The real change happened after the college entrance examination.
Zhao Ruihe has loved small animals since he was a child, but his family was afraid that pets would affect his studies, so they never allowed him to keep one. Zhao Ruihe decided to become a veterinarian at a very young age.
His parents thought that being a veterinarian had no future, so they asked him to take the entrance exam to the local Normal University, saying that he could become a teacher in the future, which was respectable and close to home.
Zhao Ruihe argued with his parents several times, and finally his parents let him go.
He thought this was an approval, but unexpectedly, in the end, he actually received an admission notice from the Normal University.
Dad Zhao proudly said that he was the one who secretly helped Zhao Ruihe change his choice of major.
He laughed at Zhao Ruihe's naivety and said that Zhao Ruihe would be grateful to him in the future.
Fortunately, after reporting, Zhao Ruihe found that the Normal University also has a veterinary major. Although it is not a popular major, it is better than nothing.
Zhao Ruihe had lived for 18 years and had always been an obedient child. But that day, he found the courage to change his major.
His parents didn't know about this until he graduated from college.
They were furious and asked him to take the civil service exam or get a decent master's degree. When Zhao Ruihe refused, they scolded him for being a hopeless case and asked him to pay back the tuition and living expenses he had spent since he was a child.
Zhao Ruihe was also tough and paid off the debt by taking out a loan.
At this time, he thought his parents were joking, but he didn't expect that they actually accepted the money.
A few days later, Zhao Ruihe discovered that his brother had a few more pairs of brand-name sneakers and had replaced his computer with an Alienware one.
How much do his parents despise his job? Even now, when relatives ask Zhao Ruihe about his activities, his parents always answer that he is a senior executive in a foreign company.
Zhao Ruihe thought he no longer hated them, but now he found that the anger in his heart was still burning fiercely.
He said, "I don't have 1.8 million, but I can borrow 180 yuan."
Mother Zhao could not hide her disappointment, and even looked down on her. She looked at her son's clinic and asked, "Can this be mortgaged?"
Zhao Ruihe was curious, "Doesn't my brother have a provident fund? He's a civil servant, so it should be easy for him to get a loan."
Mother Zhao shook her head. "You can't get a loan. The interest rate is too high. Your brother isn't rich. How can he give money to the bank for nothing?"
She pressed on: "Although your clinic is in a bad location, it's big, so it should be worth a lot of money—"
Zhao Ruihe asked: "How is the interest calculated?"
Father Zhao was furious. "Are you still a human being? He's your brother, and you're charging him interest! You really, really pissed me off!"
Mother Zhao was also disappointed. "You are brothers. Buying a house is a major event in life. You must help him."
Zhao Ruihe added: "But if he doesn't pay back on time, my clinic will be gone."
Father Zhao said disdainfully, "Don't worry about it. Your brother is not like you. He is capable and can even owe you money."
Zhao Ruihe insisted on asking him to give a guarantee: "What if he doesn't pay back the money on time? Will you pay it back for him? I need you to write a receipt."
Father Zhao was completely furious. "Who the hell are you? I raised you for nothing. You—"
Mother Zhao thought she had convinced her eldest son, and hurriedly said, "Your business is so good here. It's only been a few days, and you've bought such a big room. If your brother can't get a replacement, you can pay it back for him. You are brothers, he won't cheat you."
Zhao Ruihe nodded, "He won't cheat me. But you will."
"Mom, if you want me to buy a house for my brother, just say it directly. You said it so euphemistically that I almost didn't understand."
Mother Zhao said awkwardly: "No, you misunderstood, that's not what we meant."
Father Zhao said disdainfully, "You think too highly of yourself. We have money, we don't need you—"
Zhao Ruihe said, "Is that so? How much are you going to give my brother? One million or eight hundred thousand? How can you, an ordinary retired old man, be so rich?"
Father Zhao pointed at him, "You!"
Zhao Ruihe looked at his mother and said, "My business here is not good, I can only support myself. Besides, this place is rented by me."
"Okay, I have to go to work. It's very cold, you two can go back home now."
Zhao's father slammed the table, pointed at his nose and scolded him, saying that he was a loser, an unfilial son, and that if he had listened to him, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.
Mother Zhao didn't stop her.
Zhao Ruihe just listened quietly. Finally, he said, "Dad, do you know why you are always angry?"
“Because there’s nothing you can do.”
"I've only been working for a few years, and you've worked your entire life and haven't saved a million or eight hundred thousand. According to you, you're not a loser, you've lived in vain."
After the parents left, the veterinary hospital became quiet.
Zhao Ruihe sat in the sun with a melancholy look, looking more charming than usual.
He heard footsteps and looked up. Gu Xiaoxu was looking at him with a smile.
He was not angry, he just lit a cigarette and said, "Laugh, I think I am funny too."
"I'm not making fun of you." Gu Xiaoxu said, "I just realized that my mom is not the only parent like this."
"They are obviously ugly ducks, but they ask their children why they are not swans."
Gu Xiaoxu told Zhao Ruihe about her mother's past abuse of her and her brother.
Happiness is indeed created by contrast. Zhao Ruihe quickly got over his experience. He even felt that his parents were not unforgivable.
He is usually very good at chatting with girls, but now he wants to comfort Gu Xiaoxu, but he can't find the right words.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "Is that how you got the wound on your hand?"
There were several long, thin scars on the back of Gu Xiaoxu's hand, extending all the way to her wrist. As for whether there were any on her arm, Zhao Ruihe didn't know.
Gu Xiaoxu always wore long-sleeved clothes, unwilling to reveal a single ounce of excess skin.
This scar was not left by Gu's mother. She also hoped that Gu Xiaoxu would marry a rich man and leave almost no scars on her body.
This was all the past that Gu Xiaoxu was willing to let Zhao Ruihe know. She smiled at him as a sign of her agreement.
She asked, "Does it hurt to get your ears pierced? I've always wanted to get my ears pierced, but my mom wouldn't let me, saying it would affect my studies."
Zhao Ruihe resonated with her about being coerced by her parents:
"I found out that these parents are really ignorant."
"Have they never been to school? Don't they know what it's like to study? They don't even look at how well they can score in the exam, but they force their children to do it."
"It was hard for me to pass the exams when I was studying, but for my child, I can get first place with just two slaps."
That afternoon, Gu Xiaoxu asked for leave.
She and Zhao Ruihe huddled in the sunshine of the pet shop, talking bad about their parents, teachers and classmates, commemorating their belated rebellious years.
"My parents always say that only idiots get their ears pierced. I got my ears pierced to piss them off."
Zhao Ruihe rolled up his sleeves, "Look, I've also got you tattooed."
He had an arc tattooed on his biceps. Gu Xiaoxu studied it for a while and asked, "What did you tattoo?"
Zhao Ruihe was a little embarrassed. "I originally wanted to tattoo a dragon across my shoulder, but it was too painful, so I gave up after just one stroke."
He stressed, "It really hurts. Rebellion also has a price."
Gu Xiaoxu couldn't hold back her laughter any longer.
Zhao Ruihe also laughed.
He laughed and shook his head. "Now that I think about it, I was really naive before. I actually thought piercings and tattoos were cool. But what's so cool about them? Just grit your teeth, endure the pain, and it will pass."
“What’s really cool is sticking to your goals day after day, year after year, not being afraid of being laughed at by others, and not being defeated by ordinary life.”
He raised his eyebrows. "Do you think I look like a philosopher? This is what I wrote in my college entrance examination essay."
He smiled bitterly, "It's good to be forced to read. At least it can make pretty girls happy."
Gu Xiaoxu didn't comment, "Tell me something I don't know."
Zhao Ruihe: "What?"
Gu Xiaoxu pretended to be arrogant and said, "I'm almost thirty, how could I not know that I'm a beauty? Tell me something I don't know."
After saying this, Gu Xiaoxu himself was also surprised.
If she hadn't had outstanding looks, she wouldn't have been targeted by gangsters and her life wouldn't have experienced such twists and turns.
There was a time when she was tired of her appearance.
Zhao Ruihe's laughter interrupted her thoughts. He joked, "Beautiful women should be more modest, otherwise how can we ordinary people live?"
Maybe it was because the weather was very good today. Gu Xiaoxu squinted his eyes in the sunlight, and the bad emotions in his heart melted away.
The setting sun shone into the room through the French windows, and tiny dust particles floated in the air. The two of them huddled on the sofa in the waiting area, with the big orange dog huddled between them.
The waves in the distance quietly hit the embankment, one after another.
Occasionally, pedestrians passed by the door, some were dressed warmly, while others were dressed fashionably.
They wasted the entire afternoon without feeling it wasted.
When it was getting dark, Gu Xiaoxu asked, "Do you know where I can get my ears pierced? I want to get my ears pierced."
That night, when Gu Yiming came to see his sister, he found her looking at a pair of earrings.
The earrings are made of blue crystals and diamonds, looking both pure and extravagant.
Gu Yiming was puzzled, "You don't have pierced ears."
Gu Xiaoxu showed her ear to her brother like a kid showing off a new toy: "I just got it today."
Gu Yiming had no objection to her piercing. He just checked it and made sure there was no suppuration. Then he reminded her, "Pay attention to cleaning. - Forget it. I come here often anyway. I can help you."
He picked up the earrings, "It's kind of cute after a while. But, it's not your style."
Gu Xiaoxu smiled and said, "A friend gave it to me."
To commemorate my little rebellion.
Gu Yiming didn't know her yet, so how could she have any friends? Most likely it was that playboy named Zhao.
I bought the earrings at a nearby shop. They were wrapped in a pink bag with the words 'I LOVE U' printed in fancy English calligraphy.
Gu Yiming was irritated by the sight and said critically, "'I LOVE U', what kind of person would say these three words to others for no reason?"
He shook the earrings, "What crystal? They are made of glass. They are insincere and really fooling people. Just wait. I will give you diamonds on your birthday."