RPAGF Chapter 1146 Work
Chapter 1146 Work
It's an hour later than here, and his parents should not be asleep yet. He hesitated for a moment, but still dialed the video call at home. The phone rang and was connected within a few seconds. His mother appeared on the screen with a hunched back and a smile on her face: "Shen, have you arrived at the company? How is your work? Are you tired?" Behind her was a dark adobe wall. Hanging on the wall was an old calendar, which was already turned to last month. Next to it was a certificate of honor that Lin Shen had won in college. Lin Shen looked at his mother's face, and his nose suddenly felt a little sour. His mother's hair had turned a lot whiter, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had become deeper. In order to support his studies, she and his father worked day and night. His mother worked in a small factory in town, and his father worked as a laborer on a construction site. They were reluctant to buy a new piece of clothing all year round. He suppressed his emotion and smiled, "Mom, I'm at the company now, and things are going well. My colleagues are taking good care of me, and Brother Li thinks highly of me too. He told me to work hard and strive to be in charge of a project independently in three months." "That's good, that's good!" His mother's smile widened. "Take good care of yourself out there. Don't be stingy with your money. Buy more good food. Don't be like you're at home, always trying to save money." "I know, Mom. Don't worry." Lin Shen nodded. Just as he was about to ask about how things were going at home, he saw his father approaching. His father was wearing a yellowed vest, his face a tired look, and he was holding an unwashed bowl in his hands, probably from dinner. He leaned in front of the screen, and the smell of cigarette smoke wafted through it. It was a scent Lin Shen had smelled since childhood, familiar yet strange. "Shen, is work going well?" His father's voice was a little hoarse, the weariness of years of hard work. "It's going well, Dad. Don't worry," Lin Shen said quickly. His father nodded, then paused, as if he was having trouble speaking. After a long pause, he spoke: "Shen, your brother wants to buy a motorcycle and run a hauling business. The town's been doing a wholesale of agricultural products lately, and there's money to be made in hauling. He needs 20,000 yuan, can you think of any way to help him with that?" Lin Shen's grip on the phone tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white, and his breathing paused for a few seconds. 20,000 yuan was an astronomical sum for him—he had just paid three months' rent, a total of 3,600 yuan, leaving him with only 800 yuan, saved from the living expenses he brought from home. His probationary salary wasn't due until next month, and he barely had enough to live on right now. How could he possibly come up with 20,000 yuan? He opened his mouth, his voice a little dry: "Mom, Dad, I just started working and haven't received my salary yet. I only have a few hundred yuan left, and I have to pay for water, electricity and living expenses. Can you wait for a while? When I get my salary, I will save for two months and then give some to my brother?" "What do you mean by wait?" His father's voice suddenly became higher, dissatisfied, "Your brother is 22 years old. The children of his age in the village can already help with soy sauce! How can he get married if he has nothing to make a living? You work in a big city and earn several thousand a month. You can just scrape together enough money, right? Don't you want to help your brother?" "Dad, it's not that I don't want to help, I really don't have any money. "Money!" Lin Shen's voice rose in anxiety. "I just paid my rent, and I really only have a few hundred yuan left. If you don't believe me, I can show you my bank balance!" "What are you looking at? I think you've become too independent and forgotten the difficulties at home!" His mother's voice was tinged with tears. "Your brother has been close to you since childhood. When you were in college, he gave you all his pocket money. Now he needs help, and you're refusing? Are you doing your brother justice? Are you doing us justice?" The argument on the other end of the video grew louder. His father's accusations and his mother's sobs pierced Lin Shen's heart like countless needles. He gripped the phone, his fingers trembling slightly from the strain, and his eyes gradually reddened. He wanted to explain, to tell his parents about the difficulties of living in a big city—the high rent, the high cost of living, the intense work pressure—but the words faltered as they reached his lips. He knew that in his parents' eyes, his work in the city meant he was "promising" and "able to make money." They couldn't understand that a salary of 4,500 yuan in this city was simply not enough. Lin Shen looked up, gazing at the flickering lightbulb on the ceiling—a leftover from the landlord. It was low-wattage, dim, and flickered intermittently, a reflection of his current mood. The wind from outside sifted in through the cracks in the window, bringing a chill to his face. For the first time, he felt the mountain wind pierce his bones even more than the winter chill of his hometown. It carried within it his unspoken feelings of grievance and helplessness, his uncertainty and anxiety about the future. He listened silently to the argument on the other end of the phone, until the phone grew hot, until his mother hung up in tears. He remained motionless, clutching the phone, sitting at his desk. The rented apartment was silent, the only sound being the occasional flicker of the lightbulb and the scattered sounds of footsteps and voices outside. Lin Shen looked at his employment letter on the desk and his photo on his ID card. Suddenly, he felt exhausted, as if the excitement and anticipation of the day had been extinguished by the previous call. He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it again. The streetlights in the alley were on, their dim glow illuminating the narrow lane. The office buildings in the distance were still lit, like a giant beacon, guiding the way, yet tinged with coldness. Lin Shen took a deep breath. The air smelled damp, with a faint hint of cooking smoke. He didn't know if he could ever find a foothold in this city. He didn't know if this seemingly glamorous job could support his dreams. He didn't know whether the weight of his family's affection would be his driving force or an inescapable shackle. The wind blew in again, lifting the hem of his shirt. Lin Shen wrapped himself tightly, his heart chilled. He knew that from today, his life would begin a difficult "struggle" in this unfamiliar city, a struggle that, from the very beginning, carried an unspeakable weight. The clacking of keyboards in the office sounded like dense raindrops. "Work hard, and strive to be in charge of a project independently in three months." He repeated this sentence to himself three times, video-calling home from his ten-square-meter rental apartment that night. His mother appeared on the screen, her back hunched, a dark adobe wall behind her. "Shen, your brother wants to buy a motorcycle for a delivery business. Can you give him 20,000 yuan?" Lin Shen's grip on the phone tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white. He had just paid three months' rent and had only 800 yuan left in his pocket.