A Young Woman's Heart

I randomly wrote all the multiple-choice questions, but I got three right. My luck was just unbelievably bad.

It almost completely avoids all the correct answers.

"Ahem! Everyone's been young once, right?" Mo Xueyao scratched her head awkwardly, tossing aside the test papers that she had carefully hidden away back then but now didn't care about at all. There were other treasures in the drawer.

Marbles were probably the most common type, with all sorts of shapes and sizes, but they were mostly damaged. After all, they were just for playing with, so of course they weren't taken particularly seriously.

"Pfft, Xiaoyao, look, this!" Yu Shu seemed to have discovered something fun and couldn't help but laugh as she held it up. It was a cheap Ultraman toy, but its special feature was that it was pieced together.

For example, the arms are from Ultraman Leo, but the head is from Seven; one of the legs is from a monster, and the other is from a Barbie doll...

To make it more secure, I also wrapped it with tape.

"Uh, well... well, everything was broken, so we just put them all together..." Mo Xueyao chuckled awkwardly. "Yu Shu, don't laugh. Didn't you provide that Barbie doll leg?"

"Huh? Hmm... It seems... it seems like... were we really that silly back then?"

"They're just kids."

……

Chapter Twenty-Two: Moving (Part Two)

When you're not moving, you never realize how interesting a broken glass bead in a corner or an old advertising business card tucked away in a crevice can be.

Life is a long journey, but a little over ten years is not a short time.

The swallows outside the window have flown away, replaced by a few sparrows hopping around.

The trash alone filled a large bag, and there were even more other useful or useless things that I couldn't bear to throw away.

"Will this bed be moved later?" Yu Shu asked, sitting on the bed. "It seems like it's the same one as before?"

“Yeah, it’s a Simmons mattress. I’ve been sleeping on it for over ten years, and the quality is still pretty good.” Mo Xueyao plopped down on it, her body bouncing slightly.

"Yaoyao—go throw away the trash—" her mother's voice came from the big room, "Those black bags by the door are all trash!"

"Okay—" Mo Xueyao answered in a drawn-out voice, and then called out to Yu Shu, "Yu Shu, let's go, take out the trash?"

"Ok!"

Even though the mother was reluctant to throw away more things, there was still quite a bit of trash left after sorting through the mess.

Without moving, I wouldn't even dare to imagine that there was so much garbage in my house—where did all this stuff go before?

A gentle spring breeze blew by as Mo Xueyao, carrying several bags of trash in each hand, staggered downstairs, quickly ran to the garbage room, and with a "whoosh," tossed them all in.

An elderly woman who makes a living by collecting garbage came over, used an iron rod to hook out a bag of trash, and rummaged through it, looking for what she needed.

"Xiao...Xiao Yao..." Yu Shu grabbed her right wrist, put it behind her back, and asked softly, "If you don't mind...how about...sleeping at my house?"

"Huh? Your home?" Mo Xueyao tilted her head, thinking seriously. "Hmm, it seems quite convenient, but... your parents are home at night, isn't that too much trouble?"

"It's okay! They won't look down on you!"

"No, no, I mean... I think it's a bit troublesome." Mo Xueyao expressed her thoughts very frankly, "Living with adults who aren't your parents is ultimately a bit oppressive."

"Hmm...yeah, that's true..." She nodded dejectedly and silently followed Mo Xueyao upstairs.

The room was mostly tidied up, and Mo Xueyao didn't plan to touch the pile of clothes in the closet—it was better to leave those to her mother to organize, lest she make a mess of them.

"Mom! Should I take my bed apart?"

"Can you take it apart?"

"Just try it and you'll see, it shouldn't be difficult."

"Take it apart if you can, but don't break it!"

Don't worry!

"Xiao Yao is still the same as when she was little, she likes to take things apart." Yu Shu said with a light laugh, her rosy cheeks looking like blooming peach blossoms.

The two first put away all the bedding on the bed, and then removed the headboard. After studying it for a while, Mo Xueyao easily lifted the bed board and removed the supports on all four sides.

With the Simmons mattress and bed frame standing upright against the wall, the small room suddenly felt much more spacious.

"Wow, this room is so big!"

“If you don’t put anything in it, it’s very spacious.” Yu Shu patted the dust off her skirt. “That’s why I don’t put a bed in my room.”

"But sleeping on the floor isn't very comfortable... and if there are cockroaches or something, they could easily crawl on you."

"My family wouldn't have that...! We clean the house every day!"

Mo Xueyao didn't reply, but instead looked at the dust under the bed and slapped her forehead hard: "Ah!"

"what happened?"

"Ahem...it's nothing..." She suddenly became embarrassed again.

But then, Yu Shu noticed something: "Huh... isn't that my... little leather shoe?"

"Heh, haha...it's something you wore when you were little..."

"When...did it land here?"

"Oh dear, I was just a kid back then. Knowing you were moving, I stole one of your shoes from the doorway, thinking that would prevent you from leaving..." Mo Xueyao fanned away the dust that was blowing from under the bed, half-squatting down to pick up the dusty black leather shoe. "Here... do you still want it?"

"I can't wear it now..." Yu Shu was amused. "Are you going to keep it as a souvenir?"

"Why would I want this one...?"

"I have that one at home."

"No way, you still have it?"

"Um... because, because I really liked... these shoes when I was little."

"That's perfect, now you're a couple!"

"Hmm, let's leave it at that, it's best if each of us keeps one."

Why?

Yu Shu lowered her head slightly and answered in a voice softer than a mosquito's buzz, "N-I won't tell you..."

Under the bed is like a mysterious space; things always fall in, and you can always find some unexpected surprises there.

"Ah, there are so many one-cent coins here, and even a one-yuan coin!" The biggest surprise was probably when picking up the money. These currencies, which are no longer widely circulated, were picked up by Mo Xueyao and put into a small bag. "Maybe in another ten years or so, they can be collected as souvenirs."

"How did so many coins fall in?"

"Who knows? They probably all rolled in. See, that's the advantage of having a bed. Ten years later, when you open up under the bed, it's like winning the lottery—surprises everywhere!" Mo Xueyao winked and joked.

The dust under the bed was thick and the things inside were filthy.

But with just a touch, they will return to their original state, even the coins will be shiny.

Perhaps the dust covering them has now become their protective layer?

"Wow, Yu Shu, Yu Shu, this, this, the plush bear you were looking for when you were little!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed excitedly, as if she had discovered a new continent. "We searched for it all day and couldn't find it. So it fell under the bed?"

"But...but I think we looked under the bed too, didn't we?" Yu Shu took the plush bear with surprise. The dust on it had obscured its original color. "Wow, it's so small!"

"Yes, I remember it was quite big. You always held it in your arms, whether at home or when you went out."

"Yes, that's why it felt so small, only the size of a soda can... How come we didn't find it back then? We even crawled under the bed to look for it."

"Yes, I remember turning on a flashlight and searching very carefully. Ah, that day really exhausted me. My mom even blamed me for bullying you, even though I didn't lose it..."

"Hey, why should I blame you...?"

"Who told you to cry so hard that day? You started crying as soon as the bear went missing, and you didn't stop even when you went to bed. I really admire you; your tears just wouldn't stop!"

"Don't say it, don't say it!" Yu Shu cried out in a panicked whisper, "It's all stuff from when we were kids..."

"It's amazing. I couldn't find it back then, but now it's here. It seems like many things are like this. When you want to find something, you can't find it, and then after a long time, when you no longer need it, it suddenly reappears. It's like a prank."

"OK."

"Perhaps we've arrived in a different parallel world? Or maybe history has been altered, so it's reappeared?" Mo Xueyao joked, her gaze returning to Yu Shu. "Hey, is it alright for you to hug it like that? It's covered in dust!"

"Oh...I forgot..."

"It should still be usable after washing it when I get back, but I don't know if it will be clean enough." Mo Xueyao stretched out a big yawn. "Not bad, not bad, I've had quite a few unexpected gains today."

Tidying up a room doesn't sound like a difficult task, but by the time you've actually finished, it's already dark.

All the bags and packages were neatly piled up in the living room, to be transported away in my father's van.

Furniture that can fit can be transported in a van. Although it takes time, a few trips will make up for it. The little time and fuel cost wasted is still more cost-effective than hiring a moving company.

When Yu Shu returned home in the evening, Mo Xueyao still made her take the old leather shoe with her. Her mother wasn't home at the moment because she was going to get her father to come over, since he was the only one in the family who could drive.

Moreover, in the evening, the fruit shop doesn't have as many customers buying fruit baskets or flower wrappings, so she can manage on her own.

My father is the kind of person who either doesn't do something at all, or if he does, he does it perfectly the first time.

It seems like I'm planning to move everything in one go today, and then I'll just check if there are any loose items left behind.

Chen Cheng was also sent over by Old Chen to help. The two grown men were responsible for moving heavy items such as furniture, while Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan kept carrying small packages downstairs.

"If only there was an elevator in the house..." After making more than ten trips, Mo Xueyao was already feeling the strain. Not to mention carrying heavy things, even just going up and down the stairs a dozen times was exhausting.

The deep orange sunset cast a long shadow of the van. Mo Xueyao was drenched in sweat and leaned against the door downstairs, panting heavily.

Upstairs, Chen Cheng and his father slowly carried the bed board down while shouting "Be careful!"

The narrow stairwell made turning each corner extremely difficult.

The thought of having to move it again next time gave Mo Xueyao a headache—even though it wasn't her who was going to move it.

"Chen Cheng, not bad, you still have energy?"

"Nonsense." Chen Cheng rolled his eyes in annoyance, too exhausted to talk to her as he was busy moving the bed.

"Impressive! I thought you were just tall."

"What are you saying? He came to help you, why are you making sarcastic remarks?" the father said with a laugh. "If he hadn't come, you and I would have had to move it."

"It's alright, it's alright. Chen Cheng talks like that with everyone, right? That's how it shows they have a good relationship!" Mo Xueyao saw him lower the bed board, so she walked behind him and patted his back hard. "Chen Cheng, right!"

"..."