My sister-in-law from Qingdao

Now that things have come to this point, do I still have a choice?

I stayed in the provincial capital for three months. I could find a job that paid four or five thousand, but it was just a job with no future.

Although the job my cousin-in-law found for me only paid four thousand yuan, the 0.6% commission attracted me.

"Sister-in-law, can I give it a try?"

"Okay, if you're willing, you don't even need to apply for a job with my best friend. With my connection to her, she'll treat you well."

After dinner, my cousin-in-law took me to a factory on the outskirts of the old town—Linglong Drawnwork Co., Ltd.

The factory was somewhat old, and several vans were parked in the yard.

In an office on the second floor, I met my sister-in-law's best friend.

She was a woman in her thirties, not particularly beautiful, but dressed very fashionably.

"This is your brother?" Upon seeing the two of us enter, the woman hurriedly stood up from in front of the enormous desk.

"Sister Lin, this is my brother-in-law, surnamed Chen, named Chen Dong. He has a bachelor's degree and has passed the CET-6 (College English Test Band 6)." My sister-in-law introduced me to the woman in front of her.

After looking me up and down a few times, the woman extended her hand and said, "My name is Lin Moli, and I'm your sister-in-law's best friend. Come work for me; I won't treat you badly."

The moment I shook hands with this woman, I felt how soft her hand was.

The three of us sat there and drank tea for a while. Then Lin Moli made a phone call, and a man in his fifties took me to arrange my dormitory.

The fifty-year-old man's surname was Chen, and his name was Chen Haijun. He was the office director of Linglong Drawnwork Factory.

After helping me arrange my dormitory, Lin Moli took me to the foreign trade department.

There were seven or eight people in the foreign trade department, both men and women. The head of the foreign trade department was a middle-aged man surnamed Yu, named Yu Chaowen. He was not tall, but fair-skinned and plump. He always smiled and gave people a friendly feeling.

After everything was arranged, Lin Moli told my sister-in-law and me to go back and prepare tonight so we could bring our bedding to work tomorrow. The company has a canteen, so eating and living there is very convenient.

Goodbye, Lin Moli. My sister-in-law drove, and I sat in the passenger seat.

My heart immediately felt at ease. From now on, I would be a foreign trade salesperson.

"Xiao Dong, Lin Moli is my best friend. She just got divorced not long ago. Be a little careful when you're with her."

My sister-in-law, who was driving, suddenly smiled and said to me.

I gave a wry smile and said, "Sister-in-law, you're overthinking it. I come from the countryside, what's there to worry about?"

"You don't understand. In the eyes of these urban women, rural youths, especially the educated ones, are their best prey because you are naive."

I didn't quite believe my sister-in-law's words, but I still nodded in agreement.

When I got home, my cousin was gone again.

My sister-in-law checked my suitcase, and when she saw my thin bedding and worn-out clothes, she insisted on taking me out to buy me two sets of clothes and a brand new set of bedding.

At that moment, she didn't seem like my sister-in-law, but more like my older sister.

My prejudice against her vanished completely.

When my cousin came home that night, he was drunk again. He made some grand pronouncements to me, and then he put his arm around his wife, Su Xiaoya, and went into the bedroom.

I went back to my room, and as soon as I lay down, the couple started arguing again.

I overheard a few words of what they were arguing about. It was something like my cousin was trying to get intimate with his wife because he was drunk, but she pushed him away.

When I woke up the next morning, my cousin was gone again, and I noticed that my cousin's wife's left cheek was a little red and swollen.

I suspect my cousin's wife was beaten last night. I wanted to ask her, but in the end I didn't.

As a younger cousin, I should try my best not to interfere in my older cousin and his wife's lives.

After breakfast, Su Xiaoya offered to take me to Linglong Embroidery Factory, but I refused.

"Sister-in-law, I can go by myself. You should rest at home."

My cousin-in-law didn't say anything. I dragged my suitcase and bedding, took a taxi, and headed straight for the factory.

Upon arriving at the company, I put my suitcase and bedding in the dormitory and quickly went to the foreign trade department.

Yu Chaowen arranged for a female salesperson named Zhao Lina to mentor me.

Zhao Lina is twenty-five or twenty-six years old this year. She is not particularly beautiful, but she is not ugly either. However, from the moment she saw me, her face remained cold.

I think it's because she didn't want to take me with her.

One afternoon, Zhao Lina didn't really guide me properly; she just took out a stack of forms for me to look at.

These are all orders placed by customers, which include dimensions, quantities, and different requirements from various countries.

I went straight to the dormitory at noon. I wanted to make my bed before going to eat, so I wouldn't be too busy in the evening.

When I returned to my dormitory and opened the door, I saw a woman making my bed.

A beige silk maxi dress fit her perfectly and looked exceptionally beautiful.

Hearing my footsteps, the woman turned around and gave me a gentle smile with her warm face.

"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

Su Xiaoya straightened up, smoothed her hair, and said, "I originally wanted to ask your brother to come with me, but that bastard has disappeared again, so I came alone."

Looking at my sister-in-law's pretty and warm face, my heart felt warm and full of happiness.

"Sister-in-law, did my brother and you have a fight last night? Did he hit you?" I don't know why, but I actually asked that question.

Su Xiaoya bit her pink lips, reached up and touched her cheek, her eyes instantly turning red.

"Your cousin always bullies me after drinking. He's clearly no good, but he still uses all sorts of tricks. I'm a clean person..."

Seeing my cousin's wife's aggrieved look, I felt quite bad too.

"Sister-in-law, don't be angry. I'll call my cousin later and have a good talk with him so he won't bully you anymore."

Hearing me say that, my cousin-in-law quickly shook her head and said, "Xiao Dong, you must not interfere in our affairs. He hit me because he was in a bad mood. Just pretend you don't know anything. Actually, he cares about you quite a bit."

To be fair, my cousin has been good to me, but I hope that he and his wife can be happy, treat each other honestly, support each other through thick and thin, and have a child, wouldn't that make it even more perfect!

My cousin is a successful man—he has a car, a house, a beautiful wife, and a successful career. Since he's successful, why doesn't he go home and spend time with his wife? He's always out fooling around; that's not the attitude for a stable life.

But I still said, "Sister-in-law, I understand. I'll just pretend I don't know anything."

"It's getting late, I should head back now. Call me if you need anything here."

Su Xiaoya bit her pink lips again, sighed softly, reached into her bag, took out a wad of cash, and stuffed it into my hand.

"It's not much money, but take it. Eat something good. When you're alone out there, you have to learn to take care of yourself."

"No, no, sister-in-law, I have money, you should put this away quickly."

I quickly pushed it back to her.

The instant my hand touched hers, she glared at me resentfully and said, "I'm your sister-in-law, why are you being so formal? Take it."