A Young Woman's Heart

Mo Xueyao plopped down on the shoe-changing stool and let out a long sigh: "I'm exhausted..."

"Then try these pink ones. They're not as versatile as the white ones, but they're still pretty good. Try them on and see if they're too big?"

"Hmm...it's alright, there's a little bit of space." Mo Xueyao pressed down on her shoes and stood up again.

My ankle, which I sprained earlier, is still a little sore.

Although these are considered flat shoes, they are still slightly tilted, making her feel that her feet are placed very unnaturally; in short, everything feels awkward.

How about these?

"It's alright."

"The white ones are still the best looking."

“I think we shouldn’t buy it, it won’t work.” Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes, bluntly contradicting her father.

"Why don't you buy a pair? You never know when you might need them. What's Wanyan's shoe size?"

"Her? Thirty-six, I guess. I have some size 35 shoes that she can wear."

"Then I'll buy both pairs together, boss, give me a discount."

"Okay, I'll give you a 20% discount. One pair is 399, and one pair is 499, for a total of 898. After the discount, it's 718."

Although the father himself was in business, he wasn't actually good at bargaining: "Forget the odd amount, seven hundred will do."

"Okay, then seven hundred it is." The shop assistant agreed very readily.

"Damn, this is way too expensive!" Mo Xueyao couldn't help but mutter under her breath. "My mom usually doesn't buy shoes for more than a hundred yuan."

"Her stuff is from a street stall, how can it compare to this?"

"I think they're all the same."

"Hehe, little girl, the quality is different. Feel it, the upper is so comfortable."

"I didn't feel it at all." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "If you ask me, this place is only worth two hundred yuan."

"This...you're just kidding."

"Alright, alright, seven hundred yuan." The father took out his bank card. "Can I pay by card?"

Mo Xueyao desperately hoped that the shop assistant would say no, since card readers weren't common in Z country yet, and it was quite possible that they wouldn't allow it.

However, the shop assistant's smiling reply shattered her last glimmer of hope: "Yes."

"Dad, don't regret buying it."

"What's there to regret? Just wear it."

"I'm not going to wear it anyway."

"Haha, I'll wear it from now on!"

"You're that confident? Tsk, what a waste of money. You might as well buy me a cell phone..." Mo Xueyao had been longing for a cell phone for a long time.

Several of my classmates who are wealthy, such as Wang Jiale and Hua Yinyin, have cell phones.

Even the two Mo sisters had a knock-off phone that worked pretty well.

"I'll buy you a phone after you graduate from high school."

"Then you can wait until you graduate from high school to buy this."

"What if we need to wear this in a few months?"

"I have no idea when I'll need to wear it."

Despite her extremely reluctant and awkward mood, her father still bought two pairs of boots.

"Oh, just wear it from now on to make your old man happy, okay?" The father handed Mo Xueyao a few ten-yuan and five-yuan bills from his wallet. "Here, is this enough to bribe you?"

"Ahem..." Mo Xueyao couldn't help but smile, but she tried her best to keep a straight face and not laugh out loud, while her hand honestly accepted the money.

The saleswoman next to her couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh: "If you have any quality problems, you can come to me. It's right here. Here, the invoice is in the bag."

"Okay." The father took the bag with satisfaction and wanted to hand it to Mo Xueyao to carry, but when he saw her deliberately 'fierce' little expression, he awkwardly touched his nose and carried it himself.

I haven't even bought any furniture yet, but I've already spent 700 yuan on two pairs of shoes that are practically useless.

Mo Xueyao seriously suspected that his mother would give him a good scolding when he got back, saying that he was wasting money or something.

We must distance ourselves from her when the time comes—after all, she never wanted to buy it in the first place, and that's a fact!

The furniture and appliances were all upstairs. The father and daughter strolled around, and the prices of many pieces of furniture were astonishing.

Fortunately, there were some cheap and affordable options available, so my father went to negotiate the prices, and if they were suitable, he readily made a decision on the spot.

Most furniture sizes can be customized to fit the actual needs. After paying the deposit, you will need to go to the site to take measurements.

Before long, the small phone book in his father's pocket had been filled with many numbers.

Even though it was just a deposit, it still felt like the money was slipping away like water, which was incredibly painful.

Some items may not be expensive individually, but when you add them all together, it adds up to a huge sum of money.

And air conditioners are visibly expensive.

"How about we just buy a window air conditioner? They're much cheaper." Mo Xueyao tugged at her father's sleeve, covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and yawned. "Wall-mounted ones are so expensive."

As for cabinets and central air conditioning, they are not even under consideration.

"Your daughter's eyes are getting more and more beautiful the more I look at them," the shop owner complimented her eagerly. "But young lady, window air conditioners are very noisy, and they're slowly being phased out these days."

"Exactly, wouldn't it be troublesome to replace it after it's been phased out?"

"It's just replacing the air conditioner, it's not a big deal..."

The shopkeeper handed Mo Xueyao a throat lozenge: "Actually, it's better to go straight for the best and avoid trouble. Seriously, this wall-mounted air conditioner will definitely last for ten years without any problems. A window air conditioner might only last two or three years before you can't stand it anymore and have to be replaced, or it might just break down. Plus, installing this requires drilling a big hole in the wall, which looks ugly."

"Hmm." The father nodded in agreement and finally bought two wall-mounted air conditioners.

As for the living room... we won't buy it for now because of budget constraints.

If all else fails, just turn on both air conditioners and open the bedroom door to let the cool air into the living room.

The unassuming kitchen stove is surprisingly expensive.

My father also plans to buy a range hood—after all, the old exhaust fan was really terrible. It was not only easy to get covered in grease, but it was also very ineffective, only slightly better than nothing.

"Dad, where did you get so much money?"

"It's alright, you can pay on credit, I'll pay you back gradually..."

"Really? Would they even agree?"

"Well, if all else fails, we can borrow some from Aunt Jin. She has some."

"You're just relying on other people's money?"

"Ahem..." the father laughed awkwardly, "Aunt Jin brought it up herself, it's alright, it's not like she's not going to pay it back."

"Tch, the rent she charges you is already low enough, she's not your biological mother."

“When you’re away from home, a kind elder like Aunt Jin is almost like your own mother.”

"You can just tell Grandma that later." Mo Xueyao glanced at him sideways and then leaned over the sink next to her.

The kitchen items are all picked out; now it's time to choose the bathroom fixtures.

The bathtub was something Mo Xueyao insisted on, so she got to choose it.

After looking around, she chose the smaller one to save space, and it was enough for her. Even if her father used it, he would just have to curl up a little more, which would also save water!

After all, this bathtub is quite deep.

"Being short has its advantages, you know," Mo Xueyao said happily, already imagining the wonderful life after the renovation was completed.

……

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Underground Performance?

As soon as she got back to the shop, Mo Xueyao rushed to her mother and began to complain: "Mom!! Dad is wasting money again!"

"What did he buy?" The mother immediately frowned. "Did he buy something random again?"

Mo Xueyao nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "That's right! He bought me thigh-high boots that I can't possibly wear, and they're high heels too!"

"Thigh-high boots?"

“Oh dear, my daughter is all grown up now, so we definitely need to buy her a pair. I also bought Wanyan a pair, so we can each have one.”

"Let me see." The mother bent down and opened the bag, taking out both shoeboxes. "They feel like sheepskin, and the quality is quite good. How much?"

"A total of eight hundred."

"...It is a bit expensive."

Mo Xueyao looked at her mother expectantly, just waiting for her to start scolding her.

Unexpectedly, she said, "It's good to buy them. You'll definitely need them in the future. You two can choose the color you like."

"Hey Mom, Dad's wasting money!"

"Isn't it good that I bought it for you? Maybe next time you'll be begging to wear it."

"Bullshit!" she stomped her foot angrily. "I would never fucking want to wear this thing! It's so uncomfortable! And it doesn't look that good either!"

"Can't you be a little more polite?"

"Ah—" Mo Xueyao cried out, clutching her head, "Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you possessed by something evil? You're not like your usual self at all!"

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting!" The mother, still clinging to some old-fashioned ideas, tapped her head with a tickling stick and glared at her irritably.

"Wanyan, you can wear them both." Mo Xueyao handed both shoe boxes containing tall boots to Li Wanyan, appearing very generous.

Li Wanyan pursed her lips, her eyebrows slightly curved, with a rare, gentle smile.

"Okay, okay, stop fooling around."

"Eek! Even Wanyan is acting strangely, we can't stay here!" Mo Xueyao shouted dramatically as she ran to the convenience store next door.

"This girl..." The mother shook her head helplessly.