The following month.
Ji Tianqi gradually adapted to life in a rental house and seldom mentioned Ji's family anymore. Her relationship with Tian Jing was better than before. She liked to stick to her mother all the time, like a little tail.
Tian Jing is still pregnant, and her energy is very limited. Taking care of her is a bit difficult, but it is bittersweet. Without Ji's family to cause trouble, she is willing to do it no matter how tired she is.
The rental house is closer to the city than Ji's house. There are many shopping malls around it, which is convenient for eating, drinking and playing. Tian Jing likes to take her out for a walk when she is done with her work. When Ji Huai gets off work, the family can go back.
I went to the cake shop today. Ji Tianqi wanted to eat egg tarts. Tian Jing bought one, but she was reluctant to buy it. It cost five yuan each. Fortunately, I was not greedy when I was pregnant with this child. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was terribly greedy. I had no appetite, but I always wanted to eat.
Sometimes Ji Huai went to buy her food in the middle of the night, but she couldn't eat a few bites of it. She didn't gain weight during the entire pregnancy, but he gained more than ten pounds.
"Ding."
With a vibration, the phone received a message.
Husband: I have to work overtime today, so I won’t go back to eat. You have to eat early.
Tian Jing frowned and replied quickly: Are you busy? Why do you have to work overtime again
It’s the fourth day of overtime work this week.
Husband: It’s not very busy. The department has also ordered food. They finish it together and then go back, so everyone saves effort.
His explanation made Tian Jing feel at ease, and after talking to him for a few more words, he put away his phone and walked home holding hands with his daughter.
The other end.
Ji Huai also put his cell phone aside and looked at the messages that were constantly bombarding him on his computer, one after another. The irritation between his brows was not at all as relaxing as what Tian Jing felt.
The company continues to squeeze their time and energy, there are more and more endless tasks, more and more rules, and unpaid overtime has become the norm.
He stretched out his hand to rub his forehead as if he had a headache. He waited for a long time, then looked at the request sent in the chat box on the computer with an expressionless face. The crackling sound of the keyboard and the clicking sound of the mouse sounded again.
Wada Jing said that the department had ordered a meal, which was actually just fried noodles, which was extremely rare.
The customers are still busy, and I have to eat a few bites before starting to work again, at eight o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock... my eyes are getting dry, my back is sore after sitting for a long time, my neck is uncomfortable, and I have to endure the overtime work.
By the time he got home, it was already half past eleven. When he reached the door, he took a deep breath before going in.
Tian Jing didn't ask anything, only asked him if he was hungry.
He picked up his clothes to take a shower and replied truthfully: "A little bit."
She walked to the kitchen as she spoke, "I'm going to make you something to eat. Do you want noodles or fried rice? I also made dumplings filled with corn, mushrooms and leeks."
Ji Huai: "Let's make dumplings."
When he came out, a bowl of dumplings had been cooked and placed on the dining table. Afraid that he would not be full, she cooked a large bowl.
Ji Tianqi was already asleep, and Tian Jing was sitting at the other end of the small dining table, her eyes falling on his face. Although she didn't say anything, she was sensitive.
"Would you like to eat one?" He picked up one, blew on it a few times, and handed it to her mouth. "Try it. It tastes very good."
Looking at the dumplings in front of her, Tian Jing did not refuse. She opened her mouth and took a bite, "Should I make dumplings for you and take them to the company tomorrow? Or should I eat something else?"
She had just moved here some time ago and she was also taking care of herself, so she didn't make lunch for him. He always had takeout for lunch at the company, which was very unhealthy.
"I want to eat steamed dumplings." Ji Huai put the remaining half of the dumpling in her mouth and chatted with her.
He has been coming back late recently, and he can't do part-time work there. Most of the time, Ji Tianqi is asleep. He will check on his daughter, and then the two of them will chat together.
She talked about what she did today, and he talked about what happened in the company today. They chatted with each other, and the atmosphere was dull but warm.
Ji Huai has been preparing for job-hopping. Tian Jing also helped him pay attention to the recruitment information and revised his resume many times.
At present, the company he works for is also somewhat famous in the industry, and there are still many people extending olive branches. Ji Huai chooses a few after careful comparison, but the interview results are not satisfactory.
Tian Jing was worried about him. He had been working overtime recently and asked him not to take part-time job yet. It was okay not to change jobs. He should take his time and let this year pass first.
Ji Huai did not show any pessimism. Instead, he said, "It doesn't matter if you didn't pass the interview. Just treat it as accumulating experience. It's not a big deal. Just continue reviewing."
He felt that he was quite able to withstand pressure. In his previous life, he lived in a state of confusion for decades, and life was just like that. However, because he was too optimistic, Tian Jing focused more on him, trying to enlighten him, fearing that he would get into trouble.
In her eyes, he was still the same person who had never experienced any major setbacks and was just getting by without any ambition or desire. Now that he was under so much pressure, she didn't know if he was just carrying it.
How did she know that he had experienced the abandonment of his wife and daughter and that his life was extremely bleak, so what was he doing now? But in order to make her relax, Ji Huai did not hide his tiredness. He was not mentally tired, but he was too busy and his body couldn't bear it.
After another half month of overtime work and no free weekends, I finally got off work early and received another driving order. It's quite far away, so I can earn seventy or eighty yuan. With these seventy or eighty yuan, we will have money for tomorrow's meals.
He didn't hesitate and went ahead. Instead of going home, he went to the direct driving place and waited until it was already two hours later.
Xu was too tired. He had quit smoking for two months. He went to the small supermarket downstairs and bought a pack of cigarettes. He sat on the chair below. Originally he only wanted to smoke one, but then he lit another one.
He wanted to sit a little longer to get rid of the smell of cigarettes on his body, but he didn't expect that before he finished smoking the second cigarette, Tian Jing came downstairs to throw away the trash and saw him.
Ji Huai felt guilty, fearing that she would scold him for smoking again, so he hid the cigarette.
But she shed tears in front of him. The crystal tears fell from her eye sockets and she couldn't stop them. He panicked even more and threw the remaining cigarettes into the trash can.
"I won't smoke anymore. This is really my first time. I will definitely not do it next time." He quickly promised.
After quitting smoking for so long, he is not that addicted to smoking. He just thinks about it when he is tired and becomes addicted.
"Are you tired? If you are too tired, you can find a lighter job. We can move to other places. There are always cheaper places." Tian Jing's tone was tearful.
It was so late, and he was sitting alone downstairs smoking a cigarette. He must be afraid that she would worry and put all the pressure on himself.
Ji Huai reached out to wipe her tears and simply told the truth, "My energy is indeed limited. I am definitely more tired than before, but it's not as bad as you think."
Tian Jing sat down next to him, "Then why don't you go home?"
"I need to rest for a while. It's very windy outside and it's quite comfortable. Chen Yang said he would call me later. Is my daughter asleep? I'm afraid of waking her up, so I just smoked a cigarette and waited for him to call me." Ji Huai replied. .
Chen Yang is his college classmate and the one he has been in contact with recently.
"Why did he call you?" Tian Jing asked.
Ji Huai: "Isn't there another interview in two days? There is a newly established company. His friend went for an interview before. I want to know more about it and ask him some questions."
As soon as he finished speaking, his cell phone rang.
Tian Jing listened to his answer and An Jingjing didn't say anything. After chatting for about half an hour, Ji Huai hung up with the other party. He was in a good mood, took her hand and stood up, "Let's go home. I have to prepare well for the interview in two days. Chen Yang said that the other party is the first This is my first time starting a business. I am a technical geek and am not proficient in all aspects of the process. With the company’s resume, if I prepare well, it should be good.”
"New company?" Tian Jing felt that the new company had many problems and was incomplete in all aspects.
"It's better than squeezing in this company. There should be no problem with capital flow." Ji Huai pulled her up the stairs and told her half-jokingly, "It depends on how I fool you this time."
"How can you deceive?" Tian Jing felt that his level of deception was not high. It can't be said that he didn't know how to adapt, but he just didn't have experience in this area.
"Do you believe it? People's potential will explode in certain circumstances." He looked at her and said seriously, "I can't stay any longer and let others take advantage of me. The main reason is that my current income cannot give you and your children a quality life. I have to go higher, there is no other way.”
"People have to grow."
…
Tian Jing remembers what he said that day very clearly. They said that most men will remain boys all their lives. Ji Huai was considered half a boy before. Although he became a father, he only had to make money as before. At most, he would be half a boy. If you have children to raise, just spend less.
It's different now. The whole family's life rests on him, and he spends money every day. If he doesn't work hard, there will be no rent for next month.
He grew up quickly and became more stable in a short period of time, and he had to support a family so hard that she was moved and heartbroken.
The day before the interview, he had a three-and-a-half-hour phone call with Chen Yang, and nearly an hour with another friend. Several pieces of paper were filled with dense writing.
Immediately afterwards, he repeated it to Tian Jing and asked her to help summarize it.
Tian Jing also worked with him all night, digging out details, simulating, asking questions, and helping him sort out the details over and over again.
Two days later, Ji Huai took half a day off and rushed to the interview. The interviewer wore a pair of thick glasses and looked slovenly. He seemed to have not slept well. It seemed that he had worked overtime last night.
He read Ji Huai's information carefully and started asking questions.
This time he is recruiting product managers for technical streams, which means they must have experience and be very proficient in the entire process.
From business flow and data flow to third parties and quotations, and then from architecture and system deployment, Ji Huai can answer one-on-one questions, put forward his own ideas, and finally summarize, especially on product customization and various processes. Not ambiguous.
During this period, the interviewer nodded, continued to read his information, and held back the last two questions.
By this time, Ji Huai was very confident and answered more calmly, because the questions he asked were superficial and he overestimated the other party. After answering, the other party started to negotiate salary with him, and the two talked for a long time.
Tian Jing was very worried at home. She didn't dare to ask when he came home. He was so prepared that she was afraid that he would not be hired again. She looked at her daughter and smiled to lighten the mood, "Qiqi, daddy is back."
"Dad." The little girl who was sitting on the sofa watching TV slipped down, and her sweet voice echoed in the small bedroom.
Ji Huai knelt down and hugged her to wash her hands. After he sat down, Tian Jing filled a bowl of soup for both father and daughter, placed it in front of them, and said softly, "Drink it first to warm your stomach."
"Don't you ask me how the interview went today?" He didn't drink the soup, raised his chin slightly, and looked at her with his dark eyes, a bit like a child who needs praise for a small achievement.
Seeing this, Tian Jing breathed a sigh of relief and followed him and asked, "How was your interview today?"
"I've passed." The corner of his mouth raised a slight arc, "I'm going to resign tomorrow and plan to go to work there in a few days. How much do you think the salary will be?"
"How much?" She was curious about this, but it should be better than the original salary, or there would be less overtime here, that would be fine too.
"Twenty-six thousand." Ji Huai was still very proud.
Tian Jing was stunned. This was an increase of 1.5 times. However, when he joined the company, his salary was less than 10,000 yuan. This salary was far beyond her expectation.
"The technical stream is inherently expensive, and the new company has just been established and the team needs someone to manage it. He meant that I wanted to participate in this management role, so I fought for a high salary." Ji Huai explained.
The other party has just started a business and is a homebody who is not short of money. He has good skills, but he does not understand this aspect. He needs someone to help him manage it. As long as it is someone he approves, the salary will not be less than a few thousand yuan.
"But you have no management experience." Tian Jing was still worried. What worried her even more was that Ji Huai was not skilled in this field.
"That's learning. I've learned more or less about it during this period. I'm learning while working. In this company, I also work overtime, and I still work overtime for free. I have the time to learn slowly, and I can work overtime as long as the salary is adequate." Ji Huai was not afraid at all, and added, "There are so many people changing industries. Sister Cai doesn't do UI design now. After being fired, she went to Chengbei Company and her salary doubled."
After all, he has been in this big company for several years, and he has a bit of a connection. The recent frequent dismissals of old employees have made him more important, and his abilities are constantly improving.
"You can learn, but I'm afraid you'll be too tired." Tian Jing was worried that he would be in trouble if he exposed problems, but now that the Internet is developed, he can learn something quickly. Ji Huai has been preparing before, so he doesn't know anything about it.
"Chen Yang is very capable and can help me solve problems at any time so that I won't be desperate. But it's not good to bother him all the time, so I have to trouble you with some things." Ji Huai needs her help. Tian Jing is more capable than him, and His ability to collect information is also far superior to his.
The most important thing is that he is afraid that she will be bored at home and prone to overthinking. Moreover, she always feels that she will degrade at home and be eliminated by society. The last time she went to find a job, it was a big blow to her. Coupled with her poor health, she cannot work as hard as before. , her self-confidence has disappeared a lot, and now that this is the case again, she is also very anxious.
He wanted to find something to connect the two of them so that she could keep studying. He knew that Tian Jing was unwilling to stay at home all the time. She was suitable to shine in the workplace, but she couldn't help it now.
"I'm not afraid of trouble." Of course she was willing to help him.
"Then there's no problem. Since it's hard work wherever you go, you have to make more money." Ji Huai actually has long-term plans in mind. He is very optimistic about the development of the new company. Since it has just started, it can take root more deeply.
Tian Jing nodded heavily, "Yes."
Ji Huai resigned the next day. The leader asked him the reason for his resignation and chatted with him for a long time.
His position in the company is not very important, but many old employees have been fired recently. If he leaves again, he will be a little busy. Moreover, Ji Huai is married, has a wife and a daughter, and has a good temper, so he can still squeeze him hard. of.
Fang Xiaozhi was moved by reason and emotions, and even sold his feelings to win a big deal, but in the end he still had a conscience and knew that all resignations were due to lack of money, so he offered to help him get a salary increase.
How much can I get for a salary increase? Two to three thousand would be good. Ji Huai did not agree and was very determined to resign.
The other party had no choice but to approve it and politely said that he could come back at any time.
Ji Huai quickly joined the new company. Since it was a new company, it was certainly not well-known in the industry. His position was awkward, the internal structure was fragmented, and various departments were immature.
The basic salary of 26,000 yuan was really not in vain. His understanding of the boss was once again refreshed. The other party was very skilled, but he was also a nerd. The management was in a mess, only focusing on technology, and his business and management capabilities were in a mess.
During the interview, I heard him say that his product and sales ideas were very clear, and he would be good at managing product and sales departments, so I agreed to his conditions and wanted to quickly recruit him to work.
What Ji Huai has to do every day is to go to work diligently. The boss blames the blame, and he also has to run the sales and product departments by himself. Since he is airborne, it is a lot of trouble.
Tian Jing was better than him in management. She could often give him suggestions, and she would also encounter technical problems. Ji Huai shamelessly troubled Chen Yang for several days because it was really difficult to deal with at the time.
Later, he came back to communicate with Tian Jing every day. The two of them solved problems and came up with plans together, and they gradually adapted.
Tian Jing's anxiety has improved a lot because of this. She started studying with the idea of helping Ji Huai. As she studied in depth, she felt that she was making progress and getting involved in a new industry. She would be more confident in finding a job in the future. Having more choices makes you feel more relaxed.
Since joining the new company, Ji Huai no longer works part-time. What he has to do every night is study and review. Tian Jing studies with him and helps him deal with things.
In the first month, the two of them didn't have a day off. They had to go to bed after eleven o'clock. When they were busy, it was one or two o'clock, but after twelve o'clock, Ji Huai would urge her to go to bed and do the work himself.
Although this kind of life is busy, Tian Jing feels fulfilled. What she looks forward to most is that he will come back from get off work early. Counting the time, she would cook the meal. After he came back and ate together, he would wash the dishes and she would take care of her daughter. When her daughter fell asleep, they would spend their time under the lamp on the table.
Ji Huai would tell her in detail about the situation of the entire company, the technical difficulties he encountered, the confusion he encountered in management, and the obstacles everyone was giving him.
Tian Jing grew up in a more complicated environment than him, so she was much more understanding of the world than he was. When her salary was paid in the second month, she transferred the 20,000 yuan back to him and said, "If you want to work in If you can move among multiple departments smoothly, you have to be tactful enough to avoid unnecessary expenses. You have to treat them to meals frequently so that you can have a better relationship in private and avoid embarrassment at work."
Ji Huai was unwilling at first, but she urged him to go. He also said that with the money, he could buy them a lot of ribs. Tian Jing really couldn't laugh or cry when she heard this.
She originally thought that he had no ambitions, and his current salary was good, so he should be very satisfied. In the fourth month, when he could move between departments to solve problems with ease, he immediately asked his boss for a salary increase.
Tian Jing said that he was too impatient, but this man still spoke plausibly, "I am not working alone, the two of us receive a salary. Now I am in charge of everything. I have spent a lot of money on human kindness, and you are still pregnant." , it’s such a hard work, shouldn’t you get a raise?”
At this time, Tian Jing was nine months pregnant and was physically inconvenient, so she couldn't help him much, but she was still trying her best.
She had always been afraid of putting too much pressure on him, so she tried to help as much as she could, and was also afraid of dragging him down. Every time he received his salary, he said it was half, or even more than half, of hers. Every time he heard it, She felt at ease in her heart and felt recognized.
Ji Huai added, "When I get a salary increase, I will hire a nanny for you. Someone will take care of you when you have a baby."
"No, don't invite." She shook her head and declined.
They all live here, how can they afford a confinement nanny? And where does the confinement nanny live? Wouldn’t that be expensive and embarrassing
And it’s so expensive, so she’d better save her money. Raising a child is very expensive, but with this money you can do a lot of things. She’s not afraid of hardships, she’s always been there, and feels like there’s nothing she can’t overcome, so she can just get through it.
"How about you ask mom if she can come and take care of you? I'll buy her a plane ticket and let her take care of you and stay with you by the way, okay?" Ji Huai suggested again, and said, "A confinement nanny who doesn't live at home can also It costs several thousand yuan, but it doesn’t cost much to rent another house in the community. There is a shared room downstairs that we can rent to my mother.”
This kind of shared room only costs over 2,000 yuan. Ji Tianqi is still young, and she has to be in confinement and take care of the older and younger children, so she will be really busy.
It's impossible for Ji's mother to come to help them. Unless she surrenders and goes back and gives birth to a daughter, the other party won't give them a good look.
His last words made Tian Jing silent. She lowered her eyes and looked at the old floor. After a while, she whispered, "My mother has never been out of the market. She doesn't know anything."
Not to mention the city, I haven't even been to the county a few times. When I went to the city, I had a heart bypass surgery and came back after being discharged from the hospital. Her mother has lived in the mountains for half her life. She only speaks dialects and can only write her own name. She may not even understand all Mandarin.
She has not been home for more than two years. When she was pregnant, she said she would take the baby back after giving birth. Later, she gave birth to a baby, but the baby was too noisy and she had no money or energy. When the baby grew up, she had to go out to earn money to support the family and go to work. Where will there be time later? Then came the second child.
"But Mom doesn't need to do anything, she just needs to take care of you, right?" Ji Huai looked down at her and slowed down his voice, "Can you call Mom first and ask? There must be someone to take care of you, so that I can go to work with peace of mind. .”
Tian Jing didn't call immediately. She was still hesitating. Although she told the other party that the child was not aborted, Ji Huai had already brought them out. Tian's mother had no other choice but to worry. In order not to worry the other party, she did many things She didn't say.
Why don’t you want Tian’s mother to come? Because she didn't want the other party to see that her family only lived in such a small house and rented it. She was about to give birth to her second child and the family of four didn't even have a place to stay in this city. In my mother's understanding, to get married, you have to have a house, and only then can you have a family. How sad is it to rent a house? No matter how poor the place is, there is a house for getting married, even in the countryside.
But deep down in her heart, she misses him. When she feels sad and wronged, she also misses her mother and home. When she gives birth to her second child, when will she go home next? Even she doesn't know.
Maybe a year later, two years later, or even longer.
Ji Huai managed well, and his proposed salary increase was agreed to. The increase was not much, only 10%, but his provident fund increased and the provident fund offset the rent, so their life pressure was not so great.
Tian Jing has always been stubborn and didn't want her parents to know that she was not doing well. This time she struggled for a long time and dialed Tian's mother's phone number. After chatting for a long time, when she finally asked the other party to take care of her, she choked up and her eyes turned red as soon as she said it.
I don’t know if it’s because she became pretentious because of her pregnancy. She hardly cried before, and crying was of no use.
Tian's mother was panicked. She had never left the gate in her life, but she wanted to take care of her daughter. When she heard that Ji Huai would make arrangements, she agreed without hesitation.
Tian Jing smiled with tears. She had a small selfish intention. Even if she could not let Tian's mother live in her home in this city, she still wanted her to go out of the mountains to see the outside world and see this prosperous city. City, look at... her kids.