Chapter 5 — The Day She Returned, I Left

“Girl, do you live alone?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you come from?”

“The North.”

“Why did you come here?”

On Van thought for a moment then said:

“Want to see the ocean.”

Aunt Tran looked at her and didn't ask any more questions. On the first day of moving in, On Van cleaned the room inside and out. She cleans windows, cleans floors, washes curtains, scrubs toilets. So tired that my head was covered in sweat, but inside I was very calm. She went to the supermarket to buy household items. Blankets, pillows, towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pots and pans. Costing more than two hundred yuan, she carefully calculated every dish. She bought the cheapest blanket, eighty-nine yuan. The supermarket cashier asked her if she wanted to buy the slightly more expensive one. She said:

“No need, warm is fine.”

She bought a bouquet of gardenia flowers, worth five yuan, and put them in a glass vase on the windowsill. She found a job. Work as a content planner at a small advertising company. Monthly salary five thousand. One hundred times less than when she was the "chairman's wife" at Luc Thi Group. But this is money she earned herself. The company has only eight people, crowded into an eighty square meter office. The owner's surname is Vuong, over forty years old, bald, and talks very loudly. When interviewing Wen Van, he asked her three questions:

“Do you know how to write?”

“Know.”

“Can I work overtime?”

“Maybe.”

“How much salary do you want?”

“Five thousand.”

“Go to work tomorrow.”

On the first day of work, On Van wore a white shirt and black pants. She stood in front of the company door, took a deep breath, then pushed the door open and walked in. In the office there are three desks, two people, and a buzzing air conditioner. On the whiteboard on the wall is written:

“This week's goal: win an advertisement for Hang Long Real Estate.”

“Hello, I'm the new content officer, Wen Wan.”

A girl with a ponytail raised her head, looked at her and smiled:

"Hello, my name is Tieu Loc. Welcome to join."

Tieu Loc is the company's designer, three years younger than Wen Van. Round face, likes to smile, talks very fast. She was the first friend Wen Van made in this city.

“Where are you from?” Tieu Loc asked.

“The North.”

“Where is the North?”

“It's a small place, I've never heard of it before.”

“Why did you come here?”

“Want to change environment.”

Tieu Loc laughed again:

"You're the second person who says 'want to change the environment'. This city is ours, specializing in accepting people who want to change the environment."

On Van also laughed. She hasn't smiled in a long time. Wen Van has been in this small southern city for half a year. During that half year, she learned many things. She learned how to ride a tram. Previously in Giang Thanh, every time she went out, there was a driver or Luc Han Chau's assistant to pick her up. She doesn't even know how to ride the bus. Now every day she takes the tram to and from work. The wind blew into her face, her hair was blown askew, but she felt free. She learned how to pay the price. Before when I bought things, I never looked at the price, because it wasn't my money to spend. Now every penny is earned by herself, she learned how to bargain with the aunties selling vegetables at the market.

“Auntie, can this vegetable be reduced by five dimes?”

“Girl, it's already the lowest price.”

“So can I give you two onions?”

“Okay okay, take it.”

She learned how to cook. Previously at the Luc family, She also knows how to cook, but that's cooking for others. Now she cooks for herself, without needing to present it beautifully, without thinking about other people's tastes. She can add a lot of chili, because she likes spicy food. She can't give shredded ginger, because she hates ginger. She can eat and look at her phone at the same time, no one says "don't look at your phone while eating". She learned how to make friends. Tieu Loc became her best friend.