A Young Woman's Heart

Hmm... do you still think Xiaoxue is more reliable when it comes to crucial moments?

Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, while Jiang Tao, still on the small boat, looked up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Big brother! Please pull my teacher up!"

"One yuan per person!" someone shouted from above.

This seaside market has really allowed many people to earn extra money.

However, it is physical labor after all, and it takes a lot of strength to turn the gears and pull the person standing on the lifting frame up.

After going up, Hua Yinyin insisted on paying five yuan and didn't even ask for change.

"Keep the change," she said in a very generous manner.

However, the other party's attitude seemed to have improved a lot because of this: "This ship is for transporting coal. If you want civilian honeycomb briquettes, go over there. There are people selling them. If you want to go to the big ship, go to the bow or stern. If you want to go to the small ship, go down from the other side of the elevator. It's also one yuan per person there."

"There are so many places that charge fees..." Mo Xueyao couldn't help but mutter. Although the other person heard her, they didn't react and just smiled and shrugged.

"Brothers need strength to do the work too."

The three of them didn't need to buy honeycomb briquettes, so they must have gone to visit other large or small ships.

"Shall we go from the bow?"

"Why?" Mo Xueyao tilted her head and looked at Hua Yinyin.

"There seem to be more people going that way."

"Uh... let's go that way then."

Since it was just a casual stroll anyway, Mr. Xue had no objections, and the three of them headed towards the bow of the ship.

The boats were very close together, connected by a large and sturdy steel plate, like a small bridge.

The steel plates were secured to both ships, and were quite sturdy.

Even with many people coming and going, I didn't feel much shaking.

This ship was decorated much more elaborately than the coal ship, with colorful flags hanging everywhere. The goods for sale were neatly stacked and guarded by uniformed crew members, with others patrolling around to prevent anyone from stealing them.

A small area was fenced off along the deck for people without boats to set up stalls, selling miscellaneous goods; some stalls even sold just a dozen or so ears of corn.

It felt like the entrance to the residential area before 8 a.m.

At those times, many farmers would come over with tricycles or carrying loads on their shoulders to set up stalls.

The only difference is... this is on a ship, not on land.

The things sold on this ship weren't very appealing to Mo Xueyao and her group—it was just like a supermarket, selling all sorts of random groceries.

Hua Yinyin has her eye on a case of milk, but is torn about whether to buy it.

"Don't you drink milk every day at home? Aren't you tired of it yet?"

"Uh, when I first arrived I was glad I didn't have to drink milk, but now I kind of want to."

"This is such a big box."

"Xiaoxue, take it!"

“No problem.” Mr. Xue agreed without any hesitation, showing a strong sense of being a tool.

……

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Lively Scene at Sea (Part Two)

The three of them toured all the large ships and finally arrived at the largest one in the middle.

It was about two or three times the size of other large ships, and the deck was like a plaza. Strangely, no one was setting up stalls there.

Perhaps this ship doesn't allow it?

In short, it made the place look very tidy and clean, like a playground.

The huge building in the middle is like a building on a deck.

There was even a sign hanging in front of the door that said "Seeking Translators," but I don't know what its purpose was.

Is it really possible to find a translator at a market like this?

And it didn't specify what language the translation was for.

Since we're here, we should definitely go in and take a look.

It's like a small town inside; though small, it has everything you need.

In the lobby on the first floor, there is a map showing the layout of the place.

There are hotels, restaurants, arcades, and even a library and a movie theater.

Hua Yinyin pointed to the 'entertainment room' on the map and asked curiously, "What's this?"

"It's probably a gambling place..." Mo Xueyao wasn't quite sure, but she deduced based on what Jiang Tao said—because it was indeed on the rooftop, and located at the end of the corridor.

For kids who grew up in the city, this arcade isn't anything special.

The only unusual thing is that the arcade is surrounded by transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can play games here and even look at the sea view and watch the surging waves.

—Although most of the time I don't even look at it.

If we were to actually sit down and play games, a whole day probably wouldn't be enough.

So Mo Xueyao restrained her urge to play a couple of rounds of King of Fighters with Mr. Xue, and only played the claw machine with Hua Yinyin.

The clamp was like a person with myasthenia gravis, unable to grasp anything at all.

Hua Yinyin was so angry that she wanted to smash the wall.

"Shall I give it a try?" Mr. Xue picked up a game coin he had just found on the ground and put it into the claw machine.

Hua Yinyin huffed and puffed as she moved aside: "There's no way you can catch it! That hook doesn't even apply any force!!"

"Want to catch this?"

"Hmm, this sheep looks white and soft, it must feel really nice to touch." Although she didn't have high hopes, Hua Yinyin still answered with some anticipation.

"I'll give it a try." Mr. Xue didn't say anything definitive, but began to move the mechanical arm, which then landed somewhat crookedly.

Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin remained expressionless, as this kind of thing had happened many times before.

I managed to grab it accurately several times but failed to hang it up, let alone grab it crookedly like this.

To be honest, it was a bit surprising that Mr. Xue would make such a mistake...

Before Mo Xueyao could finish her thoughts, she saw the mechanical arm limply release its grip, having grasped nothing at all.

It makes you wonder if even if you put a wad of cotton there, this thing wouldn't have the strength to pick it up.

"Hey hey hey—" Hua Yinyin exclaimed in surprise, slapping Mo Xueyao's shoulder hard, "They've arrested her!!"

"Huh? How is that possible?" Mo Xueyao turned her gaze back to the plush toy and saw that the hook had tightened, but one of the claws had precisely passed through the label ribbon on the plush toy and hooked it up.

It felt like Su Tang was sharpening his claws on Mo Xueyao's stockinged legs, tearing the stockings, but his own claws were also tangled in them and he couldn't get them out.

However, this also encountered a problem.

That means when the paw returns to its original position, the plush toy hanging on it won't fall off either.

"Hmm... I can only insert one more coin." Even Mr. Xue was at a loss in the face of this situation.

"You just need to shake the machine, right?" Mo Xueyao shared an experience she had when she and her best friends used to play claw machines.

However, back then she wasn't grabbing plush toys, but rather watches, game consoles, and the like.

"Hey, this won't work, there seem to be security guards over there..." Hua Yinyin was more obedient. Anyway, the reward was already in sight, and she only had one game coin left, so she put it in.

Mr. Xue controlled the claw to open it and extend it downwards in place, and the doll that was hooked on the mechanical claw finally fell down.

Hua Yinyin quickly grabbed the fluffy sheep and chuckled twice: "Wow, Xiaoxue is amazing!"

"Luck," Mr. Xue said with a hearty grin.

After winning the plush toy, Hua Yinyin happily carried it out of the arcade.

"Let's go for a stroll on the small boat!"

"Then you'd better be careful not to drop the doll into the sea."

"Pshaw, how could that be?"

Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways, and although she didn't say anything, she showed her distrust with a hint of amusement, to the point that Hua Yinyin couldn't help but punch her on the back.

The three of them took the elevator off the ship again. The feeling of walking on flat ground was gone. Hua Yinyin carefully grabbed Mo Xueyao's arm and struggled to maintain her balance.

The sound of the seawater mixed with the much louder voices of people than when we were on the ship, making it quite noisy.

The small boats here are tightly connected together. Those who know each other use planks to support each other, while those who don't know each other well have to jump from one boat to another.

It requires a little skill, and even the most skilled person can make a mistake.

Every now and then you could hear someone splashing into the water, and then you could see them scrambling on the surface of the sea, getting soaking wet, and climbing onto the boat.

People always laugh at this.

Of course, if someone who can't swim very well is drowning, as soon as they start thrashing around and look like they're about to drown, someone will immediately jump into the sea or lend a helping hand and pull them up.

Not all the ships are selling goods; some are just docked here, with only one person on board to watch over them, and they are also used as one of the connecting 'roads'.

Sometimes these ship owners also do some buying and selling.

At first, Hua Yinyin wasn't used to it and would even tremble while standing. But after walking for about ten minutes, she felt like she had mastered the knack. She hopped between boats like a rabbit, just like a martial arts master who could leap across rooftops, having a great time.

"Yinyin, slow down! Be careful you don't really fall into the sea!"

"It's alright, don't worry, Xiao Yaoyao!" Hua Yinyin said, and with a 'whoosh' she jumped onto a small boat, causing the boat to shake slightly.

This is a boat selling chicks. There's a large basket on the boat, and the yellow chicks are gathered together, chirping and chattering. Their voices are clear and pleasant, and they don't sound noisy at all.

"Hey little girl, want to buy a couple of chicks to raise at home? They're very easy to raise, just feed them some rice, and you can eat them during the New Year!"

"Little Yao Yao, this is so cute!"

“You won’t find them cute in half a month…” Mo Xueyao’s eyelids drooped, because she had bought chicks when she was a child.

They sell them right outside the school gate; you can buy one and keep it in a box at home.