Xunyi decided to go to Oxford University, but at the same time, she wanted to spend her last day in Shenzhen with her grandparents. She was grateful because they took care of her when she was young. They spend the day gardening and watching soap operas. They also handmade their dumplings and cooked other delicious food.
Xunyi was satisfied because she got to spend an extra day with them. That night, Xunyi wrote a letter to her grandparents. It says:
Dear grandparents,
Thank you for taking care of me when my parents passed away. It wasn't easy for you guys. Before I leave, I wanted to say, "I love you, Grandma and Grandpa."
I will call you after I get to England. We can video chat whenever you miss me. I wish I could hug you guys, but my flight is tonight. Please sleep well and don't worry about me. Thank you for everything.
After she finished writing, she folded up the paper, then quietly tiptoed to her grandparent's room. They were already fast asleep. Xunyi placed the letter in her grandma's small drawer then she carefully leaned forward and kissed her grandparents on their cheeks.
"Goodbye, Grandma. Please take care of yourself."
"Grandpa, I'm leaving now. Please take care as well. I love you, guys."
Before she left their home, she took a final look and then turned off the light. She decided to leave at night because first, the plane ticket was cheaper at night and secondly, she wanted to go there and take a look before her classes start. After she got through the security line, she went up the elevator to look for her departure gate. She was surprised to see a lot of people were waiting for the flight, she quickly found an empty seat and sat down.
A few minutes later, she received a video call notification. It was her grandparents.
"Xunyi, are you at the airport now? We just read your letter. Xunyi, you're grown up now so we will support you in whatever you do. Please make sure to eat well and dress warmly. Don't worry about us. Your parents in heaven will be so proud of you. Grandpa wants to talk to you now. I'll have to go and get your grandpa some hot water." Her grandma went away while Xunyi's grandpa smiled and said, "Xunyi, take care of yourself. I'm sorry we weren't with you during your hardest hour, you're a strong girl and we love you! Make sure to call us, okay?"
Xunyi teared up and nodded, "I will, I'll call you when I get to the hotel."
Then her grandma came back, "Xunyi! All the best! We need to sleep now. Have a safe flight!" Xunyi looked at them and waved, "Bye! I love you!"
______
It's been a week since Xunyi came to England. Her classes already started and she already felt behind in everything. There were a lot of materials for the first year. After all of her classes were finished, she will often stay in the library to finish writing her notes. She was glad she wasn't the only person in the library. There were tons of students in there trying to catch up on sleep, studying, or just watching lecture videos but Xunyi found a perfect quiet spot beside the window to finish whatever needed to be finished.
Xunyi lost track of the time and it was already past 9 pm, she stretched out her arms and packed up her books and notebooks. She saw that most people already left so she quickly went out of the library and then headed to her dorm which was just a few steps away from campus. She was grateful for a single bedroom because she loved the privacy. Her dorm room was organized in a minimalistic way since she didn't pack too much of her stuff, to begin with. Her parent's photos were on her desk including her laptop, notebooks, and pencil case. The room already included a lamp from the previous student who used the room. Since it was in good condition, Xunyi only bought an extra lightbulb in case that one fails. A few days ago, she went shopping for food and changed her phone's sim card so she can use it here. She had a habit of checking for coupons and deals before buying all of the necessary stuff especially when it comes to food and personal items. It wasn't cheap living in England so she had to spend money wisely because the money that she has weren't hers but the man who saved her, Jiang Deming.
It's been over a month since they last talked, and Xunyi often wondered how he was doing. Xunyi used to be a clingy girlfriend to Bolin but after that incident, she changed her way of communicating with guys. She had her own goals in mind and romance wasn't on her list as of now. She didn't want to rush it like her previous relationship. After showering, she only boiled up some small frozen dumplings and drank some hot water afterward. She didn't eat too much because she hated gaining weight.
Before she slept, she listened to some calming meditation music while doing some stretching exercises. At the same time, she tried to study for her first exam which will happen in only a few week's time. She knew cramming wasn't a good idea and pulling an all-nighter wasn't in her dictionary. She needed her beauty sleep otherwise she will look like a panda the day after no matter how much makeup she does.
A few days before her first exam, Xunyi's friends from Oxford University invited her for afternoon tea. It was Xunyi's first time trying it. Gabriela, her friend, was an outgoing and intelligent law student. By intelligence, she didn't have to study at all unlike Xunyi, who always graded average back in high school despite being cheery and smiling. She changed her way of studying and then passed her GED with the highest grade. And right now, she wanted to aim higher by studying smarter.
Gabriela didn't even have to look at the menu and she already knew what she wanted. Xunyi took a long time because she knew nothing about afternoon tea. She ended up choosing one of the specials. Gabriela asked Xunyi a lot of questions about China because she was interested in visiting there one day.
"Mia (Xunyi's English name), do you know any good places to visit in China besides the great wall and the Oriental Pearl Tower?" Gabriela asked. Xunyi nodded, "Besides those places, you can also visit Hangzhou, Hainan, Guangzhou, and many others like Xi'an's terracotta army museum." Xunyi replied.
Gabriela made some notes and took a sip of her English breakfast tea, Xunyi did the same and took a small sip of her Earl Grey's tea. They talked for a few hours and then walked around to digest all of the desserts and sandwiches they ate. Gabriela checked her smartwatch and then said, "Mia, it's great spending time with you. I got to know you better. Thank you for your suggestions. I hope one day we can travel together." After they hugged, Xunyi and Gabriela went their separate ways but they remained in contact since they were in the same program and classes.
She waited for her bus ride at the bus stop since it takes her at least thirty minutes to get back. She looked through her tote bag and got out her vocabulary study notebook. She had to get used to speaking British English because she was so used to hearing American English. She sighed as she started to look over her notes.
After getting on the bus, she found an empty seat beside the window and she looked outside instead of reading her notes. She loved to observe first and see which places she can visit the next time she comes.
She dropped by a bookstore and tried to look for law books because she wanted to get to know what each type of lawyer does. She randomly flipped to a page that talks about being a prosecutor and she thought to herself, "Hm. That sounds like what I want to do." The next random page she flipped to was about being a corporate lawyer."
"What do I even choose?" She shook her head and kept herself calm, "I still have time to think about it. No rush. No rush." She constantly reminded herself that being a lawyer is like building a tall tower. No one can be a lawyer overnight and no one can build a tall tower overnight. Everything takes time.