Peng Hui said, "I’ll definitely have a better life in the future, at least better than my sister."
Peng Hui hung up the phone, unaware that on the other end, Zhao ii was completely frozen, sitting there without moving for quite a while.
Peng Hui’s words, although just a confession, were akin to an enlightennt, brutally shattering Zhao ii’s lazy and carefree lifestyle.
That night, Zhao ii had insomnia. She began to thoroughly reflect on herself, even recalling the words her father had once said to her.
She reached out and pinched her waist, where her belly hadn’t yet ford layers, her mind rattled with a loud noise, fiercely trembling.
Her initial firm intention to be independent and strong had gradually disappeared amidst a light and comfortable life, without ever considering that all of this was provided by Shi Yang.
Her food, clothing, and even her family’s source of life all ca from Shi Yang.
She wondered what was different between her and Peng Rui; wasn’t she also a burden? Peng Hui said, she walks her own path.
Zhao ii buried her head in thought, wondering, how should I walk my own path?
Zhao ii never thought about her future. She lived a step-by-step life from childhood to adulthood, from primary school to junior high, high school, and college, without ever needing to consider what to do next.
Peng Hui was right; the two years of junior and senior year of college went by in a blink. When she finally graduates from school, what exactly does she plan to do?
Be a teacher? Her previous experience at a language school and the heavy workload made her sowhat repel the profession, but she felt incapable of doing anything else.
Zhao ii struggled all night with what she knew or what she could do, until dawn, when she finally fell asleep in a dazed state.
Mid-August was the hottest ti of the year. Zhao ii took an ice-cold waterlon from the fridge at ho and headed to school to find Peng Hui.
The dorm room had a narrow layout, facing south. In the morning, the sun was abundant, shining fiercely through the window, and not even a breeze could co inside.
Peng Hui followed Zhao ii, and the two of them laid paper on the floor, sitting face to face, each holding half a waterlon, digging into it.
Peng Hui swallowed a bite of waterlon and leaned back to hum, "Ah, refreshing, it’s piercingly cool, though before this, I felt like I was getting sunburned."
Zhao ii laughed, "Haha, it’s fine. After all, won are made of water; if you lt, I’ll just put you in the fridge to freeze and recover."
Peng Hui kicked Zhao ii with her foot, "You’re just wicked!"
The two laughed heartily, shaking their shoulders, as the waterlons they held wobbled.
After so jokes, Zhao ii suddenly asked, "Peng Hui, have you thought about what you’ll do after graduation?"
Peng Hui paused her waterlon digging, looked up at Zhao ii, "I’ve thought about it."
Zhao ii instantly got interested, "What do you want to do?"
Peng Hui stated seriously, "I don’t plan to be a teacher. My family doesn’t have connections, and even if I manage to get hired, I’d just be an off-list employee without a formal position. I plan to start a tutoring class, specifically for elentary students in foreign languages."
Peng Hui told Zhao ii that she tutors two students now, and because she teaches well, the parents pay generously. If she had more ti, she could take on two more students.
Zhao ii wasn’t very knowledgeable about it and asked, "Does tutoring students make money?"
Peng Hui said, "Of course it makes money. Tutoring is charged by the hour now, thirty bucks a class for an hour. If I could add hours on weekends, it would be even better. Right now, I’m doing one-on-one tutoring, but in the future, if I save so money, I’ll rent a place to tutor several kids at once and earn even more."
Zhao ii silently calculated in her mind, quite surprised, "Is it easy to find students?"
Peng Hui nodded, "I think it’s okay. Look, I found two tutoring jobs in just half a month. Nowadays, families usually have one kid; as long as you’re competent, the parents aren’t stingy with spending money."
Zhao ii nodded, burying her head into her waterlon.
After speaking, Peng Hui felt sothing was amiss and asked Zhao ii, "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"
Zhao ii said, "It’s not really sudden; just that after calling you last night, I felt quite sentintal."
Peng Hui was stunned, "Sentintal about what?"
Zhao ii hugged the waterlon, leaned back on the desk behind her, "I feel like I’m indeed useless. From childhood to adulthood, everything has been arranged by my parents and my brother. I just studied according to their plans and didn’t need to worry about anything else. I had food when I was hungry, drink when I was thirsty. Don’t laugh, but when I graduated from elentary school, I actually thought houses would just naturally be there when you grow up, never knowing it required money to buy one."
Peng Hui said, "I’m sowhat similar to you."
Zhao ii’s eyelids drooped, "Without my parents and brother, I’m actually nothing; I can’t do anything. At least you’ve already planned your future, while I haven’t even thought about it until after I called you yesterday."
Peng Hui said, "Actually, I’m just daydreaming and haven’t thought about what to do once I really put it into action."
Zhao ii self-deprecatingly said, "That’s still better than ; I don’t even have a goal."
Zhao ii was truly dejected. This sudden sense of defeat left her feeling lost for the first ti. She involuntarily recalled the two job fairs held at school before the holiday, where seniors, holding printed resus, hovered around company recruitnt booths, striving to sell themselves.
At that ti, she passed by, feeling only embarrassnt and dread, never realizing she would certainly face such a day, too.
Zhao ii began to beco silent, speaking little, imrsed in her thoughts.
Shi Yang rented three new classrooms, which were soon to be completed with renovations. He was busy with recruiting staff and discussing with Mu Guangping about upgrading the teaching curriculum, the company’s issues were keeping him exceptionally busy, and he naturally hadn’t noticed the recent changes in Zhao ii, mainly because Zhao ii was spending less ti at ho.
Zhao ii visited the job market a few tis, observing others’ hiring processes, sotis staying for a whole day. She found that the foreign language industry was still relatively in demand, at least in terms of job requirents besides a bachelor’s degree, and passing the fourth level of foreign languages, compared to other industries, lacked the internship experience requirent.
But likewise, because it was in demand, there were lots of people seeking positions, not just undergraduates but also many postgraduates, masters; Zhao ii even saw a doctoral student queued up for a job interview, subtly blending in.
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