Morning.
After finishing Tai Chi, Chen Gong went back to his dorm to change his clothes and headed to the school cafeteria.
A serving of tofu pudding, two steamed buns, a tea egg, and a small dish of pickles.
That was Chen Gong's usual breakfast, but ever since he gained the "Focusing" boost from practicing Tai Chi, this amount was no longer sufficient to maintain his regular consumption.
He had to add two more buns or a couple of ounces of fried rice.
"I spent 15 yuan on breakfast this morning," he said.
"That's 6 yuan more than before."
Chen Gong sighed. His family's financial situation was alright; they were locals, with a comfortable income, providing him with more than a thousand yuan per month for living expenses.
It was neither too much nor too little, enough for sustaining life and occasional group meals.
However, to publish a paper he needed an additional 4200 yuan. This monthly allowance was clearly not enough if he wanted to have extra expenditure.