Chapter 121: Will She Be on Vacation?

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Will She Be on Vacation?

At ten o’clock, Yun Zhen followed Mr. Gao to his office. It wasn’t her first time visiting. The space was slightly larger than her dorm room. It was furnished with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe, along with an attached bathroom. However, Mr. Gao had placed two massive bookshelves in the room, covering two entire walls with books.

Mr. Gao brought over a stool and pulled down a stack of books from the very top of the bookshelf near the wardrobe.

He grabbed a towel to wipe the dust off the covers. "These are the original and vernacular versions of the Four Great Classical Novels," he told Yun Zhen. "I rarely read them. They aren’t worth much if I try to sell them, but it would be a shame to throw them away, so they’ve just been gathering dust on the shelf. Wipe them clean, and they’re as good as new. It’s hard to believe you’re actually interested in Traditional Chinese characters. As it happens, these books are all printed in Traditional Chinese. Take them all and give them a read."

Yun Zhen hurriedly declined, "Mr. Gao, I couldn’t possibly accept so much. One or two will be more than enough."

"Don’t be intimidated by the number of books," Mr. Gao said. "Whether it’s the original or the vernacular version, these are complete sets. You won’t get much out of just reading one or two.

"I have a cart here. Later, you can load the books onto it, take them back to your dorm, and then return the cart to me." He then pulled out a folding cart, slightly smaller than the one Yun Zhen had bought.

Feeling around the top of the bookshelf again, Mr. Gao pulled down two more books. "Besides the Four Great Classics, I also have the Traditional Chinese editions of the *Thousand Character Classic* and the *Three Character Classic*. They come with phonetic guides and annotations, making them perfect for beginners."

Mr. Gao smiled. "We’ve already studied phonetics. While reading these books, you can familiarize yourself with the phonetic guides as well. It kills two birds with one stone!"

"Thank you, Mr. Gao!" Yun Zhen expressed her sincere gratitude.

She casually flipped through the books. *Journey to the West*. She recognized all the characters inside. The vernacular version Mr. Gao had mentioned was indeed concise and clear, better suited for young children. The original text, on the other hand, would require a teacher’s explanation to be fully understood.

Assuming her background might mean she had never encountered these household tales, Mr. Gao explained to her, "The Four Great Classical Novels are *Journey to the West*, *Dream of the Red Chamber*, *Water Margin*, and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

"*Journey to the West* tells the story of a master and his disciples who travel through countless hardships on a spiritual journey, eventually obtaining sacred scriptures.

"*Dream of the Red Chamber* chronicles the rise and fall of an aristocratic family after its glory fades, woven with a tragic love story.

"*Water Margin* and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* are epics of their own. One is a tragic tale of outlaws forced to rebel and gather at Mount Liang, while the other is a story of political maneuvering and warfare in a chaotic era where warlords vie for supremacy and the realm is split into three.

"These stories will greatly aid you in mastering Traditional Chinese characters.

"In our ancient times, the *Thousand Character Classic* was considered a quintessential text for young children learning to read. It consists of a thousand unique characters without a single repetition, encompassing everything from the cosmos and human affairs to local customs, historical allusions, and the philosophy of self-cultivation.

"The *Three Character Classic* teaches moral cultivation, history, and principles of conduct. In ancient times, it was also the best foundational text for beginners to master."

Yun Zhen tried her best to memorize his words, her eyes filled with reverence for her highly educated and versatile teacher. She couldn’t help but marvel, "Mr. Gao, you are incredibly knowledgeable!"

Mr. Gao chuckled. "It’s nothing special. Anyone who has read enough books can say a few words about them." He glanced at his watch. "It’s getting late, and I have a class to teach. Take the books back to your room, put them away, and then head to your part-time job. I won’t lock my office door, so just leave the cart here when you’re done."

"Understood!" Yun Zhen earnestly agreed.

Mr. Gao left for his class, and Yun Zhen pushed the cart back toward her dorm.

Her own cart was stored in the treasure land inside her mind. With Mr. Gao present earlier, she couldn’t conveniently take it out and had to borrow his. She simply tossed the books into her mental treasure land and returned the cart to its original spot after he left.

Afterward, Yun Zhen went to the Red Sun District to collect recyclables.

"Hello, Uncle Liu!"

Today, the security guard on duty was still Liu Qiang. He was sitting by the gate, basking in the sun. The winter sun was a luxury; it was only after ten o’clock that one could feel any warmth from it.

Liu Qiang was lying in his chair, eyes half-closed, dozing off. Hearing Yun Zhen’s greeting, he nodded instinctively and mumbled, "Hello to you too."

Yun Zhen smiled and entered the Red Sun District.

THUD!

Someone had just tossed a few large items next to the trash cans. Yun Zhen took a look. It was a miniature version of the large iron-shell bug vehicles that ran on the streets, along with a few other styles of carts. Some had two wheels, others had four. She had seen three- or five-year-old children riding similar things, gliding along the streets.

Yun Zhen looked at the woman who had thrown them away. She was in her forties or fifties, with faint wrinkles on her skin. She wore gold earrings, a jade pendant around her neck, and silver bracelets on both wrists. She looked wealthy, yet her aura was very approachable.

Gathering her courage, Yun Zhen stepped forward and asked, "Ma’am, do you not want these carts anymore?"

The woman turned around and replied, "No, I don’t need them. My family bought these for my granddaughter, but she’s in elementary school now and has new ones, so we don’t want the old ones. If you like them, little girl, feel free to pick two and take them home."

Seeing that Yun Zhen liked them, she proactively offered to let her take them. She had thrown away four vehicles: a pink four-wheeled toy car, a pedal tricycle, a red wiggle car, and a black scooter.

Yun Zhen loved them all. So these were children’s vehicles!

"Thank you."

After the woman left, Yun Zhen stored all four children’s vehicles in her mental treasure land. She planned to take them back for Little Bao and the other children in the village to play with.

Today, there weren’t as many colorful cans and cardboard boxes as there had been over the past few days, but she had managed to snag four children’s vehicles instead.

When Yun Zhen walked out carrying her bags of recyclables, Liu Qiang was already awake. Stretching and yawning, he said, "The elementary and middle school students who rent in this district started their holidays yesterday. They hurried back to their hometowns overnight, so there will be fewer and fewer recyclables lately."

No wonder she felt there was less to collect today compared to previous days. Yun Zhen asked curiously, "Will they come back?"

"They’ll be back when school starts. The break is at least forty days long," Liu Qiang replied.

Wasn’t that just like Su Yue, going home for the holidays to celebrate the New Year? Would she get a holiday too?

Unexpectedly, when she went to her part-time job at the restaurant, Brother Yang brought the matter up himself. "In ten days, my wife and I are heading back to our hometown for the New Year. We have some family matters to attend to this year, so we won’t be back until after the fifteenth."

The chefs and waiters acknowledged the news. Since the boss wouldn’t be back until after the fifteenth, they wouldn’t start work until then either.

Brother Yang also pulled Yun Zhen aside to speak to her privately. "My wife and I are going home for the New Year, and the restaurant won’t reopen until after the fifteenth. If you find a better job, just have Zhao Peng let me know. If you don’t find anything, you can always come back and work for me. I’m always looking for long-term help."

Yun Zhen nodded. "Got it, Brother Yang."

Brother Yang smiled. "You should be an adult after the New Year. I hope you can find a job that includes room, board, and insurance—preferably one with room for growth. Being stuck working in a restaurant forever is a dead end."

He was right. Brother Zhao had mentioned before that as a minor, she could only work part-time, but once she came of age, she could work full-time. The difference between full-time and part-time was probably just the difference between working the whole day versus picking a few hours to work.

After getting off work, Yun Zhen went to the entrance of Jiuzhou Mall to sell her goods.

Granny Sun pulled her aside and asked, "Yun Zhen, is Sister Zhang’s charity organization located right next to the farmer’s market and the flea market?"

Yun Zhen immediately caught on and nodded. "Are you talking about the murder in the alley between the two markets, Grandma Sun?"

Grandma Sun patted her chest nervously. "I saw the news. The killer has Super-Male Syndrome—he’s not like normal people. Make sure you go straight home after work. Don’t linger outside for too long, and try to avoid deserted places."