Grandmother held the gold bracelet, momentarily overwhelmed by its sheer weight.
Joan Miller leaned in. Her eyes were glued to the bracelet, but her words were as sharp as ever. "Wendy, I don’t mean to lecture you, but you’ve only just started working. Isn’t this a bit extravagant?
"Could this be gold-plated silver? I understand young people want to keep up appearances, but you shouldn’t buy something flashy yet useless just to fool your grandmother."
The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere at the dining table instantly froze. Mrs. Miller was about to shoot back, but Wendy Lynch smiled and waved her off. Pulling a neatly folded receipt from the bottom of the box, she handed it to her grandmother.
"Grandmother, here is the receipt for the bracelet," Wendy said.
"Eldorado Gold is currently running a trade-in promotion. If you don’t like this matte finish, you can pay a two-hundred-yuan processing fee later to exchange it for another style of the same weight."
Grandmother stared at the number on the receipt, her fingers trembling. She hurriedly tried to shove the bracelet back into Wendy’s hands. "Fifteen thousand?! This is way too expensive!
"No! Absolutely not! Hurry up and return it!
"Keep this money for yourself. I don’t want such an expensive gift."
Joan leaned closer and got a clear look at the number on the receipt. The mocking sneer on her face instantly froze. Her lips moved, but no words came out.
She had agonized for days over spending a little over four thousand on a jade Buddha pendant for herself, yet Wendy was willing to drop fifteen thousand on a gold bracelet for her grandmother. If the money were for herself, Joan wouldn’t hesitate, but spending that much on her own mother was completely out of the question.
Hearing the price, James Rhodes set down his teacup. A smile graced his face, but his eyes were probing. "Are you making that much at your job now, Wendy?
"You just graduated, and you can already afford such a precious gift for your grandmother? By the way, which company are you working for?"
He was already calculating in his head. If Wendy’s company was really that good, he might be able to get her to find an internship for Leon Rhodes.
Wendy had anticipated the question and explained with a smile, "My company is a subsidiary of a major corporation, so the salary and benefits are pretty good.
"Of course, I’ve only received one month’s salary so far. If I were just relying on my basic pay, I definitely wouldn’t be able to afford this bracelet."
Hearing this, her eldest uncle, Hugh Miller, became interested. "Oh? Did the company hand out performance bonuses?"
As a low-level manager in a private enterprise, Uncle Hugh knew perfectly well that for certain positions, the base salary only made up a small fraction of a person’s total income. Some of the sales reps at his company only had a base salary of two thousand, but their monthly commissions could easily reach ten to twenty thousand.
Wendy shook her head with a smile. "No, that’s not it. Although our company does offer performance bonuses, they are all distributed together at the end of the year.
"Actually, I just got lucky a while ago. I won over eight thousand in the lottery. Since Grandmother has always loved gold, I thought I’d buy her a decent gift."
Gasps of amazement immediately echoed around the dining table.
Grandmother held Wendy’s hand, feeling both heartbroken for the expense and deeply touched. "You silly girl, why didn’t you save your lottery winnings?
"There are plenty of things you need to spend money on in the big city. You should just keep your money for yourself. Buying such an expensive gift for your grandmother is too much of a waste."
"Grandmother, how could buying a gift for you be considered a waste?" Wendy squeezed her grandmother’s hand and gave it a gentle shake. "I’m still young; there will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future.
"You raised me from when I was little, and I’ve wanted to buy you a gold bracelet for the longest time. Now that I finally have the means, just wear it with peace of mind.
"Besides, I’ve officially passed my probation. My take-home pay will be over ten thousand a month from here on out. I definitely won’t be short on money, so just wear it and don’t worry."
With that, she took hold of her grandmother’s wrist, leaving no room for argument, and slipped the gold bracelet on. Looking at the jewelry on her grandmother’s arm, Wendy nodded in satisfaction. "The size is just right. I guess my memory isn’t so bad after all!"
Sitting nearby, Joan looked at the softly gleaming gold bracelet on her mother’s wrist, feeling a sour, bitter knot form in her stomach. She had originally wanted to outdo Wendy with her own gift, only to end up being the one shown up instead. The memory of the snide remarks she had just made caused her cheeks to burn with embarrassment.
Upon hearing that Wendy would make over ten thousand a month as a full-time employee, a wave of envy and jealousy washed over James.
It had taken him over a decade to climb to the position of section chief. His monthly salary, combined with various benefits and subsidies, barely scraped past ten thousand—the only real perk being that his government insurance and housing fund contributions were slightly higher than those in a typical private company.
Years ago, when regulations were lax, he used to regularly receive under-the-table gifts of cigarettes, alcohol, and cash envelopes. But with the increasingly strict oversight in recent years, he wouldn’t dare accept such bribes even if someone were bold enough to offer them. After all, he had no powerful backers. If anyone reported him, he would lose his secure government job for sure.
James absentmindedly rubbed the rim of his teacup, his eyes darting toward Wendy. After a moment of thought, he plastered an ingratiating smile on his face. "Wendy, look at you working in such a major company now. Your network must be much wider than ours.
"Your cousin Leon is already in his junior year of college, and he needs to find an internship in the second half of the year. Could I trouble you to ask around and see if there are any internal referral opportunities at your company?"
Hearing her husband’s words, Joan threw her previous embarrassment out the window and forced a flattering smile. "That’s right, Wendy. Your cousin’s grades might be average, but he’s a hard worker.
"Help ask around at your company for any internal internship referrals. It’s fine even if it’s unpaid—the main thing is for him to get some experience. If you two are working at the same company, you can look out for each other!
"If you can do us this favor, Aunt Joan will definitely remember your kindness."
As she spoke, she nudged Leon, who was sitting next to her, with her elbow. "Hurry up and say something nice to your cousin."
Only then did Leon reluctantly look up, tearing his eyes away from his phone screen. He mumbled indistinctly, "Cousin, please do me a favor. If it works out, I’ll buy you milk tea for a month!"
With that, he lowered his head and went right back to scrolling on his phone. His dismissive attitude made it look as though someone else was asking for the favor, not him.
Looking at the fawning smiles on her aunt and uncle’s faces, Wendy felt a rush of deep satisfaction. For so many years, even when she got into Corvallis University, the two of them had maintained a high-and-mighty, dismissive attitude. She never in a million years imagined that these two would actually have to beg her for something.
Wendy sneered inwardly, though she kept a gentle smile on her face as she gave a light shake of her head.
"James, Aunt Joan, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I genuinely don’t have the ability to do so," she said. "I only just became a full-time employee; I’m nothing more than a bottom-rung grunt at the company. Let alone internal referral slots for internships, even my department supervisor has barely spoken more than a few words to me. How could I possibly have enough sway to arrange an internship for someone?"
Joan’s face darkened slightly. She was just about to say something when Wendy continued.
"Besides, haven’t you always said that government agencies are more stable than private companies, Aunt Joan? James is a section chief in a government department. He knows a lot of people and has a vast network.
"If James could help find an internship at a government agency, it would be infinitely better than working at a private company like ours. The job is stable, the benefits are great, and he might even secure a permanent position later on. That’s a golden opportunity that most people couldn’t get even if they begged for it."