A Young Woman's Heart

"May I ask what's the matter?" Pan Jiexiang asked, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hehe, it's like this, Pan Jiexiang, your application has already been approved. Regarding you... this is a special case, so the higher-ups have already approved it."

Pan Jiexiang didn't know who the warden's superior was; in her mind, the warden was already the top boss of the entire prison.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's what we should do, but actually, you might receive better medical care if you stay here... Are you sure you want to leave early?"

"Yes."

"Then sign this form, and you can leave in two months. However, this is not a release from prison after serving your sentence, but a bail. Your file will be transferred to a prison in Hangzhou, and you will not be able to leave there for three years."

“Okay.” Pan Jiexiang picked up the form, read it carefully, and then signed her name on it.

The name itself has a certain intellectual feel to it.

On the mahogany table, the light from the desk lamp could not dispel the surrounding darkness.

The warden's face remained hidden in the darkness.

He gave a complicated smile and sighed softly.

This surprised Pan Jiexiang.

She originally thought that the other party would not sympathize with any criminals at all, but was just a typical bureaucrat and hypocrite who liked to put on a show.

Of course, perhaps this is not out of pity for her, but rather a lament that they have lost another channel to benefit from her.

Pan Jiexiang didn't have the money to pay the kickback.

But the principal of Yukong High School must have spent a lot of money and effort to settle her in so well.

—In fact, she had never actually witnessed the gift-giving, but she would instinctively assume that this must be the case.

Take care of yourself.

"Thank you." Pan Jiexiang paused, turned and walked to the office door. She couldn't help but glance back at him, but the latter had already lowered his head and continued to review the documents—as if he were very tired.

Or perhaps it really is that arduous.

She didn't know, but she still instinctively felt that the other party was just pretending.

There weren't many words exchanged; they simply left under the dimming moonlight.

There are not many prisoners living in single rooms.

They are usually political prisoners and economic criminals.

No one knows whether they actually committed a crime or were wrongly accused.

Who knows, one of them might leave and be reinstated.

This is probably just a temporary setback, so no one dares to bully them.

Ordinary prisoners envy those who live here.

Because they were like the elite among prisoners.

However, they themselves are always troubled by the low points in their lives, and some even suffer from mental illness as a result.

Ordinary people like Pan Jiexiang are extremely rare.

She returned to her room.

The moonlight can still shine in.

Although it was somewhat dim.

But it can still fill this small room.

She didn't turn on the light, but after a quick wash, she lay down on the overly soft bed.

It's like a hotel room, with such a free view of the sky outside the window; it doesn't look like a prison at all.

Sometimes, she feels like she's back in that cramped, dark rented room.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway makes her feel uneasy.

But when I remember that this is a prison, I quickly feel at ease.

At least this place is much safer than that place that I don't even know if it can be called home.

Sometimes I dream about him.

But most of them are of him when he was young.

He was very different from the man he became later.

His overly easy life and subsequent huge failures created a stark contrast in him, a contrast so strong that it led him to give up on himself.

Stripped of his past veneer of wealth, he is a more vulnerable person than the average person.

Pan Jiexiang squinted, and suddenly felt her eyes getting wet.

He was actually a pitiful person.

she thinks.

But she doesn't regret doing it.

Because later on, he was no longer pitiful, but hateful.

The evening breeze in the countryside is cool.

You don't even need to turn on the air conditioner.

She has found herself thinking a lot about her younger self lately.

How many youthful days does one actually have?

Too young, that's called childhood; when you're older, you're already an 'adult'.

Youth lasts at most ten years.

Ten years of her life have always felt more fulfilling than the sum of her life before and after.

So I always think about it.

I will reminisce.

It seems that when you're lost in memories, time stops moving forward, and you can wander endlessly in this world.

However, once you come to your senses, you'll feel a huge sense of loss.

Life is ultimately just a countdown.

It's just a matter of whether the finish line comes early or late.

……

"Wanyan, Mom actually agreed! That's rare!" It was late at night, and the fruit shop was already closed.

My parents have also gone to sleep outside.

Unable to contain her excitement, Mo Xueyao shared her joy with Li Wanyan.

Generally speaking, the summer vacation after the second year of high school is the most crucial one, and parents will not allow you to go out and play casually.

But this time, her mother actually said that it would be good for her to go out and relax, see the world, and experience the difficulties of society.

So as long as their grades are good, they will definitely be able to participate in the rural teaching support program.

Places that need people to go to the countryside to teach must be very remote.

Mo Xueyao has never been to such a village to this day.

"The conditions will be tough, don't get too excited." Li Wanyan poured cold water on her enthusiasm, but it still couldn't dampen her excitement.

"With Wen here, she should be able to arrange everything for us, right?"

"Some things are insurmountable."

"Does Wanyan not want to go?"

This time, Li Wanyan didn't answer, but helplessly patted Mo Xueyao's forehead: "Alright, it's getting late, go to sleep."

"I can't sleep, it's so hot."

Li Wanyan moved closer to the inside, making a little more space for Mo Xueyao: "Turn the fan up a bit."

"It's the biggest."

Fruit shops, with their matchbox-like buildings, do get very hot in the summer.

Actually, it's not particularly hot tonight.

I feel fine if I don't sleep.

But once I lay down in bed, I couldn't stop sweating.

A little bit always pops up, making you feel sticky all over, which really makes it hard to fall asleep.

This summer, she desperately craved air conditioning.

Because the air conditioner in the house has already been installed—along with the furniture.

But she can't move in yet because she needs some fresh air.

If it weren't for that, she probably wouldn't have found it so difficult.

But having something you can't use is like being extremely hungry and being tied to a chair with a plate of fragrant braised pork in front of you—it's so frustrating that you toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

The small windows in the fruit shop were opened to their maximum extent, but they served almost no purpose other than ventilation.

If only some of the winter wind could be carried into the summer.

"Yaoyao, aren't you asleep yet?" Her mother's voice came from outside. Her ears were always so sharp that she could hear even the slightest whisper. "Don't be unable to get up tomorrow!"

"Mom, it's so hot!"

"Just bear with it, we'll have air conditioning next summer."

"I just want to sleep in an air-conditioned room right now—"

"Then go to Grandma Jin's."

"Ah, never mind."