The author reflects on the four months since taking a leave of absence from school on January 7, 2026. They note seeing a familiar dog, experiencing snow in Beijing in February, and unexpectedly winning 1,000 yuan from a bottle cap scan. In late March, they visited Universal Studios. Having saved some money, they plan to work until July, then travel for two months before returning to school, inspired by the saying that no trip in later life compares to one taken in youth.
What Happened After I Took a Leave of Absence
January 7, 2026
On January 7, 2026, I filed for a leave of absence from school, and it’s now been almost four months—four months already!
It feels like time has gone by a little fast.Nothing major seems to have happened, though.Xiaobai
On the day I filed for leave, I found Xiaobai, the school’s senior dog, in the print room. I hadn’t seen Xiaobai for a long time—
he’s almost turned into Little Black.Before filing for leave, I had already been lying around at home for a month. The day after it was done, I started looking for something to do. There were a lot of things I wanted to buy, so I eventually decided to try working for a while.
January 18, 2026
At this point, it had already been a little over ten days since I went on leave. It was already February, and Beijing still had snow!!
February 3, 2026
I thought scanning bottle caps would bring in a few yuan at most, but to my surprise, I won a thousand. That was the first time I’d ever been this lucky. I’ve always felt like I’m a really unlucky person, actually.
March 29, 2026
Took a break and went to Universal Studios.
I’ve saved up some money now. It’s not a lot, but enough to travel for a few months. I’m planning to keep working until about July. After saving up a bit more, I’ll travel for two months, and then I’ll have to go back to school. You know that saying, right? “Whether you travel on a shoestring or in style, nothing beats traveling while you’re young.”