A Young Woman's Heart

It can be completed in one day or over two days.

But if you're going to join a club...

Mo Xueyao felt that she had quite a lot of free time after school, so she decided to try choosing an interesting club.

After all, even if you join a club, it only means you'll be home a little later than usual two out of five days.

Although the school does not stipulate how long club activities must last, it has made a rule that as long as you participate for a full hour, you can leave on your own.

If I attend club activities after school at 4:30, I'll probably finish school around 5:30.

It's not too late.

After all, when she was in the third year of junior high school, Mo Xueyao didn't get home from school until after six o'clock every day.

"What club does Xiaoyao plan to join?" Wang Jiale asked while flipping through the booklet.

“I don’t know…” Mo Xueyao shook her head. “I’m watching.”

"It's only been less than a month, and so many clubs have already been added!" Mo Xiaoxiao exclaimed in amazement.

"Hehe, one of these clubs is one I applied for," Mo Xiaoxiao's deskmate, Lu Bolun, said with some pride.

"Huh, what club did you apply to?" Mo Xiaoxiao asked with a puzzled smile.

"This is it, the literary society. I want to gather everyone's strength to write a novel."

"It sounds pretty impressive."

"So, how about it? Interested in joining?"

"Hmm... I'll take a look at the others." Mo Xiaoxiao smiled but wasn't in a hurry to make a decision.

While flipping through the booklet, Mo Xueyao discovered that the photography club had changed its name and was now called the Art Practice Club, which seemed to have incorporated more content.

Perhaps it's because photography alone doesn't attract many students.

After all, not every student can afford to buy their own camera.

Artistic practice sounds very high-end, and it doesn't seem to be very tiring?

Mo Xueyao made up her mind and decided to sign up for the club another day.

"Wow, there are clubs like this?!" Wang Jiale exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the poster in the brochure. "The Paranormal Phenomena Exploration Club! I want to join!"

"Isn't this just like 'Approaching Science'..." Mo Xueyao muttered.

"What if we actually discover supernatural phenomena! Like UFOs, aliens, ghosts or something!"

"Please believe in science, okay? Besides, aliens probably don't even exist. And even if they do, they wouldn't be so easy for you to find," Mo Xueyao retorted mercilessly.

"So what?" But Wang Jiale wasn't one to be easily discouraged. She optimistically put her hands on her hips and said, "What if I'm the first person to actually discover aliens!"

……

Chapter Ninety-Five: Still Holding a Pipa, Half-Concealing Her Face

Hua Yinyin's home is not in the city center, but in a development zone that is more suburban.

The rain that had been falling all day finally stopped in the afternoon. The dark clouds were parted by an invisible hand, revealing the golden sun.

The surrounding area is filled with excavating foundations and various construction sites, which makes the air quality poor. Even in the afternoon, it feels as if there is fog hanging in the sky.

The fog was white, but the dust filling the sky was grayish-black.

This seems somewhat different from the tall building that Mo Xueyao had imagined.

Or perhaps it was because they had seen the skyscrapers of Shanghai that they didn't expect the area around Hua Yinyin's house to be so dirty and chaotic.

"Ahem, this place will definitely become a bustling downtown area in the future." Hua Yinyin coughed and said confidently, as if explaining why her family bought a house here. "Our community is newly built, and there will be other supporting facilities in the future. Maybe it will even have a subway like in Shanghai!"

"The subway... I doubt it will even be open in ten years." Mo Xueyao shrugged. "Oh well, there shouldn't be any dust in the house anyway."

"No, the doors and windows are always closed when we go out. Besides, we live on a higher floor, so the dust isn't as bad as downstairs." Hua Yinyin grabbed Mo Xueyao's wrist and pulled her into the elevator. "Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go upstairs!"

An eleven-story residential building was considered a very tall building in Hangzhou at that time.

Even with the dust covering the area, one could still feel the height of the place.

The low-rise buildings and construction sites below looked as tiny as models.

There are no taller buildings around here than this residential building, giving one the strange feeling that one could control the whole world with one hand.

Humans continuously build skyscrapers to make more efficient use of space, but they also inadvertently satisfy the universal human desire to climb higher.

Mo Xueyao stood by the window and took a deep breath, imagining herself standing in the middle of a high mountain, and then she choked and started coughing.

"Don't open the window so wide!" Hua Yinyin shouted as she walked over carrying a large can of milk, quickly closing the window and leaving only a small crack.

"Well……"

"Here, don't you like drinking pure milk? You can drink as much of this as you like, but... don't drink too much at once, or you'll get diarrhea." Hua Yinyin placed the milk on the table and handed Mo Xueyao a glass. "How about it, my house is pretty big, isn't it?"

"It's not bad, but there are too many construction sites nearby." Mo Xueyao nodded, looking around at the house, which was obviously much bigger than her own.

The house has three bedrooms, and each one is spacious and does not feel cramped.

The dining room is behind the kitchen, and the living room is just across a hallway.

The living room has a set of very comfortable leather sofas and a large-screen TV, which is quite rare for this era—relatively large.

The house was kept very clean, making the sunlight that shone in seem much clearer.

Because school ends early on Friday, it's only three o'clock now, and the room, which has no obstructions, is still very well lit.

In the corner of the living room, several foam mats were pieced together, with some books, a drawing board, and some painting materials scattered on them.

Against the wall, there was a musical instrument that Mo Xueyao didn't recognize.

Please forgive Mo Xueyao's ignorance; for some reason, she felt that this instrument looked a lot like a large chicken leg with two chopsticks stuck in it...

Especially the wood grain; if someone with poor eyesight looks at it from a distance, it can actually look quite similar.

"What is this?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously, pointing to the instrument that looked somewhat familiar but whose name she couldn't quite place.

"Oh, that one, the pipa."

“Pipa! Yes, so this is the pipa.” Mo Xueyao, who came from a poor family, could only play instruments like the harmonica and flute on a daily basis.

Instruments like the piano, accordion, guitar, pipa, and guzheng can only be seen on television.

"Haven't you seen Xiaoyao before?"

"I've seen her before, but I'm not very familiar with her... Speaking of which, Hua Yinyin, you can actually play the pipa?" Mo Xueyao asked in surprise, looking her up and down, feeling that she didn't seem like the kind of person who could play musical instruments.

Because she didn't seem like someone who could calm down.

Even when she said she could draw, Mo Xueyao felt it was somewhat unreal.

"Of course, would you like to hear me play it?"

"Sure!" Mo Xueyao nodded vigorously. She was actually a little nervous about coming to a girl's house alone with her.

If you can distract yourself and relax, that would be great.

Is there a reward?

"award?"

“For example~” Hua Yinyin, standing next to Mo Xueyao, took advantage of her inattention and pecked her on the cheek. “Hehe! Okay, I’ve got my reward!”

Mo Xueyao stood there stunned, gently wiping the drool from her cheek. Then, silently, her pupils gradually dilated, and her face flushed bright red.

For the first time in my life, I was kissed on the cheek like that by a girl my age.

Although it was only for a moment.

And because it happened so suddenly, she didn't even have time to react.

But this feeling is still too wonderful.

how to say?

I can't quite say whether it's joy or sadness; I feel a mix of complex emotions welling up inside me.

"Wait for me here!" Hua Yinyin said, then darted into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

About half an hour later, the door was reopened, and a petite young woman walked out gracefully from behind it.

She was wearing a brightly colored gauze dress with many lace-like decorations that Mo Xueyao couldn't quite place.

Her hair was tied up and adorned with a black lotus-shaped hairpin. Only her eyes were clearly visible on her face, while the lower half was veiled by a pink veil, making her true appearance hazy and indistinct, thus giving her a somewhat ethereal and unreal quality.

She moved barefoot with light, graceful steps, the silver bells tied to her ankles making a crisp sound with each step, adding to her allure and charm.

Mo Xueyao's eyes widened, and she stood motionless as if her brain had shut down.

Only his gaze followed the girl's petite body as it slowly moved.

Is this really spending money?!

The question stuck in her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to ask it.

Were you so surprised that you couldn't even make a sound?

Hua Yinyin didn't speak, but simply smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling behind her pink veil, and gracefully sat down on the sofa, picking up the pipa.

The strings were gently plucked, and although it was still impossible to discern the melody, it felt as if her emotions had been infused into it.

"Ding-dong~ Ding-ding-dong—" After a few test strings, the piece officially began to be played.

It doesn't look like plucking; it looks more like caressing.

With a gentle stroke of the palm, a series of musical notes burst forth from the pipa.

The music started out very soft, but gradually grew louder.

The sound of the pipa is melodious and graceful; when the next note comes out, it still feels like the previous note is lingering in your ears.

In this way, it flows continuously like a stream, never ceasing.

Especially when Hua Yinyin's hands pluck the strings quickly, making a "dili lili lili lili lili lili la~" sound, it is even more melodious.