A Young Woman's Heart

Even when she was lying still, Mo Xueyao was constantly sweating.

The midday sun was too intense; the thermometer by the window had already climbed to 35 degrees Celsius, and the deep green leaves of the osmanthus tree outside looked rather sickly from the heat.

Hua Yinyin tiptoed up behind Mo Xueyao, then suddenly pulled open the back of her collar and threw a slippery thing inside.

"Hiss—!" Mo Xueyao hurriedly straightened up, reaching her hand under her clothes but finding nothing. However, she heard a 'thud' as if something had fallen to the ground.

"what is this?"

"Hey, ice cubes!" Hua Yinyin proudly patted a thick, transparent plastic bag on the table next to her, which was filled with small ice cubes.

Where are you from?

"I asked Teacher Qiu for a ton of these—they're edible ice cubes! Let's use them to make tea!"

"No need for tea, I can just eat it right now!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed, her eyes shining.

……

Chapter 87 Memories of Children's Day

Human memories always exist in relation to something.

The saying "seeing an object reminds one of a person" illustrates this point.

On certain holidays, I always think back to what happened on the same day in the past.

Those things may not be that important, but whenever I think of them, I feel a sense of disorientation, as if I have traveled through time.

In the cramped home, there was only a suitcase that had just been moved in, placed under the bed.

On the bunk bed, clean sheets have just been laid out.

Near the power outlet in the corner, the rice cooker was bubbling with steam, and you could faintly smell the delicate aroma of tofu.

Pan Jiexiang leaned wearily against the door, admiring her 'masterpiece'.

Today is the first day after moving into the new house.

Although it's just a small rented room, it was cleaned spotlessly, and the rearranged furniture gave it its own unique atmosphere.

The small window was open, and a large, orange fireball was slowly descending, casting its meager glow into the room.

The window was also wiped sparkling clean, and the trash can next to it was stuffed with several wads of old newspapers used for wiping the glass.

A rather thin little girl, probably still in preschool, was sitting on a foam mat in the corner, playing with several old dolls that had several patches but were very clean.

She picked up some building blocks from who-knows-where and used them as toys for playing house.

A long, thin block can be a bed; a triangular block can be a campfire; and a square block can stand upright as a wall...

She is Li Wanyan when she was a child.

"Yan Yan, are you hungry?"

"I'm not hungry, Mom." Li Wanyan was holding her baby and quietly reciting some lines when she heard her mother's question, so she immediately raised her voice to answer.

"Dinner will be ready soon. You stay home while Mom goes downstairs to buy some things. Don't wander off, okay? Don't lean on the windowsill, and don't open the door if someone knocks. Your dad won't be home tonight."

"Okay, Mom." Li Wanyan's gaze remained fixed on the doll.

"Thump." That was the sound of the door closing.

The sound of her mother's footsteps faded into the distance, and the corridor and room fell silent.

The lingering scent of her mother in the house slowly dissipated, making her, who had been playing with her dolls, feel uneasy. She couldn't help but look up, open her big eyes, and subconsciously call out "Mom."

However, she quickly remembered that her mother had gone downstairs to buy something.

She knew she couldn't run to the window, so she continued to sit obediently.

He stopped playing with the dolls he was holding, and just like a robot that had run out of power, he remained motionless in one position.

Time seemed to stand still.

Li Wanyan felt as if she had been thrown into a bottomless garbage can, unable to perceive anything.

I wasn't afraid when I went to kindergarten.

But when I'm alone in my home, I feel a strange sense of fear.

Is something unseen moving?

Why are my legs inexplicably itchy?

It felt as if an invisible hand was approaching her.

The surrounding furniture, and even the walls, have disappeared.

All I could see was that window.

The orange-red light shining through the window seemed to be fading away.

She couldn't help but look up, wanting to go to the window to take a look.

But she didn't move in the end—because she was enveloped in helplessness and couldn't move at all.

She only sat up abruptly when she heard familiar footsteps at the end of the corridor... no, at the very end of the time.

"Da da, da da da".

—Always with a slight sense of urgency.

"Thump, click." It was the sound of something being placed on the ground, followed by the sound of a door lock turning.

Mother is back.

Actually, I haven't been gone for very long.

But for her, it felt like an eternity.

"Mom!" Her voice was trembling with sobs.

"What happened? Did you fall down by accident? Yan Yan, don't cry, don't cry, Mommy's here."

"You didn't cry..." Li Wanyan wiped her little face, then suddenly smiled, "Mommy, I'm hungry~"

"Okay, dinner is coming soon. I went downstairs and bought some steamed buns, bamboo shoots and pickled mustard greens. I'll put them in the soup later."

Li Wanyan put down the doll and stood up, but suddenly staggered and almost fell to the ground.

My legs feel a little numb from sitting cross-legged for too long.

"Yan Yan, be careful."

"Hmm..." Li Wanyan gently tapped her numb legs—legs that were as thin as newly planted saplings.

Mother lifted the pot lid, and the aroma of tofu mixed with a few bits of minced meat wafted out. When bamboo shoots and pickled mustard greens were sprinkled in, the aroma became even more intense.

At the bottom of the soup pot, a pork bone with no meat at all was tumbling in the boiling soup, from which a few drops of precious oil oozed out.

Li Wanyan subconsciously swallowed.

"Yan Yan, go sit at the table, dinner is about to start."

"Shall I help serve the rice?"

"No need, Mom will be fine."

"Hmm, um... I want to eat more today."

"No problem."

And so, a large bowl of tofu, bone, and minced meat soup was served on the small folding table.

The table was low, so the mother sat on the floor while Li Wanyan sat on a small stool.

The freshly wiped floor, cool with tap water, made Li Wanyan, barefoot, stomp on it a few more times.

"Oh right, Yan Yan, today is Children's Day."

"Hmm... I participated in all the kindergarten activities for Children's Day and earned a lot of candy."

"I know, you said that when you came back."

"Mom, remember to eat them." Li Wanyan pointed to the colorful and pretty candies in the whole glass jar—although their taste and shape didn't quite match.

“It’ll eat.” Pan Jiexiang walked to the door and took out an unwrapped plush toy from a plastic bag. It was a cat doll with a bow in its hair. “Yanyan, here, take this. It’s a Children’s Day present.”

"Mom, I have so many dolls, I don't need any new ones."

"Those are all old, this one is so much prettier."

"I think they're all pretty new..." Although she said that, Li Wanyan couldn't hide her joy on her face and eagerly took it. "Are they expensive?"

When she asked those two words, her expression was somewhat uneasy.

"It's not expensive, it's free."

"Really?"

"Yes! Mom found some tokens for the claw machine downstairs on the way, so she put them in to try her luck, and she managed to grab one."

"You won it from a claw machine? Mom is amazing!"

"It's rare to be so lucky." Pan Jiexiang's eyes curved into crescents, revealing many wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She gently patted Li Wanyan's head. "Alright, put the doll away and let's have dinner first."

"Mmm...it smells so good."

"It smells like bones. Here, I've already inserted the straw. Just squeeze it with your hand and suck it up. It's all the essence inside."

"Good~"

Li Wanyan's smile is the best gift for her mother on Children's Day.

……

"Wanyan, Wanyan? Wanyan—Wan—Yan—!" Mo Xueyao's voice pulled Li Wanyan back to reality.

I looked up and saw the same sunset as I remembered.

It's orange-red, like the yolk of a soft-boiled egg.

There was a claw machine in front of them, and several children put in a few 50-cent coins and took turns playing it a few times.