A Young Woman's Heart

Mo Xueyao realized that she had no intention of writing lyrics properly; she was just looking for topics to joke around with.

"We'll probably have to reassign seats when we get back."

"This time I want to sit with Xiaoyao!"

“I don’t think Wen would arrange it that way.” Mo Xueyao continued eating her corn. “It would just mean Gao Yuan would be missing.”

"That's hard to say. Maybe someone transferred schools? Or changed classes at the last minute? Or something like that."

"He's already in his final year of high school and he's still transferring schools..."

"It's definitely something big, like moving to another city!"

"Phew, I feel like I've gotten to know these classmates already. I really hope that everyone will be here by graduation." Mo Xueyao said, then suddenly turned her head and glanced at Hua Yinyin, grinning mischievously, "Well, of course, not including Yinyin!"

"Awoo!!"

……

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Journey Home Again

The distant sky is cloudless, and looking up, one cannot see the sky.

The world seemed to be just a gray, gloomy mess.

The ship sailed on the endless gray sea.

The waves were calm, as if we had entered the Sea of ​​Death from a fantasy story. Passing through here, we could see the rotating ring standing between heaven and earth.

—Those things, of course, do not exist in reality.

On the way back, everyone was on a small boat, with only three people in total, including the sailor and the captain.

It was a bit of a stretch to squeeze in so many of them.

The deck was only about the size of a basketball court; while it wasn't so big that people were crammed together, it didn't feel spacious either.

Mo Xueyao leaned against the railing, feeling a little dizzy.

She had already stuck her head out of the water to avoid vomiting on the boat later.

On the contrary, Mr. Xue, who had vomited once earlier, was now full of energy and showed no signs of seasickness. He even took out a plastic bag and tissues that he had prepared at some point from his bag and handed them to Duanmu Ji.

The latter rolled her eyes, stubbornly pursed her lips, and remained silent.

Another journey home.

Every time I return from a faraway place, I always feel a little melancholy.

For ordinary people like Mo Xueyao, this means that it is very likely that she will never go there again for one or two years, or even a decade or two, or even her entire life.

To the land, the air, and the people there, I am merely a fleeting visitor.

Joy? Excitement? Relaxation? Melancholy?

Perhaps, it's mostly just exhaustion.

The waves splashed onto the not-so-high deck.

The fence is therefore always wet.

The bottom of the railing is covered in rust, giving it a very fragile appearance.

Li Wanyan nestled beside her, her brows slightly lowered.

She wasn't asleep; she would occasionally open her eyes slightly and take a deep breath.

Music with a distinct creaking sound could be heard coming from the captain's cabin.

That was the song "The East Is Red".

Mo Xueyao looked up and saw the record player with a large loudspeaker behind the window from above Hua Yinyin's head.

The record that was slowly spinning wasn't black, but a semi-transparent red, which was quite novel; she had never seen anything like it before.

The lyrics weren't very clear, but you could tell that many people were singing together, and it was full of a simple yet powerful feeling.

This album seems to have only one song, and the captain seems to listen to it repeatedly without getting tired of it.

She vaguely felt that she could even hear the lyrics.

"The East is Red, the sun rises..."

Amidst the crackling and creaking of the record, the edge of the land could finally be seen in the distance.

The sun tore a little open in the clouds, letting in a beam of light.

Mo Xueyao's mood suddenly became somewhat excited.

Although both are muddy land, the land on the island seems different from that on the mainland.

As soon as the boat docked, she jumped off the boat without hesitation. Although it was sandy ground, it felt exceptionally solid, and even her dizziness was relieved quite a bit.

"Ugh—" Even after reaching the shore, Duanmu Ji finally couldn't hold it in any longer. Mr. Xue, who was standing nearby, used a bag to catch his vomit and watched him vomit to his heart's content.

"Whoosh—we're finally ashore!" Hua Yinyin jumped vigorously on the sand, completely unconcerned about the sand falling into her shoes.

"There's still a lot to endure later," Mo Xueyao stretched, "We still have several hours of travel ahead..."

"At least I can fall asleep now." Wang Jiale rubbed her bloodshot eyes, clearly she hadn't been feeling well on the ship she'd just arrived on.

The small boat was moving fast and bumpy, and hardly anyone was able to avoid seasickness today.

Only Mr. Xue and Taiyin remained calm.

Even Ye Wenqiu and the others, who often went out on boat trips, all looked pale and unwell.

After resting for less than half an hour, everyone got back on the bus.

It had been almost a month since I last saw it, and the RV was covered in a lot of dust. Qiu Yi had only wiped the dust off the glass, and the contrast with the exterior was quite obvious.

The excitement they had when they first arrived last month has faded; they just feel tired.

So once on the bus, we didn't chat much. We either slept or closed our eyes to rest. Those who were feeling better read books or looked out the window at the scenery.

Ye Wen was sitting in the passenger seat this time. She was forcing herself to stay awake and was chatting with Qiu Yi so that he wouldn't fall asleep too.

The scenery outside the window unfolds like a scroll painting, one frame after another receding into the distance.

The carriage was as quiet as a library.

Hua Yinyin was asleep on the table, her two braids slightly sticking up like insect antennae, but overall they were drooping limply.

Mo Xueyao secretly 'stole' two packets of jelly from the bag she was carrying and winked playfully at Li Wanyan.

Li Wanyan shook her head helplessly.

She raised her hands again, seemingly giving her a choice.

His expression clearly conveyed the message that Hua Yinyin wouldn't be angry.

In fact, Hua Yinyin was not that stingy.

She pouted slightly, and the other corner of her mouth turned up slightly uncontrollably. Then she chose a blueberry-flavored jelly.

Mo Xueyao naturally accepted the orange-flavored one.

Although the weather was gloomy and there wasn't much sunshine, it was still very hot, so the air conditioning was on in the car, and naturally, we couldn't open the windows for a drive.

Yi sat by the window, pressed her little face against the window, and breathed upwards.

In the quiet carriage, it was as if everyone else didn't exist; only the two of them remained.

The two of them simultaneously peeled off the 'skin' of the jelly and simultaneously sucked on the juice that was about to flow out.

Different flavors of jelly, but all have the same sweetness.

"Wan..."

"Shh." Li Wanyan made a shushing gesture.

Mo Xueyao lowered her voice, as if she were whispering, "Do you have any paper?"

"Ah."

The two then fell silent again, continuing to communicate through body language and eye contact.

This seemed quite amusing. Mo Xueyao deliberately raised her eyebrows in an exaggerated manner, which made the latter unable to help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly—though she didn't make a sound.

There was no traffic jam on the way back, and the journey was smooth, so it wasn't too unpleasant.

Even though the sun could be seen in the distance, the dark clouds overhead followed them like a mischievous child, making it cloudy wherever they went.

In the latter half of the journey, Mo Xueyao also fell asleep. She leaned against the window, while Li Wanyan rested on her shoulder.

The overwhelming drowsiness made Qiu Yi almost unable to stay awake. His head was nodding off, and he had to brake suddenly six or seven times during the short five-kilometer journey.

Everyone was shaken awake, and some opened their eyes groggily.

The school was finally in sight.

We gathered here, and naturally, we'll disperse here as well.

The main reason was that Qiu Yi was too tired; otherwise, he would have definitely taken all the students home, or at least made a slight detour to those whose routes were convenient.

But he was afraid of causing an accident if he drove for too long, and since everyone was asleep, he simply drove right up to the door.

"Hahoo—!" Mo Xueyao was the first to get off the car with her luggage, her feet firmly landing on the concrete.

Familiar air, familiar land, familiar streets...

She was finally almost home, and her fatigue subsided, replaced by excitement and anticipation.

"Ugh, I have to take the bus again, my head is killing me..." Hua Yinyin leaned on Mo Xueyao's shoulder, "How about we sleep at Xiaoyaoyao's house tonight..."

"Alas."

“I want to go too!” Wang Jiale nodded vigorously.

"Lele, your home is right in Peace Square, it's not far, okay?"

"Hmph, I get bored going home alone. I prefer it when Tongjue is at my house; it's so lively there."

"Hey, Yaoyao, let's sleep at your place tonight!"