The next day, early in the morning, Liang Jiajia got up.
It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep in, but she had to go back today.
The time she had agreed with her mom.
These past few days she was like a bird let out of a cage, very free and happy, and played very happily.
Busy but fulfilled, she also finished her homework in advance.
She really wanted to stay a few more days until classes started again, but Ms. Liang was worried that with the end of vacation, there would be too much traffic on the roads and trains, so she asked her to go back home a day early, so she could also rest a bit.
Since she was already allowed to go out on her own, which was already very surprising, her mom agreed to anything.
So she could only go back today.
On the noon high-speed train.
Xiao Qi had helped her pack her luggage last night already, she didn't buy any local specialties, afraid that her luggage would be too heavy for her to carry back herself.
In the morning after getting up, Xiao Qi was still practicing calligraphy and going for a run as usual.
Jiajia also got up early. She didn't expect that Teacher had not only broken records in the marathon race, but still persisted in running. If it was her...she got third place in her English exam, her tail would already be up in the sky, and she wouldn't want to open her English books again. But after going back this time, she wanted to be like Teacher, work hard in her studies, even if she was already very good, she still had to study well.
Indeed, although the marathon was over, Xiao Qi still persisted in going running. At this time, running felt different again. Before, there was always a slight sense of urgency, but now she felt much more relaxed.
Probably because after finishing the marathon, running 30,000 steps a day felt simply too easy and light.
Xiao Qi started listening to other people's speech content again while running. When she got tired of listening, she would switch, listening to some Japanese programs for a while. If that got tiring, she could also switch to Korean content.
Jin Yien had introduced her to a Korean variety show that was very funny and relaxing, with simple sentences very suitable for beginners.
Xiao Qi discovered that learning one language was difficult, learning two was a bit of a stretch, but when she started learning the third, she unexpectedly felt that they were quite interconnected and also not difficult.
Probably a bit like the feeling of not worrying about debt when you owe too much.
Previously when she heard that school supervisor Ms. Su could speak eight languages, she felt that was simply too amazing, too unattainable. But now that she really started learning herself, she discovered it wasn't that far or difficult.
Knowing difficulties and overcoming them was probably something discovered through practice.
After finishing her run and calligraphy practice, Xiao Qi felt like it was a return to normal, and she felt very reassured.
Then she took her student Liang Jiajia out for a meal.
Eating was still very important. Xiao Qi would never skip a meal, not even breakfast.
It was probably because when she was little, every New Year creditors would come chasing debts, the feeling of an empty kitchen and empty stomach, hungry, had left too deep of an impression. When it came to eating, Xiao Qi was always very punctual and timely.
She could not do without food.
After breakfast, she took Little Friend Liang Jiajia to the train station.
Because they had luggage, they took a taxi. She wanted to take a Shenzhou at first, but the school was in a relatively remote location. Cars from the city center could make it here, but going out it would be hard to find one, so they could only take a DiDi.
You were totally at the mercy of luck when it came to DiDi drivers’ quality.
The car today, getting Liang Jiajia’s suitcase into the trunk was difficult, they could only move it to the front passenger seat while the two of them sat in the back.
When they arrived at the train station, Liang Jiajia’s eyes turned red, reluctant to leave, making it out to be a life or death separation. It left Xiao Qi not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
They were a bit early, so Xiao Qi accompanied her to buy some more snacks and fruit, as well as the chicken claws that Xiao Qi loved to eat. The two of them gnawed on some chicken claws while waiting for the train, and Little Friend’s mood improved again.
Kids’ emotions really fluctuated a lot.
When it was time, Xiao Qi saw her onto the train and carried her luggage aboard. By the time the train departed, Jiajia was quite upset, but she still used her camera to record this scene, to have closure.
Seeing the train leave, Xiao Qi left the station. She had purchased an additional ticket to be able to send Liang Jiajia off. Really, not having a little sister was so much less trouble.
Leaving the station, watching the coming and going trains and people, Xiao Qi strangely felt a little uncomfortable all of a sudden, without her little follower, it seemed a bit lonely.
She had already planned to buy gifts for her dormmates earlier. The interface gave her 30,000 yuan to spend within 20 days, not to be used for investing. Xiao Qi felt buying gifts for her dormmates was the best use.
She was quite familiar with the shopping malls in Meng City by now. She went and bought an Apple laptop and a Sony camera, things that Wei Cheng and Mi'er wanted, but what Yunshu wanted - tea sets - was more troublesome.
Xiao Qi thought someone around her might know, so she called the calligraphy and painting society president Li Luanliang to ask.
Sure enough, Li Luanliang knew. His grandparents really liked tea, their home had a whole cabinet full of purple clay teapots and things. Hearing a little girl wanted to buy tea sets, he introduced a shop and sent Xiao Qi the address.
Following that address, Xiao Qi took a taxi there, to an antique market.
Luckily there was a specific shop, otherwise she would have wandered around dizzy in the huge antique market.
The tea set shop was on the second floor.
When Xiao Qi went in, there really were quite a lot of things inside.
Seeing the prices though - if it wasn't that the president had introduced her here, she would have turned around to leave right away.
A single cup cost several thousand yuan!
Xiao Qi had originally thought since there were 3 dormmates, it would be best if the gifts to each were around the same price. She thought tea sets might not be too expensive, which was why she specifically asked the president to introduce a better shop.
She didn't expect that seeing the prices, they were actually more expensive than the laptop and camera she had bought.
She had originally planned to buy a whole set too, but saw that a whole set was marked at tens of thousands of yuan.
Still, now that she was here, she kept a straight little face and told the boss that she was introduced by their friend Li Luanliang.
Sure enough, having an acquaintance changed the boss's attitude instantly to warm and enthusiastic, not like when she first entered with the boss just sitting there staring at Xiao Qi, unlike someone trying to sell anything.
The boss asked Xiao Qi her price range. Xiao Qi said around ten thousand yuan, she wanted to buy a set of tea sets as a gift.
In the end, the boss recommended a set of Chengde Xuan brand tea sets, with teapot and fairness cup and six small cups. Looking at them, they really seemed exquisite. Marked at over 12,000 yuan, the boss generously gave her a 40% discount...insisting it was the cost price.
Whether it was the cost price or not Xiao Qi didn't know, she just saw that they really looked very nice. Each small cup had light pink plum blossoms, elegantly simple. With Xiao Qi's basic level of art appreciation, she felt they were very good, Yunshu would probably like them, and the price was suitable too.
So Xiao Qi asked the boss to package up the tea set.
Spending nearly 20,000 yuan in one go, Xiao Qi felt a bit of an extravagantly bizarre feeling.
A bit of sour excitement, and also a bit empty.
With the remaining money, Xiao Qi didn't buy anything for herself after thinking about it. Instead she bought her Japanese teacher Zhou Teacher, who taught her Japanese, a set of Chantecaille lipstick. The packaging colors looked very bright and beautiful. Zhou Teacher would probably like it.
She bought her aunt a delicate thin gold necklace, and her mother a small leather Chanel bag, costing several thousand yuan too. For her dad she bought a set of Chinese-style clothes, from a clothing shop she happened to pass by when looking for the tea shop in the antique market. They seemed very suitable for artisans. Still, buying the whole set cost another few thousand RMB.
Xiao Qi discovered money really was easy to spend. After buying these gifts, she had already exceeded 30,000 yuan.
The separate 30,000 yuan reward on the interface also disappeared.
Through spending money, Xiao Qi felt some difference, the difference being their concepts of consumption were not the same. In Lvshan City, 30,000 yuan might go further, while in remote Gumula Village, there was basically nothing that could cost 30,000 yuan, unless you were constructing buildings or holding major events like weddings or funerals.
But in Meng City, it seemed easy to spend that much, casually.
But it also depended where in the city. Meng City also had very poor areas.
Feeling extravagant spending money, Xiao Qi also warned herself not to indulge in this state. She still had to work hard to improve herself. Money was external after all, easy come easy go.
She mailed out the gifts to be shipped from the city. The rest she brought back to her dorm.
By the time she returned to campus it was dark again. After a shower Xiao Qi went to evening self-study as usual, continuing her second last day of vacation countdown.
