People should love and care for each other, and there should be no violence. We can easily see these desires in the media, books, movies, and people’s conversations, even around the world. It’s our precious belief, full of human care. Of course, this is also the story I used to believe in. However, it’s not true, and believing in this idea cannot make me happy. It only makes me disappointed in expectations and makes my heart shrink together, unable to live freely.

Reality comes before any story, and it’s always just right. Whether it should or shouldn’t be, has nothing to do with it. It is the way it appears at this moment. Would knowing these things make you indifferent? From my experience… no! As long as you don’t treat these things as concepts, your heart will guide you to act smoothly. No matter whether mother or child, you love them and they are not wrong!

“Sister Zhuang, I am also a mother of a child. I know that hitting your own child will make them very sad because we all love our children. Let’s communicate instead of hitting them!” I stepped forward and said to Sister Zhuang. I didn’t think she shouldn’t hit her child, nor did I think that either she or her child was at fault. I just saw that they were both very sad.

That day, I talked a lot with Sister Zhuang, to the point where I was an hour late for work and fined 80 yuan for being tardy. But I was happy to talk to her, in fact, she was the one doing most of the talking and I was listening. I was happy to be a listener. In my view, she didn’t need any preaching, she just wanted to be understood.

After breakfast, I said goodbye to Sister Zhuang. I am currently working as a salesperson in a furniture store in a shopping mall. I am still in my probationary period, so I am not yet a formal employee. The location of my workplace is not far from where I live, only five stops away by bus, taking less than 20 minutes.

On the third day after my daughter’s death, I was dismissed from my previous company. It was a good trading company where I had been working as a clerk for three years, and it was my longest job.

Because my mother-in-law opposed my attendance at Qianqian’s funeral, I went to work as usual the next day. That night was an employee gathering, and when the manager kindly asked about my daughter’s recent situation, I smiled and politely replied, “She is doing well, and had a car accident and has died.”

The manager’s expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly asked when my child had left. I said yesterday. Then, I noticed that both the manager and my colleagues were looking at me with shocked eyes, mixed with disgust and fear. I didn’t know what was going on with them, I was just stating a fact. The next day, I received a dismissal letter with sufficient reasons, saying that my values were not in line with the company.

The manager told me that if I was willing to write a letter of repentance, he would apply to the company for some economic compensation for me, after all, I was also an old employee of the company. I told him that I had done nothing wrong and didn’t know what to repent. So I thanked him for his kindness. He waved his hand in disgust and asked me to leave his office quickly. I left alone with my belongings, just as I had come to the company that day. No one saw me off except for the puzzled and disgusted looks of my co-workers.

I like the unknown. I realize that I know nothing, and I am curious about what will happen next. For the past 35 years, I have never been afraid of unemployment, and I have never felt any financial problems, even though others may see me as below the poverty line.

Everyone has their own purpose in life, and I don’t know what I should do, so I let the “Dao” arrange it. After graduating from art school, I never actively looked for a job. They come to me when I should work.

I stayed at home for two days, and Sister Zhuang, who runs a snack stall, saw me wandering outside and asked why I didn’t go to work. I told her that I was unemployed, and she didn’t ask me anything, but she secretly kept me in mind.

The next day, I went to Sister Zhuang’s stall to have a meal, and she introduced me to my current job. Her junior high school classmate is a security team leader in a shopping mall. They have a good relationship and have already greeted each other, hoping that I will go for an interview today.

I didn’t refuse Sister Zhuang’s kindness and gave her a big hug, very grateful for everything she did for me. I feel like a funnel, there are countless wonderful experiences flowing through me. Perhaps many people will not agree, but I know very well that giving and receiving are the same thing.

On the day of my interview, I happened to meet the company’s boss, Mr. Sun. He is a married man in his forties, with a round face and a round belly, and he is imposing when he stands there. His eyes lit up when he saw me, and I understood the meaning of this look because I have seen it countless times.

I am not repelled by such looks, I just find them amusing. I am well aware that such looks will gradually fade away because, in the eyes of most people, I am an abnormal person. As soon as they come into contact with me, they will be shocked, then puzzled, then disgusted and afraid, seeing me as an onrushing flood, and finally just wanting to escape.

Mr. Sun called me into his office alone and asked about my family situation in detail. After learning about my current situation, he expressed deep sympathy for my daughter and me, thinking that we were both very unfortunate. I smiled and said nothing. He did not ask me to go to the human resources department for an interview but arranged a job for me directly as a salesperson in the best store in the shopping mall.

With a smile, he said to me, “You will have to work a few days in the store for now. When you officially join the company and perform to our satisfaction, I will definitely give you a promotion. Do you understand?” As he spoke, he pointed to the table with his chubby little hand and squinted his eyes into a slit.

I found it amusing and couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Sun. You can rest assured that I will do my job well.”

Seeing him purse his lips and stare at me blankly, I reached out and waved my hand in front of him. “Mr.Sun?”

He came to his senses and coughed, “Er… Wei, sorry, you just laughed too beautifully.”

I smiled and replied, “Thank you for your compliment. The reason I laughed just now was that I thought you were cute. If I offended you, please forgive me!” He hesitated for a moment, and then grinned foolishly, scratching his head. At that moment, he looked like a pure and innocent child.

Mr. Sun asked me if I could start work today, and I said yes. He immediately called the human resources director, Chen Lu, and asked her to take me to the workplace and reminded her to take good care of me.

Lu  Chen readily agreed. When we came out of the office, she said in a calm tone, “Wei Zhou, From today on, I’ll be in charge of managing you. I don’t care that you’re older, but I hope you are a bright person.”

There were nearly 200 employees in the mall, and on my first day at work, I became the hot topic of their discussions. They said I used “hidden rules” to get ahead and had an affair with Mr. Sun behind the scenes.

A week later, Mr. Sun dismissed two colleagues from the furniture store, saying they were spreading rumors and affecting the harmonious working atmosphere of the mall. The furniture store I worked in was already the highest-grossing store in the mall, and with the dismissal of the two employees, my daily sales commission increased even more. I wondered how many people envied me. Every time I walked around the mall, I could hear people whispering behind my back.

Mr. Sun’s actions not only did not help me but also confirmed my reputation as a “vixen” I found this title very endearing; it was not the first time I had heard it, and it would certainly not be the last.