Game

Last night, I stayed up until 1:30 AM playing games—completely immersed and forgetting to eat or sleep. Twin Shadow Wonderland was just too much fun. This morning, we played for another hour and finally managed to finish the entire game. Huanhuan had to leave for Guiyang today to report for training, so after packing lightly, it was time to go. We wanted to eat bean rice hotpot, but the place wasn’t open, so we took a ride to Lucky Dog for burgers and hot dogs, which weren’t very good. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...