Chapter 1492: Chapter 270: The Little Cousin Is Here (Part 3)
Using the van from Binjiang Police Station to bring my little cousin and his girlfriend back home, the sky was already lightening.
The breakfast shop outside the community opened early. Han Yu was about to go buy some buns, but my little cousin pulled him back, saying there was no need because they had eaten on the ferry, the onboard police treating them to a meal.
I had previously contacted the Passenger Ferry Police Team through the Passenger Terminal Police Office, just worried that the efficiency of Changhang Passenger Transport wasn’t as good as before, so to save costs, the number of crew members was greatly reduced. Plus, the ferry was soon going to stop operating, many employees would be laid off, and some crew members had to think about their future livelihood, so their sense of responsibility wasn’t as strong as before. If by any chance the ferry arrived at Binjiang and forgot to wake up my little cousin, who sleeps soundly, it would be easy to miss the stop.
Unexpectedly, Captain Wang of the onboard police was so polite. Han Yu realized owing them a favor without realizing it and was pondering how to return this favor later. The older sister opened the room where Han Xiangmeng used to stay when she was a girl, and laughed: "Ai Dong, Red Plum, this is your second cousin’s former room. She hasn’t stayed here since marrying your second brother-in-law. You can stay here in the future."
"Thanks, sister."
My little cousin’s girlfriend is very pretty, lively, and sweet, extremely polite.
In contrast, my little cousin appears very shy, doesn’t talk much, just keeps smiling.
"Come, let me show you the bathroom."
My little cousin and his girlfriend took several days and nights on the train, just managed to get to Jiangcheng, failed to find a job, and then took a ferry to Binjiang, it’s clear they need to shower and change clothes.
Han Xiangning took them to the bathroom, laughing: "You’ve worked in big hotels, don’t need me to teach you how to use the water heater. Here’s toothpaste and a toothbrush, here’s a towel, this is for showering and wiping your feet, all brand new. The washing machine is here, after your clothes are washed, spin them and hang them on the balcony to dry..."
The older sister was very well-prepared, thought of everything big and small, showing she hadn’t been idle after returning from eating spicy hotpot last night.
My little cousin was made to feel quite embarrassed, repeatedly saying, "Okay."
His little girlfriend kept thanking them, saying in very standard Mandarin that they were troubling her older sister and brother-in-law.
She’s only nineteen!
At her age, kids in Binjiang are still in school, yet not only does she have a boyfriend early on, but even travels everywhere with him.
Seeing them, Han Yu couldn’t help but recall that he seemed to have started dating quite early too.
At this moment, the older sister opened the drawer under the coffee table and took out two red envelopes: "Red Plum, this is for you, don’t mind it being little, quickly put it away."
"Sister, I have money, I can’t take your money!"
"This is a meeting gift, also a rule in Binjiang, they say when in Rome, do as the Romans do."
"No way, I don’t want it."
"Sister, we have hands and feet, we earn our own money." My little cousin also quickly declined.
Han Xiangning’s face turned serious: "I already said it’s a meeting gift, it’s a rule in Binjiang, if you don’t accept it, I’ll be unhappy."
Zhang Hongmei opened the red envelope, looked at the money, and immediately grimaced: "Giving two hundred at once, it’s too much!"
My little cousin also opened the red envelope, looking at the two hundred-yuan bills inside, frustrated, said: "Sister, brother-in-law, it’s really too much, we can’t take your money, we really have money."
Four hundred right away, two hundred each!
How much pocket money do I have? I only have two hundred myself.
Han Yu was indeed a bit envious, but still smiled: "Don’t be shy, this is just a little token from your sister, take it, be good."
Han Xiangning pressed on, saying: "Ai Dong, Red Plum, I’m going to work in a bit, no time to take you around shopping. Your brother-in-law is also busy, after working a night shift, he has to return to his unit later. Fortunately, his workplace is close to home, you can first shower and rest, he will take you to eat at the Port Authority cafeteria at noon. If you can’t sleep, you can stroll around nearby, this money is for you to buy some clothes yourselves."
"Sister..."
"No need to be shy, you’re like at home here." Han Xiangning bent down to pick up two keys, adding: "These are the keys to the door and bike. I’ll take you to the bike shed later to check out the bike, you have a phone, we don’t have to worry if you go out on the streets, just call us."
"Oh."
"As for job hunting, it’s not urgent these couple of days, your brother-in-law and I will help you keep an eye out. Just relax for a few days, get familiar with Binjiang’s environment, wait for our good news."
...
After settling my little cousin and his girlfriend, we sat down and chatted for a while about Xichuan’s hometown. Han Yu and Han Xiangning went downstairs together, heading to work.
Han Xiangning was still a bit uneasy, looking up at the building while putting on her helmet.
Han Yu couldn’t help but ask: "Ningning, Red Plum is only nineteen, letting her share a room with Ai Dong, is that appropriate?"
"What’s inappropriate, they are a couple after all!"
"If Ai Dong were a girl bringing her boyfriend to Binjiang, would you let Ai Dong share a room with him?"
"Of course not, if Ai Dong were a girl, that would be my cousin. Being so young and sharing a bed with someone could be a disadvantage!"
Han Yu laughed: "That’s double standards."
Han Xiangning let out a chuckle: "I am indeed double standard, Ai Dong is my cousin, of course, I side with my cousin."
"What if... what if she gets pregnant?"
"Then it becomes settled, my mother clearly said on the phone yesterday, Xichuan and Binjiang are different, family planning isn’t as strictly enforced there, if they want to marry, they marry, if they want to have children, they have children."
Han Xiangning smiled and then turned her words: "My uncle’s family conditions are average, working as a barefoot doctor in the countryside barely supports the family. My mom said if it weren’t for a few acres of land, earning just from treating and giving injections wouldn’t be enough to keep the whole family fed.
My mom worried that Ai Dong was too shy and introverted to find a girlfriend. Didn’t expect Ai Dong to be so assertive, finding such a pretty girl like Red Plum, it almost saved my uncle and aunt from worrying. I’m called Han Xiangning, the name carries both Han and Xiang, you could say I’m half a member of the Xiang family, of course I want to make it work."
Being a rural kid, from a not-so-well-off family, it’s not easy finding a girlfriend.
Han Yu nodded: "Got it."
Han Xiangning didn’t want to be laughed at by his junior and said with a mischievous smile, "It’s normal for our people to help our own. Just like when your brother-in-law went to your family’s boat back then, your dad always kept an eye on him, so much that your brother-in-law didn’t even have a chance to exchange a few sweet words with your sister.
When your sister went to your brother-in-law’s house, Dongdong’s grandparents were so happy. Not only did they tidy up the room for your sister and brother-in-law to share, but worried your sister might feel awkward, they even found excuses to stay over at someone else’s house, leaving your sister and brother-in-law to enjoy some alone time."
On the issue of whether couples should live together, the attitudes of the man’s family and the woman’s family are completely different.
The man’s family hopes to push for marriage, while the woman’s family fears the girl will be taken advantage of.
Han Yu found it amusing, but thinking that he had a daughter, and Han Han would eventually grow up, he suddenly couldn’t laugh. He secretly decided that when Han Han started dating, he would keep a close watch, not allowing her to end up like Red Plum, getting into someone’s bed at nineteen!
...
Just after Han Yu and Han Xiangning left, the phone at home suddenly rang.
Xiang Aidong and Zhang Hongmei exchanged glances, wanting to help answer but not daring to.
Luckily, the phone rang twice, and when they saw no one answered, it didn’t ring again.
Zhang Hongmei sat on the sofa, flipping through a photo album from the big cousin’s family, and asked in surprise, "Aidong, is brother-in-law in the liberation army?"
"Impossible, my dad said he’s with the police, never been in the army."
"Look at the photo, he’s wearing a military uniform, not a police uniform, and he’s got ranks like Secretary Qian’s son from our brigade."
"Yeah, how could he wear a military uniform if he wasn’t in the army."
"This is an award photo, looks a bit like the People’s Hall!"
"Have you been to the People’s Hall?"
"No, I’ve seen it on TV."
They only knew that the big cousin’s brother-in-law was with the police, never expected him to be promoted to deputy director at such a young age.
Thinking that the cousin and her husband were both quite busy and not wanting to bother them, Xiang Aidong got up and said, "Red Plum, let’s go out and look around, see if any restaurants are hiring."
"Sure!"
Zhang Hongmei was filled with hope for the future and confident about finding a job. Like her boyfriend, she never thought to ask their capable big cousin and her husband for help in job hunting.
They locked the door, quickly ran downstairs, happily rode their bicycles, and started wandering around nearby.
At 11 a.m., Han Yu, finishing his work, used his office phone to call his little cousin’s cell phone.
Unexpectedly, his little cousin was also good at living frugally, using his phone like a pager, letting it ring twice before hanging up and calling back after about ten minutes.
"Aidong, have you guys gone out?"
"Brother-in-law, we... we couldn’t sleep, so we’re out job hunting."
"You just arrived this morning, unfamiliar with the place, how are you finding work? I told you not to rush. We’ll help you find jobs. Where are you now? I’ll drive to pick you up."
"No need for the hassle, brother-in-law. Jobs here aren’t hard to find. We’ve talked to a few places. We were just taste-testing some dishes and couldn’t get back to your call."
"Taste-testing?"
"The boss wanted to see my skills, so I cooked a couple of dishes."
Is the demand for chefs that high?
They only went out for a bit and already discussed with several places!
Not knowing the industry, Han Yu found it incredulous and curiously asked, "How did the taste-test go, and what did the boss say?"
"The boss said it was okay, but I definitely won’t work there."
"Why not?"
"He wrote 1500 a month on the door, but after the taste-test, he said there’s a three-month probation with only 1000 a month."
A thousand yuan a month, that’s high pay!
I’ve worked for so many years, finally became a deputy section chief, and the take-home pay is just over a thousand a month.
Han Yu was stunned, took a moment to steady himself, and asked, "So what now?"
"There are two more places in the afternoon. It’s meal time now, they’re busy with customers, so they asked me to come back later."
"What about Red Plum?"
"Jobs for Red Plum are easier to find. Every restaurant wants a waitress. We want to work together, and she’ll come with me later to discuss with them. If it goes well, we’ll decide it."
Every restaurant wants to hire young, pretty, and clever girls as waitresses.
Han Yu realized that the morning call had been unnecessary.
His little cousin had skills, so his job was none of brother-in-law’s concern. His little cousin’s girlfriend was young and pretty, a strong point in job hunting, without needing any help.
The ones contacted in the morning were all big organizations, asking if they needed chefs for their canteens.
Thinking about it was funny; chefs at organization canteens earn so little that his little cousin probably wouldn’t be interested.
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