A Young Woman's Heart

"Oh, so you called me over?"

"Oh, yeah, that guy's been spending all his time with his girlfriend lately, he's been pretty busy."

"Oh—" Mo Xueyao put one foot on the wooden chair and rested her arm on her knee. "What are you doing? You look so melancholy and sad. Are you playing the role of a love song prince?"

Shi Haiming first laughed silently with his head tilted back, then scratched his head vigorously, unsure of where to begin.

All those words, in the end, boiled down to one word: "Tired..."

"What's wrong? Your job is pretty easy, isn't it? You like it, don't you?" Mo Xueyao teased in a lighthearted tone. "Now you're complaining?"

"Oh, no, it's okay. It's just that I felt like I was living under someone else's roof, which was very tiring, you know? And, uh, I don't do that job anymore."

"Aren't you being taken care of anymore?"

"What? I'm planning to find a more ordinary job."

"That won't bring in much money." Mo Xueyao covered her forehead helplessly. "You didn't come to me just to complain about this, did you?"

"No... ah, well, I ran away from home." Shi Haiming finally decided to give a brief account of what had happened recently. "After I went back, I stayed at home for a while. At first, things were fine, but then people said I wasn't doing my job properly—but actually, I still have savings."

"And then you ran away again?"

"Just this alone won't make me come out... The main thing is, I feel like I'll always be a child at home, so I ran away."

"Pfft, seriously? You're so childish. Just to act like an adult?" Mo Xueyao laughed heartily. "It's so convenient at home, and you don't have to pay rent or anything."

"I'd rather pay rent outside... Sigh, Xiaoyao, the atmosphere at your home is so nice, unlike my home. I get scolded every day, and I'm treated like an object, with my life all planned out for me."

"...Isn't that great?"

"I don't want it to end like this! My life should belong to me!"

"Tch—" Mo Xueyao slapped his forehead hard. "Isn't that just childish thinking? So naive!!"

"Anyway, I'm still young, and no matter what, I have to go out and explore."

"Don't end up in someone else's bed again."

"Damn... Xiaoyao, can't we say something nice?"

"I don't see anything good in you."

Shi Haiming was speechless for a moment. He took several deep drags of his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out with his foot. Only then did he let out a long breath, as if he had vented all the frustration in his heart.

"Sigh, maybe it's just me."

"That's how it is."

"Xiaoyao, you really do... have no mercy when it comes to your words."

"You're so childish and dramatic. You get upset over such a small thing. It's normal for your parents not to take care of your feelings. I'm like that sometimes too, but most of the time, things are fine, aren't they?"

"Hmm." Shi Haiming waved his hand. "Alright, alright, I didn't ask you to give me a pep talk, okay? Let's not talk about this anymore."

"So what do you want to talk about? There's nothing fun to do in this lousy place."

"Huh?" Shi Haiming was stunned for a full five seconds when he heard this.

He looked Mo Xueyao up and down as if he were meeting her for the first time.

A gentle breeze lifted a few strands of hair near her ear.

The lush green ivy on the wall momentarily captivated Shi Haiming.

His eyes were a little blurry, and he felt as if he were in the world of an oil painting.

Yes, at that moment, he felt that the world seemed somewhat unreal.

If I could draw, I should really draw this place.

Perhaps in a few years, they won't come anymore.

Having a painting or a photograph can at least preserve a small memory.

Next time I come, I'll bring my camera.

Take pictures of this whole place.

Yes, we should also invite Li Gutao along.

Memories are useless, but they make you think about them.

"Woof woof—woof woof woof!!"

Several stray puppies ran past, playing and frolicking, while the big dog followed leisurely beside them, seemingly not wanting to move at all.

The energetic puppies leaped from the road into the bushes, then ran from the bushes into abandoned buildings, their barking echoing incessantly.

Shi Haiming's thoughts were brought back to the present.

Mo Xueyao, who was standing in front of him, was looking at him with a puzzled expression, probably wondering why he had suddenly stopped moving.

He held a cigarette behind his ear, lowered his head and chuckled, "You were the one who brought us here before, right? You said this place was the most interesting."

"Ah...did I mention it? The main reason I find it interesting is because we can hide here, do whatever we want, and no one will bother us...If we're really looking for fun, it's not really that interesting, is it?"

Shi Haiming took out the cigarette case again, but eventually put it back.

"It seems so. Back then, we liked to hide here to smoke, sing loudly, or play games like hide-and-seek—we were still playing this even in junior high."

"And there's hopscotch and stuff like that."

"Several times, it was because I didn't want to go home that I came here to hide."

"Yes, just like you are now."

Shi Haiming patted his head and chuckled twice: "Turns out I haven't changed after all."

"That's why I say you're childish." Mo Xueyao put her arm around his shoulder and patted his back. "Come on, since we're already out, let's go to the arcade!"

"Great place, let's go!" Shi Haiming's eyes lit up. "It's my treat today!"

"real or fake?"

"Of course, there's plenty of game currency!"

The two walked further and further away, leaving the abandoned, unfinished street behind.

The animals continued with their own activities, full of vitality and enjoying themselves.

About ten minutes after they left, a yellow pickup truck pulled up here.

Several workers wearing hard hats jumped off the vehicle; some went inside, while others stretched out a yellow line outside.

A metal sign stood at the front, blocking the middle of the road: "Construction site, no unauthorized personnel allowed."

……

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Messenger of Summer

"Zierwa—Zierwa—"

The hotter the weather, the louder the cicadas chirp.

If you pass under the shade of trees, it feels like you've entered a concert for cicadas.

—It sounded like it was ringing right next to my ear.

In the now-closed arcades, many people are loading the arcade machines onto tricycles or pickup trucks and hauling them to other places.

Most of them will be resold to small business owners who run arcades in alleyways. Just two or three machines are enough to attract a large group of children.

A fair-skinned girl walked into the alley, her bright blue eyes seeming to glow.

The stylishly dressed young man with an earring on his earlobe and a somewhat nonchalant expression followed closely behind.

As you walk through this winding alley, you'll hear a cacophony of sounds.

Before me lay a bustling market, nestled right next to the canal, with rows of simple houses scattered about.

The aromas of food mingled together, and the thick steam made the place even hotter.

There are eye-catching signs everywhere, and many simply dressed people come and go.

There were workers carrying hard hats, boatmen with white towels around their necks, truck drivers smoking cigarettes, and farmers covered in dust...

Such a scene is quite rare in Hangzhou.

Perhaps it's because this place is located on the outskirts of the city, close to the countryside, that there is such a market.

Mo Xueyao and Shi Haiming, dressed neatly and cleanly, stood out somewhat in the crowd.

"Fast food: three meat dishes plus three vegetable dishes: three yuan per serving."

"Street-side buffet, all you can eat for five yuan."

"A large bowl of beef noodles costs three yuan, with all-you-can-eat noodles. Add two yuan for unlimited beef."

"Big meat buns, seven for two yuan."

Even in this day and age, such a price is already very cheap.

There's even a shop that sells thin-skinned xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), where a serving of twenty xiaolongbao is stuffed full of meat and bamboo shoots, and it only costs one yuan.

This price was the same when I was in junior high school, and almost five or six years have passed, but the price hasn't changed much.

It's just that the portion size is slightly smaller.

"Come on over—seafood BBQ! Seven yuan per person! All seafood is all you can eat! Everything is freshly grilled and sold on the spot!!"

"Hong Kong style braised pork rice—! One dollar and fifty cents a bowl! All you can get as much meat and rice as you want! Eat until you're full!"

Large quantities and cheap.

That's what makes this place special.

The boss is also operating on a low-profit, high-volume model, earning a meager living through hard work, essentially working for himself.

Everyone was extremely busy.

But many people were smiling—even though their faces were covered in sweat and grease.

“Those at the very bottom are often the most positive and motivated…” Shi Haiming suddenly remarked, “This world is built by them.”