After coming out, she went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought a complete set of middle and high school courses, along with a set of matching test papers.
Luckily, there aren’t many subjects in middle and high school right now; it’s just Chinese and math in middle school, with English added in high school.
Although she knew she had already learned middle school subjects, it had been years since she touched a book, so she bought the middle school set as well.
After sending the books home, she went around to Li Yitian’s store.
When she arrived, Li Yitian was not in the store yet.
She started matching outfits by herself, pairing up many outfits and having the staff display some, while others were placed in storage.
It wasn’t until close to five o’clock that Li Yitian arrived.
Seeing her, he was surprised.
"Shouldn’t you be tidying up your new place right now? How come you have time to come to the store?"
"I’m here to help. What, not welcome?"
Li Yitian could tell Gu Yi was in a good mood today.
"Of course you’re welcome. Is there something happy going on? Looks like your smile could reach the back of your ears. Share it with me and let me join in on the joy."
"Is it that obvious?"
Gu Yi touched her face.
"Isn’t it because Ye Hao is about to graduate, that’s why you’re in good spirits?"
"Didn’t I tell you last time I’m thinking of going back to school? I visited the Art College today. They said the fashion design course is newly opened this year and they can accept someone like me, but I have to pass the entrance exam. I’ll prepare well for the exam, so I might not be able to come here for a while. That’s why I came today to pick some outfits. Some are on display, and others are in storage. You can switch out the ones outside occasionally."
"How long might this take you?"
"At least a month and a half. The written exam is in a month, and if I pass, the interview will be half a month later."
"Alright, during this time, I’ll try not to disturb you so you can focus on preparing for the exam. It’s time for dinner now. Let’s grab a bite together and toast to your success."
Gu Yi thought about having to find food herself if she went back, so she agreed to Li Yitian.
After dinner, Li Yitian took Gu Yi home.
Gu Yi washed up, looked at the time, and saw it was only seven o’clock. It felt a bit early to sleep since she had eaten quite a lot for dinner.
So she picked up the books she bought today and started reading.
She first chose a first-year middle school math book.
She didn’t know if it was because she was older and her comprehension had improved, or if it was the benefit of being reborn, but she felt the knowledge in the book was much simpler than it was when she was in school.
The more she read, the more energetic she felt. By around midnight, she had finished all the books.
While the excitement in her mind was still there, she completed part of the matching test papers and then checked the answers—her scores weren’t too bad.
She originally wanted to continue, but seeing that it was already past two, she realized she couldn’t do it all at once.
Finally, she decided to rest well first, but tonight’s study made her less worried about the entrance exam.
The next day, she went to the market specially to buy rice, flour, and vegetables that could last for several days.
This way, she could stay home for days without having to go out, calmly reading the books.
She quickly went through middle school math, then took advantage of the momentum to start reading high school math textbooks.
It was harder than middle school, so her pace slowed down, but she could digest most of it. She thought once she finished the test papers she had, if there was still time left, she would go buy a few more sets to reinforce.
She spent every day at home reading books and doing exercises. She didn’t even know what day it was until someone from the telecommunications bureau came to install her phone.
The day the phone was installed, while having dinner, she made a call to Ye Hao’s school.
Ye Hao was busy on his end too, so they quickly exchanged a few words before hanging up. Ye Hao said he had to report to the army after graduation before he could come to see Gu Yi.
Gu Yi told him the address and phone number of the house but didn’t have time to mention she had already bought a home.
She thought it was okay to just say it when they meet, so she didn’t dwell on it anymore. After hanging up the phone, she called the Gu Family.
Gu’s mother answered. When Gu Yi said she’d bought a house, Gu’s mother was a bit incredulous.
"How long have you been there? You’ve already bought a house and even moved in? Could it be someone’s trick?"
Gu’s mother was quite worried about Gu Yi being alone out there and knew Ye Hao was still in school, so the two were still not together.
"Mom, don’t worry about me. I’ve completed the paperwork here. They saw I was alone, so they let me move in first."
"Oh, so you need to be careful out there. How much did you spend on that house?"
"It’s 138 square meters, 500 per square meter, plus renovation and furniture, totaling 85,000 yuan."
"The houses there are quite a bit more expensive than back home. Do you have enough money for expenses? If not, I’ll have your brother send you some."
"I have enough. Don’t worry about me. I’ve been reading, planning to learn something more at the nearby school. It’s only by coming out from home that I realize the importance of studying."
"It’s been so many years without picking up a book. Can you still manage? It’s partly our fault for letting you do as you wished back then. You didn’t want to go, and we went along with it."
Gu’s mother felt a bit regretful hearing Gu Yi talk about studying, but she also thought if she had continued schooling, maybe she wouldn’t be on the same path now. With this thought, she felt there wasn’t much to regret.
After chatting with Gu’s mother for five minutes, Gu’s mother urged to hang up since the phone rates were high with charges on both ends. If it weren’t for missing Gu Yi so much, she would have hung up earlier.
Gu Yi helplessly hung up the phone.
Then she called the Ye Family.
Unexpectedly, it was Ye Qian who answered.
Ye Qian was especially excited upon hearing Gu Yi’s voice.
"Sis-in-law, how are you over there? I really miss you."
"I miss you too, that’s why I’m calling you. Why aren’t you at the store? How’s business lately?"
Gu Yi was happy, hearing Ye Qian’s voice.
"It’s good, but usually there isn’t much business in the evening. The best business is in the afternoon. So I discussed with Mom and Dad to just close the store in the evening, saving us from being too tired standing there."
Ye Qian was quite proud of this, as it was she who convinced her parents to close the store at night. Otherwise, with their nature, even selling just one loaf of bread seemed worth it to them.
"Hmm, this is good, you can rest well at night and have time to do other things."
Gu Yi felt this was best, as nothing was delayed.
"That’s exactly what I think. Sis-in-law, where are you living now? My brother is about to graduate, right? Will you go with him to the army then?"
Ye Qian knew once her brother graduated, Gu Yi was going to follow him into the military, but at the moment her brother was still in school, and Gu Yi alone outside made her a bit worried.
Though her sister-in-law was very capable, it still felt unsettling in unfamiliar B City; her parents constantly talked about it at home.