splendid star

Chapter 22 Xu Xiaoju Comes to Beijing
"Today will be the last meeting for everyone. Due to insolvency, the company has declared bankruptcy starting today. It will then enter the bankruptcy liquidation process. Here, on behalf of the company, I would like to say sorry to everyone." After speaking, Mr. Wu said to All employees bowed deeply.
Since the second half of last year, the collapse of U.S. subprime mortgages has triggered a comprehensive credit crisis and plunged the entire global financial system into chaos, which has further led to the weakness of China's export trade.
The unilateral decline in China's stock market that lasted for more than half a year accelerated the shrinkage of funds in the accounts of Xiaoju's company. Eventually, due to the interaction of external and internal factors, the company became insolvent and on the verge of bankruptcy.
Xiaoju is unemployed!
After losing her job, Xiao Ju started running non-stop at major job fairs again. Due to the resonance recession of the global economy, the Chinese economy was also greatly implicated, and the demand for corporate employment shrank sharply. Therefore, Xiao Ju ran for two months in a row without finding a job. The right job.
what do I do?At night, Xiaoju dragged her tired body back to the rental house and lay on the bed tossing and turning.
She heard that Guan Lu went to Beijing last year. Now Yuqing and Siyi are both in Beijing. How about I go to Beijing too?In a city as big as Beijing, there must be many job opportunities!How about getting up early tomorrow morning and asking Guan Lu.
"Hey, Lulu, our company went bankrupt and I lost my job! I want to go to Beijing to find you. Do you think it's okay?" Xiaoju tentatively called Guan Lu.
"Great! Xiaoju, come to Beijing. The three of us are all in Beijing. After you come, the four of us girls will take care of each other. When do you plan to leave?" Guan Lu heard that Xiaoju was also coming to Beijing, and she happily said shout.
"Is it easy to find a job in Beijing? Also, how much is the rent for the house you live in now? I heard that the house prices and rents in Beijing are very expensive. I am a little timid." Xiao Ju asked cautiously.
"It's okay. The rent is not expensive. We don't rent a mansion. Yu Yang and I rent a large studio of more than ten square meters. The monthly rent is 600 yuan. If you live on your own, you can find a smaller apartment. Time, it should only be around 400 yuan.”
"Oh, that's still bearable. Is it far from the train station? Why don't you help me find a house with a rent of about three hundred near where you live? You can advance the money to me first, and I'll pay you back when I get there. ." Xiaoju thinks the rent is acceptable, so she might as well go to Beijing to try her luck. Anyway, she really can't find a suitable job here.
"We live in an urban village on the edge of the Fifth Ring Road. It's quite far from the train station, but don't worry, I'll pick you up at the station."
"Really! That's great! It's just too troublesome for you!" Xiao Ju didn't expect that almost five years after graduating from high school, Guan Lu didn't have the slightest respect for her, but she was still so enthusiastic. Xiao Ju felt deeply moved.
After Guan Lu found Xiaoju's house, Xiaoju got on the train to Beijing.
Sitting on the train, Xiao Ju's heart was still full of uneasiness. She had long heard that Beijing had high consumption, high housing prices, expensive rents, and a fast pace of life. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't find a job in the city where she studied, she would never dare. When she came to Beijing to make a living, she just wanted to have a stable job, be paid on time every month, and be able to set aside some money to send home.
I don’t know how long it took, but the passengers around Xiao Ju began to pack their luggage one after another. “Is Beijing coming soon?” Xiao Ju asked one of the middle-aged male passengers who was packing their luggage.
"Is this your first time in Beijing, girl? That's your next stop."
Xiaoju looked timidly at the strange middle-aged man in front of her and didn't reply.Ever since she was cheated when she was looking for a part-time job in her freshman year, she has naturally been filled with a sense of rejection and wariness towards strangers, especially strange middle-aged men.This uncle could tell at a glance that it was her first time in Beijing. He wouldn't lie to me, would he?Her strong defensive mentality prompted her to deliberately avoid the problem.She regretted asking that question just now, revealing the true situation of her first visit to Beijing.
Finally hearing the announcer announcing the arrival of Beijing Station, Xiao Ju picked up a large bag of luggage with one hand and dragged the suitcase with the other, slowly moving towards the carriage door along with the crowd.
As soon as she got off the train and stepped onto the land of Beijing, Xiao Ju heard the melodious and enthusiastic song "Beijing Welcomes You":
"...
The door of my house is always open, open to accommodate the world
The years bloom with youthful smiles to welcome this date
The sky, the earth and the earth are mostly friends, please feel welcome
Picturesque, poetic and smiling, just waiting for you
Beijing welcomes you like music moves you
Let's all work hard to surpass ourselves
Beijing welcomes you, anyone with a dream is great
There will be miracles with courage
......"
Hearing this familiar song, Xiaoju's uneasy mood immediately relaxed a lot.When she was on the train just now, she was worried that Beijing would be very xenophobic. Would she be able to survive here?
"Hey, Lulu, I got off the train, where are you? ...At the station exit! Okay, see you later."
After making the call, Xiaoju walked towards the exit of the station along with the crowd.
"Xiao Ju, I'm here!" As soon as Xiao Ju walked to the exit, Guan Lu spotted her, waved her hand and shouted to her with a smile.
"Lulu!" Xiaoju quickened her pace and ran towards Guan Lu.
"Beijing welcomes you!" Although Guan Lu has been in Beijing for less than a year, she still looks like a master.
"Lulu, I miss you so much!" Xiaoju said as she stepped forward and hugged Guan Lu tightly. "Did you know? I heard the song "Beijing Welcomes You" as soon as I got off the train. It made me burst into tears. I think Beijing is so welcoming!”
"That's right, Beijingers are very enthusiastic! They are not exclusive at all. Let's go! Let's go see your little home in Beijing first!" Guan Lu took Xiaoju's suitcase and took her to transfer to the subway.
Standing in the subway car, Xiao Ju tried her best to pretend that she was a frequent passenger on the subway, trying not to let others see that it was her first time in Beijing. She felt excited and flustered, mixed with the inferiority complex engraved in her bones, and Deep unease about the future.But one thing she is sure of: from now on, her feet must be on the ground in Beijing.
After getting out of the subway, Xiaoju followed Guan Lu, passing through the bustling streets and entering a winding path.There are no more flowers, no more tall buildings, no more bustling traffic on the main streets when we first arrived in Beijing. Instead, there is just overcrowding and chaos.There are vendors selling various small businesses on the roadside. The buildings on both sides are also built in a disorderly manner. They are horizontal, diagonal, square, and rectangular. They stand out wildly from the uneven ground, as if they are deliberately declaring themselves. And the uniqueness of Beijing city.
"This is the village in the city where Yu Yang and I live," Guan Lu introduced, "Do you feel like you're back in your hometown in the countryside? Haha!"
"That's right! Before I came to Beijing, I thought that Beijing was full of clean and tidy high-rise buildings, with polished floor-to-ceiling bay windows, and the roads on the ground were paved with marble tiles! Everywhere was magnificent and sparkling. I didn't expect Beijing to have such a side, but I feel very friendly, just like I'm back home." Xiao Ju was still full of excitement about arriving in Beijing for the first time.
"Although this place looks shabby, in fact the landlords here are very rich. They are just waiting for demolition! As soon as the demolition money is received, every family will be worth millions and tens of millions. Those who rent here are Almost all of them are people who come to Beijing to work, commonly known as Beidiao. Almost every house is full. The apartment you live in now was vacated by a tenant who just moved out. Calculate their monthly rent... ..." Guan Lu introduced happily, as if all the colorful notes passed through her hands.
"Wow! So rich!" Xiao Ju suddenly felt envious of the Beijing natives here.
Passing through a narrow alley, the two came to the entrance of a three-story building.
"Here we are, this is it. Your room is on the first floor." Guan Lu took Xiaoju through the door and walked straight to her room.
"I've laid out the bedding for you. You've been traveling for a long time and you're tired. You can lie down and rest for a while. I'll tell Yuqing and Siyi that we can get together when we are free." After Guan Lu finished speaking, she turned around and left, "Oh, by the way, Yu Yang and I live in the easternmost room upstairs. You can come and play with me after you have some rest. I'm off work today."
After Guan Lu left, Xiaoju looked around. The whole room was about ten square meters. Although it was a little small, it had a cloth wardrobe, a table, a chair, a wooden bed, and a bathroom about two square meters. There is a toilet, shower, and sink inside.
"Very good, very good!" Xiao Ju thanked Guan Lu from the bottom of her heart for all the arrangements she had made. "I'm so tired!" Xiao Ju lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.
"Sisters, I have picked up Xiaoju from the train station and have settled her now. Don't worry, everyone!" Guan Lu returned to her room and reported to the QQ group of three.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lulu! The four of us will get together tomorrow and Saturday." Yuqing replied in the group.
"Okay! Let's go to Lulu's house tomorrow to get together!" Siyi replied.
"It's better not to come to my house. My house is small and can't accommodate so many people. I suggest that we go to eat Peking duck together tomorrow and then go to karaoke. How about that?"
"That's a good idea! It's settled then! Siyi and I will go find you first, and then you will take us to arrange a place for dinner and karaoke. I'll treat you!" Yuqing agreed with Guan Lu's proposal.
"Okay! It's settled! I'm going to give Yuqing a good beating this time. She is now the one with the highest salary among the four of us! See you tomorrow." Siyi agreed.
After the discussion, Guan Lu found Xiaoju's QQ account and pulled her into the group of the three of them. The group name was officially changed to "Four Sisters of Beidiao".
"Cheers!" The four girls gathered together, holding up their wine glasses, "Celebrate the official establishment of the four Beidiao sisters today!" Guan Lu first delivered a congratulatory speech.
"From now on, the four of us girls will bravely venture into Beijing together!" Yuqing said confidently.
"Yes! From now on, the four of us will share blessings and hardships!" Siyi said firmly.
"Thank you! I didn't expect that you are still so kind to me after not seeing each other for several years!" The sensitive Xiaoju was so moved that she almost wiped away tears.
The roast duck is here!Guan Lu picked up a piece of dough, rolled it with duck meat slices, duck skin slices, some shredded green onions and cucumbers, and dipped them in yellow sauce respectively. Then she rolled it up and handed it to Xiao Ju: "Here!"
Xiaoju knew in her heart that Guan Lu did this because she was afraid that she would avoid embarrassment because she had never eaten roast duck.She glanced at Guan Lu gratefully, took it, and said while eating, "It's so delicious!"
"I didn't know how to eat roast duck when I first came to Beijing. Yu Yang taught me this!" Guan Lu said to Xiao Ju with a smile.
After a full meal, the four girls, led by Guan Lu, came to the KTV together.
"Who wants to sing a song first?" Guan Lu asked with a smile.
"I'll do it!" Siyi came to the song-ordering station and ordered a song called "Flowers in the Water" by Alan Tam.
Stimulated by just drinking a few glasses of beer, Siyi remembered that An Chen, whom she had loved so much for so many years, had not heard from her, and her boyfriend Gao Han had also left her behind.She thought about the scene when she broke up with Gao Han again, and she felt that this song best represented her mood at the moment.
Music started playing, and Siyi recalled the past while singing.
"In the cold rain and wind, how much prosperity is like a dream
Once colorful, blown down by the wind
Looking back suddenly, love is like a cloud of smoke
Time flies away without leaving a trace
I saw the flowers in the water and wanted to keep a touch of red
However, tossed in the wind and dust, it no longer has the color of the past
I saw myself in tears, unable to keep anything
Only in the trance and drunkenness, there are still some old dreams
These flying flowers have fallen, and the deep feelings of the past have long become empty.
This flowing water passes by in a hurry, who can hold it back for a moment?
Feelings about the drifting flowers, which have no place to rest in this world
Let the rain and wind blow and remain silent, as if it were me
......"
As she sang, she didn't know whether she was in the song or in reality, and Siyi burst into tears unknowingly.
After Yuqing saw it, she quickly cut the song.She knew that Siyi remembered the sad past again. "Here!" Yuqing handed Siyi a tissue and comforted in a low voice.
Xiaoju also noticed something was wrong and quickly asked Yuqing, what happened to Siyi?
"Oh, she's fine. She just feels a little sad because she's about to graduate from college." Yuqing knew that Siyi had a good reputation, so it was best not to let anyone else know about Siyi's breakup.
Siyi wiped her tears, calmed down, turned around and sat on the sofa.
"I'll order a song for everyone, let's sing together later!" Yuqing said with a smile, then turned around and ordered "Youth Memorial Book":
"Give you my heart as a reminder of this love
Any time you open it is fresh
With my company, no matter how bitter it is, it becomes sweet
open your eyes and see forever
Give me your heart to remember my dream
Only with your blessing can I be complete
No matter how big the storm is, I will go forward bravely
Our love is inlaid in the memorial book of youth
......"
The four girls stood up, held hands with each other, swayed back and forth, and sang this song loudly together, as if they were saying their final farewell to their youth!
"No matter how big the storm is, I will move forward bravely. Our love is embedded in the memory album of youth."The unknown world ahead is waiting for them to explore; the endless wind and waves ahead are waiting for them to fight.But no matter what, the friendship that started in youth still stays in place, embedded in the memory of youth.
After singing, everyone was still interested, and Guan Lu ordered a song called "Beijing Welcomes You."
"Today is the day to welcome Xiao Ju, and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics is getting closer and closer. Let's sing a song "Beijing Welcomes You"!"
"...
Beijing welcomes you and opens up a new world for you
Flowing charm is full of vigor
Beijing welcomes you, share your breath under the sun
Refresh the score in the yellow land
The door of my house is always open, open to accommodate the world
The years bloom with youthful smiles to welcome this date
The sky, the earth and the earth are mostly friends, please feel welcome
Picturesque, poetic and smiling, just waiting for you
Beijing welcomes you like music moves you
Let's all work hard to surpass ourselves
Beijing welcomes you, anyone with a dream is great
There will be miracles with courage
......"
Just as described in the lyrics, four northern drifting girls came all the way to this beautiful and prosperous metropolis. They carried each other's dreams with them, "come on and surpass yourself", and aspired to "create a new world" through their own efforts. In this Beijing, which "opens up to the world", can confidently shine out the most beautiful brilliance of life.
"I want one too!" After singing "Beijing Welcomes You", Xiao Ju was deeply moved. She lost her initial restraint and ordered "Friends" by Zhou Huajian to express her truest mood at this moment.
"Over the years, a person
The wind is gone, the rain is gone
There have been tears, there have been mistakes
Remember what to insist on, you will understand after you have truly loved
will be lonely, will look back
Always have a dream, always have you in my heart
......"
When Xiao Ju sang this, she remembered that she had been wandering around alone for so many years, carrying the wind and rain alone, suffering the hardships alone, and she was always alone. Now she is better, and there are more people around her who have been together since high school. Good sister who came over, she no longer feels lonely!
Hearing this, Yuqing, Guan Lu, and Siyi all joined in and sang along:
"Friends go together for life, those days are no longer the same
In a word, forever
A lifetime of love, a glass of wine
A friend has never been alone, you will understand once you say friend
still hurt, still hurt
If you still have to go, you still have me.”
Some people say that friendship is like the sunshine in life, bringing you warmth and tranquility; friendship is like a river of kindness, washing away the dust and fatigue along the way.
Night fell slowly amid the laughter and laughter of the four girls.What will happen to these girls who have just entered or are about to enter society in this complex and ever-changing world they will face next?What will be their respective fates?Next, please take your time and enjoy.
(End of this chapter)