I look like a master?
I have mixed two pairs of ajs in this life, and they are still from Putian. Do you call this a master?
As for love?
Jiang Qin didn't even know if it existed or not.
He has been on a few dates and met a few girls introduced by his friends, no matter which one he can make a living, but the saddest thing is that he can only make a living.
Looking back on my life, there are really too many regrets in this life...
Jiang Qin sighed, took out the phone from his pocket, and wanted to find a friend to drink with him, but when he opened it, he saw four text messages.
A credit card payment reminder, a phone bill arrears warning, and a brother, I am nearby, and there is no one at home today.
The last one came from his immediate leader, who told him in earnest words that the company's performance has not been good recently, and he hoped that employees could voluntarily cut their salaries and tide over the difficulties together with the company.
Jiang Qin lost the mood to drink in an instant, and continued to smoke while working downstairs.
In this era, if you want to be rich, you must never work, because the distribution of resources in this society is inherently unfair.
But thinking of his own age, Jiang Qin couldn't help laughing.
It's unrealistic to start a business after thirty-eight, right?
In the past two years, his waist has been exhausted and his cervical spine has problems. The pain of cross neuralgia is more frequent than frequent urination.
Dragging this broken body to start a business, even if you succeed, you will have to be fifty years old. What else can you enjoy in this life.
It would be great if I could do it all over again. I don't work for anything, and I can be with a rich woman if I can.
If it doesn't work, start a business. I firmly believe that I can make more money if I lose my money, but I can earn more if I lose my conscience.
Jiang Qin took a deep breath, squeezed his sore neck, and couldn't help but glance up.
Um?
What's that black mess? Still coming?
"..."
"Give him a shot of epinephrine, hurry up!"
"..."
"Welcome to the Olympics, promote civilization, and foster a new style!"
"..."
"Where's Director Liu? Ask if the operating room is free, hurry up!"
"..."
"My door is always open, waiting for you with open arms."
Jiang Qin suddenly felt a little dazzling in front of his eyes, a little noisy in his ears, a little hot skin, and a little dizzy in his head.
In a vague way, he saw a very beautiful little girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old.
She was wearing a fluffy floral dress, revealing a small section of white and smooth calf, a straight nose bridge, red thin lips, slender and curled eyelashes, and a pair of bright eyes.
Jiang Qin smiled.
All these years of working hard to change cars and villas for the big boss, he never even dreamed of such a beautiful girl.
Such a beautiful girl can cry for a long time with a slap in the face, right?
"Jiang Qin, I really don't want to talk about friends, I'm sorry."
Jiang Qin couldn't laugh anymore, because he found that the girl in front of him became more vivid and clear.
Her floral dress was printed with cornflowers, and she was standing tall and graceful on the red plastic runway, slightly covering the sun with the arms of bullying Saixue so that she would not be able to open her eyes
But even so, the hot weather still made this young and beautiful girl a little irritable.
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as if you agreed. We're still good friends, right?"
Jiang Qin's brows began to frown, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes.
She knew this girl, the class flower Chu Siqi in high school, she should have married a wife by now.
After high school and college, I chased her for seven years, and was almost rejected by her to the point of doubting my life.
In fact, Jiang Qin is not licking the dog, nor can he do such a thing as desperately entangled.
But the problem is that Chu Siqi has been constantly intervening in his life as a friend, telling him to do this and that, and not allowing him to associate with other girls, giving him hope from time to time, throwing two candies, it really made the young Jiang Qin tortured not lightly.
"After freshman year, I'll consider being your girlfriend!"
"I didn't expect the homework to be so heavy in the sophomore year. Let's talk about it in the third year."
"There are so many competitions to participate in my junior year, I don't have time for love."
Until the second semester of her junior year, she and a tall and thin boy came holding hands in couple outfits.
That day, she had a gentle face, her eyes were like stars, and she smiled and asked her boyfriend if he was handsome.
Since then, he has sealed his heart with cement, and never thought of dating again. Only then did the story of finding someone at the age of thirty-eight and planning to get married.
In 2008, there was no such concept as a spare tire. It wasn't until after the Internet developed that Jiang Qin realized that he was a spare tire.
She just couldn't find a suitable one for the time being, so she kept being far and near to herself, making fun of her when she was happy, and ignoring her when she was not happy.
To put it bluntly, to her, he was just a tool to pass the time when she was bored.
The past was vivid, but Jiang Qin felt a little dizzy and tinnitus right now.
The Chengnan High School in my memory, Girls' Generation's class flower.
Is this... rebirth?
Still dreaming?
If it is rebirth, what about Ding? Why not ding?
Jiang Qin stretched out his hand tremblingly, and grasped twice in the air, without waking up any virtual screen.
Is this really a fake reborn? Didn't even provide all the equipment?
"Jiang Qin, did you hear me? I really don't want to fall in love now."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Jiang Qin replied casually, then closed his eyes, trying to see if he could wake up Goldfinger with his thoughts, but unfortunately, he failed, there really was no system.
But when she heard his straightforward answer, Chu Siqi was a little surprised. Jiang Qin's attitude was full of indifference, which made her feel like she had hit the cotton with her fist, which was useless.
"Did you not hear clearly? I rejected you just now!"
"Yes, I am not deaf."
"Then...then you have nothing to say to me?"
Jiang Qin accepted the reality that there was no system, and his eyes fell on Chu Siqi's hand: "What is that in your hand?"
Chu Siqi raised the envelope in her hand arrogantly: "This is the love letter you just stuffed me, I said no, you return it, don't write it next time."
"Then can you give it back to me? I am useful."
Jiang Qin took the love letter back without waiting for her to say yes, then took out the page inside, crumpled it up and stuffed it into his pocket, then unfolded the envelope, laid it flat on his knees, and wrote wrote two lines.
If you don't work for anything, you can be with a rich woman if you can.
You can earn more if you lose your money, but you can earn more if you lose your conscience