A Young Woman's Heart

The future may not be bright, but at least there is still a path to follow.

"Huff..." Li Wanyan's mother barely managed to put the needle into the small tin box that originally contained throat lozenges. She seemed too weak to close it, and only managed to place it on the windowsill before collapsing onto the table.

"Huff... Huff... Sigh."

She forced a suppressed sigh, enduring the pain.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Li Wanyan blinked her bright eyes, ran to her side, and asked nervously.

"Yan Yan, has your dad come home?"

"I didn't hear any footsteps." Li Wanyan shook her head. "Mom, are you going to sleep?"

"No... I'm just a little tired..." Pan Jiexiang gently smoothed Li Wanyan's ponytail, patted her thigh, and forced a smile, "Yanyan, come here, Mommy will hug you."

“Hmm…” Li Wanyan nodded vigorously and sat down excitedly.

"Ouch……"

"Well?"

"It hurts, never mind, you can sit on the bed today."

"Um……"

Pan Jiexiang was hunched over, looking as if she couldn't even straighten her back.

"What's wrong with Mom?" Li Wanyan leaned against her mother's back, feeling as cold as a windowpane that had been soaked by rain.

"My whole body aches..."

"why?"

"Let it rain. I've been too tired lately and haven't had a proper rest."

"...Mom, let me give you a back massage."

"No need, Yan Yan should go to sleep early. She has to go to kindergarten tomorrow."

“I can get up.” Li Wanyan stood up with great determination—right on the bed—and then began to pound on her mother’s shoulder.

"Hiss... Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

"It hurts so much..."

"Swelling and pain..."

As her mother reacted, her strength gradually lessened, finally allowing her to experience some enjoyment.

"Your mother didn't give birth to you in vain."

"Hehe, Mom, are you feeling any better?" Li Wanyan laughed, leaning on her mother's shoulder as if she were asking for praise.

Pan Jiexiang patted her little head and nodded: "Mmm, much better, much better..."

"Hmm, what about other places?"

"No..." Before she could finish speaking, that chubby little hand was already gently kneading her waist.

"Is it okay here?"

"Hmm, it feels quite comfortable."

"Then Mom, lie down a little. I can't get any strength in like this."

"Good~"

After giving her mother a full-body massage, Li Wanyan's little face was covered in sweat.

"Yan Yan, are you tired?" Her mother looked at her with affection, gently stroking her head, and then hugged her to her chest. "How about Mommy holds you to sleep tonight?"

"Great!" The fatigue from before seemed to vanish instantly.

"Go to bed early tonight." Pan Jiexiang tidied up the loose threads scattered all over the table and carefully stuffed the half-finished cross-stitch into a larger box.

However, when she turned around to go to bed, Li Wanyan was already sitting on the edge of the bed, asleep with her eyes half-closed.

She was sleeping soundly.

I didn't wake up again all night.

……

"Yan Yan? Yan Yan? Go to sleep if you're tired."

"Mom, I'm not tired..." Li Wanyan mumbled sleepily with her eyes closed. Suddenly, a cold wind blew from somewhere, making her neck feel cold and jolting her awake.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Yang Xiaoyu sitting on a bench, and the dim yellow incandescent light.

The lights, swaying in the wind, seemed to have a hypnotic effect.

"Yan Yan, are you sleepy?"

"It's alright..." Li Wanyan gently bit her lip, forcing an unnatural smile. "Godmother... is there anywhere else that hurts?"

"That's much better, you should go and rest."

"Oh……"

"Pfft." Mo Xueyao finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What did Wanyan dream about just now? She was calling my mom 'Mom'."

“So what if she calls me Mom? Isn’t a godmother still a mother?” the mother defended Li Wanyan, scolding Mo Xueyao in annoyance, “But you, as my own daughter, don’t even come to give me a massage. You’re not as close as Yan Yan!”

"Tch—I'll do it, okay?"

"Hypocrite, it's all over, isn't it?"

"Haha, we're having such a good chat, who's being fake?" The father laughed heartily, put the bag of clothes on the counter, closed his umbrella at the door, and vigorously shook off the water droplets.

A few drops landed on Sugar, making it flick its ears in dissatisfaction. Then it simply stood up, shook its fur vigorously, and found a more secluded spot before lying down again.

"Ali, when will the renovation be finished? I'm getting tired of living in this fruit shop."

"It'll be done soon. It should be settled by the time Xiaoyao and the others are on summer vacation."

"If all else fails, let's call someone to install it; this is too slow."

"Don't worry, I can handle it."

……

Chapter Seventy-Six: Father's Half-Day Rest

The long-awaited sunshine lazily shone on the earth, and the humid air made people feel no summer heat; even the chirping of crickets seemed perfunctory.

"Squeak—click." That was the sound of a bicycle stand being kicked down and landing on the ground.

"Dengdengdeng."

Then came a series of hurried sounds of people going upstairs.

"Ouch." The uncle from the fifth floor, who had just pushed open the door, raised the iron plate of stinky tofu he was carrying, dodging the clumsy Mo Xueyao.

"Ah, uncle, I'm so sorry."

"It's been so long since I've seen you! Haha, come over to my place later for some fried skewers, and we have fried ice cream in the summer!"

“Okay…” Mo Xueyao seemed a little tempted, but still didn’t agree immediately. “We’ll see.”

She bypassed the uncle who was about to go downstairs and rushed up to the sixth floor in one go.

The sound of a guitar came from next door; it seemed to be Yu Shu practicing her 'keyboard synthesizer'.

Mo Xueyao hadn't used her own key to open the door in a long time, and turning it brought back a sense of nostalgia.

She hasn't come back to visit even once since the house started renovations!

The door frame and door panel were covered in dust, making it difficult to know where to begin cleaning.

After finally and carefully pushing open the door, I saw a large pile of yellow sand and cement on the ground, while my father, wearing dirty work clothes, was squatting on the ground, carefully laying tiles.

He used to work laying marble, and although the materials were different now, there were still many similarities, so he was able to do it exceptionally quickly.

The kitchen and bathroom are completely covered with wallpaper, and about a third of the living room is covered. Although it hasn't been painted yet, it already feels like a new home.

"Dad!" Mo Xueyao shook the bag in her hand, unsure where to put it. "I brought you a change of clothes and lunch, which I've already eaten—uh, where do I put this?"

"Just put it over there in the passageway, there's a wooden crate there."

"Oh—looks like it's almost done?"

"Well, once the wooden boards are installed and the walls are painted, it'll be done. Then we can move the furniture in—we'll need to buy some new ones."

"Looks like we'll be able to move in soon, right? Maybe next month? Can I spend the summer vacation in the new house?" Mo Xueyao asked excitedly, peeking into her room. Actually, nothing had changed, except that it seemed a little bigger. It seemed that her father had dug out half of the non-load-bearing wall and made a wardrobe inside with wooden planks.

Why aren't the cabinet doors made?

"That needs to be bought separately."

"Oh~"

A room would indeed feel much more spacious if it didn't have a large wardrobe.

"Want to come in and take a look? Some things can still be changed now." Her father glanced at her sideways, as if he had guessed what she was thinking.

"Hehe... Let me see... Ah, the toilet seems bigger than before?"

"Of course, I knocked down the original partition wall and then built a new one. That took the most time. Now the living room is a bit small, but it's enough."

"Oh, this is where the toilet is, this is the shower room, and this... well, this is where you're planning to put the bathtub, right?"

"right--"

"Damn, Dad, you're so great! By the way, didn't Mom say we shouldn't buy a bathtub? That it's a waste of money, and we won't be able to afford the water bill if we install it?"

“Since we’re already doing it, we might as well do it well, right? It’ll solve the problem once and for all.” The father wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, propped himself up on his back, and stood up. “Oh, alright, alright, I need to rest too.”

"Huh, this place already has windows installed? They're floor-to-ceiling windows!"

"Yes, to give you better lighting, the top and bottom are sealed off, but the original window positions can still be opened."

While her father was still explaining, Mo Xueyao had already tried to open the window.

The sunlight streamed into the room generously.