A Young Woman's Heart

"Why aren't you saying anything? We're practically brothers who became friends after a fight!"

Chen Cheng rolled his eyes, looking like he didn't want to get to know her.

……

Chapter Twenty-Three: April Fool's Day Jokes

Sunday, July 4, 2001.

It's April Fool's Day again.

Mo Xueyao seemed to have forgotten what happened on April Fool's Day last year.

In reality, she doesn't really like April Fool's Day because many people use it to blatantly play pranks on others.

Spending the whole day trying to figure out whether what the other person is saying is true or false is incredibly exhausting.

Thankfully it's Sunday, no school today, so she can avoid the torment of boredom.

Since moving my belongings out of the house, the small room in the fruit shop has become noticeably more crowded than before, with cardboard boxes for storing clothes or other items everywhere, leaving no room to move.

Tripping over these cardboard boxes is an extremely common occurrence.

Mo Xueyao slept until noon before getting up, mainly because the weather was so comfortable that it was warm even without a blanket, and also because everyone was too busy, so no one came to wake her up.

After oversleeping, she felt weak and groggy when she woke up. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and panties, she pushed open the door to the small room and heard busy sounds outside. Then she suddenly came to her senses and slammed the door shut again.

For a moment, she thought she was at home, which is why she dressed so casually.

The dress her mother placed on her bedside table today was one of several dresses she had bought previously.

The skirt hemline reached about knee-length, and the color was so youthful that it almost seemed childish.

It has many cute patterns on it, and it looks like clothes worn by kindergarten children.

This set is yellow-green, and the matching over-the-knee socks are also yellow-green. They are very lightweight and perfect for this warm season.

There were quite a few customers in the shop, so Mo Xueyao walked straight out and started washing up as if no one else was around.

"This is a daughter? So many daughters!"

"Hello, daughter," the mother replied with a smile, opening the red plastic bag and letting the guests choose their fruit before putting it inside.

"Haha, you're getting up so late?"

"Young people are like that, they're rather lazy, unlike us older generations."

"After all, living conditions have improved, so it's okay to be a little lazy. Girls need to get more sleep for their skin!"

Some guests also laughed and defended Mo Xueyao.

This is the art of speaking. If parents are criticizing their children for something, and you join in the criticism, you'll seem to lack emotional intelligence. So, it's generally better to do the opposite and praise them from a different angle.

Parents may not say it, but they are happy inside.

The shop was very busy, and her mother didn't have time to scold her much: "Yaoyao, if you're hungry, go to your Uncle Chen's place and have a bowl of noodles!"

Where's Dad?

"They've already gone back."

"I'm going back at noon today..." Mo Xueyao put her toiletries back in the small room and started applying 'Ya Shuang' to her face—not some expensive cosmetic, just a very common face cream.

The house renovation officially started in the middle of last month. In order to save money, my father will do everything himself. Whether it is buying tools, buying raw materials, or laying flooring, painting walls, and tiling, he plans to do all these things by himself.

I recently reinstalled the water pipes and electrical wiring, and now I'm planning to start laying floor tiles and wood panels.

My father is usually home during the day because he visits patients, and he usually does so during the day. Although my mother has learned flower arranging, her skills are far inferior to his, so it's better for him to do it.

Around 4 or 5 pm, my father would drive back to renovate the house. He was busy until 10 pm every day before returning to the fruit shop. The next day, he would get up at 4 am to go and buy more goods. It was quite hard work.

Mo Xueyao has been seeing her father for shorter and shorter periods of time, and lately they haven't even had time to exchange more than a few words.

While her mother was busy entertaining wealthy guests, Li Wanyan was entertaining ordinary guests.

"Need any help?"

"Alright, just don't cause any trouble. If you really have nothing to do, just watch the counter!"

"Tch, it's rare for me to offer to help. Never mind, I'm going to eat noodles..." Mo Xueyao pouted and walked out of the fruit shop wearing a dress that made her look like a middle school student.

However, the noodle shop was bustling with activity, with many customers waiting at empty tables, constantly urging, "When will it be ready?"

They didn't even have time to clear the bowls off the table.

My father told me that the noodle shop has been doing very well lately, and its net profit is almost half that of the fruit shop.

"Tsk, so busy..." Mo Xueyao hesitated at the shop entrance, but ultimately decided not to go in and cause trouble for others.

Because if she wanted it, Old Chen and Zhuang Lianlian would definitely burn it for her first, and the other waiting guests would have to wait a little longer.

Instead of doing that, it's better to eat somewhere else.

For example, at fast food restaurants, you only have to queue up for your food; you don't have to wait much time at all.

Actually, Grandma Jin's convenience store seems pretty good. It has some simple bento boxes and such. If you can't eat a proper meal, you can also buy some oden.

With that thought in mind, she pushed open the door and walked into the convenience store.

"Xiao Yao is here?" Grandma Jin was wearing gold-rimmed reading glasses and knitting a sweater.

She had probably just taken a bath, because the husky lying at her feet had fluffy fur and smelled of shampoo.

"Yes, Grandma Jin, I've come to buy some oden."

"Okay, what do you want?"

"How much does one skewer of these meatballs cost?"

"Xiao Yao, why would you need to pay for your meal here?" Grandma Jin chuckled, placing a skewer of meatballs into a large paper cup. "Is there more? What else would you like?"

"Oh, no, that won't do. You have to pay something, at least the cost price, right?"

"Alright, alright, haha, you silly kid, I'll give you a 50% discount then."

"Okay, that's fine!" Mo Xueyao's mood improved, and she happily ordered a cup of oden, which was filled to the brim with soup and drizzled with plenty of tomato sauce.

She sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the pedestrians pass by from time to time, leisurely eating while swinging her legs.

Although it was Sunday, there were still quite a few students at the vocational school inside.

Some of them live on campus, while others come to play sports out of boredom—not necessarily basketball, but possibly billiards...

In those days, playing billiards was a favorite sport among petty thugs. At various billiard tables, you could always see a group of thugs with brightly colored hair striking all sorts of fancy moves, using the cue ball to pocket the other numbered balls.

The reason for this is probably due to the influence of some Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan gangster films. After all, in those films, gangster bosses often engage in sports that look elegant like this.

"Will anyone be at Yukong High School today...? There should be quite a few playing basketball." Mo Xueyao thought leisurely, resting her chin on her hand. "Maybe I should go take a stroll there..."

So she simply carried the paper cup full of oden and wobbled out the door.

The shop became a little quieter, with only one customer hesitating between buying kumquats and tangerines.

"Mom, I need to go to school!"

"Why go to school? Are there classes today?"

"It's nothing, I'll just go have some fun."

"Go on, go on, the busiest time is over, there's no use having you stay here." The mother waved her hand, as if Li Wanyan's presence was enough.

Thank goodness for her.

Mo Xueyao was extremely relieved.

Having a reliable sibling is such a blessing, because it means I can be lazy...

Isn't this a bit irresponsible? All the troublesome things are being left to Li Wanyan.

"My shoelaces came undone." Li Wanyan tilted her head slightly, her two ponytails tilting slightly to the right—she had unusually tied her hair into pigtails today.

"Huh? Oh, oh..." Mo Xueyao hurriedly put the oden on the counter, lowered her head and was about to squat down when she suddenly came to her senses, "Wait, I'm wearing leather shoes, they don't have any shoelaces!"

Li Wanyan winked secretly and 'stole' a skewer of fish tofu from her oden paper cup: "Happy April Fool's Day."

"Oh dear—I thought Wanyan wouldn't be so naive!"

"It's good to be childish once in a while." Li Wanyan's lips curled up slightly, her tone carrying a hint of mischief.

"Ah, Wanyan, what's that on your head?"

"Huh?" Li Wanyan had just reached out her arm to touch her head when she immediately realized what was going on.

Seeing that she had succeeded, Mo Xueyao laughed happily, "Aha! Happy April Fool's Day!"

April Fool's Day, a day of mutual deception, is the most detestable.

But if it's just a little joke like that, it can actually strengthen the bond.

Everything should be done in moderation, but many people fail to grasp this point.

"Should Wanyan go?"

"I'm not going." Li Wanyan's meaning was clear: she wanted to stay and watch the shop.

"Oh—I'll go check. If no one's home, they might be back soon." Mo Xueyao picked up a paper cup, took a sip of the oden broth, and walked out of the fruit shop contentedly.

The bright and warm sunshine quickly warmed her up, but the feeling of slightly sweating was quite nice, especially when a gentle breeze blew by, giving her a refreshing feeling of her pores opening up.

A mother cat led three kittens across the wall. The mother cat herself looked thin and small, as if she hadn't grown up yet.

The kittens followed unsteadily, while the mother cat warily observed her surroundings.

A round-faced male cat tried to approach and make friends, but was immediately chased away by the little female cat hissing.

Going to school on holidays and going to school on weekdays, even though we walk the same route, brings different feelings because of the different moods.

When going to school on holidays, because there's no rush, we walk slowly and can properly appreciate the scenery along the way.

"If I don't know anyone at school, I'll go to the library to read. Hmm... I should have brought my library card and returned the books I had before... Oh well, I'll return them tomorrow..." Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, her skirt being gently lifted by the breeze, revealing her soft, white thighs. Together with the lush green trees on both sides of the road, they formed a beautiful picture in this springtime scene.

……