average american beauty

In October, more and more people came to buy autumn and winter clothes, and the sales of woolen hats and gloves gradually increased. Many customers came to check out the new fur hats and scarves in the store.

Caroline was lucky to host a few rich ladies who went back to Chicago to visit relatives and shop together this week. The weekly salary is expected to exceed 13 yuan for the first time, and the savings are gradually increasing.

Although her income has increased since she officially started working, Caroline did not increase the weekly board and lodging expenses paid to Minnie and Hansheng, but instead bought more food such as meat and biscuits for the family after each salary was paid. , and sometimes bring some small things like needlework and lace to Minnie.

Han Sheng is a responsible husband and father, but due to limited income, he always saves too much and is not interested in any "enjoyment" beyond the basic needs of life.

Minnie, on the other hand, counted the little living expenses given by Han Sheng every day, tried every means to "enrich" the meals at home, and tried to create a warm atmosphere.

Caroline knew that even if she paid more, most of them would be survived by the Han, so she might as well spend it on her family.Since the things Caroline bought every week were often worth more than one yuan, Han Sheng would not say anything.

As the weather gradually turned cooler, Caroline bought a probably new shawl at a second-hand store to wear when she got off work in the morning and evening. Although the style was old, it was better at keeping warm and cheaper.

In addition, she had spent two or three dollars to replace her old socks and underwear, which were really unbearable, and bought a small box of body oil.It's just that she has never been willing to pay high unit prices such as coats, shoes and hats, and she thinks she can procrastinate for a while.

Until this week, the mall had a new batch of winter clothes, and among them was a light brown coat that Caroline immediately fell in love with.

The coat has a narrow waist design, with a fringed belt, and a simple golden dark pattern embroidered on the front. The hem reaches the calf, and the neckline is decorated with fur. The rest is relatively simple, which fits Caroline's aesthetics.People in the clothing section also thought the dress was a bit sparse, but Caroline liked it very much.

Caroline calculated her salary for this week, and it should be just enough to buy this coat.In addition, Anne and Laura have something to do after get off work on Saturdays, so everyone doesn't plan to go out to play this week, which saves a small amount of social costs.Caroline simply gave the money to Charlotte in the clothing section during her lunch break, and asked her to directly invoice herself and buy the clothes.

Charlotte was naturally willing to help, and told Caroline that as long as Caroline helped her sell a dress, next time everyone went out to play, she would help Caroline pay the commission part of the dress at the checkout .She explained to Caroline that this was an unwritten agreement between the girls. If other girls ask Caroline to buy hats and gloves in the future, Caroline should do the same.

After get off work, Caroline returned home with this overcoat in a beautiful box, and bought a pound of salt ham and a three-and-a-half-pound bag of fine flour on the way.

Although the new coat was a bit thick and it would take another two weeks to wear it, Caroline couldn't bear the excitement of trying it again and again after returning home.

If she used to buy a new dress, she would never be so excited like a child.But since Caroline came to this era, she was either wearing overalls or Carrie's old clothes, living a much worse life than her previous life.So every time she makes a new breakthrough in her work, or replaces some old things that originally belonged to Sister Carrie, she feels that she is one step closer to her own "Caroline".

After buying this new coat and paying for this week's board and lodging, Caroline has less than eight dollars left, but she thinks it's all worth it.

"Minnie, do you want to try it too?" Caroline asked when she saw her sister sitting beside her and had been looking at herself for a long time.

"No, Carrie, you look good in this dress. You have always been the prettiest child in the family." Minnie said with a smile, but Caroline always felt that Minnie's eyes were a little strange.

"Minnie, do you have something to say to me?" Caroline put down her clothes and sat next to Minnie.

"Carrie, tell me the truth, how much did you pay for this coat?" Minnie said, taking Corolla's hand.

"About twelve dollars," Caroline replied.

"Is the money you earned recently enough to buy this dress?" Minnie's tone became a little hasty.

"Didn't I sell a big order this week? I talked to you on Wednesday, so I made a little more money this week." Caroline said inexplicably, and it took a few seconds for her to realize that Minnie was implying What,

"My God, Minnie, you don't think someone else bought it for me!"

Minnie was also a little embarrassed when Caroline said this, "I'm sorry Carrie, I hope you don't mind, I'm just worried that you might accidentally go astray." She sighed, "I know you are now Working in a shopping mall, you have more knowledge than me. But you are still young, and I am always worried about what to do if you are cheated."

Caroline felt a little weird at first. She seemed to be angry. Since she started working, it seemed that there were always people around who worried that she would go astray. Ms. Green’s seemingly gentle warnings, Vivienne’s jokes, and Minnie’s worries and doubts, could it be that she Does it seem so unreliable?

But Caroline forced herself to calm down, and after thinking about it from another angle, it was not incomprehensible.A young girl who has just come to a big city and works in a magnificent department store, if she still has a bit of beauty, it will inevitably cause people to worry in this era.Even if you know that this is a stereotyped thinking, it will not change overnight.

"It's okay, Minnie, I just want to say, don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who accepts gifts casually."

After hearing Caroline's words, Minnie was temporarily relieved, but the next second she frowned as if remembering something.

"And Carrie, even if you find me annoying, I have to say that although it is your freedom to spend the money you earn. But I think you are spending too fast now. You know it is easy to spend money, but it is not easy to save money. Much harder."

Minnie stood up and folded Caroline's pile of clothes on the bed, and continued,

"You may not realize it now. But sooner or later you will grow up and get married. I would rather you save a little more dowry for yourself, so that you will have more confidence when you marry in the future." Minnie subconsciously walked towards the bedroom. took a look.

Caroline also stood up, took the clothes and put them back in the box.She remembered the original memory of Carrie, but she didn't accept the emotion that belonged to Carrie.It caused her and Minnie to always seem to be separated by something, but it didn't prevent her from feeling this concern.

Coming from a later life, Caroline does not feel that marriage is a necessity in life. As long as she has the ability, she can live a good life alone.But Minnie has nothing to do with this matter, at least she can make Minnie less worried.

"Hey, Minnie," Caroline looked at Minnie with the same gray-blue eyes as her own, "I promise you, I will work hard and save more money for myself. As for the rest, you Don't think too much, I will never do things that let me down."

Although Caroline felt that Minnie's worries were mostly superfluous, it made her rethink her view of consumption.

Caroline has always known that the products in Meisi Mall are not suitable for people with her income level, but after working for a long time, she has indeed been affected a lot subconsciously. Coats worth a few dollars each, or even small gold watches worth hundreds of dollars, have become commonplace, so they gradually take it for granted.

When she bought this dress, she really felt that after working for so long, she no longer had to worry about food and clothing. Why didn't she reward herself when she came across a dress she liked?She can afford it now.

But looking back now, she seems to have indeed lost a little restraint on her desire.She doesn't regret buying this coat, but what does she need more than a coat?In addition to clothes, she also wants to move to her own apartment, and to learn more skills, and even if she has the opportunity, she also wants to visit all over the world, to New York, London, Paris, and... in her previous life in the East. Country where you were born and raised...

Moreover, she almost forgot that she does not have sick leave or insurance now. If one day she suffers from a serious illness, she may not only face a large amount of medical expenses, but also lose her job. Before Liberation"!

So Caroline does need a spare fund, a spare fund for herself.

In a simple calculation, her basic living expenses are about five to six yuan a week, and it will be even higher if she moves out by herself.If she wants to prepare for three months of living expenses, at least 80 yuan is required, and the current salary alone is not enough.

Caroline has no plans to change jobs for now.Limited by the times, there are not many jobs that women can do.At present, among the jobs she can choose, a weekly salary of more than ten yuan is considered high, not to mention that most of the colleagues in the shopping mall are also able to negotiate.

Maybe it's time for a side hustle, she thought.

Caroline's first thought was naturally column submission.

Sunday was the Sabbath, and entertainment venues and most shops were closed, and Caroline walked several streets to get the dip pens, ink, and envelopes she needed.

She has actually been preparing for the past two months. After reading dozens of magazines and newspapers, Caroline has basically figured out the routines of common fashion and family articles.It happened that winter was coming, so Caroline wrote three short articles based on the new winter clothes and hats in the mall.

One is to borrow the tone of returning from a trip to other places, and talk about some fashion trends in this winter, and the remaining two are to write some tips on clothing matching.

The revised manuscript, after Caroline double-checked it, was transcribed on fine-grained paper with a dip pen.

It was three days after Caroline mailed the manuscript at the post office near Van Buren Street.

Since it was the first time to submit a manuscript, Caroline did not submit to a large newspaper or magazine, but chose a local family newspaper "Chicago City Life".

The business hours of the newspaper office conflicted with Caroline's working hours, so she couldn't go to the newspaper office for consultation in person. Fortunately, the postage for letters within the same city was only a few cents, but it took a long time to receive a reply.

The return address Caroline wrote was the post office where the letter was sent.Every day or two, she would go to the post office to ask if there was a letter for "CM".

After about a week, Caroline finally got a reply.