"I can't believe it's the last day of the year… time really slips away," Lily said, lost in thought as she sipped her coffee.
"Wow… that's unlike you, getting nostalgic," Joan teased, spreading butter on her bread.
"It must be because it's her last day as a trainee," Helen added, smiling at her friend.
"Well, celebrating tonight on New Year's Eve will be perfect," Joan said, as they had already planned a small gathering with drinks and snacks.
"By the way… what did your parents say about that?" Helen asked, glancing at Lily. Joan looked up as well.
A few days earlier, on her day off, Lily had gone home at her parents' request. Unlike Joan and Helen, who lived farther away, Lily's home was close enough for a short visit. But instead of a quiet family gathering, she found unexpected guests waiting.
After a brief explanation from her mother, it turned out to be a potential arranged marriage—a connection through her father's work at a glove factory.
"What else would they be thinking?" Lily said, frowning.
"They already arranged a meeting for me. The moment my job becomes stable, they'll start planning the engagement."
"Did you get to know him?" Joan asked, no longer surprised, having grown used to the social norms here.
"He's the son of a senior manager at the factory… and a teacher. We met once. He seems nice and gentle—that's all."
Lily paused before taking a bite. "Mother told me to give him achance… to get to know him. But when do I even have time? I don't know if he'll allow me to keep working," she added, worry evident in her voice.
"There's no point worrying too early," Helen said gently.
"Why don't you get to know him first, then decide? I'm sure your mother wouldn't force you if you truly disliked him."
"Do you know his income?" Joan asked.
"Don't people with lower income usually prefer a working wife?"
"That's true," Lily replied.
"He has a respectable job—good enough for a family. Not rich… which is exactly why I'm worried."
"As Helen said, there's no need to decide so soon," Joan continued.
"You don't even know how he feels about it. Why not meet him a few more times? Ask around about him—his colleagues, his students. Then decide."
She paused slightly before adding, more quietly:
"Don't decide on someone else's behalf… or assume their choices."
It was something she had learned over the years—softening her edges through college, then later at work.
"Did you hear the latest rumor in the maternity ward?" Helen suddenly asked, shifting the conversation.
"What happened? What is it?" Lily leaned forward immediately, her curiosity taking over.
"It seems a nurse there is having an affair with Doctor William," Helen said in a lowered voice.
"What? Which nurse? Do you know?" Lily asked, nearly spilling her coffee.
"Not exactly," Helen replied.
"All I heard was that Doctor William's wife confronted a nurse on a street near the hospital. Another nurse witnessed it—but she didn't see clearly who it was. She only guessed based on appearance."
Her tone turned slightly irritated.
"Then how did she spread it so confidently?" Lily frowned.
"And if she didn't see clearly, why say anything at all?"
Though Lily enjoyed hearing gossip, she rarely spread it—and she questioned what she heard.
"At first, the story was told as if it were certain," Helen explained.
"But later, the nurse who was accused confronted the one spreading it. With Doctor William involved, the rumor was quickly shut down."
She paused, then added:
"Still… Some believe there's no smoke without fire. Others think it was just jealousy from another nurse."
"Wow… that's something," Lily said.
"Do you know her name?"
"Her name…?" Helen frowned slightly.
"I think she's new. She arrived a few weeks before Joan… but I can't remember."
"Let's continue this later," Joan said, checking her watch.
"It's time for our round."