A Young Woman's Heart

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Yu Shu, who had just taken the photos, hid in the back, anxiously flipping through the pictures she had just taken, but in the end, she chose to delete them.

Perhaps she was trying to escape; in any case, she didn't want to leave unpleasant images in the camera's frame...

Everyone, preoccupied with their own thoughts, waited until Ye Yu returned without saying a word.

"Oh dear, there are quite a lot of people this time, and there are no empty classrooms. The rooms are also quite crowded. Why don't you go back to the bus? If there's not enough room for the unfolded drum set, I'll ask the driver to remove the seats."

"Hmm... I'll see later." Mo Zhuyou didn't seem to be in the mood to play the drums.

In the end, she took the instrument back to the car. Sitting in the chair, Mo Xueyao looked at the dilapidated gate not far away and suddenly felt an urge to run away right now.

Perhaps it was a combination of fear and reluctance.

Outside the car window, Principal Mo slowly pulled up in his business car. As soon as the principal, dressed in a suit, got out of the car, Ye Yu went to greet him, seemingly to report something to him.

The petite Su Yuqing, dressed in a formal and appropriate gown, slowly took off her sunglasses.

The sun was still shining brightly, but it didn't seem to bring much warmth.

Mr. Xue was about to say something when Hua Yinyin interrupted him with a loud shout: "Hey! I'm saying! Now, the song we prepared before isn't quite right, is it? What do you guys think?"

The crowd's minds finally started to stir, and they all expressed their agreement.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem quite right... Is it really okay to sing a sad song at a time like this? Even though the ending has a positive message, it still doesn't feel right."

"But... it was Teacher Su who asked us to sing it, and we all agreed. It wouldn't be good to change our minds at the last minute, would it?" Wang Jiale frowned with some concern.

Mo Zhuyou shook her head vigorously: "No, no, it's not a request, it's a wish for us to sing, but if we explain the actual situation to her, she should agree, right?"

"If we were to change the song, what would you like to change it to...?" Yu Shu asked timidly. Although she wasn't a formal member of the band, she spent every day with everyone and seemed to have developed a sense of belonging to the group.

"Thinking of something on the spot won't work, let's go with that one!" Hua Yinyin patted Mo Xueyao's shoulder hard, making her shake her whole body. "Colorful Cloud Ice Cream!"

"We practiced the song 'Xi Zi' at the last minute, and everyone worked really hard and was in surprisingly good form. I didn't expect that we would have to give up in the end..." Mo Xueyao said swayingly, "But... well, let's go with the song Yin Yin suggested."

"Is there anything wrong with Xiaoyao?"

"You're the lead singer... I didn't quite remember these silly lyrics..."

"So, who should go talk to Teacher Su?" Wang Jiale suddenly posed a difficult question.

Everyone looked at each other, and almost all of them turned their attention to Mr. Xue.

"Hmph, then I'll do it!" However, it was Hua Yinyin, who had been ignored, who spoke up. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm the captain of the Snow Music Band, after all! Of course, I should do this kind of thing!"

If she hadn't said it, everyone might have really thought Xiaoxue was the captain, since he was much more composed than her, and it was indeed better for him to handle various matters.

“Yes, we’ll go with you.” Mr. Xue nodded with a smile and was the first to walk to the car door.

Mo Kong and Ye Yu were chatting about something, while Su Yuqing leaned against the car, staring blankly at the dilapidated welfare home.

"Teacher Su!" Hua Yinyin ran over quickly. The two were about the same height, and Su Yuqing even looked a little shorter. It was impossible for others to tell who was the teacher and who was the student.

"Eh? Hmm...?" Su Yuqing's eyes drooped slightly. If she didn't smile, she would have a bitter face. However, because she was cute, she just looked like a girl who would feel sad about falling flowers.

"Huff..." Hua Yinyin ran too fast and was a little out of breath. She supported herself on her knees and took several deep breaths before finally raising her head.

Mo Xueyao and the others, who were watching from a distance, also seemed quite nervous—yes, except for Mr. Xue.

"Teacher Su! Can we play a different song?"

"Huh?"

"Hmm...hmm...that's how it is, Teacher Su! We feel it's not appropriate to play sad songs here. Only happy people need to reminisce about the past, right? People who are unhappy should listen to cheerful songs!"

Su Yuqing shifted her gaze from her face to the dilapidated buildings of Jinying Welfare Home.

Even the few concrete floors that were poured looked pitted and uneven.

Hua Yinyin asked anxiously again, "Has Teacher Su been here before?"

"Hmm...besides my home...besides the Kongqing Welfare Home, I haven't been to any other places..."

"Then Teacher Su should go in and take a look before making a decision!"

Su Yuqing hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and looked at Mo Kong, who was discussing something with Ye Yu.

The latter noticed her gaze, turned around and smiled at her.

"Kong, let's go in and take a look."

"it is good."

As they watched their figures disappear into the distance, the crowd hurriedly gathered around them.

Mo Zhuyou asked somewhat nervously, "Can you agree?"

"Well... it should be... fine, right?"

"But... wouldn't agreeing mean admitting that you didn't think things through?" Wang Jiale asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Teacher Su isn't the kind of person who puts on airs, right, Yao Yao?"

"Ok!"

Life is always full of surprises.

It's perfectly normal for a carefully planned scheme to be changed at the last minute.

No one can have everything they want in life.

In novels, almost every character whose name has been written about will eventually reappear; every plot point that is built up and developed will eventually lead to the climax of the story; and everything the protagonist does will eventually succeed.

However, reality is not like that.

You may only meet someone you know by name once in your life; you may find that the things you work hard to do are a waste of effort when you actually need them; you may only get a fruitless result for the things you hope to succeed, leaving many regrets that you will feel sorry for when you look back.

Everyone is just the protagonist of their own life.

"Let's save this song for next time... There will definitely be many more performances later!" Seeing that everyone seemed disappointed that their efforts were going in the wrong direction, Hua Yinyin took on the role of team leader. "Anyway, let's practice 'Colorful Cloud Ice Cream'! Especially Youyou, don't hit the wrong drumbeats!"

"It's not confirmed yet..."

"I'll definitely agree!" Hua Yinyin said with great certainty.

The driver carries tools with him, which means that passengers often need to remove the seats to do something.

They quickly removed and stacked the seats at the back of the carriage, allowing Mo Zhuyou to finally put her drum set to use.

"What a subtle feeling." Mo Zhuyou twirled the drumstick in her hand and tried tapping it. "Heave-ho, does it have a bit of an American country music feel to it?"

"It seems... there really is a bit of that? Driving a bus to the West, singing as you go?" Although Mo Xueyao had never been to the United States, she had at least seen a few movies, so imagining that feeling wasn't a problem.

"Alright, let's start practicing. We need to hurry up and find that feeling!"

“Let’s begin~” Wang Jiale sat down with his bass guitar in his arms, indicating that he was ready.

The dark clouds in the sky obscured the sun, making the mountain appear much gloomy.

Looking out, the sky in the distance was a dark, oppressive mass, but it didn't look like it was about to rain.

The world seemed to turn into black and white as a result.

However, the orphanage remained noisy. Cars still drove up from time to time, people carried large amounts of donated items inside, and staff members were constantly counting the items...

Mo Xueyao's thoughts drifted away. She wanted to blame the staff for not being responsible enough and not paying enough attention to the children's mental health, but when she thought about it carefully, even parents would lose patience with their own children when something happened, let alone these staff members.

Even though they all came with good intentions.

But some things will be worn away...

No one is perfect, so how can we expect them to do so many things?

We've already done our best to keep these children alive.

But... is it really a good thing for these children with disabilities to be alive?

Are they themselves suffering?

Mo Xueyao dared not think any further. She reminded herself that everyone has a reason to live, and others should not arbitrarily take away their lives.

The real fault lies not with the welfare home and the children, but with the parents who abandoned them.

……

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The World Wrapped in Blue Sky is a Gift for You

The "finale" actually refers to the second-to-last performance.

However, as times change, the meanings of many words have also changed.

No matter how linguists try to correct it, the concept that "the grand finale" is the last performance is deeply ingrained and difficult to change.

However, words are invented to briefly describe a certain thing, just as the ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel) has changed from a cooking utensil to a symbolic ritual vessel. It's best to adapt to the changes of the times.

It's already afternoon, but the sky is overcast and the sun is nowhere to be seen.

I thought it would be a sunny day when I came in this morning.

The performance was lively all day, but there was a strong sense of disconnect.

Those on stage are busy with their performances, while those offstage are busy chatting and doing their own thing.

The children in the welfare home, who were seated in a specially designated area, looked lifeless, as if they belonged to a different world from everyone else.

Actually, the program selections were all very good, including plays, rock music, crosstalk, magic...

But it seems unable to reach the hearts of children; few programs can elicit genuine smiles from them.

Behind the makeshift stage, a low bungalow served as a dressing room and preparation room. The charity performance was almost over, and Mo Xueyao, who was in charge of wrapping things up, was feeling a little uneasy.

She leaned against the doorframe, clutching her violin case, her fingers stroking the somewhat rough fabric.

"Little Yaoyao is nervous?" Hua Yinyin put her arm around her shoulder and teased, "You've performed this so many times!"

"Cough... It's not quite the same as in school... After all, the audience isn't students, it's adults, and there are quite a few professional bands too. Will our level make people laugh?"

"What's wrong with that!" Hua Yinyin patted her shoulder hard. "As a student, this level is already pretty good! Besides, we're playing for children, not adults. As long as they like it, that's all that matters."

"This is even harder, isn't it?" Wang Jiale pouted and muttered softly.

"Dong dong."

"Come in!" Hua Yinyin stood up straight, seemingly ready.