This year’s guardianship fee — she said no matter what, she wouldn’t take it. "We are a family now. You are my goddaughter, and it’s our responsibility to take care of you. How can we accept money? Besides, where have we taken care of you? Accepting this money would be a matter of conscience, and we can’t accept it. If you insist, Auntie will be upset."
Left with no choice, Hua Yan had to accept this arrangement. This money was eventually used to pay for 11 years of piano lessons.
Poor Ning Hao, upon learning that he would be separated from his sister during the summer vacation, cried and refused to leave. In the end, Ning Zhiyuan had to force him to return home.
With the noisy Ning Hao gone, Hua Yan received her report card and shared her academic achievements with the Ning Family. She boasted various awards, like top student and outstanding class leader, then handed Doudou over to them, and once again, she boarded the train heading to Yiwu.
Because of the lingering psychological shadow from encountering kidnappers last time, Hua Yan was even more cautious this time.
Fortunately, it was just over 20 hours’ train ride; after a night’s sleep, just a few hours remained. Once she arrived at Yiwu Railway Station, she immediately saw Sister Zhou Yao waiting outside.
As fate would have it, she had sent a message to Zhou Yao after boarding yesterday, and it turned out she was on break and was in Yiwu these days, so she waited to meet her.
After not seeing each other for more than half a year, the first thing Zhou Yao said when she saw her was, "Yanyan, you’ve grown taller and even more fair and beautiful!"
At eleven years old, she had now reached a height of 1.55 meters. Her hair, because she considered it necessary for historical dramas, she had been reluctant to cut short. But after this trip, she would definitely cut it short.
With waist-length hair, bright eyes, and lively features, such a face at a casting for extras would naturally not be turned away.
Upon seeing Zhou Yao, Hua Yan was naturally delighted and even brought her some specialties from Beijing.
This was not difficult to explain — after the start of the school year, Hua Yan had told Zhou Yao that her parents had transferred her to school in Beijing, while the house in their hometown was still there.
"So, I didn’t enroll in any classes during summer vacation and came to find you,"
"And your parents are okay with that?"
Zhou Yao found it incredibly hard to understand, given that Hua Yan was just 11 years old, and it didn’t seem right that she lived alone at home.
"It’s fine, Sis. My grandma will come to stay with me in a few days. I’ve been living independently and cooking since I was seven or eight. I’ve long since gotten used to it. Who can blame them for being so busy,"
After arriving in Hengdian by car, Zhou Yao invited Hua Yan to her rental, but Hua Yan, thinking she must be tired, declined. They agreed on the time to meet at the Film City the next day and parted ways.
Afterward, Hua Yan wandered around the city, bought some food and drink, and as for other necessities, she already had them in her space, which had essentially become her second home.
A bed her mom had slept in, a piano, some unused clothes, and other miscellaneous items were all stacked in the space.
There were also pots and pans, and even a gas cylinder, making cooking no problem. The only inconvenient thing was the bathroom situation, but she had set up her own toilet area and bought a toilet online. After using it, she’d empty it at a public restroom.
The space didn’t have water, so when she left home, she filled three large plastic barrels full, enough to last her a week.
After a week, she’d book a hotel room, have a proper wash, and refill the water without wasting any.
For daily drinking and cooking, she bought mineral water and had stocked up on several large containers.
At her current spending level, two thousand yuan a month was no longer enough; now, it was almost up to three thousand.
It looked like she would be staying in Hengdian for eight or nine weeks this time, coinciding with the hottest time of the year, so this trip to Hengdian was unlikely to be as pleasant as during the winter break. Shooting in historical costumes during the blazing summer was entirely normal.
After resting for a night, everything went smoothly the next day during registration. Just when she was about to leave, a middle-aged man who had already left suddenly turned back as if drawn by something and stared at her, making her feel unnerved.
Quite a while later, it was Zhou Yao beside her who recognized him.
"Director Liang? This young girl is a relative of mine. Do you have something to say?"
"This little girl has a lot of Spiritual Energy in her looks. An extra?"
"Yes, Director Liang. She just finished her exams and came right here to work. During the winter break, she joined three crews and stayed for a month,"
The person thoughtfully observed her and then asked, "How long do you plan to stay this time?"
Hua Yan smiled gently, "Hello, Director Liang. I’ll be staying until mid-August this time."
"Hmm, alright. Do you have any previous costume photos?"
Hua Yan was taken aback, but Zhou Yao happily urged her, "Yes, yes, Yanyan, quickly show them!"