Just then, Virginia finally spoke. “Actually, my son passed the exam this year and got a job at the city’s finance bureau; it’s a top place!” She lifted her chin, looking very proud.
Madison quickly jumped in, talking fast as if she didn’t want anyone to cut her off.
“What a joke! My daughter makes over $1,400 a month. She even bought a white Mercedes this month. For her, that’s just half a year’s salary; no big deal.”
I laughed and said, “Aunt Virginia, the interview list for this year’s provincial civil service exam came out two days ago. I checked it; there’s no one with a surname Gildon listed for any job in the city’s Finance Bureau. My cousin’s name isn’t there at all… unless he changed his last name.”
The table went silent. Virginia’s face turned red, then pale.
I looked at Madison and said, “Aunt Madison, that white Mercedes my cousin showed on WhatsApp; was it an A180? Last month, my classmate and I saw the same model at a used car market. It was nine years old with 170,000 kilometers, priced at $2,500 and still negotiable. So that’s what counts as half a year’s salary for my cousin. That’s quite high.”