Chapter 575: Chapter 575

This wasn’t Zhou Yiyi’s first time admiring the work of her seniors, and with each look, she not only gained immense benefits but also saw her own shortcomings. One could say with each competition, she learned a lot.

She would carefully observe each piece of writing, and if she came upon a good one, she would take a picture and later copy it at home. Her practice in writing started with imitation.

Noon was still the time for the hotel buffet, and Zhou Yiyi didn’t eat much. She didn’t stuff herself like a country bumpkin. It was a four-star hotel after all, with an endless array of exotic delicacies—desserts, seafood, stir-fries, salads, cold dishes—truly a feast. Zhou Yiyi hadn’t had seafood in a long time, so she chose steamed sea urchin eggs, abalone noodles, jellyfish salad, and spicy sour squid rolls. After finishing these, she had nori tofu soup, which left her feeling very full. She took a stroll in the hotel garden afterward, but it was too hot, so she went back to the hotel to take a bath and lie down for a while before going to the competition venue.

The competition lasted two hours and featured on-the-spot topics; participants could freely choose their script style—clerical script, regular script, or even seal carving, though seal carving was a high-level skill with a targeted judging panel. The judging criterion was, of course, more complex than mere writing, but the award’s value was also higher.

Once Zhou Yiyi entered the venue, she found that the average age of competitors was over thirty. Not only was she young, but the uncles, uncles, and grandfathers around her looked at her as if she were a national treasure. However, there was no malice in their eyes; instead, they seemed to appreciate her, with some even nodding and saying hello in a friendly manner. She felt flattered beyond measure.

Paper and ink were provided, and once everything was set up, the competition began. Everyone stood there, carefully considering the layout of their writing before daring to start writing painstakingly. During the writing process, a drop of ink would signal the end of the competition for that person, so everyone took it very seriously, and the venue was so quiet you could hear people breathing.

Two hours later, the test ended and the papers were left to dry in place. Some judges began the selection process even before the papers were fully dry. The papers left in the original seats to dry were those advancing; those spread out on the seats were eliminated. (PS: Purely fictional, do not identify with it)

When Zhou Yiyi left the examination room, Teacher Meng was already waiting, and so was Mr. Qin Qiong.

"Girl, you’re going to stay at my place for these two months in Beijing. It’s just my wife and me at home; our son and daughter are off working and don’t come home often,"

Mr. Qin had mentioned this at dinner the night before. Although she had no idea how much effort Teacher Meng and Mr. Zheng had put in to secure this opportunity for her, she still felt embarrassed about staying at someone else’s home. But with no other choice as a newcomer, she could only express her gratitude profusely. The most update n0vels are published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net

In the evening, everyone said goodbye outside the hotel, and Zhou Yiyi got into Mr. Qin’s Santana. It took about an hour heading west before they reached Mr. Qin’s home, located within the Third Ring. It was an old residence built in the seventies or eighties. Mr. Qin’s apartment was on the second floor; two bedrooms and a living room, old but tidily kept.

Aunt Qin welcomed her warmly, and she found out that the two-bedroom and living room situation was already well-planned.

Mr. Qin’s mother, who was in her seventies or eighties, occupied one of the rooms, while the couple had another. There wasn’t a spare room for her, but luckily, their children usually slept in the living room or on the balcony, so there was a foldable bed she could manage with.

Having prepared herself for reliance on others, she didn’t except the housing to be this scarce; she was too embarrassed to stay further.

Of course, she couldn’t find an excuse to leave that evening, but she decided to find a short-term rental the next morning.

There was no study room at Mr. Qin’s house, but fortunately, there were two balconies, one of which connected to the master bedroom; he typically used this as his study.

The evening of her arrival, Aunt Qin made several dishes to welcome and cleanse her from her journey. She seemed very enthusiastic, but Zhou Yiyi still found it awkward to stay there.

At night, she slept on a foldable wire bed on the balcony, which was quite uncomfortable. It sagged terribly, and the creaking noise every time she turned over kept her awake all night. The Old Lady got up at six in the morning to wash and then went downstairs for a walk, and Zhou Yiyi, unable to sleep, got up early as well. Not knowing the family’s breakfast habits, she didn’t dare cook but tidied up the living room instead.

Around seven o’clock, Aunt Qin got up, and Zhou Yiyi helped with making breakfast. After breakfast, Mr. Qin had to go out for half the day and told her to practice at home until he returned to check on her. Zhou Yiyi thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. Qin, may I take half a day off? I have a relative in Beijing I’d like to visit."

Mr. Qin turned in surprise, "A relative? You have relatives here?"

"A distant relative," she said, adding nothing further. He asked again, "Do you know where they live?"

"Yes, I made inquiries before coming here. I’ll take the bus. I’ll come back in the evening."

Mr. Qin, having his own matters to attend to, approved her leave and even left her their home phone number, telling her to call if she ran into any trouble.

Zhou Yiyi then left the house but instead roamed the nearby area asking about short-term rentals. Even in 2001, before housing prices had soared, Beijing’s rent was notoriously expensive, and outsiders often couldn’t afford to live in residential apartments, mostly settling for cheaper basements.

After surveying the vicinity, Zhou Yiyi found a place with a decent location and price and returned to the Qin’s.

As it was five or six in the evening, the Qin Family was all home. Aunt Qin, an accountant re-employed post-retirement, had very regular work hours, and Mr. Qin Qiong had come home early. He dutifully inquired about her day.

Zhou Yiyi, carrying the fruits she had bought, told the Qin Family, "Mr. Qin, my uncle has invited me to stay with him. He lives just two streets away from here, very close. Please set a class schedule for me, and I’ll come for lessons according to the timetable. Is that okay?"

Mr. Qin Qiong was surprised but then remembered what her teacher had said.

"Mr. Qin, rest assured, I will take good care of myself. I’m already fourteen. I’ve lived on my own in school and in Shanghai,"

With just that one sentence, Mr. Qin Qiong understood Zhou Yiyi’s intention. He and his wife exchanged a look and then nodded in agreement.

"Alright, in that case, class will be from nine to eleven in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon. You will practice on your own during the remaining time and bring your homework the next day. On weekends, I’ll take you to various calligraphy exhibitions for observation and learning. How’s that?"

Zhou Yiyi, with teary gratitude, thanked them and left under the Qin Family’s complex gaze.