August had entered its final ten days, and Jiangcheng Media University was gradually coming alive again as students who had gone home for the summer break trickled back one by one.
Ding Xiang was among them. She had spent most of her summer vacation working hard at odd jobs, but later managed to squeeze in a trip home to visit her grandmother, who had suddenly fallen ill. She didn't stay long, though—after just two days of reunion with her grandmother, she hurriedly made her way back down the mountain and returned to Jiangcheng.
Back at school, sitting alone in her dormitory, Ding Xiang finally let out a sigh of relief. But she didn't dare slack off. She took off her inner shirt, carefully unstitched the tightly sewn seams, and pulled out the four thousand yuan in cash she had kept hidden the entire journey.
This money was originally meant to bring her grandmother down the mountain for a check-up and treatment in the city, but her grandmother had adamantly refused, insisting that the village's barefoot doctor was more skilled than the city doctors. Of course, Ding Xiang knew her grandmother just didn't want to waste the hard-earned money her granddaughter had saved.
But Ding Xiang simply couldn't win against her grandmother. After watching her drink a few bowls of murky herbal medicine and seem to perk up a bit, she had no choice but to take the risk of bringing the money all the way back to school.
Don't ask why she didn't deposit it in a bank! Where in the mountains would there be a bank? And along the way—on buses, on trains—there were all sorts of shady characters. How could she know if someone staring at her was a pickpocket?
This "fortune" of four thousand yuan, Ding Xiang didn't dare reveal at all. She kept it pressed against her chest the whole way, anxious and tense, until she finally returned to school and dared to take it out.
In front of the campus ATM, Ding Xiang deposited the money into her card, but a look of worry crept into the girl's eyes.
The money she had saved from working odd jobs over the past year, combined with her scholarship, was just enough to cover next semester's tuition—but barely enough.
The unexpected trip home to visit her grandmother, with all the travel expenses and costs, had suddenly left Ding Xiang strapped for cash.
The balance displayed on the ATM: 8102.
Including the pitiful few dozen yuan in loose change in her wallet, Ding Xiang's total assets were less than 8,200 yuan... That meant after the school deducted the 8,000 yuan tuition at the start of next month, she'd have almost nothing left—not even enough for next month's meals!
"What do I do?" She took out her bank card, carefully stowed it away, and the dark-skinned, slender Miao girl began to fret.
Finding a part-time job to earn money was definitely necessary, but the problem was that part-time jobs paid monthly wages! How could Ding Xiang last until payday a month later?
"Maybe I should look for a temporary job that pays daily?" Ding Xiang mused as she walked back to the dormitory. "It'll be tough, and the pay is low, but at least it'll get me through this crisis, right?"
"Ding Xiang!" A voice called out from behind. Lost in thought, Ding Xiang didn't notice at first, but after a few more shouts, she finally heard.
Turning around, she saw a short-haired, fair-skinned, and capable-looking girl jogging toward her.
Ding Xiang hid her worries and flashed a bright smile, revealing her white teeth. "Senior Mao! Sorry, I didn't hear you just now."
"No worries!" Mao Peifu waved her hand dismissively and asked, "Ding Xiang, when did you get back? How's your grandmother? Nothing serious, I hope?"
"She's fine now. I just got back to school," Ding Xiang said. Though her skin was a bit dark, her face was full of smiles, giving off a positive, sunny, and cheerful vibe!
Mao Peifu grinned. "That's good! By the way, the orientation for new students is about to start. Can you come help me out tomorrow?"
Mao Peifu was the new vice president of their college's student council. When Ding Xiang first arrived at school last year, Mao had been her orientation volunteer. She had a great relationship with the freshmen and genuinely liked the hardworking, diligent Ding Xiang.
She had always wanted to bring Ding Xiang into the student council, but unfortunately, Ding Xiang's spare time was consumed by working odd jobs to pay for tuition and living expenses, leaving no room for student activities.
But whenever there was a chance, Mao Peifu would often involve Ding Xiang in paid activities—partly to help her junior earn some extra cash, and partly because she sincerely hoped Ding Xiang could gain more experience and build connections.
However, this orientation event had no pay at all. Mao was simply overwhelmed and short on student council members, so she wanted Ding Xiang's help with organizing.
This was something Ding Xiang had agreed to two months ago, back when she had no idea her grandmother would suddenly fall ill!
"Sure!" Ding Xiang agreed readily. How could she go back on a promise?
But that meant she wouldn't be able to work part-time during the day!
...
"Yang Yi, come take a look at this kindergarten, what do you think?" Mo Fei, holding a stack of flyers, walked to the study door and called out to Yang Yi, who was quietly reading.
After talking with Mo Xiaojuan, another burden of earning money had been placed on his shoulders, so Yang Yi had been pondering what his new book should be.
But once he had an idea, Yang Yi needed to supplement his knowledge with relevant information. After all, this time he wasn't just copying an entire book; he was adapting a visual story with his own writing, turning it into a book without any reference.
Mo Fei, on the other hand, was quite busy. She had asked someone to get a large box of kindergarten promotional materials and was determined to carefully select one, ensuring her daughter could attend a kindergarten that suited her.
Of course, "suited her" meant Mo Fei was satisfied...
"What's special about this one?" Yang Yi put down his book and followed Mo Fei to the living room.
Xixi was sitting by the cat bed, using the cat teaser her dad had bought to play with her little Guai and the other two kittens.
The cat teaser had a small pouch at the front, shaped like a mouse, with a fluffy tuft of artificial feathers sticking out from the back—very sturdy.
The shop assistant was right: no matter the size of the cat, they couldn't resist the cat teaser. Xixi swung it left and right, and the three kittens followed, their little heads bobbing in unison. Whenever one jumped up to swat at it, the other two would inevitably pounce too.
"Giggle!" Xixi was having even more fun than the kittens, laughing nonstop.
Yang Yi and Mo Fei shook their heads, not wanting to disturb the little one's fun, and went to research kindergartens.
"This kindergarten offers bilingual education, and it's close to Jiangcheng Media University. It'll be convenient for you to drop off and pick up Xixi," Mo Fei said.
Originally, Mo Fei had wanted Xixi to attend kindergarten in the wealthy Binhai district. But after considering that Yang Yi would have to drive quite a while to get there, making things a hassle in the long run, she compromised and chose a kindergarten nearby.
Yang Yi looked at the flyer but frowned. "This one says they hire college students as part-time teachers to give lessons? Not professional early childhood educators? Isn't that just wasting the kids' time?"
"No, it's great! College students have a broad knowledge base and solid English skills. Xixi can learn a lot from them!" Mo Fei said with a smile.
But hearing her praise college students so enthusiastically, Yang Yi fell silent.