TES - 1

That year, Beijing saw more rain than usual, even more than the southern city that Shang Zhitao had just left. The rain drizzled down, and above the clouds, faint wisps of mist lingered—it was hard to tell whether the scene was poetic or simply bleak.

Shang Zhitao was struggling with her two large suitcases—one filled with books, the other packed with clothes and shoes, with nothing else inside. From Nanjing to Beijing, at twenty-two years old, she had accomplished the great feat of moving alone for the first time in her life.

Tiny beads of sweat covered her forehead and cheeks, making her face flush pink. She felt like she was about to melt. I must buy a fan tomorrow, she thought to herself.

The small partitioned room felt even more cramped with the two suitcases inside. She heard the girl in the next room talking on the phone:

“I’ll come over to your place this weekend, okay? Someone moved into the room next to mine, and the walls are thin.”

It took Shang Zhitao a moment to process what she meant. She put on her headphones and played some music before continuing to unpack—only this time, she moved more gently. Before she left, her senior, Yao Bei, had told her: Living in this city requires more tolerance because everyone here is struggling in some way. Now, Shang Zhitao was beginning to understand what she meant.

She had originally planned to stay in the south after graduation, but that would have placed her too far from her parents. After much deliberation, she sent all her job applications to companies in Beijing. As a graduate from a lesser-known university, receiving a special offer from this company was nothing short of thrilling. Shang Zhitao even felt incredibly lucky.

Once she had finished arranging her belongings, she took a look around her tiny room and finally realized just how shabby it was. When she had seen pictures online, the agent had sent her a few photos via email, and at the time, she thought it looked decent. But now, standing in this bare, empty space, she realized that aside from the floral-covered bed, nothing in the room could be considered acceptable.

She leaned against the bed’s headboard, propped up her knees, and pulled out a notebook to carefully jot down what she needed to buy the next day. She would cook for herself, but all she had brought from school was a small electric pot and a bowl printed with an image of the Qinhuai River at night. She needed to do laundry, but she wasn’t comfortable using the shared washing machine in the apartment. All the things she had never worried about as a student now fell entirely on her shoulders. As she made her list, she realized just how messy and trivial daily life could be.

By the time she had filled three pages, the words on them all seemed to blur into a single word: money. Everything required money to buy!

She did have some savings—she had worked part-time while studying—but a few days ago, her father, worried that she would struggle, had transferred her ten thousand yuan from the bank.

Shang Zhitao was reluctant to spend it. She went back to the top of her list, assessing which items were urgent and which could wait. At the end of the page, she added three new categories: Buy Soon, Buy After First Paycheck, Buy After Second Paycheck.

As she wrote, she suddenly found herself feeling a bit ridiculous and pathetic. Tossing the notebook aside, she flopped onto the bed and burst into laughter. She was still young and naive—her actions were far from steady or mature, and she had no idea what was coming.

Whatever!

She felt brave. But as the night deepened, that courage faded. She climbed out of bed, pushed her suitcases against the door, stacking them securely as a barrier. Soon, the urge to use the restroom crept up, but she forced herself to hold it in, squeezing her eyes shut and counting sheep. The urge to pee, her fear, and her exhaustion all clashed within her, as bravery and cowardice wrestled inside her body.

Her first night as a stranger in a new city stretched endlessly.

The next morning, it was still raining. As soon as she opened her eyes, she remembered seeing a farmers’ market near her apartment while riding the bus the day before. She decided to go there to buy some essentials. She put on her raincoat, moved her suitcases aside, and opened the door.

A girl was standing in the communal bathroom, washing clothes. She looked delicate and fragile, much like a girl from the south.

Shang Zhitao smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Shang Zhitao.”

The girl smiled back. “Hi, I’m Sun Yu.”

Her voice sounded familiar—it was the girl from the room next door.

“It’s still raining outside. Are you going somewhere?” Sun Yu asked.

“I’m going to the farmers’ market to buy a few things.”

“There are a lot of pickpockets over there. You just moved to Beijing, right? It’s not safe to go alone. I’ll come with you.”

Sun Yu dried her hands and quickly ran back to her room to grab an umbrella.

“Don’t you have work today?” Shang Zhitao asked.

“I quit my job,” Sun Yu said, her expression darkening for a brief moment. Then she stepped ahead to lead the way.

Their building was old, with narrow, dimly lit hallways cluttered with miscellaneous objects. Shang Zhitao took out a small flashlight and turned it on.

“Be careful not to trip,” she said to Sun Yu.

Finally, the two of them made it outside. The light rain pattered against Shang Zhitao’s raincoat, making a soft rustling sound.

“Where are you from?” Sun Yu asked.

“I’m from Ice City. What about you?”

“I’m from Guizhou.”

“Wow, Guizhou—that’s really far!” Shang Zhitao exclaimed.

Having been born in Ice City and only ever traveling to places near Nanjing, Guizhou felt like a distant land to her.

Hearing her surprised reaction and seeing her wide eyes, Sun Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re adorable.”

Shang Zhitao blushed at the unexpected compliment and let out an awkward chuckle.

The road to the market was muddy, and they had to step carefully through puddles. By the time they arrived, their pants were splattered with mud.

The market sold all sorts of things. Shang Zhitao bought bowls, chopsticks, and cooking pots, along with four plastic basins of different sizes, a flower rack, and some potted plants. She also bought a chamber pot.

Seeing Shang Zhitao blush as she placed the chamber pot into a black plastic bag, Sun Yu said gently, “I bought one when I first moved here too. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“The agent told me the other two rooms are rented by guys who just started working. I haven’t seen them yet, and I feel a little uneasy,” Shang Zhitao explained.

“It’s good to be cautious and protect yourself,” Sun Yu said.

Her Guizhou accent made her words sound both soft and firm, and there was something pleasant about the way she spoke.

The two of them made three trips back and forth before they finished their shopping.

In the market, there was a shop selling beef banmian. The rich aroma of the broth rose into the rainy air, making both of them a little hungry. To thank Sun Yu for leading the way, Shang Zhitao treated her to a bowl of banmian.

And just like that, on the second day of moving to this city, Shang Zhitao made a friend.

Since Sun Yu had just resigned from her job and her boyfriend lived far away on the other side of the city, she enthusiastically helped Shang Zhitao tidy up her room. The once plain and simple space now had a touch of artistic charm. Sun Yu clicked her tongue in admiration. “Are you an art major?”

“No, I’m not!” Shang Zhitao sat cross-legged on the bed, admiring their work. Then she nodded and praised herself, “Looks pretty good!”

Sun Yu was amused by her goofy demeanor and sat down beside her.

Shang Zhitao carried a light, pleasant fragrance, and her whole presence was fresh and clean, like a blank sheet of paper yet to be written on. Sun Yu realized that it had been a long time since she had seen a girl who looked so pure and well-behaved.

“How old are you?” she asked softly.

“I’m twenty-two. You?”

“I’m twenty-five. So, what are you here in Beijing for?”

“I got recruited through campus placement into a company. I’ll officially start next Monday,” Shang Zhitao said, smiling, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She looked truly beautiful.

Sun Yu nodded. “Is your company close to here?”

“I haven’t been there yet, but my senior told me it takes about eighty minutes to get there.”

“Then you’re pretty lucky. That’s not too far.”

For those working in Beijing, an eighty-minute commute was about average—not considered far. After all, the city was enormous. Shang Zhitao didn’t find it far either. When she was in school, she would travel to Purple Mountain every week, spending four hours on the round trip. She often read books or listened to music on the bus, making the time pass quickly and effortlessly.

She was full of anticipation for her upcoming job and life, as well as for this city.

Under her pillow was a journal, where she had filled out a page before bed last night. She had pasted three small, nearly transparent bus tickets onto it—the ones from her journey from the train station to her new home. Next to them, she had written: “July 10th, Hello, Beijing.”

That night, as she lay in bed listening to the rain outside, it felt like she was back in the south.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that graduation had come too soon, that the days of scrambling out of bed and rushing to class were now gone forever.

Shang Zhitao felt a little lonely.

She sat in the dim glow of her bedside lamp, lost in thought. The surroundings were quiet, except for the soft pattering of the rain.

She still couldn’t fall asleep. Half-awake, half-alert, she listened to the sounds outside.

She missed home.

She missed her university and her classmates.

Her nose tingled with the urge to cry.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

A quick heads-up in Chapter 1:

This story won’t be short. Since I’m quite busy with work, I can only guarantee 2-3 updates per week. Please consider this before diving in.

Neither the male nor female lead is inexperienced in love (the male lead has dated before, and the female lead had a beautiful relationship in college), so if you prefer “clean” stories, this might not be for you.

This isn’t exactly a romance novel. I just want to write about the growth of a few ordinary women in this vast city. There will be a lot of workplace-related content, so if you’re looking for a sweet, heavily romance-focused story, please reconsider.

I’ll add more notes if needed later.