A Young Woman's Heart

She threw the skewer that had been holding the pork tenderloin into the newly installed trash can by the roadside.

The backpack on my back is very light.

It only contained books for one subject.

Summer tutoring should, of course, focus on improving weaker subjects.

But people's talents are ultimately different.

Or perhaps she's focusing her efforts in the wrong direction.

In short, although it was very tiring, my grades remained stagnant.

This made her even more cautious, because she might fall even lower in the future.

The clouds resembled a fairy flying with her arms folded together, constantly blocking the sunlight from above her head.

It's actually not early.

It was a little after 6 p.m.

The sky was gradually darkening.

"Drip-drip-"

The hustle and bustle of the city is inseparable from these products of the new era—cars.

The drivers behind, unaware of the situation, kept urging them on, but even that couldn't make the speed increase by even a fraction.

Ye Banxia gripped the straps of her backpack with both hands, tiptoed, and walked briskly.

I guess I wasn't hungry, so I wanted to linger outside for a while.

In the city, there are always many people and things that pique her curiosity and inspire her imagination.

Even a soda can on the roadside can evoke a sense of sympathy in her heart.

Walk through the crowded alley of the vegetable market.

I walked across an old arched bridge covered in moss.

We're back on the bustling city streets.

This is a small square.

There are many banks in the square.

Now that the banks are all closed, the nine-story office building looks rather lifeless.

Even people leaving get off work are rarely seen anymore.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish light at an angle through the doorway between the two buildings.

From afar, Ye Banxia heard a faint melody.

It's not a currently popular song, but an old song with a vintage feel.

The sound was coming from the large cassette player with two speakers next to it.

As the sun sets, its afterglow shines on the open space not far away.

There was nothing there, just a little dust blown up by the wind.

An elderly man sat in a wheelchair, and a simply dressed elderly woman stood in front of him.

Because they were backlit, it was difficult to even see the colors of their clothes.

Only a rough outline can be seen.

Ye Banxia couldn't help but stop in her tracks.

Because the two of them weren't doing anything else, they were dancing.

Even if one person is in a wheelchair.

The movements remained elegant.

It can even rotate 360 ​​degrees.

Are they a married couple?

she thinks.

—They must be a married couple.

Ye Banxia was not envious of the affectionate relationship between ordinary couples.

But seeing this white-haired couple still dancing as they did when they were young, I felt a sense of longing.

She doesn't yearn for her life when she's old; rather, she yearns for the days when she's old and still has people who love her by her side.

Who doesn't yearn for love?

Ye Banxia, ​​of course, also longed for it.

She also longs for someone to grow old with.

But I also feel that such a beautiful story will never happen to me.

When you get old, who will be the other half by your side?

She would sometimes fantasize like that.

The first choice is Mr. Xue, of course.

But just as boys like school beauties, girls also like boys like him.

When you have many admirers, you naturally feel that they are distant from you and not so realistic.

Then she thought about An Ruosu, but she also thought he was very handsome. Li Hongran was the same. Although he wasn't handsome in a delicate way, his physique would definitely attract many girls. Ye Banxia always thought that he was joking when he said that no girls liked him.

Gao Yuan, that fat guy?

Hmm... I think about it occasionally, but I just laugh it off in my heart.

It's not that I look down on him, but when I think about his family background, I feel like I definitely have no chance, not to mention I don't like chubby guys anyway.

Duanmu Ji?

He's quite a handsome young man, but there's still not much hope for him, and he seems to really like Mo Xueyao.

Zhou Yong?

I have thought about that, but he looks so ordinary and has no special features. I usually only think of him when I'm asking myself what kind of guy I'm good enough for.

Whenever I think about this, I feel a little lost and sad.

After all, everyone hopes their partner is better looking or more charming.

"A sea of ​​suffering—churning with love and hate—"

While lost in thought, Ye Banxia's mind was suddenly pulled back.

Yes, it was that poignant singing voice.

On the other side of this small square.

A middle-aged man with rough, dark skin was sitting on the large stone block used to block cars.

He wasn't busking; he was just playing and singing while holding a guitar.

His eyes were squinted, as if he were immersed in the song.

His facial expressions were very varied, and the lyrics seemed to be singing about his own life.

There was a large migrant worker's bag next to him.

The classic red and blue stripes, plus white checks.

The luggage was packed full.

He didn't seem like he had just arrived; he seemed more like he was about to leave.

"In this world—one cannot escape fate—"

His songs were sung with a local accent.

But it has a strange charm.

That's a flavor that only those who have experienced the passage of time can acquire.

That voice came from the distant past, and from a faraway place.

Every ordinary person is but a speck of dust in this world.

Go with the flow.

It's hard to change anything.

Ye Banxia stood silently in place, as if she had already seen her future.

"Hoo..." She took a deep breath, not feeling that as an ordinary person among the masses, she could change anything.

But even if tomorrow and the day after are the same days, she will still live her life well.

Because she still has expectations for the future.

Even the most ordinary life makes her feel fulfilled and happy—even if that happiness is mundane.

By the time I got home, it was almost completely dark.

My parents are busy at home.

They actually just got back.

The father was cooking; he was wearing overalls but no clothes on his upper body, his fat exposed for all to see.

Even so, one can still see some of his robust physique from his youth.

"came back?"

"Hmm, Dad, what are we having for dinner today?"

"Stir-fry the pork liver. The rest will spoil tomorrow if we don't eat it," the father replied casually, his movements as he chopped the meat with practiced ease.

Her father sells pork at the market and used to be a butcher. Even now, when he goes back to the countryside for the Chinese New Year, he occasionally takes on the role of butcher.

Perhaps because he often deals with pork, he always looks greasy, and you can smell an oyster odor when you get close.