My sister-in-law from Qingdao

After much consideration, I've decided to write down my story with my cousin's wife.

The writing is a bit rough, but its strength lies in its authenticity.

My name is Chen Dong.

After graduating from university, I searched for a job in the provincial capital for three months, but in the end, I could only find a clerical job.

It's really inappropriate for a 23-year-old to work as a clerk and compete with young women who are studying secretarial studies.

Encouraged by my mother, I called my cousin in Qingdao.

My cousin's name is Chen Fang, and he's two months older than me.

After graduating from junior high school, I went to Qingdao to make a living.

He's been doing very well in Qingdao these past few years; he owns a car and a house, and he even married a beautiful Qingdao girl.

In comparison, I spent all my family's savings and only got a bachelor's degree that was almost useless.

When my cousin heard about my situation, he confidently said, "Come on, Qingdao is an open and beautiful city, there will definitely be a job suitable for you."

It takes two and a half hours to get from Ju County to Qingdao. If you take the 6:00 AM bus, you'll arrive at 8:30 AM.

I made a phone call to my cousin at the station, and about half an hour later, a white Audi A4 slowly pulled up beside me.

The car window rolled down, and I saw a delicate, fair face with refined features, especially her eyes, which, although not very large, gave off a dreamlike quality.

This is my cousin's wife, Su Xiaoya.

She was wearing a white fitted t-shirt and blue jeans, her figure was curvaceous, and her long chestnut-red hair was tied back. Even though she wasn't wearing any makeup, I still thought my cousin's wife was the most beautiful woman in the world.

She doesn't look like a married woman at all; she looks more like a young and beautiful college student.

This was the second time I met my cousin's wife.

The first time was at their wedding. Although they had met then, they had never spoken to each other.

I don't know why, but the moment I saw my cousin's wife, I felt a little embarrassed and uneasy, probably because I'm doing so poorly.

"Your brother got drunk last night and didn't get home until after 1 a.m. He's still lying in bed feeling dizzy, so I came to pick you up."

On the way back, I sat in the back seat, watching Su Xiaoya's back, and thought to myself.

What did my cousin do to deserve marrying such a wife?

We barely spoke a word the whole way. My cousin's wife's face remained expressionless the entire time, except for a slight smile when she got out of the car.

The car smelled nice; I couldn't tell if it was her scent or the car's.

Half an hour later, we arrived at an upscale residential area. When my cousin-in-law opened her door, I was completely stunned.

Everyone knew my cousin had made it big in Qingdao, but I never imagined his penthouse was so luxurious.

The room was furnished with high-end furniture and appliances, and the decor exuded luxury. However, the room was somewhat messy, and there was a smell of tobacco and alcohol in the air.

After my cousin's wife came in, she poured me a glass of water and then went into the inner room. A little while later, my cousin came out wearing pajamas and looking disheveled.

Although my cousin is only two months older than me, he gives off a very mature vibe.

Before he even sat down and spoke, he took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled, his face shrouded in smoke.

"Isn't the provincial capital good enough? Why did you come back? Where did you go to university? Your connections should be there."

I smiled wryly and said, "What kind of connections can someone with a third-rate undergraduate degree have?"

"What can you do?"

"I... I learned English, but I don't know what I can do with it."

During my university years, I was quite confident. Although it was an ordinary undergraduate program, my academic performance was among the best, especially my CET-6 (College English Test Band 6), which I passed with ease.

However, when I looked for a job after graduation, I found that my third-tier college degree was not enough, and I kept running into obstacles.

After three months of not finding a job, my confidence completely vanished.

"Alright, I'll show you around these next couple of days and see if you're suitable to work for me. If you are, you can earn quite a bit. I drank too much last night, I'm going to get some sleep. Have your sister-in-law make you something to eat. There are rooms over there, you can go and get some sleep there too."

After finishing speaking, my cousin stood up and shuffled into the bedroom.

My cousin-in-law, Su Xiaoya, made me breakfast: millet porridge, sliced ​​steamed buns, fried eggs, and a few slices of ham.

It wasn't a lavish meal, but it was delicious. However, my cousin-in-law never spoke to me first, and she rarely smiled.

After dinner, my cousin's wife led me to a room inside and said, "Go and rest for a while. We'll talk about work when your brother sobers up."

After my cousin-in-law finished speaking, she closed the door. Hearing her footsteps fade into the distance, I finally felt a little relieved.

Looking out at the blue sky through the window, I felt as if I were in another world.

I don't know if I was too excited or lonely last night, but I didn't sleep well. After dinner, I gradually felt sleepy.

Lying on that small bed, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, I heard a commotion outside.

My cousin and his wife were arguing in hushed tones. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but I knew I had to hurry and find a place to rent.

The young couple doesn't even have a child, so it's really inappropriate for me to live here. Not even my own brother would be suitable, let alone my cousin.

I lay there without moving, pretending to be asleep. The two of them argued for a while and then stopped. About ten minutes later, my cousin came and knocked on the door.

I didn't speak when he knocked the first few times, but after a few more knocks I pretended to be fast asleep and mumbled a reply.

My cousin pushed open the door and entered, looking refreshed and dressed in a different outfit.

"Still sleeping? If not, get up. I'll take you out for a walk and introduce you to some buddies. They're all people who do big things."

When I heard that my cousin was going to take me out, I quickly got up. When I walked out of the room, I didn't see my sister-in-law.

I wanted to ask, but I held back in the end. It's their business, and as their cousin, I should refrain from getting involved.

My cousin drives an Audi A6, wearing large sunglasses, looking casual and relaxed.

Sitting to the side, I looked like a naive, unsophisticated young man.

We first went to a teahouse called Runyatang. Through my cousin's introduction, I met Xu Hai, Liu Feng, Wang Dachuan, Sun Wenbin, and others.

They were all dignified and imposing, dressed in designer clothes and wearing luxury watches. Their manner of speaking made it seem as if they regarded money as dirt.

When they heard that I had a bachelor's degree, they all gave me a thumbs up. It was then that I realized that despite their smart clothes and impressive achievements, their educational backgrounds were actually quite low.

This made me feel quite frustrated.

I used to think that knowledge could change my destiny, but now I realize that it doesn't seem to be the case.

After drinking tea for a while, everyone started to drink alcohol.

When I suddenly came to my senses, I realized that it was already dark, and my cousin and the others were all drunk. I saw that everyone at the table had flushed faces and were talking about everything under the sun, as if the whole world belonged to them.

After drinking, we went to sing karaoke. After singing, my cousin and his friends went to a bathhouse. Before leaving, he took out two hundred yuan and stuffed it into my hand.

"Brother, go home. You're not married yet, and there are some places that aren't suitable for you."

"Aren't you going home? It's so late, let's go home together."

Although I've never been to a place like that, I could tell from their conversation that they were probably looking for women.

"Go back and tell your sister-in-law that I'm in a business meeting and will be home a little later. You can go home now, and if you have nothing else to do, chat with your sister-in-law for a while."

My cousin stuffed two hundred yuan into my hand, then put his arm around his shoulder and went to the bathhouse with his buddies.