Chapter 616: Chapter 616

Zhou Yiyi attended classes at her teacher’s house every morning, and in the afternoon she was free to prepare her braised meat, later selling it at the vegetable market in the evening.

She had already decided not to go home for the Chinese New Year. She planned to send her Master and his wife their holiday gifts in advance. She felt that the temple fairs in Beijing during the Spring Festival were a great opportunity to make money, one that absolutely couldn’t be missed.

At the moment, she had about seven or eight thousand yuan in cash on hand (a five thousand yuan prize, plus the seven or eight thousand saved from before, leaving seven or eight thousand after a semester), and there were still some small items in her space, like accessories and other things that don’t expire. She had already dealt with all the perishable food items.

The seven or eight thousand yuan was enough to tide her over for the winter break. Indeed, as soon as vacation started, she went to buy pork and casings worth one to two thousand yuan and made sausages at home.

In the past few years, she hadn’t sold the sausages but gave them all away as gifts, and everyone said they were delicious. This year, she made extra, both for her own consumption and as gifts, such as for Professor Guan who had always taken care of her.

Ever since Zhou Yiyi arrived in this world, it seemed she had never once properly enjoyed the Spring Festival, as she spent it alone every year.

The main reason she didn’t want to go home was that she didn’t want to trouble others. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Although many people were good to her, at the end of the day they were separate families, and she should not impose on other people’s lives.

Zhou Mo sent her a message over the weekend, telling her that they had found extras for a film production. Because they both looked decent, they were given opportunities for direct camera exposure and even lines. While ordinary people received fifty yuan a day, they received an advanced payment of one hundred yuan per day. Both of them were very happy since this was essentially their first job.

The filming in Huairou was mostly for period dramas, which were hard to shoot, so she advised them to be mentally prepared and to take good care of themselves.

And so, about ten days passed, and the New Year approached. Zhou Mo sent her a message,

"We’re not going home this year, we’ll use the money we earned to buy gifts for our families."

On the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, the professor canceled her lessons, announcing that they would resume after the Eighth Day of the Lunar New Year. So, taking advantage of this time, she indulged in half a year’s worth of her habit of collecting money.

Zhou Yiyi was startled, immediately bought a newspaper to read, and got a fright. After closing her stall, she quickly went to the pharmacy to buy protective face masks and everyday drugs. She bought a lot, practically spending the one to two thousand yuan she had earned before the New Year on these items.

She didn’t stock up to sell them; she just wanted to make it more convenient for her own use, and since she was a regular customer at the pharmacy, often buying herbal medicine, she stocked up on several thousand yuan worth of essential medicines in case the university closed, and she couldn’t buy herbal medicine later.

In the following days, she continued to sell her goods as usual because of the New Year, not wanting to waste the opportunity. However, she now wore a mask and reminded Zhou Mo and Lin Mu to do the same for protection when not filming.

Zhou Yiyi informed Mr. Guan that she wouldn’t be returning home for the New Year, and he instructed her to take good care of herself. Classes continued as usual, without interruption, and Zhou Yiyi’s New Year gift to Mr. Guan was her own homemade sausages, generously bringing over thirty jin.

After the 15th day of the first lunar month, it was almost time for the new semester to start, but the school hesitated due to the epidemic, undecided on whether to resume classes.

Eventually, it was decided that the semester would start as normal. However, students coming from Guangzhou would likely have to pass through several hurdles and even voluntarily isolate themselves at designated spots, ensuring they were free from the virus before entering Beijing.

After most of the students returned to campus, the school went into lockdown, and the student union staff took daily temperatures to monitor each student’s health.

Zhou Mo and Lin Mu did not return home due to the epidemic but sent two thousand yuan to their families to buy gifts and kept about one thousand yuan for their own living expenses.

As the top institution, Tsinghua faced considerable pressure. For students coming from Guangdong, a ten to fifteen-day quarantine was normal, as the school was a gathering place and could not afford any complacency.

In this lifetime, she was not a doctor, not rushing to the front lines, but the pressure she faced was by no means small.

Because the second term she had registered for the College English Test Level 4 and the Orchid Pavilion calligraphy competition, one in May and the other in June, hoping that the epidemic would soon pass and not cause any delays.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mo not only had a physics competition but also exams in his computer major this term. Although only a freshman, his level ensured he would enter the Yao Class in the future. Established in 2005, he had hopes for the next year, and once he was in the Yao Class, an annual salary of a million was not a dream.

In April, scholarships for the previous semester were disbursed. Zhou Mo’s scholarships were both at the college and university level, combined from both departments amounting to fifteen thousand yuan. Zhou Yiyi received three thousand yuan from the Computer Department and five thousand yuan from the Calligraphy Department, totaling eight thousand yuan, which covered the tuition for the next semester.

Apart from her, almost everyone in their dorm received scholarships; the lowest was Yu Wenya with five hundred yuan, while she received the highest. Zou Wenqing received three thousand, and Qiao Shan got two thousand, which goes to show that nothing is impossible for those who are willing to put in the effort.

With last semester’s experience, Zhou Yiyi actively participated in the university’s clubs and societies this term. Not only was there a calligraphy competition with Beijing University, but the other more than two hundred societies also competed against Beijing University to varying degrees.

Though Zhou Yiyi’s swimming skills were not the best, she could hold her breath underwater for five full minutes without any problem. Of course, swimming competitions are not about holding one’s breath but about posture and speed. Yiyi, as a seed player of the Swimming Club, won two events in the April competition. Also, in the calligraphy contest, she crushed the competition, securing victories in clerical script, Regular script, and hard-pen calligraphy, earning her full points in the club activities, even if she chose not to participate further.