\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked up and saw me from across the street.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t walk over, just lowered the car window a crack and nodded slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11 PM, Airport runway lights stretched like a golden river into the black night sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood by the fence outside the control tower, watching a plane slowly lift its nose, finally disappearing into the clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rex handed me an ice-cold beer: \u201cCompletely over?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took the beer, popped the tab, and hummed acknowledgment as the cold liquid slid down my throat, washing away the last trace of\u00a0<\/p>\n
oppression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He laughed and bumped my arm: \u201cSo what\u2019s next? You can\u2019t just stay busy with company affairs forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at the vast sky: \u201cBuild a medical group that actually raises grassroots doctors\u2019 salaries-starting with $2000 monthly allowances, so every child can support their parents without pressure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three months later, StarMed Medical released its first quarterly report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cover didn\u2019t feature suited executives, but a large group photo of me pushing my mom\u2019s wheelchair through the farmers market-my mom holding freshly bought vegetables with a beaming smile, a small banner stuck to the wheelchair handle reading: \u201cSo no mother ever worries about $2000 living expenses again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last page of the report bore a small line: \u201cThis report personally signed by StarMed Medical CFO Ms. Stella Parker, salary: $1.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the evening, I set up a small grill on the rooftop of my rental apartment in the old city district. Burger patties sizzled and steamed over the charcoal, the aroma of grilled meat filling the entire rooftop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom, Rex, my bestie, and over a dozen former StarMed colleagues who\u2019d quit to follow me sat packed around the small table, holding cups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised cup, voice clear: \u201cHere\u2019s to us-to consciences no longer kidnapped by bank account numbers, to everyone brave enough to send $2000 monthly to their parents, to the bright life!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone raised their cups together, cheers echoing across the rooftop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s neon lights twinkled in the distance, evening breeze carrying early summer osmanthus fragrance, gently embracing everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom quietly placed a piece of pork in my plate, whispering: \u201cDon\u2019t just talk, eat up-it\u2019ll get tough if over-baked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit, spicy flavors instantly blooming in my mouth, so hot tears nearly fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That scalding heat was like the sweetness of the first toast at our wedding five years ago, and like the first breath of freedom today-vivid and\u00a0<\/p>\n
real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at the sky-the moon was full, clear light washing over the earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other side of the world, Dylan might be standing at some studio apartment window, looking at the same moon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised my cup and gently clinked it against the air, silently toasting:\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:00\u00a0<\/p>\n
You Thought Cilantro Was Just a Flavor? It\u2019s Actually My FU, Cheater!\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
-To you, and to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To us finally finding something more precious than money in money\u2019s ruins:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Conscience, freedom, and that human warmth hidden in everyday life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
You Thought Cilantro Was Just a Flavor? It\u2019s Actually My FU, Cheater! by Mark Twain 29 \u00a0 Chapter 10\u00a0 Chapter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cilantro-taste-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20279\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}