Two days later, November 11th.
"Are you two ready?"
"Teacher, we're all set." Qiu Xi and another student stood outside with their bags packed.
"Alright, let's go then."
"Teacher, I'll get that for you." Luo An, with keen foresight, took the suitcase from his mentor.
"That's good, young people's strength is indeed greater than old men's," Qi Xi Zhi smiled and released his grip on the suitcase.
Originally, there was no need for a suitcase, but there were quite a few documents, so they ended up packing them into the luggage.
Not long after, the three of them boarded a vehicle at the school gate to head to the station.
It was only a trip to the neighboring city, so to save costs, Qi Xi Zhi chose to take the two students by train.
The three of them departed from school at 11 AM. With a three-hour journey, they finally arrived at the hotel they would be staying at around 3 PM.
"You two go and settle in first. We'll have dinner together at four, and I'll brief you on tomorrow's conference then."
"Understood, Teacher Qi."
"Yes, you may go."
...
Evening –
"Qiu Xi, are you asleep yet?" Late at night, Qiu Xi, who was preparing to rest early to conserve energy, received a message from Luo An.
"Getting ready, what's up?"
"...I have a question here, and I won't be able to sleep until I figure it out..." Luo An, ever impatient, felt awkward.
He didn't mean to, but his hands just wouldn't stop themselves.
He also had a bit of an obsessive-compulsive tendency... so he felt a nagging itch. He couldn't sleep without clarifying it.
Qiu Xi, "..."
"Spit it out!"
Since he had already replied, there was no harm in taking a little more time.
"Alright!"
"It's like this, what Teacher Qi said earlier..."
Luo An sent a long message. Qiu Xi recognized what he was asking about from the beginning.
He took out his notes and organized his thoughts for Luo An.
"...That's roughly it. Do you have any more questions?"
"Never mind. Even if I do, we'll discuss it tomorrow. We'll have time in the morning, and we can ask Teacher Qi together then."
"Okay, thanks."
Seeing this, Qiu Xi put down his phone.
Time to rest.
...
The next day –
"You two, take these. You'll be using them during the meeting later. Record everything properly."
Early in the morning, Qi Xi Zhi called the two of them down.
The conference was scheduled to start at 10 AM. There was still some time, so Qi Xi Zhi gave them a few more instructions.
"The main reason I brought you here is for learning. Don't just sit there spacing out!"
"Yes, Teacher Qi, don't worry, we'll study diligently!"
They had already memorized what their senior sister had told them before they left.
"Alright, get ready, we're departing."
"Okay."
The conference was being held at a school in this city. The two followed their mentor, and the car drove directly into the campus.
"The sign is over there. Let's go directly to the conference room."
As soon as they got out, they saw the prominent red sign standing there.
"Mm." The two nodded.
Being in an unfamiliar place, they followed wherever their teacher directed them.
The three of them went in, found their seats, and waited for the conference to begin.
"Oh, right!"
"There's one more thing I need to tell you."
As the conference was about to start, Qi Xi Zhi suddenly spoke.
"Teacher, what is it?" Luo An asked, confused.
"After this conference ends, when we get back, remember to submit a summary to me."
"Both of you, one each. Don't forget!"
"...Understood."
Suddenly, Luo An felt unwell...
He wondered if it was still possible to back out now...
"Alright, that's it."
"Teacher Qi, are there any requirements for the summary? For example, word count or anything?" Qiu Xi felt that their mentor was trying to trick them...
"This... there really are!"
"At least 2000 words, just follow your usual learning summaries."
"..."
Just as he expected!
"...Okay."
But it's only 2000 words!
Compared to a ten-thousand-word thesis... this was barely acceptable.
Thinking of it this way, the mood of the two improved significantly.
"Alright, the conference is about to begin."
Qi Xi Zhi's words interrupted their wandering thoughts, and they immediately sat up straight, ready to learn.
Teacher Exchange and Learning Conference.
Students like Qiu Xi and his peers had no opportunity to speak. All they could do was record properly and learn diligently.
The conference lasted a full three hours. In the middle, everyone was given a break to use the restroom and relax.
...
"Good thing I listened to the teacher this morning and ate a bit more to fill my stomach..." Luo An rubbed his forehead, his mind already a bit fuzzy.
Three hours, with only one restroom break in the middle, was quite arduous.
If it weren't for the lack of options, he would have resorted to the "head hanging from the beam and awl piercing the thigh" method, for fear of losing focus and falling asleep...
Thinking of that scene, Luo An couldn't help but shiver. It would be too embarrassing!
"You must be hungry. I'll take you to get some food first." Qi Xi Zhi smiled as he looked at the two students.
Although normally three hours was just enough time to complete a test paper or read a book, a three-hour conference was indeed a bit long.
The key point was that they were not the main participants of the conference; they were simply there to observe and learn, making the time even more difficult to endure.
"Mentor, what are you taking us to eat?"
Luo An had low expectations now; even sitting down and drinking a bowl of porridge would be a joy for him.
"..."
"What else can we eat but ordinary home-style dishes!"
They were so far from home, just the three of them – mentor and students – so a restaurant meal would suffice.
"After eating, you can make your own arrangements. We won't be leaving today; we'll set off for City C tomorrow."
It just so happened that he hadn't seen some old friends for a while, and he planned to catch up with them.
"Okay, thank you, Mentor!" Luo An quipped.
"Always so dramatic!"
"Grab your things, let's go."
"Alright~"
...
Afternoon –
In the end, Luo An and Qiu Xi did not go out but chose to stay in their hotel rooms.
Being in an unfamiliar place, they were too lazy to venture out.
With this time, they might as well stay in their rooms and get started on the summary.
This way, they would have one less task when they returned, which sounded quite good just thinking about it.
Therefore, the two of them settled into their respective rooms and spent the entire afternoon writing their summaries.
They even specially organized their study notes from the morning's conference.
...