A Young Woman's Heart

"You'll see when you see it. I made it, so don't be picky!"

"Ah Wen...can you cook?"

"Of course, Shui Shui taught me a little bit, so I can still do the simple things!" Ye Wen said this with a hint of guilt, because her eyes were darting around.

Both of them stared at her with completely distrustful eyes, causing her to turn around in a panic and pretend to be nonchalant as she walked back the way she came.

Everyone had been called out to dinner by Ye Wen. Mo Xueyao looked at Li Wanyan, who was putting on her shoes at the door, and asked in confusion, "Wanyan, have you cleaned the whole place yet?"

"Ah."

"We just wiped the table and stuff, you didn't even mop the floor, did you?"

"Ah."

"Cough..." When it comes to hygiene, she is indeed more particular.

"Hmm, Yaoyao, let's mop the floor later too. It feels more like home when we take our shoes off before entering the room."

"Uh, but I don't think I brought slippers?"

"I brought it, it's in my suitcase." Li Wanyan shook her head.

Mo Xueyao's excuse for being lazy was gone, and she could only pout and complain under her breath, "How did Mom prepare so thoroughly..."

On the first floor, besides a dormitory manager's room next to the stairs, there is also a restaurant that is as big as two rooms.

It's probably a place for boarding students to have meals.

The dining table was only set up haphazardly, and it seemed to wobble if you exerted even a little force on it, giving it the style of a small shop in an alley, and it had a cheap feel to it.

Mo Xueyao had initially assumed that the Hope Primary School, which was being rebuilt with sponsorship from Yukong High School, would at least be a grand and luxurious structure, with high-quality tables and chairs, a larger dining hall, and a two- or three-story canteen...

But the unexpected savings were surprising.

Hmm... perhaps it's because the funding allocated to this area is limited.

"Come on! It's your first day here, so I've prepared a few dishes to treat you all. They're all local specialties from the seaside!"

Mo Xueyao watched as Ye Wen brought out a bowl of burnt yellow fish, the fish's tail slightly upturned, looking somewhat stiff.

Cha Li touched her temples and couldn't help but ask, "Awen, what's this?"

"Pan-fried sea fish, I forgot what kind of fish it was, but it had no bones!"

"Uh... what about this?" Mo Xueyao then pointed to the bowl of milky white liquid that Qiu Yi had brought over.

Milk clam chowder!

"And there's more!" Ye Wen said, bringing out another dish. It looked like it had many different kinds of ingredients, but it was impossible to tell what they were.

Xuan Anyi hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is it a mixed stir-fried seafood dish?"

"That's right!"

"Ah Wen..." Hua Yinyin, who was the boldest, finally coughed twice and asked with great doubt, "Do you really know how to cook?"

"Cough cough!!!" Qiu Yi, who was standing to the side, quickly started coughing.

……

Chapter Sixteen: I'll do it next time.

The atmosphere became a little somber for a moment, then Ye Wen suddenly chuckled softly and said gently, "It's just that the color isn't very appealing, but the taste is still very good!"

"Really?" No one seemed to believe it.

Wang Qianyu followed Taiyin's example, remaining silent as if she had been prepared in advance, barely touching her chopsticks. Qiu Yi ate the most, not because he took the food himself, but because Ye Wen put it in his bowl.

To be honest, not all the dishes were bad. At least the steamed egg was just a bit runny, but the taste was passable.

And that hot and sour shredded potatoes dish was just made with less salt and more vinegar.

As for the other dishes, it's not that they're inedible, but the taste is somewhat strange, though not to the point that you'd want to vomit after just one bite.

But this was hardly a pleasant dinner experience—no, it wasn't even a normal experience.

The silence was somewhat oppressive, with only Ye Wen smiling, and everyone who was seen by her couldn't help but lower their heads.

"Ugh—Wenwen—! I really can't stand your cooking!" Wang Qianyu was the first to explode. She slammed her chopsticks down resentfully and muttered, "It's awful!!"

"Um...are you alright?" Qiu Yi looked at Ye Wen awkwardly.

Ye Wen's expression froze for a full three seconds before she asked in a low voice:

"...Really, is it that bad?"

"Yes!" This time, everyone in the class answered in unison, and even Mr. Xue nodded in agreement.

"Sigh... Shui Shui didn't come. I was thinking, maybe I should come instead."

“Teacher Ye Wen,” Xuan Anyi raised her hand formally, “If you don’t mind, I’ll do it next time.”

“I can help,” Mr. Xue agreed.

"I can do that too."

"See? This is just a waste of ingredients." Although Wang Qianyu's words were a bit harsh, they were indeed true.

"Uh, oh dear, if it tastes bad, just say so. Why make it sound like I'm going to get angry?"

“Because A Qiu kept giving us meaningful glances,” Duanmu Ji revealed.

Ye Wen immediately punched him: "What are you doing? You're making me sound like a tigress!"

"Ha...hey...cough cough..." Qiu Yi scratched his head awkwardly.

"I'd be happy with just a bowl of normal noodles right now..." Wang Qianyu, who hadn't eaten much, lay on the table, her stomach rumbling twice in perfect sync with the occasion.

"I'll do it," Xuan Anyi said, standing up on her own initiative. "Do you have noodles?"

"Yes." Ye Wen glanced at Qiu Yi beside her. "Pack up your things. Throw what needs to be thrown in the trash. Nobody's going to eat anymore."

"Oh dear, don't waste it, you can feed it to the dogs later..."

"Where did this dog come from..."

“They’re definitely on the island; they’ll come and eat them on their own.”

The torrential rain showed no signs of abating. In the small kitchen attached to the restaurant, the stove was turned on again. Xuan Anyi couldn't lift the large iron pot at all, so she had to call Duanmu Ji over and direct him to shake it while adding seasonings and side dishes.

—The bland potato shreds from before are perfect; we can add them in once the noodles are cooked.

"Doesn't Awen usually cook?" Mo Xueyao asked softly as she helped Qiu Yi clear the table.

"At home? She's a pampered young lady, with someone taking care of her."

"Miko Mizuki-sensei?"

"Correct."

"It feels just like being a real young lady from a wealthy family."

"More or less," Qiu Yi nodded.

The noodles were cooked several times, since not all of them could be cooked in one pot at once. The girls were given priority, and the boys were given priority. In this way, everyone got their share of noodles.

Although it was just ordinary noodles, perhaps it was because Xuan Anyi's cooking skills were superb, or perhaps everything needs to be compared—compared to the dishes we had just eaten, this was comparable to delicacies from land and sea.

"Is this braised noodles?" Ye Wen asked with a learning attitude.

"Hmm, is the braised food delicious?" Xuan Anyi asked with a smile.

"Great!" Ye Wen praised without reservation, "It tastes just like mom's."

But it only changed from a downpour to a moderate rain; it looks like the rain is going to last all day.

It's always this damp during the plum rain season.

However, it's already July, and the plum rain season should be coming to an end soon. Then we'll be welcoming the truly hot and scorching summer.

……

"Huff..." Barefoot, Mo Xueyao braced herself with her hands on the ground and let out a long breath, but found that her legs were so stiff that she could hardly stand up. "Yinyin! Help me up!"

"Eh? I can't do it either..." Hua Yinyin muttered, and then she just lay down on the ground.

The two of them were mopping the floor just now.

The towel used was an old towel brought from Mo Xueyao's house.

This thing was originally meant to be used as a rag.

It has to be said that her mother was incredibly thoughtful; sometimes, when she rummaged through the suitcase, she would find many surprises that even Mo Xueyao herself hadn't expected.

But mopping the floor is really tiring.

This is especially true for rooms that have just been renovated and have never been cleaned.

One pass is definitely not enough; even three passes will still leave a lot of dust.

The floor was painted, just like Mo Xueyao's house before she renovated it.

To make it clean enough to walk barefoot on the ground, the two of them wiped it ten times before they finally felt it was clean.

However, I was covered in sweat. At this moment, there was not much wind outside the window. Otherwise, a cool breeze would have been so refreshing.

"Take a bath, take a bath—"

"I'll wash first! This toilet is so small, don't squeeze in." Mo Xueyao wiped her sweat and placed the sandals she brought from home at the entrance of the washroom.

"It seems there's no hot water here."

"Why would I need hot water in the middle of summer?" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "I always take cold showers."

"But it's raining so hard today, it's really cold, Yaoyao, are you sure you don't want to go get some hot water?" Hua Yinyin looked like she wanted to slack off, her gaze falling on the two kettles of hot water that Ye Wen had just brought over by the door.

There is no dedicated boiler room on campus, but there are several electric kettles downstairs so you can boil water yourself.

After all, this is the countryside, and it's nowhere near as convenient as living in the city.

—In the city, even if you live in an urban village, it's very convenient to get hot water. For just one cent, you can get a whole kettle of hot water from the hot water dispenser.

"Tch, whoever wants a hot shower can go and fetch one."