"Ladies and gentlemen, the train has arrived at Huaijiang North Station."
"Please carefully check around the seat, backpack luggage on the luggage rack, and carry-on items before getting off the car..."
The warm arrival announcement echoed on the train, and the speeding scene outside the window gradually slowed down and finally stopped.
Xia Zhaoyao walked with his suitcase in the slightly cool platform passage and followed the swarming crowd towards the exit with a dull expression.
"I was forced to play adult games for an entire afternoon..."
Those games actually require players to sign in for a certain number of days before rewards will be given to the “inviter”.
She just wanted to say spare her. If time went back, she would rather be hit by the suitcase.
On the first day she left home, she was seduced by a strange otaku and downloaded four strange games on her phone.
Xia Zhaoyao moved his steps with a dull expression, trying his best to delete the memory of the afternoon from his mind.
Although Qin Shuo is a nice person, quite handsome, and has all kinds of travel, food, and stories at his fingertips, unfortunately... he is a pervert.
drop.
【I have arrived.】
Xia Zhaoyao took out his mobile phone and sent a meaningless message to his circle of friends.
She knew that Lao Xia could definitely see it. In fact, there was no one else among her friends now.
Worried about being found by his creditors, Xia Zhaoyao changed his mobile phone number, WeChat, QQ, and all social accounts.
But that’s okay, start from scratch now and open a completely new chapter.
Snap!
Raindrops wet the phone screen.
Xia Zhaoyao raised his head, and the rain curtain drooped sparsely.
Across the sparse, cool rain lines, the colorful and layered neon lights of Huaijiang City are flashing continuously.
The pace of the people coming and going quickened, countless umbrellas opened like mushrooms in the forest, and bright yellow taxis formed a long queue in the distance.
At this moment, her annoyance about the perverted handsome man and her worries about the future all disappeared in her heart.
A new world has opened. Xia Zhaoyao is trembling with excitement. Now it is her own adventure.
Starting tonight, she will live in this colorful magical city.
So……
Well, the first step is to find a place to live.
She had seen a youth hostel with good reviews online.
Although it is not as good as those star-rated hotels, it is the most suitable in all aspects.
The most important thing is that it only costs 60 yuan a night, and there is 24-hour hot water and free WIFI.
Moreover, there are some guides on Xiaohongshu. Many city travelers live in this kind of youth hostel. They usually do some part-time jobs in the city and can freely arrange travel in the remaining time. This hit Xia Zhaoyao accurately.
Her goal: She plans to use this little time before the start of school to complete the accumulation of the first pot of gold as soon as possible.
Don’t there often be scenes like this in novels and movies?
College students use their spare time to work in various places and earn a lot of money - besides, this is Huaijiang City!
Huaijiang City has been a mountain of treasures buried with gold and jade since ancient times, and it has not been mined yet.
Almost every year, you can see in the news that someone picked up gold nuggets or raw jade stones by rivers, mountains, forests and streams.
If luck favors her, she might be able to raise enough money to "redeemed" Lao Xia back from Mauritius tomorrow.
Thinking of this, Xia Zhaoyao suddenly felt that the future was bright and he waved his fist excitedly.
"Come on! Xia Zhaoyao, you are the best!"
"Xiao Zhaoyao, we meet again."
At this time, a careless voice suddenly came from behind.
Xia Zhaoyao's high mood quickly subsided as if there was a leak.
Xia Zhaoyao turned around and saw Qin Shuo walking out of the back exit with a backpack.
He yawned a little tiredly and looked at the night view of the city in the rain, "We're finally here."
"By the way, you just finished the college entrance examination this year, right? I forgot to ask, which university did you go to?"
"Huaijiang University...and my surname is Xia, not Xiao."
Xia Zhaoyao replied casually, said angrily, and looked at the other party in confusion.
"You just said - also - yes?"
"Huaijiang University? What a coincidence."
Qin Shuo suddenly became energetic and looked at Xia Zhaoyao in surprise.
He pointed to his nose with a smile, shrugged, and explained quickly.
"I also applied to Huaijiang University. It seems that we are in the same class. But..."
Qin Shuo paused, took out his cell phone from his trouser pocket, took a look at it, and said in confusion, "It's only July 20th."
"Are you reporting to school so early? It's not time yet, right?"
"Well--"
Xia Zhaoyao was stuck for a moment, and then quickly responded:
"I came early to familiarize myself with the environment and treated it as a summer trip."
"So much luggage, traveling? Which attractions are you... going to visit?"
"Uh, um... well... just strolling around -"
"oh……"
Qin Shuo looked at Xia Zhaoyao with a smile.
His expression seemed to be that he had discovered some rare insect, or a special treasure in some game.
"Well, anyway, if you meet someone in Huaijiang who needs help -"
Before Xia Zhaoyao could get angry, Qin Shuo raised his phone, shook it, opened WeChat and clicked.
drop.
[Qin said Wu Yi]: [Keli is cute.jpg(1)]
At the same time, a message popped up on Xia Zhaoyao's lonely WeChat friend.
"——Contact me at any time, I am considered a local snake after all. Remember to sign in——My wife's new clothes depend on you."
Xia Zhaoyao looked at the name on WeChat, and then glanced at the four newly added 18-ban games and VPN software behind the mobile phone interface.
"Yeah, okay." She nodded perfunctorily and muttered in her heart:
Then it's best not to see you again.
Sizhai Steamed Goose Heart.
…………
In the days that followed, Xia Zhaoyao regretted countless times that he had not done enough homework.
Compared to Yancheng, which is square on all sides, Huaijiang City is really scary.
The whole city is like the ever-changing Hogwarts Castle, huge, complex, difficult to understand, and magical.
She couldn't remember how many times she got lost. No matter where she went, it seemed like a maze. The people living here were indeed very enthusiastic, but their Huaijiang dialect was like a rap singer, so Xia Zhaoyao had to work hard to listen.
Fortunately, Mandarin is still a universal communication tool.
Unfortunately, this does not alleviate her dilemma. After all, Huaijiang City seems to have no concept of southeast, northwest, and northwest:
People here prefer to use up, down, left, and right when identifying directions.
Of course, this is not surprising.
Because Huaijiang was originally a very large city built on the mountains.
Sometimes she clearly entered the mall from the first floor, but when she walked to the other end, she found herself more than ten floors up.
The all-conquering electronic navigation seems to have become a mindless mischievous spirit in this city. The distance that seems to be two or three kilometers may sometimes take several hours. Xia Zhaoyao was looking for a part-time job more than once, because he could not find it.
When I arrived at the venue, I had to apologize as a prelude.
Sitting on a bed in a small four-person room in a youth hostel, Xia Zhaoyao searched for suitable student part-time jobs every night.
Most part-time jobs require a student ID card, and most of the remaining jobs require either familiarity with the urban environment or some special talents.
Among the messages, she also saw information about "Nugget Gold".
However, without exception, it is specifically stated that locals are required.
and……
Judging from the current situation, she may lose herself before she can successfully hunt for the treasure.
Just like that, a week passed in the blink of an eye.
no.
Now we must first find a way to stop the loss.
After another day of unsuccessful job hunting, Xia Zhaoyao scrolled through the details of his change on WeChat worriedly.
There is still more than a month before school starts. If we continue to live here, we will spend nearly 2,000 yuan on accommodation alone.
And if you add in three meals a day, transportation expenses, and other miscellaneous expenses, she may have just over 10,000 left in savings by the time school starts.
After deducting tuition fees, tuition and miscellaneous fees, she may only have three or four thousand at most for living expenses at her disposal in the future.
The all-knowing and almighty Baidu, Xiaohongshu, Zhihu... none of these can save her.
Living in a strange city is far more difficult than she imagined - the ambition she had when she first set out has long since vanished.
Xia Zhaoyao is now thinking about how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, at least before all the money is spent, she will find a practical way to recycle her living expenses.
In fact, if school can be reopened, there are many ways.
After all, the ways for college students to take part-time jobs and work-study studies seem to be relatively reliable, whether through online searches or school forums.
And if you go to school, whether it’s accommodation or three meals a day, the financial pressure will obviously be much less.
The only problem now is that she is just a prospective college student who has not enrolled in school...
"Okay, it's decided!"
Xia Zhaoyao said, turned off his phone and took out the admission notice from his school bag.
She will go to the school tomorrow to try her luck!
What if I can register in advance?
In addition, student loans for college students, subsidies for poor students...
With so many options to choose from, it's unlikely that she doesn't have a qualified way to save herself, right?
"The results of this year's third census are announced..."
The wall-mounted TV on the wall of the room was still replaying the news from earlier.
"...Experts point out that contemporary young people have immature ideas about marriage and love, which is the direct reason for the increase in divorce and single rates..."
"That's because I don't have money to survive. Without money -"
Xia Zhaoyao complained while studying the precautions on the admission notice.
If she can get paid for being in a relationship, then she doesn't mind.
"Relevant departments suggest that colleges and universities should strengthen love psychology education, family ethics education, and improve students' expression and communication..."
The wall-mounted TV obviously couldn't hear the random thoughts in Xia Zhaoyao's mouth, and still read the news as if it had nothing to do with him, "...Many well-known universities in China, including Yancheng University, Jiangcheng University, Huaijiang University, etc., have stated that they are expected to
Relevant courses and research topics will be launched one after another to guide students to establish..."
"...Experts say that the exquisite self-interest and low-desire life common among contemporary youth may be an urgent need--"
Snap——
Xia Zhaoyao walked to the wall and turned off the chattering wall-mounted TV with an expressionless expression.
She doesn't know what exquisite self-interest is, but the pursuit of low desires?
Xia Zhao curled his lips in disbelief.
The desires of modern young men are so rich...
While she was thinking about it, she swiped open WeChat on her phone and found the avatar she had just added.
[Yao Yao Ah Yao]: I have finished checking in for the week, is that okay?
[Qin Yue Wuyi]: I am very grateful, I have a gift bag of clothes! I kneel down and thank you.jpg
[Qin Yue Wuyi]: Look, the effect is great.
[Qin Yue Wuyi]: Game maid outfit.jpg
"..."
Xia Zhaoyao quickly exited the dialog box before the messages continued to pop up on his phone.
Block messages, block reminders, block Moments.
Done in one go.
Phew...it's finally over.
Xia Zhaoyao glanced at the quiet interface and let out a long sigh of relief.
Without hesitation, switch back to the background and forcefully uninstall one, two, three, four...all of them.