My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 105 Xiang Nan's Future

Xiang Nan stared blankly at the walls of the room for a while. Like Hu Yi and most of her peers back then, she didn't know much about the world outside of her family and classroom, and had no concept of such a big thing as studying abroad.

"I think... it should be okay." After thinking for a while, Xiang Nan nodded vigorously with a childlike face: "I'm not afraid of hardship. And... with Brother Hu Yi here, he definitely won't let me encounter any danger."

"Haha, you're right!" Hu Yi couldn't help but chuckle. "However, when you're out and about, you can't always rely on others; sometimes you have to depend on yourself."

"Oh," Xiang Nan replied blankly, unable to resist stealing a glance at her brother.

"Your brother Hu Yi is right. We could take you out to play before, but we can't take care of you forever. You're all grown up now, and you need to learn to face society independently as soon as possible." Xiang Dong's words carried three parts comfort and seven parts guidance. He then turned to Hu Yi and said, "But she's still a girl. If she really goes out into the world in the future, you'll have to teach her a lot so she doesn't suffer."

"Of course!" Hu Yi agreed without hesitation. "Do I need you to tell me this? Nan Nan is like my own sister. What do you have to worry about?"

"Don't worry, I don't worry! I knew Brother Yi would be reliable." Xiang Dong blinked excitedly a few times: "Actually, before you came back to China, my parents even asked around about Minsk in Belarus, Kyiv in Ukraine, and some other place called Gorlos in your country, but they were always worried about Nan Nan going abroad alone. After thinking it over, they decided that Moscow was the best option, since you're there and can help her if anything happens."

"That's a bit too formal. Do we need to be so polite between us?" Hu Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "Since your aunt and uncle have already made plans, I'll just pick out a few key points. You two go back and discuss it with them. If they think it's okay, then we can talk about the rest."

"Okay, go ahead!" Xiang Dong perked up and nodded to Xiang Nan: "Nan Nan, listen carefully!"

"Studying in Russia is different from studying in the UK or the US. You don't need to take IELTS or TOEFL or anything like that. The entry requirements aren't high; the main difficulties come later. But before you go, you first need to carefully choose your major and school—Nan Nan, what major do you want to study?"

"Hmm... I haven't decided yet." Xiang Nan pursed her lips. "Anyway, I'm really bad at math, physics, and chemistry. My teacher said I don't have the brains for it and can only study humanities."

"Then your situation is similar to mine." Hu Yi chuckled: "Your family should think about this carefully and make a decision. I wasted a whole year because I accidentally chose the wrong major."

Xiang Dong nodded repeatedly: "Yes, we must be careful."

"Next comes the issue of money. Tuition varies depending on the major, and the first year of preparatory courses is cheaper. Based on my current school and major, the total cost for one year is about... four thousand US dollars, which is just about right. However, if we want Nan Nan to have a comfortable life, and considering the round-trip travel expenses to China during holidays, it's best to prepare more. Also, it takes at least five years from preparatory course to graduation, so her aunt and uncle need to make long-term plans."

"Of course, that's not a problem." Xiang Dong straightened his back and patted his chest. "I can earn some money now, and I'll make up for any shortfall at home!"

"Okay, you're a good older brother." Hu Yi smiled slightly, then straightened his expression: "The next question is very important. The 'danger' I mentioned earlier is indeed real. It's no exaggeration to say that the security situation there is completely different from what you can imagine in China."

"I've heard some things too. There are terrorists over there, aren't there?" Xiang Dong interjected. "Our family has been following the news related to Moscow lately. It seems like last year a theater kidnapped several hundred people. It sounds pretty creepy."

"That's right, there's quite a lot of terrorist activity over there. And bombs... um... and stuff like that."

"A bomb?" Xiang Nan asked, her eyes wide. "Brother Hu Yi, have you ever encountered one?"

"Me? I haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard about it sometimes." Hu Yi tilted his head and recalled, "These kinds of things used to happen more frequently, but things seem to have been relatively calmer in the last year or two."

"That's good." The brother and sister exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, then looked at Hu Yi together: "Anything else?"

Hu Yi hesitated for a moment, intending to mention the Russian skinheads, but considering that skinheads rarely attack women and are not common around the Friendship University, the threat they pose to Xiang Nan is negligible, and there's no need to bring it up to scare them, so he skipped the topic:

"The last point is something you, Nannan, need to handle well yourself. Your parents sent you abroad to study, but you've never left home before, and now you're going to live in a completely unfamiliar environment right after graduating from high school. You're bound to experience all sorts of difficulties. You need to be fully prepared mentally, work hard to overcome these challenges, and persevere in completing your studies. Of course, I will try my best to help you, but ultimately, it's up to you."

"Okay, I've got it."

"One of the most important aspects of adapting to the environment is language communication skills. Russian is very difficult to learn, and this will be the biggest challenge you will face." Hu Yi recalled the various troubles he and his classmates encountered when they first arrived in Moscow due to the language barrier, and couldn't help but earnestly advise, "If you ultimately decide to study in Russia, you should learn some basic Russian in advance, so as not to be caught off guard."

"I understand," Xiang Nan replied earnestly in her soft voice, "I will study hard."

"Hmm." Hu Yi pondered for a while, after all, every word he said could influence the decisions made by Xiang Nan's family, and thus directly affect Xiang Nan's future and prospects, so he had to treat it with utmost care.

Hu Yi breathed a sigh of relief only after he felt he had made all the necessary points clear: "That's about it. Go home and discuss it with your aunt and uncle. If you have any questions, feel free to call me anytime."

"Okay! We'll discuss it as soon as we get back tonight." Xiang Dong casually scribbled his messy hair with his fingers, then realized they had been talking for too long. He quickly picked up his chopsticks apologetically and pointed to the five or six dishes already laid out on the table: "Oh dear, we were so busy talking that the food got cold! Eat, eat!"

After returning home that day, the brother and sister truthfully relayed what Hu Yi had said to their parents. The whole family gathered together and discussed it for a long time, unanimously agreeing that sending Xiang Nan to study in Russia was the best option at present.

Of course, relying solely on the two children as intermediaries wasn't enough to reassure the parents. A few days later, they invited Hu Yi to their home to finalize the details.

(End of this chapter)