🗃️ 2025

Today was a happy day—Huanhuan’s stomach felt much better. After having corn in the morning, my mom came to see us. We had a bowl of lamb rice noodles together, then headed to Caojiawan Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market. Since it was Sunday, the market was bustling with people. We bought some incredibly delicious loquats and peaches, though the bayberries weren’t great. We also picked up some water spinach and free-range eggs. ...

06:34 Discovered a Fascinating Phenomenon People only yawn when their eyes are open. 06:36 Noodles and Pastry Are Quite Tricky to Make I tried steaming buns once before and failed. Yesterday, I attempted making pancakes and nearly failed again. Mastering the properties of ingredients and controlling the heat really requires a lot of experience. Huanhuan has had diarrhea since Friday, so I haven’t made anything particularly tasty these past couple of days. ...

Today was slightly better than yesterday. In the morning, I spent some time studying the manual for Dwarf Fortress. It’s still quite complex and requires further review. Regular exposure to and use of English gradually familiarizes me with the language, even if it’s just through gaming. Yesterday and today, I looked into the requirements for applying for a student visa. Money remains a significant hurdle. But I don’t care too much anymore—I’ll leave it to fate. At this point, I’m not as eager to go abroad as before. Facing reality is more important. As Teacher Liu said: for ordinary families, studying abroad is almost an impossible path. Maybe things will improve if I work harder in the future. ...

Recently, I’ve been feeling unusually anxious, and it’s hard to describe this state. I’ve already started anticipating the rejection of my CSC application, looking forward to the stability of starting a regular job. At noon, Yao Dong called me to discuss work-related matters and mentioned that Professor Cai is also planning to study abroad, saying that upon returning, he could supervise Ph.D. students. Later, I came across a video by Geng on Bilibili, where he talked about wanting to pursue a Ph.D. in his 50s. I think it’s a great idea. The current issue is whether our abilities can support us in leading a relatively stable and smooth life. ...

How to evaluate today? It’s hard to say. Yesterday, I scheduled a medical check-up for this morning to assess my health condition in advance and avoid any issues with the upcoming pre-employment physical. So I got up early this morning and quickly finished the check-up at the hospital. The main focus was on blood and urine-related indicators, which were conveniently covered by the free check-up offered by JD.com. After the check-up, I was both thirsty and hungry, and since the free check-up didn’t include a breakfast voucher, I went to Kaihui convenient store across from the medical center and bought a bottle of water and a grilled sausage. Back at my place, I boiled an ear of corn my mom gave me yesterday. The corn lately hasn’t been very sweet—fruit corn seems to taste better. ...

Early this morning, I received a message from Professor Hu, which immediately got me anxious again. I quickly got up to check the progress of my CSC application, and sure enough, there was no update yet. My mom also called me early in the morning, asking if I was coming over to pick up some rice. I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. After getting up, I did laundry and took a shower. Then I lay in bed and finished reading Animal Farm—it was incredibly satirical and blunt. I bought the English original to keep at home, so I can read it again next time I’m back. ...

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. ...