Diary

Today is the last day of the Dragon Boat Festival, which also means the end of our family’s brief reunion. Early in the morning, Mom and Dad were busy reheating and eating the leftovers. After breakfast, they had to catch their bus, so Huanhuan and I washed the dishes. Then we went to my sister’s place to hang out for a while and help carry some things. Ningning always struggles the most with goodbyes, unable to hold back her emotions. Manman, being a little older now, has gotten better at masking and disguising her feelings, trying to be the well-behaved child in Mom’s eyes. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. ...

I’m really feeling a bit homesick. Huanhuan and I got up early to catch the bus home, and Auntie cooked us some delicious congee. We bought a big rolled rice pancake at Sige, and as soon as we got home, we started eating again. These past few days have been nonstop eating. My parents planned to sell the corn to avoid it getting infested with bugs or mold from sitting around unused. They decided to sell it to my fourth aunt’s family for 1.2 yuan per jin. Before long, they arrived. ...

Today, we planned to go to Huanhuan’s maternal grandmother’s house. She had been inviting us to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Chengguan for a while. Huanhuan’s father went ahead first, while we took our time at home before heading over. We also carried a bag of rice that Huanhuan had received from her workplace. The second aunt was there too and prepared a big table full of delicious dishes for us. We went out to buy some fruit—lychees were particularly expensive at 10 yuan per pound, but they didn’t taste very good. We’ll have to buy fewer next time. We also bought a pineapple (I’ve always thought it was just another name for the same fruit). The vendor’s “Dubai knife skills” turned a whole large pineapple into just a tiny box of fruit. It might have been better to peel the pineapple ourselves during the family gathering—that way, we could have avoided sitting around with nothing to do but play on our phones. ...

The news of my successful interview with the Emergency Management Bureau has already reached my teachers. This morning, both Teacher Hu and Teacher Dai messaged me to ask about it. Teacher Hu even joked that if the CSC (China Scholarship Council) doesn’t come through, he’d feel terribly guilty—hahaha. Of course, I don’t see it that way at all, and I reassured him with sincere gratitude. After washing the dishes and taking a shower, the entire morning slipped by. ...

09:38 Upgrading My Phone’s System Over the past couple of days, while browsing CoolAPK, I noticed that Xiaomi 15’s system had a major official update. Many users claimed it was significantly smoother and more power-efficient, which made me eager to try it out. However, it was still in the closed beta phase, and I didn’t have access. So, I spent about an hour tinkering and managed to sideload it using a replacement method. ...

This morning, I tried frying peanuts for the first time. At first, nothing seemed to change, but after frying them a few seconds longer, I scooped them out only to find they had all turned golden. They were slightly overdone but not burnt. Timing for Scooping Out Peanuts ...

10:24 Anxious All Morning Feeling discontent with the current situation and uncertain about the future inevitably leads to anxiety. When will life reach its conclusion? Is death truly the only endpoint? The rankings for the Emergency Management Bureau interview have been released, which has significantly boosted my confidence. Link: Announcement of Comprehensive Evaluation (Interview) Results Ranking for the 2025 Talent Recruitment of the Affiliated Institutions under the Liupanshui Emergency Management Bureau 20:03 Studying The Great Learning My teeth have been hurting all day, likely due to the medication I’ve been taking. Fortunately, my eyes aren’t as uncomfortable as they were yesterday. ...