Xiao Qi went back to her dorm room and sat down at her desk.
She had a little ponytail at the back of her head, tied with a new hairband with a cute red heart.
Yunshu was the first to take a shower since she loved being clean the most.
Today Xiao Qi was not practicing her calligraphy like usual. Instead, she was writing a plan.
With a sharp little brush, she wrote the smallest regular script on a blank sheet of paper.
Key points for the early graduation plan:
First, complete enough credits. She would finish her freshman courses this year. As a sophomore there would be 3 more major courses, and as a junior 1 more major course. She had to pass those classes and grades. There were also 2 electives she had to take and pass the exams.
Second, for their major graduation they had to complete a graduation project, not a thesis, but a small program they can independently code and run to show the professors.
Third, graduating students must pass the College English Test Band 4, and master an instrument.
For the first point, Xiao Qi felt like her current freshman courses were quite simple and she would have no problem finishing them.
For the new sophomore and junior courses, she could try sitting in on the classes first. One of the best things about university was you could audit courses, no one would stop you. If she had time she could casually carry her school bag and sit in on various classes every day.
For the electives, she had already chosen to take Spanish in advance. Now with her language sense improved, Xiao Qi thought taking another language course would be no problem. She just didn't know if there were other language courses and would check the school forums.
For the second point, she currently had no ideas for the graduation project. Programming and such was quite professional, she'd have to take the major courses in sophomore and junior year to understand. So she had to complete the first point first.
For the third point, passing the College English Test Band 4 was no problem, she could do it this semester. For the instrument, Xiao Qi didn't know if she could choose the erhu. She had some foundation on the erhu, because she had an uncle who liked playing it. When she was little she would often be around her uncle playing the erhu at her grandma's house. Her uncle had even taught her some, so she still had some impression and could play simple tunes with no problem.
This was the plan for graduating early. Looking at the contents, it sounded difficult, but writing it out didn't seem particularly hard. She could accomplish it step-by-step.
She also took out a previous plan she made for traveling abroad. Looking at what she had written:
First was physical fitness. She planned to learn tae kwon do or something similar. She had looked into this, the school had a tae kwon do club. She didn't know the specifics but could go take a look first.
Second, since guns weren't banned abroad, Xiao Qi wanted to learn shooting. At least if anything happened, she would know how to use a gun.
Third was languages. She also wanted to learn Portuguese and French. Spanish and Portuguese were very similar, both old colonial powers, so their language systems should be quite alike. She didn't know if Teacher Aizhen knew Portuguese. As for French, she didn't know if there were foreign teachers who spoke it. France gave an impression of having romance at its foundation. After all, Xiao Qi was only 17 and still had some childish thoughts, she had to learn French.
The third point of this travel abroad plan overlapped with the first point of the early graduation plan. That meant she could execute them faster.
There was no conflict between the two plans. Xiao Qi also prioritized them in order of importance and sequence.
She realized that writing down what she needed to do made everything seem much simpler all of a sudden. Even very complex matters, when broken down and written out, she would know what to do and it would seem easier. As long as she completed things step-by-step, before she knew it she could accomplish incredible things that she previously thought very difficult.
This was a small life experience that Xiao Qi had summarized.
In the past when participating in a marathon, English speech contest, horse racing, she would write a small plan and achieve things step-by-step with significant results. Things that looked difficult became much easier when planned and broken down.
The next day.
Xiao Qi made plans with Teacher Aizhen.
They had added each other's WeChat when they went to eat at Student Street last time.
Xiao Qi knew that Teacher Aizhen actually had anorexia and specially looked it up online. This illness was quite complicated, involving both psychological and physical problems.
However, that night Teacher Aizhen had eaten some caramelized honey dates and a salad wrap, so Xiao Qi felt it probably wasn't too severe and could still be treated.
She invited Teacher Aizhen to the town to eat steak and rice.
This century old restaurant's steaks were cooked soft and juicy, different from Western grilled steaks. It was very easy to eat even for those with stomach issues, and very digestible.
Today was the weekend. Aizhen wore a wide-shouldered floral print skirt, very beautiful. She was extremely slender so more complex skirts could make her look slightly less thin when worn on her.
Arriving in town, the small shop's boss specially arranged a window seat for them when he saw the foreigner.
In this small town there were quite a few foreigners because of Enhua University, so it wasn't too surprising to see them. But since foreign teachers had high salaries, they were still treated with great respect here. After all, high income meant high spending, so they were VIP customers wherever they went.
Xiao Qi spoke to Aizhen in a mix of English and Spanish. She felt Spanish was quite simple but still lacked vocabulary. She should increase vocabulary memorization and study to speak more fluently.
Aizhen was very surprised to hear Xiao Qi introduce the food here mostly in Spanish.
"Su, your language sense is great. Much more fluent than before. If I didn't know you've never been abroad, I would have thought you just got back from Spain. You're amazing." Aizhen praised Xiao Qi in Spanish.
Xiao Qi didn't shake her head and demur. When communicating with foreign teachers, if they praise you, accept it sincerely. No need for false modesty.
"Thank you, Aizhen. I asked you out today because I wanted to ask if you know Portuguese? I also want to learn Portuguese, but the school doesn't offer courses in it. And French as well."
Aizhen was very surprised that Su wanted to learn so many languages.
Hearing it was to prepare for traveling abroad plans, she was very happy.
"Su, my Spanish is decent, but my Portuguese is just basic. I can introduce a teacher to you, Maken. His Portuguese is good. You can have him teach you, but Maken is quite expensive. His fees won't be low." Aizhen paused, and suddenly thought of an excellent candidate for French.
"For French... Su, I don't think there are any great foreign teachers. But there is one lady whose French is excellent, Madam Su the school trustee. She has the same surname as you. I've seen her French speech before, it was amazing. She's also why I came to Enhua University. I know her and can give you an introduction."
Xiao Qi didn't expect that learning languages would lead to the school trustee.
The prize she received for winning first place in the English speech contest last time was a fountain pen given by Madam Su.
Madam Su was also over 60 but looked very elegant and capable. A big reason Xiao Qi wanted to learn languages was influenced by Madam Su, who knew 8 languages.
Xiao Qi felt she could do it too. She didn't expect to have the chance to directly learn from her.
"Really?" Xiao Qi was so surprised she swallowed her steak without even tasting it properly.
"Yes, she's a great woman with a delightful personality and sense of humor. I can introduce you." Aizhen gently licked the steak juices. The taste was smooth and savory, with black pepper, chili, saltiness, and a touch of sweetness. Hua cuisine always had hard-to-guess spices but was surprisingly delicious.
Ever since eating some caramelized honey dates and a salad wrap that day, Aizhen seemed to have regained her appetite.
These past few days she could eat some salad and vegetables, fish and such, no longer just drinking milk.
She felt her complexion had improved a lot.
This all had to do with the girl in front of her. Aizhen realized that when she was with her, she didn't have that sense of disgust when eating food. On the contrary, there was a faint sense of satisfaction.
She tried to eat the steak in small bites, with a little rice. Every bite gave her a sense of fullness and satisfaction. She was very happy.
When Xiao Qi ate, she was also very focused. The two chatted while eating, and before they knew it, Xiao Qi had finished her large portion, while Aizhen had eaten one third of her meal, which was already very good, perfect even.
While eating, the mechanical sound in Xiao Qi's mind rang out again: "The host's serious attitude toward food has had a positive influence on the anorexic patient, greatly relieving her suffering. Reward the host with +1 strength."
Xiao Qi went back to her dorm room and sat down at her desk.
She had a little ponytail at the back of her head, tied with a new hairband with a cute red heart.
Yunshu was the first to take a shower since she loved being clean the most.
Today Xiao Qi was not practicing her calligraphy like usual. Instead, she was writing a plan.
With a sharp little brush, she wrote the smallest regular script on a blank sheet of paper.
Key points for the early graduation plan:
First, complete enough credits. She would finish her freshman courses this year. As a sophomore there would be 3 more major courses, and as a junior 1 more major course. She had to pass those classes and grades. There were also 2 electives she had to take and pass the exams.
Second, for their major graduation they had to complete a graduation project, not a thesis, but a small program they can independently code and run to show the professors.
Third, graduating students must pass the College English Test Band 4, and master an instrument.
For the first point, Xiao Qi felt like her current freshman courses were quite simple and she would have no problem finishing them.
For the new sophomore and junior courses, she could try sitting in on the classes first. One of the best things about university was you could audit courses, no one would stop you. If she had time she could casually carry her school bag and sit in on various classes every day.
For the electives, she had already chosen to take Spanish in advance. Now with her language sense improved, Xiao Qi thought taking another language course would be no problem. She just didn't know if there were other language courses and would check the school forums.
For the second point, she currently had no ideas for the graduation project. Programming and such was quite professional, she'd have to take the major courses in sophomore and junior year to understand. So she had to complete the first point first.
For the third point, passing the College English Test Band 4 was no problem, she could do it this semester. For the instrument, Xiao Qi didn't know if she could choose the erhu. She had some foundation on the erhu, because she had an uncle who liked playing it. When she was little she would often be around her uncle playing the erhu at her grandma's house. Her uncle had even taught her some, so she still had some impression and could play simple tunes with no problem.
This was the plan for graduating early. Looking at the contents, it sounded difficult, but writing it out didn't seem particularly hard. She could accomplish it step-by-step.
She also took out a previous plan she made for traveling abroad. Looking at what she had written:
First was physical fitness. She planned to learn tae kwon do or something similar. She had looked into this, the school had a tae kwon do club. She didn't know the specifics but could go take a look first.
Second, since guns weren't banned abroad, Xiao Qi wanted to learn shooting. At least if anything happened, she would know how to use a gun.
Third was languages. She also wanted to learn Portuguese and French. Spanish and Portuguese were very similar, both old colonial powers, so their language systems should be quite alike. She didn't know if Teacher Aizhen knew Portuguese. As for French, she didn't know if there were foreign teachers who spoke it. France gave an impression of having romance at its foundation. After all, Xiao Qi was only 17 and still had some childish thoughts, she had to learn French.
The third point of this travel abroad plan overlapped with the first point of the early graduation plan. That meant she could execute them faster.
There was no conflict between the two plans. Xiao Qi also prioritized them in order of importance and sequence.
She realized that writing down what she needed to do made everything seem much simpler all of a sudden. Even very complex matters, when broken down and written out, she would know what to do and it would seem easier. As long as she completed things step-by-step, before she knew it she could accomplish incredible things that she previously thought very difficult.
This was a small life experience that Xiao Qi had summarized.
In the past when participating in a marathon, English speech contest, horse racing, she would write a small plan and achieve things step-by-step with significant results. Things that looked difficult became much easier when planned and broken down.
The next day.
Xiao Qi made plans with Teacher Aizhen.
They had added each other's WeChat when they went to eat at Student Street last time.
Xiao Qi knew that Teacher Aizhen actually had anorexia and specially looked it up online. This illness was quite complicated, involving both psychological and physical problems.
However, that night Teacher Aizhen had eaten some caramelized honey dates and a salad wrap, so Xiao Qi felt it probably wasn't too severe and could still be treated.
She invited Teacher Aizhen to the town to eat steak and rice.
This century old restaurant's steaks were cooked soft and juicy, different from Western grilled steaks. It was very easy to eat even for those with stomach issues, and very digestible.
Today was the weekend. Aizhen wore a wide-shouldered floral print skirt, very beautiful. She was extremely slender so more complex skirts could make her look slightly less thin when worn on her.
Arriving in town, the small shop's boss specially arranged a window seat for them when he saw the foreigner.
In this small town there were quite a few foreigners because of Enhua University, so it wasn't too surprising to see them. But since foreign teachers had high salaries, they were still treated with great respect here. After all, high income meant high spending, so they were VIP customers wherever they went.
Xiao Qi spoke to Aizhen in a mix of English and Spanish. She felt Spanish was quite simple but still lacked vocabulary. She should increase vocabulary memorization and study to speak more fluently.
Aizhen was very surprised to hear Xiao Qi introduce the food here mostly in Spanish.
"Su, your language sense is great. Much more fluent than before. If I didn't know you've never been abroad, I would have thought you just got back from Spain. You're amazing." Aizhen praised Xiao Qi in Spanish.
Xiao Qi didn't shake her head and demur. When communicating with foreign teachers, if they praise you, accept it sincerely. No need for false modesty.
"Thank you, Aizhen. I asked you out today because I wanted to ask if you know Portuguese? I also want to learn Portuguese, but the school doesn't offer courses in it. And French as well."
Aizhen was very surprised that Su wanted to learn so many languages.
Hearing it was to prepare for traveling abroad plans, she was very happy.
"Su, my Spanish is decent, but my Portuguese is just basic. I can introduce a teacher to you, Maken. His Portuguese is good. You can have him teach you, but Maken is quite expensive. His fees won't be low." Aizhen paused, and suddenly thought of an excellent candidate for French.
"For French... Su, I don't think there are any great foreign teachers. But there is one lady whose French is excellent, Madam Su the school trustee. She has the same surname as you. I've seen her French speech before, it was amazing. She's also why I came to Enhua University. I know her and can give you an introduction."
Xiao Qi didn't expect that learning languages would lead to the school trustee.
The prize she received for winning first place in the English speech contest last time was a fountain pen given by Madam Su.
Madam Su was also over 60 but looked very elegant and capable. A big reason Xiao Qi wanted to learn languages was influenced by Madam Su, who knew 8 languages.
Xiao Qi felt she could do it too. She didn't expect to have the chance to directly learn from her.
"Really?" Xiao Qi was so surprised she swallowed her steak without even tasting it properly.
"Yes, she's a great woman with a delightful personality and sense of humor. I can introduce you." Aizhen gently licked the steak juices. The taste was smooth and savory, with black pepper, chili, saltiness, and a touch of sweetness. Hua cuisine always had hard-to-guess spices but was surprisingly delicious.
Ever since eating some caramelized honey dates and a salad wrap that day, Aizhen seemed to have regained her appetite.
These past few days she could eat some salad and vegetables, fish and such, no longer just drinking milk.
She felt her complexion had improved a lot.
This all had to do with the girl in front of her. Aizhen realized that when she was with her, she didn't have that sense of disgust when eating food. On the contrary, there was a faint sense of satisfaction.
She tried to eat the steak in small bites, with a little rice. Every bite gave her a sense of fullness and satisfaction. She was very happy.
When Xiao Qi ate, she was also very focused. The two chatted while eating, and before they knew it, Xiao Qi had finished her large portion, while Aizhen had eaten one third of her meal, which was already very good, perfect even.
While eating, the mechanical sound in Xiao Qi's mind rang out again: "The host's serious attitude toward food has had a positive influence on the anorexic patient, greatly relieving her suffering. Reward the host with +1 strength."
