After taking a shower, I had no appetite for breakfast.

As soon as I arrived in Guiyang, I messaged my mentor. He was so excited that he came early to wait for me at the entrance of the office. When we met, I immediately gave Master Guo a big hug—haha, he seemed a little embarrassed.

Then began the familiar routine of running around to get approvals and signatures. There were moments when forms were filled out incorrectly, printed wrong, or explanations weren’t clear enough, all while waiting for approvals from higher-ups at every level. The office has also tightened security measures—every corridor and door now requires facial recognition. Master Guo spent the whole morning running around with me, and it wasn’t until noon, after Secretary Jinfeng finished his meeting, that we finally got the signatures.

I’m really grateful to Master Guo, and Master Huang kept insisting on treating us to beef for lunch. However, we couldn’t wait for the leaders any longer, so Master Guo ended up treating me to a bowl of noodles before I had to head back.

Since I needed to discuss our future plans with Xiaohuanhuan’s parents tonight, I had to turn down dinner invitations from other colleagues. Huanhuan came to pick me up at the Fourth Elementary School. By the time we got home, I was starving and ate a lot.

The conversation with Huanhuan’s parents in the evening was quite productive. They expressed their willingness to support us, which put everyone at ease.

Huanhuan and I ended up staying up late again.

I’m particularly nervous about dealing with work-related matters—all the procedures and approvals—but I have no choice but to face them.

I reached out to former colleagues, mentors, and people involved in the relevant processes, chatting with them for a while. I’m also hoping to find time tomorrow to have a meal with them if possible.

In the afternoon, the Emergency Management Bureau asked me to write a voluntary waiver statement and required me to sign it in person. Since I might not be in Shuicheng much longer, I didn’t want to delay their work, so I took a taxi to the bureau. Surprisingly, the people there didn’t blame me at all—instead, they expressed admiration and support. We chatted for a bit, and they even helped me print out some documents.

On the way back, I called my mom, who invited me over for dinner. It had been a long time since I last ate her cooking, and it still had that familiar taste. It wasn’t necessarily gourmet-level, but it was comforting and made me feel warm inside.

In the evening, I talked with Huanhuan until 1 a.m., so I hurried to bed—I need to wake up early tomorrow.