She Chose the Job That Paid Less, but It Gave Her Two Days Off

At two in the afternoon, Lin Yue woke up.

The curtains hadn't closed all the way. Light lay on the pillow. Her phone was beside her face, screen still on, the job app frozen on "two days off." She swiped. Three listings. Two had read her application and not replied. One wanted "strong stress tolerance and willingness to accept flexible hours." She turned the phone over and got up to boil water. On the balcony, another pothos leaf had turned yellow. She cut it. Water seeped from the cut.

Twenty-four. Second-tier university. Chinese Language and Literature. Unemployed one year. Her resume said proficient in office software. The skills section ended there.

Last month she interviewed at an e-commerce company. HR said, "We have one day off, but you grow fast."

Lin Yue asked, "Overtime pay?"

HR smiled. "Young people shouldn't look only at the present."

She smiled too. Stood up. The chair legs scraped the floor tile. Walked to the door.

Behind her, HR said, "Think about it."

She didn't look back.

That day she bought a jianbing with sausage, six yuan. The vendor asked about chili. She said a little. Ate it standing by the road, fingers greasy, wiped them on her pants.

In her graduation year, she almost signed with a sales company. One day off, base 4,000, commission up to fate. Her mother said, "Take it first, look for something better while you're at it."

She photographed the contract. Deleted it that night.

Her mother asked why.

She said, "By Sunday night I'm already afraid of Monday. How am I supposed to live like that?"

Her mother said nothing and turned up the TV.

Now she went to the library three times a week. Left at nine with a bottle of water and two steamed buns. The library had AC, outlets, free hot water. She sat by the window on the third floor, submitted resumes, revised resumes, watched online courses. Nearby, people studied for civil service exams, public institution exams, graduate school. Sometimes she read a public institution exam book, got through two chapters, fell asleep. Woke with a drool mark on the page. Wiped it with her sleeve.

In October she got an offer. Two days off, administrative, 3,500. High-tech Zone, commute one hour forty minutes. Rent 1,200. Food 1,000. Subway 300. Left: 1,000.

She stared at the calculator. The numbers lit the screen. She didn't tap accept. Didn't tap reject. Three days later, the posting closed.

Her mother called. The neighbor's daughter worked at a bank, one day off, 6,000 a month. Her mother said, "Take something first. Stop being picky."

Lin Yue said, "I'll look a bit more."

Her mother sighed. "Your dad's back is bad. He didn't go out to work this year."

Lin Yue said, "I know."

Her mother said, "As long as you know."

The call ended. She went to wash dishes. The water was cold. She rinsed the dish soap three times. Her hands were still slippery.

In November she interviewed at a new media company. HR flipped through her resume, paused at the gap.

"What have you been doing this year?"

"Looking for work."

"For a year?"

"Mm."

"We're fast-paced here. Can you handle pressure?"

"Two days off?"

HR laughed. "What do you think?"

Lin Yue gripped her resume. The corner bent. When she came out, it was raining. No umbrella. She stood at the convenience store entrance and bought oden: radish two yuan, kelp one and a half. Ate slowly. Finished the broth.

That night she was about to reply to another company. One day off, 5,000, three-month probation. She typed "I can." Her finger hovered over send. A former colleague messaged: There's a two-day-weekend job, referral. Want to try?

She deleted "I can." Replied: "Yes."

The interview was Wednesday. Small company, cultural and creative work. HR said, "Two days off, 3,800, after probation big-small weeks."

Lin Yue asked, "What's big-small week?"

"One week two days off, one week one day off."

"Oh."

On the subway back, she sat in a plastic seat. The announcement played three times. She didn't cry. Just sat, looking at the hot pot on the billboard opposite, red oil boiling. Home at ten. Another pothos leaf had turned yellow. She cut it, threw the yellow leaf in the trash. The trash can was full. She didn't take it out.

She called her mother. "I'm starting work next week."

"Two days off?"

"I'll do it for now."

"Okay."

The company had one day off. She hung up and deleted the job app. Next morning, she installed it again.

For three days, her first meal was at three in the afternoon. Instant noodles, or leftover rice from takeout. She watched shows, scrolled job listings, watched shows, scrolled job listings. Bed at two, up at eleven. Woke not knowing what day it was. Her phone calendar popped up: Time to send resumes. She swiped it away. Scrolled to a college photo: four roommates jumping on the sports field, shadows stretched long. She closed it.

On the fourth day, she opened her laptop and made a spreadsheet. Company name. Rest schedule. Overtime frequency. Arbitration records. She researched. Some companies had records on China Judgments Online. She took screenshots. Some postings said two days off, but reviews said "on call all weekend." She called HR. "Do I need to reply to messages on weekends?"

"Occasionally."

"How often is occasionally?"

"Depends on the project."

"Okay."

She signed up for an online course, Saturday morning. The teacher talked about layout. She took notes. In the afternoon, she sent resumes. No longer filtered only for "two days off." She applied to a big-small-week company that paid overtime, and a two-day-weekend company with low pay. Her questions changed: "Are you on call on weekends?" "Is there comp time?" "Do you pay social insurance during probation?"

At the end of the month, two offers. One day off, 5,000. Two days off, 3,500.

She chose the two-day weekend. She also took an online part-time job editing manuscripts, 800 a month.

She called her mother. "I found a job. Two days off. Less money."

Her mother was silent, then: "As long as it's enough."

"Mm."

"Your dad's back is a little better."

"Good."

At seven in the morning, the alarm went off. She got up and watered the pothos. A new leaf had grown, very small, curled. She left. The subway was crowded. She opened the job app, didn't apply, just looked. Closed it. The train reached her stop. She got off.