June's scorching heat, the start of summer vacation

Before entering high school, I always thought college students would have a lot of holidays. The official vacation starts on June 22, and the return-to-campus date on the school calendar is August 28. The break lasts about 68 days. Although there are two months of vacation, I really can't feel happy about returning on August 28. After checking with universities in the same province, they basically start at the same time, around September 3.

Chow Tai Fook Summer Job

Since I was in the second year of middle school, I have basically worked every summer. Before, I did casual, daily-wage gigs. From the second year of high school, I started doing contract work for about two months.

This year's summer job is at the Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Store, the place I worked during the Spring Festival earlier this year. The daily wage is 160 yuan per day. I think it's already very good; after all, I've also worked in factories, and there a hard day's work is only around 168.

When I heard they were hiring, I was quite happy, because during the pandemic year part-time jobs were hard to come by, plus it's my old company; everyone is familiar, which makes things easier. I thought the environment would be good, the pay not bad, there would be air conditioning in the summer, and when not busy I could play with my phone. I immediately contacted the former manager; the manager was happy because I'm not exactly a newbie, so no need to start from scratch.

But when I arrived, it was really rough; I never would have thought a jewelry store would have no air conditioning. I really hadn't expected this; I was thinking that jewelry stores and places like restaurants that serve customers should have air conditioning. The past days' sales weren't great: our neighbor is also a jewelry store; many customers would come in and then leave because it's too hot, turning to the neighboring shop. So it's both good and bad for me. The good: no customers means I can slack off; the bad: it's scorching hot.

Later I carried a small fan with me, and it wasn't too bad. I'm not worried about sales targets because summer jobs don't require performance metrics.

God's Protection

In mid-June, my dad was hospitalized. In the morning he had abdominal pain and went for a check-up, and was told he needed to be hospitalized. The troponin test came back abnormal, suggesting possible coronary heart disease. After learning this, they arranged hospitalization. At that time I also had exams, and I went back and forth between school and home to take care of him. Fortunately, the school is close to home and well connected by transportation.

Later he underwent a coronary angiography. At first I was very scared when I read about it, but the doctors my father knows were involved, and after detailed questioning they decided to proceed. Coronary angiography is the gold standard for diagnosing coronary heart disease; it's a very mature technique. It is mainly used to confirm whether one has coronary heart disease. Fortunately, after the procedure all indicators were normal. The only issue was some aging of the vessels, but at an older age, aging is inevitable; so essentially there was no problem. After discharge, the post-procedure recovery during follow-up checks has been quite good. This angiography was mainly to calm my fears and buy peace of mind. And it did: hospitalization involves full-body checks, and nothing abnormal was found. It was worth it; buying peace of mind isn't bad.

God's Protection, Part Two

My mother's health has never been great. A few years ago, tests showed that among 14 high-risk HPV types, two were positive. There are risks; since 2015 or 2016 up to now, even with ongoing medication, it hasn't been effective; she has remained positive. This year there was a routine check; I didn't expect any improvement, just hoped the medication could suppress it and not worsen. And yesterday at work I received good news: all turned negative! Mom was so happy she couldn't express it; because it's been positive all along, she thought she misread it or her eyesight was failing; after repeatedly confirming, she realized. She hurriedly sent it to me; I was dozing off in the afternoon, but upon seeing it I immediately perked up. This is truly the best news I've heard in 2022. I don't know how much effort was put in; every month there are costs for Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and foot baths with Chinese herbs; every day there is yoga and fitness, and taking immunity-boosting medicines. Finally it's effective; thanks to God! Not seeking wealth, only lifelong peace.

Alright, this June summary ends here. Also in advance, I wish all fellow bloggers and netizens a happy July!