Chapter 538: Chapter 538

Renting a house requires money, and even if one could earn three hundred yuan a month, it would be hard to find a house at a suitable price, right?

But staying in the dormitory, on the other hand, didn’t seem very convenient, except that it was more convenient for attending evening self-study, no other benefits could be found.

Seeing her bowing her head in silence, seemingly hesitant, the two elders exchanged glances. Then, the President stepped outside, as if he had something to take care of.

Zhou Yiyi knew she was in no position to talk about renting a house at the moment, so she could only look up earnestly and say,

"I’ll just stay in the dormitory for now, since I can’t afford to rent a place,"

Little did she expect that upon his return, the President would say to her, "If you’re willing, you can live in the storeroom of our association. Later on, we’ll set up a bed and desk for you there. Since it won’t use any additional resources, there is no need to pay rent. This arrangement also makes it convenient for you to clean the association’s premises. Our association only occupies the third floor; the rest is not ours, so you don’t need to worry about it."

The Calligraphy Association was located in the office building of Wenlian, right next to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, and was surrounded by government agencies. She initially thought that giving her three hundred yuan meant cleaning the whole building, but it turned out to be just one floor—this was indeed great news. But wouldn’t it be a bit improper?

"It’s no problem; we two can make the decision on this matter," the President reassured her. "I just went to the storeroom and saw that with a bit of tidying up it will be fit to live in. We have water, toilets, and even a boiling water heater here. It’s the same as staying at school, just more convenient. Having you here would make it easier for you to learn and practice calligraphy. However, the precondition is that you must have the confidence to excel in your specialized courses."

"I do, I have the confidence. If I really can live here, I won’t attend the evening self-study at school. I’ll stay here to clean, study, and practice writing."

Zhou Yiyi was overjoyed, and both Zheng Yun and President Yang Kai felt that this arrangement was just perfect, "Then it’s settled, and by the way, our unit has a canteen where you can eat at a reasonable price. If you’re sweet-spoken and quick on your feet, help out more, and maybe they might even waive your meal costs."

President Yang’s suggestion immediately excited Zhou Yiyi; she knew they were helping her in this way so she could save up money to buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. These items were not cheap, and both art and calligraphy students were often said to be "carved out of money," especially art students, who used a lot of materials.

In the morning, Zhou Yiyi took care of the paperwork at the Calligraphy Association, and in the afternoon, she followed President Yang to City No.1 Middle School. This school was the closest to the association, as well as a key school. She easily passed the entrance examination, and President Yang recounted her situation to the school, which agreed that she could skip the evening self-study but had to attend the morning session. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel✶fire.net

Afterward, Zhou Yiyi returned to the village and found the village chief.

"What did you say? Your relatives have come to pick you up? Is that true?"

Zhou Yiyi nodded, "It is true, village chief. How could I possibly deceive you? Look, they’ve already handled my school registration. This is the admission notice; so long as I bring my student file, I can attend school directly tomorrow."

"I’ve never heard mention of your relatives before."

"It’s my mother. Before she passed away, she had arranged this. They found me yesterday, and that’s when I learned about it. They’ve promised to sponsor my education, and the money they give me will be repaid in the future."

The village chief was genuinely happy for her, especially since she was going to City No.1 Middle School—a key school, which was indeed much better than studying in a rural area.

"If you need any help, just ask."

"Thanks. Here’s an address and phone number for you. If anything comes up, you can call me."

Zhou Yiyi gave the village chief the association’s phone number and address. After thinking for a moment, the village chief turned around and handed her four hundred yuan.

"Living away from home is not easy. Take these four hundred yuan, together with the previous two hundred, as rent for your land for the next three years. If the market changes, I’ll top it up for you."

The village chief meant to charge her rent based on market rates. She was grateful and accepted his kindness, making a note of this favor in her heart.

"By the way, do you know? Zhou Yu and his wife are thinking about adopting you. Did they tell you about this?"

Zhou Yiyi shook her head, "No, please bother yourself if they bring this up again. Just explain my situation to them and thank them for me. Their kindness is much appreciated, but someone has already agreed to sponsor my studies, so there’s no need to trouble them."

After getting the chief’s promise, she went straight home and started packing her belongings—bedding, clothes, books; everything she could pack was packed.

Finally, the only valuable thing in the house, the television, was put into the space, along with the pots and pans from the kitchen. All the food, vegetables, and sweet potatoes that could be used—all got stored in the space, including her parents’ things. She had the feeling she wouldn’t be coming back to live here again any time soon.

Before leaving, she gave the house keys to the village chief, "If someone wishes to rent out my house, just let it. The stuff was taken away by my relatives last night. The house is empty now, and I won’t be staying here for the time being, so the rent you collect from it can be seen as repayment for the debts my mother owed."

This time, the village chief didn’t refuse. After bidding the village chief farewell, she shouldered her backpack, ready to head to the school, only to encounter her despised Mrs. Zhou on the way.

Upon seeing her, Mrs. Zhou trotted over with that irritating smile plastered on her face.

"Ah, my girl, I’ve finally found you. What have you been up to lately? I went to your house several times but never found you. Listen, I’ve got good news. Your Uncle Zhou and I have discussed it and decided to adopt you. You’re classmates with Song Lin, and it would be so nice for you both to go to school together in the future, wouldn’t it? You’re such a good student; you could even help our Song Lin. We’ll take care of all your high school and university expenses. What do you think? Want to consider it?"

Mrs. Zhou’s voice was loud, seemingly for fear that others wouldn’t hear her, and sure enough, a few villagers who had overheard approached, all of them looking at Mrs. Zhou with admiration.

"Wow, Cui Lian, so you’ve really thought this through? The cost of going to high school and university isn’t trivial; can your family afford it?"

"How can we not? We’ll cut corners where necessary. Imagine having two college students in the family—that would truly be an honor to our ancestors."

"Give me a break. Yiyi is a good student; what does that have to do with you? You think we don’t know what you’re up to? You just want to take advantage of her academic potential, thinking she’ll get into a good university. Are you trying to secure a daughter-in-law in advance, huh?"

The village’s busybodies crowded together, their chattering unbearable, and she couldn’t be bothered with Mrs. Zhou. Now, all she cared about was her studies, and she had no time for these people. As long as she was away from them, did she have to worry about them tearing up her admission notice?

With a dismissive smile, she said, "Auntie, there’s no need to trouble yourself. My relatives have already promised to provide for my education. I’m on my way to the school to take care of the transfer formalities. We can chat the next time we see each other. Sorry, but my elder aunt is waiting for me at the school, so I can’t chat for long. See you later."