A Young Woman's Heart

"Look, it's been raised a little higher."

Now it's time to write about the advantages and disadvantages.

Mo Xueyao hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved the pen tip downwards, landing after the colon next to the word 'shortcomings'.

"Hey, why do I have to list the shortcomings first?!"

"Hmm...it's so troublesome to think of advantages."

"What's so complicated about it! You could easily list a dozen or so if you closed your eyes, right?"

Mo Xueyao could only helplessly begin listing the strengths: "Hmm... she's good at music, good at drawing, and good at Chinese..."

"Exactly, there's so much to write about, isn't there?"

“That’s all.” Mo Xueyao took a deep breath. “It’s definitely smoother to write about flaws. I’ve already thought of a lot more.”

"Are there that many?!"

The paper began to list out all of Hua Yinyin's shortcomings one by one.

For example, he always likes to grope girls, and sometimes he does strange things regardless of the occasion.

If ignored, they will make a fuss and do all sorts of big things to attract attention.

When singing, they are always self-centered and arbitrarily change the songs. Although the final effect is good, they don't follow the plan at all.

Although she's a good artist, she always draws strange comics of girls with girls or boys with boys, seemingly showing no interest in normal romance.

They're always making a ruckus and rarely quiet, and they always like to bother Mo Xueyao...

"Hey, what kind of flaw is this?!"

"Flaws, all flaws." Mo Xueyao nodded very seriously.

"Hmm—!" Hua Yinyin puffed out her cheeks, turned her head to look at what Yu Shu had written, "Hmm, what Shu'er wrote is the most truthful!"

Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways and smirked, "Ha, Hua Yinyin only likes to hear nice things."

"Finished writing?"

"Um……"

Hua Yinyin quickly picked up what Yu Shu had written and, ignoring the latter's flushed face, began to read it aloud.

"Senior Hua Yinyin is a very warm and kind senior. I have many questions for her, and she always answers them patiently. She is considerate of other people's feelings. Although she seems carefree, she is actually very thoughtful and knowledgeable, but she never shows off..."

"Really? Yu Shu thinks you're that great?"

"Hmph, of course!" Hua Yinyin's eyebrows almost flew up. "I love it when she plays the pipa. It feels like she and the pipa become one, like a beauty who has stepped out of an ancient painting. Her temperament is also amazing..."

"Ugh, stop reading, stop reading, it's so cheesy." Mo Xueyao shrank her neck and deliberately made an exaggerated expression of disgust. "It's giving me goosebumps!"

"It smells so good." Wang Jiale finally finished reading the serialized story. She closed the magazine with a sense of lingering enjoyment, and suddenly felt a little hungry.

"Want some? We sell grilled sausages and oden." Mo Xueyao pointed to Zhuang Lianlian. "Just ask Lianlian to buy them."

"Can I have a sip of Xiaoyao's? I'm just a little craving it."

“Sure.” Mo Xueyao handed over the cup without any hesitation; inside were several different kinds of oden.

Wang Jiale picked out a string of seaweed knots, turned the cup to the side that Mo Xueyao hadn't drunk from, and sipped a small mouthful of soup.

Eating oden without drinking the soup is soulless.

"How's the renovation going at Xiaoyao's house?"

"It's still early... My dad did the whole renovation by himself, and the progress is incredibly slow. But he doesn't want to hire a construction team, so it'll probably be finished by the summer vacation. And we can't move in right away because there's paint, and it needs to dry for two months. In other words... we can't move in until September when senior high school starts."

“It’s so slow.”

"Renovations are just that slow, huh?" Mo Xueyao yawned, resting her chin on her hand. "Phew... It'll be comfortable once we move in. This renovation is going to cost a lot of money."

"Would Xiaoyao like to have some solid wood furniture custom-made?"

"what?"

“My dad knows someone who made our furniture before. It was cheap, easy to use, and didn’t look cheap at all.”

"I don't know exactly what level of cheapness you're referring to..."

"Anyway, ask your parents, just in case they need it."

"Okay, okay, I'll ask later." Mo Xueyao took the oden paper cup that Wang Jiale handed back. "By the way, don't you guys have anywhere to go? How come you're so free?"

"It's so boring, and with the rain, there's nowhere to go for fun, right?" Hua Yinyin rested her head on Mo Xueyao's lap and lazily squinted her eyes.

"When will the rain stop?" Wang Jiale flipped through the magazine again, but seemed uninterested in the other stories.

"Looks like it'll be raining all day." Hua Yinyin leaned closer to Mo Xueyao, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position. "I'm going to take a nap~"

"Why don't you sleep at home?" She shook her thigh, but the thigh remained motionless as if it were stuck to her with double-sided tape.

Yu Shu took her shoulder-mounted keyboard out of her bag and asked somewhat shyly, "Um... can I practice here?"

"No problem, it's perfect for background music."

The keyboard still sounds like a fairly standard piano. It can be played while carrying it, or even placed on a table, although it has far fewer keys than an electronic keyboard.

It is not usually used as the main instrument; its main function is to accompany other instruments.

The button next to it can switch modes, which can be changed via computer connection. After setting it up, you can switch between the sounds of various instruments by pressing the button while playing.

The song Yu Shu is practicing right now is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," that's right, the song with the title "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Because it's simple enough, it's usually used by beginners to practice.

Similar nursery rhymes include "Two Tigers".

"It feels like there's a coin-operated rocking machine next to you," Mo Xueyao suddenly laughed.

"Huh? Did I disturb Haruka?"

"No, no, I'm fine now, I just felt like saying this."

"It really does look a bit like her." Wang Jiale nodded and swayed her legs back and forth in rhythm with Yu Shu.

……

Chapter Fifty-Six Holiday School

The school was deserted when it rained.

Even the boys who used to come to the school to play ball on the playground during holidays were not there.

Mo Xueyao and the other three held umbrellas, huddled together like mushrooms strung together.

Rainwater kept falling on the iron gate on the side, and red rust dripped down. In some fragile places, the outer skin had already peeled off, revealing the hollow cylinder inside.

"Hmm—" Wang Jiale supported Mo Xueyao's shoulder with one hand and tried to stand on tiptoe to look inside.

The security guard wasn't in the guard booth; there was a cup of steaming tea sitting there, and a half-flipped newspaper seemed to prove that someone had been there just moments before.

Maybe he just went to the toilet.

Mo Xueyao skillfully slipped her hand through the gap in the railing, took down the copper lock that was hanging on it but not closed, and gently pulled open the iron gate.

"Little Yaoyao is so skilled!"

“If the security guard isn’t here when I come in the morning, I’ll just open the door like this and come in: ‘Come in, come in, it’s okay, why are you acting like a thief?’”

"hey-hey……"

“I rarely come to school on holidays.” Wang Jiale looked around curiously, as if it were her first time here. “It’s a holiday, but I still come to school. I suddenly feel a little cheated.”

"We don't have to go to class."

"Speaking of which, um... is the school store still open during holidays?"

Yu Shu's question surprised Mo Xueyao, as she hadn't really researched this topic before.

"Theoretically speaking, they shouldn't be here. The small shops outside don't have much business, let alone the small shop inside the school."

"Look!"

The convenience store is located to the right of the school gate. This building is connected to the main teaching building, and the upper floors house the cafeteria and indoor gymnasium.

Go down to the side to the underground parking lot. You can also park here above, but it's generally not the case that the underground parking lot is completely full of bicycles.

Usually, it's only students who are too lazy to park at the bottom that leave their cars here.

The old tables are for students who eat instant noodles for lunch, and if you arrive late, you often can't get a seat.

Some classes don't allow eating this stuff in the classroom, so you often see many students wandering around the playground with instant noodles in their hands at lunchtime.

The lunch at Mingyukong High School is already quite exquisite.

Should we say they're being pretentious, or are they simply ungrateful for their good fortune?

The rain was pattering down outside, and the bushes were swaying back and forth in the wind, dropping a few dark green leaves.

In the quiet school, the only sound could be the continuous patter of raindrops falling on various objects.

The door to the convenience store was ajar. Wang Jiale curiously pushed it open a little. The lights inside were off, but he could see the owner sitting by the window, smoking and puffing away.

The ashtray on the windowsill was overflowing with cigarette butts, and there was some ash on the floor.

Cheap tea leaves that have been steeped until they stick together seem to be the perfect match for cigarettes.

"They're still open..." Wang Jiale stepped inside and waved gently to the shop owner. "Boss~ Can I buy something today?"

The shopkeeper flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray. His average middle-aged face showed signs of fatigue, but he still mustered his spirits and smiled, "Of course, what brings you to school? Aren't there no classes today?"

"Hey, come on over and have some fun." Hua Yinyin leaned against the glass counter and gently hooked her right leg back. "Boss, can you give me a discount today?"

"Haha? Why?" The boss chuckled, finished smoking the last bit of cigarette butt, and threw it into the ashtray.

"Look, you didn't have any business today, but now that we're here, you've got some business, so you should lower the price a bit and make a little less profit!"

"Haha, okay, what do you all want? I'll see if I can round it down for you."

"Ugh, stingy."

"Hmm, yes, we have that, pineapple buns!"

"Oh, that one just expired today, but it's fine to eat it today."