A Young Woman's Heart

While it's impossible for a girl to get her entire hair wet, because her hair is thick, the inside is even more difficult to dry. After a day, if you touch your hair and smell it, you probably can't stand the smell.

Only a few thoughtful girls will bring their own towels to wipe away sweat, while some simply get a bowl cut in the summer. Although it looks a bit ugly, it's cool and comfortable.

Mo Xueyao looked at Hua Yinyin and thought of herself and her best friends getting buzz cuts in the summer. They were so thick that they couldn't even lift them up. When they ran, the wind blew directly onto their scalps, and it was incredibly refreshing.

Of course, Hua Yinyin wasn't the only 'smart person'. One by one, some boys and girls also returned to the classroom to escape the heat. There were still a few students who had to retake the exam on the spot, enduring the torment under the scorching sun.

"Ah—" Gao Yuan's voice could be heard clearly even upstairs.

He could hear Ye Ran's laughing and cursing voice beside him: "You have the energy to shout, why don't you put in the effort to run faster?!"

"Liu Xiao-gou!! Take me with you!!" This time, he shouted even more enthusiastically, and his running speed seemed to increase a few points.

Summer is all about sweating and toiling.

Mo Xueyao rested her chin on her hand, watching leisurely.

A class is very short, and many people who were still recovering from the previous class are still having trouble concentrating by the third class.

Although the boys brought ice blocks distributed by the school during the long break, the effect was still not very good.

The temperature in the city is much higher than in the countryside, especially in matchbox-like buildings like school buildings.

Even with the windows open, the stuffy feeling still lingered.

……

After lunch, some people went to the playground to exercise in the sunshine, while others tried their best to escape the heat.

The teacher's office is a great place to go.

Because there is air conditioning installed everywhere, even the older models, which can still provide a lot of coolness.

However, boys usually don't dare to go in, because once they go in, they'll be treated like laborers or given extra homework.

Of course, there's another important point: it will make the boys feel a little embarrassed.

Girls don't have this concern. In the context of fixed gender thinking, this behavior is normal, after all, girls love to act cute.

"Little Yaoyao! Let's go to Wen's office and enjoy the air conditioning!"

"How dare you!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I can even help you grade your homework while I'm at it."

"...I almost believed it." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes, but Hua Yinyin still grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the door of Ye Wen's office.

"Knock knock." The knocking sounded just as the cicadas stopped chirping, and Ye Wen quickly responded from inside, "Come in."

Mo Xueyao glanced at Hua Yinyin, who very consciously pushed open the door. Inside, a few teachers were sitting scattered about; not everyone was in the office.

Upon entering, Ye Wen's face was not immediately visible because it was blocked by Li Wanyan's back.

She was standing right in the wind, and the tips of her ponytail and sideburns were being blown slightly by the wind.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Ye Wen peeked out from behind. "Oh, right, Yin Yin, could you take the corrected Chinese homework to the classroom and hand it out?"

"Hey, is it all corrected?"

"Um, what's up with you two?"

Mo Xueyao stammered and couldn't speak, but after a three-second silence, Hua Yinyin shouted very honestly, "Awen, let's use the air conditioning!"

Are you planning to write a Chinese composition at noon?

Hua Yinyin was already sitting in the empty seat next to the teacher, blinking her eyes obediently: "Um, um... can I just sit here and mooch off the teacher?"

"no--"

"Ah Wen is so stingy."

"It's not like it's just my office," Ye Wen said, laughing in exasperation. "You're more shameless than a guy."

"Hey, really? Is that so?"

"I wasn't praising you... Alright, alright, I have something to say to the class monitor, you two can come and listen too."

"Mmm!" With a legitimate reason, Mo Xueyao was the first to go over.

The main reason was that Li Wanyan was there, which made her feel less awkward in the office.

It was as if she were a class leader who had been specially called in by the teacher to do something.

"Here's the thing, our Yukong High School donated a rural primary school. The school had been abandoned, and after we repaired it, we wanted to reopen it," Ye Wen said, tapping the end of her ballpoint pen on her desk. "It's almost finished now, and we'll be recruiting teachers from the community to teach there next year."

It sounds like something that has nothing to do with them.

Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin exchanged glances but didn't ask any questions. Instead, they waited for Ye Wen to continue.

"I also donated some money to this school, and I thought that this should be your last summer vacation in high school, so why not arrange for you to do something that will leave a deep impression? Students with good grades should not fall behind in their studies even if they go to teach in rural areas during the summer vacation, and such memories will be unforgettable for a lifetime."

"Of course, I will also supervise the participating students to make sure they don't fall behind in their studies." Ye Wen said, taking out the list of names. "The students who did well in this final exam can participate in the rural teaching support program, which will last for about a month and a half. Of course, they must get their parents' consent first."

"Does that mean Wanyan can go?"

"Yes, your class monitor is definitely no problem. Mo Xueyao, you can come along too."

After all, Mo Xueyao's grades were often among the top five in the class, and even joining the band didn't cause her to fall too far behind—to be honest, the band's laid-back attitude didn't affect her studies much at all.

"Me too! I want to go too!!" Hua Yinyin immediately raised her hand and shouted excitedly, "I want to go with Xiao Yaoyao!"

"You? No, you're too unbalanced in your studies. You should focus on improving your weaker subjects during the summer vacation."

"What? Not everyone can be a genius! I just need to master Chinese!" Hua Yinyin grabbed Ye Wen's arm and shook it vigorously. "Let me go~ Wen~ You're the best~"

Even Ye Wen, a woman herself, found it hard to resist the cute girl's coquettishness. She helplessly covered her forehead and said, "Okay, okay, stop shaking me. If you keep shaking me, my bones will fall apart."

"Hey, you agreed?"

"Yes, you can, but you must get a total score in the top ten of the class."

“No problem!” Hua Yinyin agreed without hesitation.

“Wanyan, these two notices are for you and Xiaoyao. Both of you need your guardians' consent. After they sign and write ‘agree,’ hand them to me. I will also call to confirm. These three are for Mr. Xue, Chali, and Xuan Anyi respectively. Their final grades should not fluctuate too much. Let them confirm in advance whether they want to participate. As for you,” Ye Wen looked at Hua Yinyin, “I will send you the notice after you have done it.”

"Wen doesn't trust me at all!"

"You can't trust what you say." Ye Wen glanced at her. "The other candidates will have to wait until the final exam results come out. Hmm... let's see if they perform consistently."

"Is it just our class going?"

“Yes, it’s our class, and a few teachers are going too.” Ye Wen seemed even more excited than Mo Xueyao and the others. “Teaching in rural areas is really interesting. It’s something that many people never get to experience in their entire lives. I hope you two can try to participate.”

"You'll have to ask my mom." Mo Xueyao didn't mention her dad—after all, her father didn't have the authority to make decisions.

……

Chapter 110 Countdown

The assembly line in prison doesn't run all the time.

The machine will shut down as the sun sets.

Even the prisoners strictly adhere to the prescribed working hours.

Even if overtime is required, it is entirely voluntary, and a certain amount of compensation will be provided.

At least in this exemplary women's prison, the inmates enjoy more complete human rights than those in the West.

After dinner, there is a period of free time.

Aside from the outside of the prison, you can move freely almost anywhere inside.

The liveliest spot was the large playground, where many women played badminton or volleyball, and a few occupied the basketball court, playing basketball enthusiastically.

Some of the older people gathered together and started square dancing.

It seems no different from a normal residential community.

"Pan Jiexiang." After finishing her meal, Pan Jiexiang was walking towards her private dormitory when someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder.

I met her in prison. She was imprisoned for economic crimes and had previously worked as an accountant for a company.

But in reality, she was the one taking the blame for the boss.

Pan Jiexiang had little interest in communicating with any of her "colleagues" in prison; she was probably one of the few people she could barely call friends.

"Have you finished eating?" Pan Jiexiang smiled and exchanged simple pleasantries. "Did you come out for a walk?"

"They're here to see you. The warden wants you to come to his office."

"it is good."

The pleasantries ended quickly, and Pan Jiexiang turned around and walked towards another building.

That was the office of the prison's senior management, and the warden was naturally among them.

The moonlight is beautiful tonight.

In this suburban prison, even the moon seems closer.

The chirping of crickets continued even at night, interspersed with the occasional croaking of frogs and barking of dogs from who-knows-where.

The stairwell was somewhat dimly lit at night.

The bright moonlight shone through the window into the corridor, and the motion-activated lights seemed to be broken, as they did not turn on even when Pan Jiexiang walked by.

The clouds are layered, and from a distance they look like a wad of cotton wool.

The moon was hidden in the center, obscured by a thin layer, but it did not block out all the light.

There are no stars.

Tonight, there is only the moon.

She gently knocked on the slightly ajar door, then slowly pushed it open and went inside.

Perhaps to save electricity, or perhaps to maintain a good image, in any case, the main lights were not on inside; only a desk lamp in front of the warden was lit.

His face was backlit.

From Pan Jiexiang's perspective, it was pitch black; only the outlines of her facial features could be barely discerned.

"You're here?"