9

I stood by the window, watching as Father walked into the house in a daze. His eyes were hollow, his steps heavy.

"How was it?" Mother asked cautiously.

Father shook his head, his voice hoarse, "I was fired."

A silence enveloped the entire room.

"Not only that," Father continued, "the company is asking me to compensate for losses."

I looked at Father's dejected state, feeling no ripple of emotion inside.

Just then, the postman's knock broke the silence.

I received a thick envelope; inside was the much-anticipated transfer notice.

As soon as I got the notice, I immediately submitted an application for a transfer, hoping to work in another city.

Generally, civil servants prefer to work close to home, so for someone like me applying for a transfer to a remote area, the leaders naturally welcomed it immensely.

So they promptly helped me with the process, although the approval still took quite some time.

But fortunately, my plan was successfully realized.