A Young Woman's Heart

"Gao Yuan, I'll stay and help you!" Liu Xiaowei, who was always the first to run away, shouted with great loyalty.

"Together! Together!" Many boys joined in the shout, as if they weren't the ones who had been in such a hurry to leave just moments before.

"Alright, brothers, let's get to work!" Gao Yuan suddenly jumped up from his chair, as energetic as a fish that had just been caught.

The classroom became noisy again.

Interspersed among them were many ear-piercing noises that only occur when chairs and tables are pushed.

Many people came to help, but it only made things more chaotic. At the crucial moment, it was Li Wanyan who helped Ye Banxia maintain order and assign tasks, which made things more efficient.

"This might not be our classroom anymore after summer vacation," Mo Xueyao muttered softly, leaning lazily against the railing behind her as she looked into the classroom. She didn't offer any help.

"The classrooms will be on the fifth floor next year," Mo Zhuyou, who also hadn't gone to work, chimed in. "I heard from the seniors that it's especially hot on the fifth floor."

“Our band is on the fifth floor… Do you think I don’t know how hot it is in there?”

"The key is that there are a lot of people in the class, it will be even more popular than our band."

"That's true. Ah—could we install air conditioning next year...?"

"I hope so..."

"Isn't next year the last year that the college entrance exam will be held in July?"

"Well, the news said it would start in 2003, so it's been changed to June." Mo Zhuyou fanned herself with her hand and brushed her hair, which was stuck together with sweat, back. "We're lucky, we can study for an extra month."

"Not necessarily. It'll be unbearably hot during exams in July. What if there's no air conditioning in the exam room?"

"That being said, it's always better to be more prepared."

Mo Xueyao hesitated and nodded, then shook her head: "I feel that being mentally tense will only make me more tired..."

"Not everyone is like you, Xiaoyao, who is good at studying."

“It’s clearly because you guys weren’t paying attention all the time…” Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways. “My grades were terrible from fourth grade to seventh grade. They only started to improve from eighth grade.”

"Xiaoyao, you've said this so many times already. I think that if you want to learn well, you can learn well. It's all about talent!"

"Uh……"

The noise in the classroom finally subsided. This was the first time so many students had stood outside when the door was locked.

Gao Yuan was surrounded by a lot of people, as if they had endless things to say to him and that this was the last chance they would have after today.

"Let's go to an internet cafe!"

"Oh—! Charge!"

A large group of boys walked out of the campus in a grand procession; anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were going to have a brawl.

I haven't brought my electronic keyboard to school lately, so I feel particularly relaxed.

But with nothing behind me, I felt like something was missing.

Thinking of this, Mo Xueyao suddenly walked quickly to Ye Wen's side: "Oh, right, Wen! Um, shouldn't we return the electronic keyboard to Qiu?"

Since learning that the two were already married, the students stopped calling him "Teacher Qiu" and instead came up with a couple name for him, calling him "Ah Qiu".

It sounds like a sneeze.

"The zither? Oh, you can keep it for now. You can bring it to the farewell party on July 1st. We'll need it that day anyway."

"Oh, alright."

Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had gotten used to its presence, to be honest, she still felt a little uneasy every time she thought about such an expensive electronic keyboard being kept by her, fearing that she might lose it or break it.

Although it is indeed much better than my own piano, I still feel more at ease using my own.

Moreover, it was so long that when she carried it on her back, she was almost as tall as herself, which was like carrying a heavy sword.

The students who had gathered together dispersed at the school gate, and then separated again at the three-way intersection.

On the way home, only Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan were there.

Even Lu Chengyuan, who used to walk with him, went to see a movie with Lü Bolun, even though they had bought tickets in advance.

However, this was not the summer vacation after the college entrance examination, so Mo Xueyao seemed to still have something hanging in her heart. At the same time, she was not so melancholy, after all, everyone could still meet again after the summer vacation.

She vaguely looked forward to graduating from high school, but was also afraid of its arrival.

At the entrance of the fruit shop, my father's van was parked, and Uncle Xiong, who managed the warehouse next door, was helping to move the household items that had been stored in his warehouse into the van.

These are all packaged and haven't been opened yet.

Some furniture that was still intended to be used was also moved up.

This includes the parents' bed.

Since they bought it when they got married, they don't plan to throw it away.

The small room had a new bunk bed, and the owner even gave away a new mattress, so the bed and mattress were sold on the second-hand market.

Even with little furniture, the van was packed full.

It was filled with clothes and other odds and ends.

Things like clothes hangers, pots and pans, power strips, alarm clocks, and the like.

"Can we move in now?" Mo Xueyao ran over excitedly. "There's so much stuff!"

"Hey, you're back, girls. Perfect timing. Help me out later."

"Help—?" Mo Xueyao immediately shrank back, "Never mind..."

"Don't you want to see the new house?"

"Anyway, I'm going to teach in the countryside soon, and I won't be back until August. We'll see then. It's good to keep something to look forward to."

"Wow, you've come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid helping with the moving!" the father said with a laugh. "You're getting lazier and lazier."

"It's okay, it's okay, you can do it, Dad!"

"I'll go help later."

"Haha, I was just kidding. No need. Old Xiong will come with me later. The two of us are enough. We'll be having dinner a little late, so we need to have a couple of drinks."

"Tch, Dad's alcohol tolerance is so low, yet he still likes to drink."

"Then you can move it?"

"Cough cough!"

……

Volume 7: Bathing in the Sea - Chapter 1: Farewell Party

Sunday, July 1, 2001.

It is already the height of summer.

The trees lining the road had turned a deep green, but they still couldn't withstand the scorching sun.

A few thin clouds drifted across the pale blue sky, seemingly about to be melted by the hot wind.

Everyone walking on the street was sweating, and young men and women dressed in light clothing could be seen everywhere.

Mo Xueyao wore a short skirt that was less than half the length of her thighs today, and a short shirt with slightly puffed cuffs. Her long hair was tied into a single ponytail, which appeared reddish-brown under the blazing sun.

Her entire outfit was blue, and just looking at her made one feel much cooler in this sweltering summer heat.

Li Wanyan was wearing the same style as her, the only difference being the color—it was light green.

These are all colors that are perfect for summer.

"La la sou mi la..." Mo Xueyao hummed a tune that Hua Yinyin had given them after school that day. They were going to play it at today's farewell party. She hadn't given it to them beforehand, probably because she didn't want to distract them during their review sessions.

However, the preparation time was really not long enough, so she was still practicing while walking, so as not to mess up the performance later.

A small opening was left at the school gate for others to enter and exit.

The security guard had obviously been contacted in advance and was now in the security room, smiling at the two girls as they entered the school.

The electric fan behind him was blowing hard, but sweat was still pouring down his face like rain. This matchbox-shaped tin security booth was practically an oven in the summer; it was amazing that he could still stand inside.

The empty playground made the surrounding vegetation appear even more lush.

The shop owner, having nothing to do, was tending to the flowers and plants he had planted in the corner. Despite the hot weather, he looked quite content as he watered them with a watering can.

For the shop owner, the students' summer vacation is also his vacation, a time to leisurely do his own things.

Anyway, I've already earned enough money in my spare time.

She also saw Taiyin, the psychology teacher, whose appearance, height, and figure had not changed at all over the past two years. She was squatting in front of her small vegetable garden, not watering it, but catching insects.

This leisurely enjoyment of time seemed to infect Mo Xueyao, who was sweltering under the sun, and she couldn't help but yawn.

Inside the teaching building, the temperature dropped significantly, and the slightly cool breeze that greeted her made Mo Xueyao breathe a sigh of relief.

The school building, which doesn't have many students, is quite cool.

Of course, the top floor is an exception.

The thought of getting her instrument all sweaty gave her a headache.

It's not that I'm a germaphobe or anything, it's just that the piano keys are easy to slip when you press them when they're wet with sweat.

"Phew, finally here." Having not climbed stairs for several days, she found her knees were a little sore when she reached the fifth floor.

Li Wanyan was also slightly out of breath. She pushed open the classroom door gently before Li Wanyan could.

"Huh?" Even she was slightly taken aback after pushing open the door.

Mo Xueyao exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it's so cool!!"

"Haha, you're here!" Gao Yuan greeted them with a loud laugh, his chubby face beaming with pride. "Look!"

"what?"

Both of them looked in the direction he was pointing, puzzled.

There, surprisingly, was a brand-new wall-mounted air conditioner.

It was sending out a cold wind.