My younger sister came to my place two weeks ago right after she left the army. She was intended to find a part-time job here in Shanghai and then go back home with me for Spring Festival.

However it’s not easy to find one which lasts only two months and near the place where I live. So she ended up being a waitress in a fast food restaurant. She had to work 9 hours each day serving dishes and cleaning tables and floor and she kept doing that for 6 days until she caught a serious cold. So she asked her manager for a one-day leave but the manager turned her down because Monday happened to be Winter Solstice when people eat dumplings (The restaurant’s main dish is dumpling). The manager also threatened that if she didn’t show up on Monday, she wouldn’t get her payment for all the previous work she had done. She was very anxious because of this but she finally decided to quit because (a) she found that she was the only waitress who showed up everyday do almost all the work besides an old lady who is the manager’s relative and does almost nothing, and (b) the manager won’t sign a contract with her until the end of the month according to the manager’s words so she cannot guarantee her rights especially when the manager should threaten her that day.

The next day when she felt a little better, she went to looking for part-time jobs again. She had four interviews. Only a telemarketing company said yes and told her to work the next day. However, the next morning they told her that there was no extra office desk for her to use and asked her to wait for their reply within two weeks. That was an excuse maybe but we don’t know the real reason.

When I came home after work, she told me that she wanted to go home immediately. I knew she was tired and the unpleasant job search experience really tortured her though she reassured me that it doesn’t matter and she would take it as a lesson and would be strong as always. I felt very sorry because I did nothing for her. I was busy at work every day and didn’t even spare time showing her around. I knew she was very excited about her trip to Shanghai and had all the fantasy about it. I need to do something to cheer her up. So I asked her to stay here for a few days to go some sight-seeing. I recommended a few places for her to visit and made a travel plan for her. On Christmas eve, I hung out with her and we had a fun talk. Friday night, which was the last night she was in SH, I took her to the bund and enjoyed the night view around Huangpu River. I was really happy that she liked the views of Shanghai.

I saw her off at the train station Saturday afternoon. The minute she went into the waiting hall and waved goodbye to me, I couldn’t help shed tears. I really missed the days when she was around. She is very sweet and considerate. She would clean the apartment, do laundry and prepare dinner for me when I had no time. She let me get rid of the loneliness and feel the warmth of home.

I hope she could enjoy the time with my families and have full life in college next year.