From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After dropping Su Qing off at her new apartment building and watching her go upstairs, I returned to the courier station alone.

It wasn't too late; my cousin was still awake, talking on the phone with his wife and children back in his hometown.

I didn't go up to disturb them. I tiptoed into the store and sat down at the computer by myself.

I originally planned to take advantage of my free time to learn more about express delivery operations and improve myself.

But I could hear my cousin's gentle laughter, my sister-in-law's tender words of advice on the other end of the phone, and the child's soft, childlike voice calling "Daddy."

The family chatted and laughed, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere that instantly touched the softest part of my heart.

To be honest, I felt an indescribable envy.

I am already twenty-six years old this year, long past the age of settling down, starting a family, getting married, and having children.

But because my family was too poor, and I had an elderly mother who was sick.

I am poor and destitute, how could I dare to let people down?

I met my ex-girlfriend Li Meng through a blind date. I thought that by working hard and being down-to-earth, we could get along and have our own little family.

But as I've come this far, I've come to realize that we're not on the same path at all.

She yearns for a glamorous and affluent life, but I can't give her everything she wants.

It's not really her fault for being materialistic; everyone yearns for a better life.

I lit a cigarette, shook my head, and tried to clear my head of all my chaotic emotions.

I stared intently at the computer screen again, carefully reviewing operational knowledge of the express delivery industry and methods for attracting customers to stores.

Only by working hard to make money can I truly gain a foothold and escape my current predicament.

Not long after I looked, I heard my cousin's voice behind me.

"Yoko, when did you get back?"

I snapped out of my reverie, turned around, and smiled, "I've been back for a while, just checking some information. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

My cousin walked over with a smile on his face: "I just finished a video call with my wife and kids at home, and I was just about to rest."

"Then you should get some rest. I'll watch for a little longer and then go to sleep," I nodded in reply.

My cousin turned around in response, took two steps, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "By the way, I have something to tell you."

"you say."

"I've discussed it with my family. Living apart for a long time isn't a solution, and my child will be starting elementary school soon."

"I plan to have my wife and kids come to the city in the next couple of days. I'll also find a job nearby so the whole family can be together and life will be a little easier."

Upon hearing this, I immediately nodded: "That's great! When are your wife and the others coming up?"

"Probably in the next day or two."

I nodded: "That's good, then you'll have to rent a new place."

"Yes, but I probably won't be able to live with you anymore."

I joked casually, "What's wrong? You've been living with me for so long, you've developed feelings for me and don't want to leave?"

My cousin scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "I was worried you'd be lonely living alone."

I was laughing, but then I couldn't laugh anymore.

Upon reflection, I realized that I've been living with my cousin ever since I came to Longjiang City.

If he really leaves, I might actually feel a little lost.

But we always have to separate eventually. He has his family, and I also have to think about myself.

The next morning, the courier station was busy operating as usual.

Yang Hao took two other new recruits out to familiarize themselves with the area's roads and taught them the package collection and delivery process step by step.

My cousin also did on-the-ground promotion, and I printed some new flyers.

Su Qing didn't arrive at the store until after nine o'clock in the morning.

She was dressed in an exquisite outfit, with clean and neat makeup, looking radiant from head to toe.

This doesn't look like they're here to work; they're clearly here to put on a fashion show.

This girl is truly carefree. Last night, she was humiliated and made things difficult by Fang Heng, but after just one night, she has completely returned to her lively and cheerful self.

She walked up to me with a grin and said, "Boss Lin, I'm here for work! Hurry up and give me some tasks to do!"

As I looked down and counted the flyers in my hand, I said helplessly, "I thought you were just going to give up and not come today. Look at the time!"

Su Qing took out her phone and glanced at the time, her face nonchalant: "Nine-thirty? I'm not late, am I?"

"You're not late?" I said, both amused and exasperated. "We started work at seven in the morning, and everyone else has already finished their second delivery round and come back."

Su Qing's eyes widened instantly, her face filled with disbelief: "Seven o'clock? Is that really so early? That's too rushed!"

"I used to work as a food delivery driver, and I got up even earlier than this," I replied casually.

She immediately pouted and pleaded in a coquettish tone, "Don't be mean! I promise I'll come early tomorrow and won't be late again, okay?"

I didn't intend to argue with her about this little thing, and handed her a thick stack of flyers:

"This morning, we distributed all these flyers, visiting all the surrounding residential areas, shops, and office buildings."

Su Qing looked down at the heavy stack of flyers in her arms, her eyes widening in surprise. "So many? Are you trying to kill me with exhaustion?!"

"If you find it tiring, give up now. It's not too late to leave," I said, deliberately putting on a stern face.

Su Qing immediately straightened her back and said defiantly, "Let's do it! What's the big deal? I won't admit defeat!"

I sighed inwardly.

This girl has lived a life of luxury since she was a child. Let alone handing out flyers on the street, she probably has never even experienced the hardships of working at the grassroots level.

Forcing her to adapt to working at the courier station quickly won't work.

I simply put down my work and took her out myself, teaching her step by step and gradually getting used to each other.

We found a large shopping mall nearby, which had a lot of foot traffic and was the most suitable place to distribute flyers.

I noticed something was amiss as soon as we opened for business.

Su Qing was fidgety and uncomfortable throughout, clearly unable to let go of her pride.

She didn't dare to approach passersby, and just stood there blankly.

This person isn't here to hand out flyers; they're clearly here to stand on the platform and wait for someone to approach them.

But her striking good looks made her stand out in the crowd.

Without her having to say a word, a steady stream of boys came up to her and started a conversation.

Those men probably weren't really trying to understand the delivery business; they were just trying to chat her up because of her looks.

Su Qing was very enthusiastic, explaining the contents of the flyers to the men who approached her.

After sending it around, I came to her side.

When I looked down at the bag of flyers in her hand, I was speechless.

She had only a tiny bit fewer flyers left than I did.

But I still said to her, "You can't just hand out flyers like that. You need to take the initiative and move around."

Su Qing immediately glanced at the remaining flyers in my hand and snorted unconvinced: "Isn't it the same? You've been busy for so long, but you haven't handed out much more than me."

Feeling utterly helpless, I said, "I think you're just too proud to take the initiative to reach out to people."

She lowered her head slightly and muttered softly, "I'm just afraid of running into acquaintances and being seen handing out flyers here. That would be too embarrassing."

I saw through her thoughts and smiled, saying, "But you have to understand, you'll inevitably encounter these problems throughout the year. Are you planning to hide for a whole year?"

"Then you have to give me some time to get used to it slowly." She raised her little face, her tone carrying a hint of grievance and coquettishness.

I nodded and didn't say anything more.

She's right. After all, they've lived a comfortable life for over twenty years, and it's definitely hard to get used to this sudden change.

I didn't force her to do anything more. The fact that she was willing to humble herself and go out on the street was already far beyond my expectations.

After a busy morning, I finally finished handing out all the flyers.

When they went to look for Su Qing on the other side, she was nowhere to be found.