A Young Woman's Heart

Looking ahead, there is a sloping uphill road, and the higher you go, the drier the ground becomes.

The two shared an umbrella and walked uphill.

Mo Xueyao turned her head to look at the noodle shop. It was lunchtime, and the shop was already getting busy. Chen Cheng's mother was clearing away the dishes and wiping the tables. Old Chen and Zhuang Lianlian were nowhere to be seen; they were probably in the kitchen.

Suddenly, a speeding electric scooter darted out from around the corner in the distance and screeched to a halt in front of the noodle shop. Chen Cheng coldly pulled off his raincoat with one hand, grabbed two black plastic bags, and ran into the kitchen.

He seemed not to have seen Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan walking past the shop entrance at all.

The fruit shop looked exactly the same as before; in fact, it had only been a little over a month since I left, so of course nothing had changed.

As soon as they stepped onto the steps, Su Tang suddenly appeared from some corner, wagging its tail high and circling around their feet.

"Sweetie Sweetie~!" Mo Xueyao bent down and patted its raised head hard. "Heave-ho, oh dear, so dirty, how long has it been since you had a bath?"

As if it could understand, Su Tang's eyes immediately became alert, and then it darted back under the shelf with a 'whoosh,' leaving only one pair of eyes staring intently at her as if they were glowing.

Li Wanyan covered her mouth with the back of her hand, seemingly letting out a soft laugh.

My mother wasn't in the shop, but I could smell the cooking fumes; she was clearly making lunch in the back of the shop.

Three customers surrounded her father, who seemed quite busy. In the midst of his work, he looked up and called out to Li Wanyan, "Oh, Wanyan! Your mother is here. She's resting at Grandma Jin's convenience store."

"My...Mom?" She was stunned for a few seconds before she realized what she meant. Her expression began to twist slightly, as if she wanted to cry or laugh at the same time. She turned around abruptly and almost bumped into Mo Xueyao.

"Wanyan, the umbrella!"

But she didn't answer at all; she was almost at the convenience store entrance when she said this.

Mo Xueyao hesitated for a moment and did not follow.

He simply stood at the shop entrance, gazing at the two people meeting behind the glass display window from afar.

……

"Mom!" Pushing open the door, Li Wanyan didn't even have time to say "Hello, Grandma Jin" before her gaze was fixed on a middle-aged woman who was staring blankly at the shop window with her back to the window.

Her rapid steps suddenly stopped, as if blocked by some invisible obstacle.

The woman raised her head, her cloudy eyes casting a calm gaze at her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Li Wanyan pursed her lips and then gently bit them with her teeth.

Her eyes were wide open, tears were already welling up in them, and even though she tried to hold them back, a few drops still rolled down her cheeks.

She opened her mouth and cried out silently, tears finally streaming down her face like pearls from a broken string.

He ran forward in a rush, taking three steps at a time, and suddenly threw himself into his mother's arms, almost knocking her to the ground, but the back of his head still hit the wooden table behind him hard.

She sobbed, like a wounded little animal, gently pounding her mother's back again and again.

The latter couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, but she still managed to pull out a clean handkerchief from her pocket and gently wipe away the tears on her face.

"Yan Yan."

"Gulp... um..." Li Wanyan took several deep breaths and finally stood up straight again.

She rubbed her red eyes, her face slightly flushed, and avoided her mother's gaze. She saw Mo Xueyao standing under the eaves of the fruit shop outside the window, which made her quickly turn her head away and stare intently at the shelf next to her.

"Mom... are you going back this time...?"

"I'm not going back. I've already left." Her mother gently stroked her long, shiny black hair, put her arm around her waist, and let her sit on her lap. "Your hair is much prettier than before."

"Hmm...at Yaoyao's house...they've all been very kind to me," Li Wanyan said softly, her head bowed, as if whispering in someone's ear.

"I can tell."

"Mom, you've lost so much weight..."

"No, I feel like I've actually gained weight."

"...Where do you plan to stay?"

"I'll stay here."

"Huh?"

"I'll be working at this convenience store from now on. They'll clear out a small room in the back and put a bed for me to sleep in."

"Really?" Li Wanyan raised her voice excitedly, unable to resist looking at Grandma Jin who was wiping cups behind the counter.

The latter nodded gently with a kind and amiable smile.

"So you can still see me every day."

“Hmm…or we can…” Li Wanyan hesitated, then swallowed the rest of her words.

"We'll talk about it later." Pan Jiexiang gently rubbed her head. "You should focus on finishing your senior year of high school and get into a university that you're happy with. Mom will save up your tuition fees."

"Ok!"

Pan Jiexiang was about to say something when suddenly her brows furrowed deeply. She clutched her chest, leaned against the wooden table beside her, and took a deep breath.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Li Wanyan asked anxiously. "Is your heart not feeling well?"

"I'm fine." Pan Jiexiang forced a smile. "I just didn't sleep well last night, so I'm feeling a bit unwell today."

"Then, why don't you get some sleep?"

"It's okay, it's okay, you can sleep again tonight." She stroked Li Wanyan's little face, "Let Mommy take a good look at you."

Li Wanyan's face flushed even more, but she still made sure her cheeks were facing her mother's eyes directly: "See...?"

"It's gotten quite a bit taller."

"Um……"

"I'm much stronger than before."

"I haven't gained weight..."

"You're not fat at all, you look healthy. You used to be too thin. The clothes are beautiful, who bought them for you?"

"Yaoyao's mother."

"Oh—it's beautiful! It looks like a matching set?" Her mother gently touched the hem of her skirt. "The fabric is very nice. Yours is white, and hers is black."

"Hmm... Yao Yao's mother always buys one set of clothes for each of us every time she goes shopping."

Pan Jiexiang smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's wonderful."

"By the way... she's my godmother now."

"Yes, I know. She is really good to you, just like a mother."

"..." Li Wanyan gently pursed her lips.

Pan Jiexiang laughed, hugged her and patted her hard: "Alright, go play by yourself. Mom needs to learn a bit at the shop too. I have to start working officially tomorrow."

Li Wanyan nodded gently: "Lunch is almost ready."

"I'll go later."

"Hmm." She glanced back at her mother, who had already reached the counter, but ultimately decided not to disturb her. She waited for the sliding door to open automatically and then walked lightly out of the convenience store.

The raindrops that fell seemed so crystal clear to her today, more transparent and beautiful than the purest white crystal in the world.

The breeze that blows in my face seems to carry a touch of a mother's gentleness.

"Wanyan! How are you!" Mo Xueyao saw her walking quickly towards her and quickly tossed her a towel. "Wipe your hair and face!"

She hurriedly lowered her head, wiped her tear-stained face clean, and then raised her head again.

At this moment, the expression on her face had returned to calm, as if nothing had just happened.

But if you look closely, you can still see that the corners of her mouth seem to be turned up all the time.

Even the smallest detail.

Will your mother leave again?

"Not anymore."

"Ah—" Mo Xueyao scratched her head nervously, took a half step back, and bumped into a pile of cardboard boxes. The pile of cardboard boxes immediately shook, and several rolled off the side. "Then you, then...then you..."

She hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"I will not leave."

"what!"

“My mom works at a convenience store, and she lives in that little room.”

"Hmm...actually, staying at the fruit shop is fine, or you could stay at our place..."

“My mother doesn’t like bothering others.” Li Wanyan’s eyes curved slightly as she walked to Mo Xueyao’s side, picked up the cardboard boxes from the ground, and put them back. “I’ll still live with Yaoyao. Do you mind?”

"I don't mind, of course I don't mind, why would I mind?" Mo Xueyao quickly replied, "To be honest, I'm actually getting used to it. If I'm the only one at home, uh, I mean, if I'm the only one... the only 'kid', I'm actually a little unaccustomed to it!"

She stood behind Mo Xueyao and gently poked Yi's head: "Me too."

"what?"

"The rain is beautiful today, don't you think so, Yaoyao?"

"Uh, it's alright. Hasn't it been raining like this for the past few days?" Mo Xueyao looked at her with her blue eyes. "It seems Wanyan is in a good mood."

Li Wanyan did not answer, because it was obvious.

At the bottom of the fruit shop's steps, water had pooled and flowed into the sewer. After several days of rain, even the water in the sewer seemed to have become clear...

……

Chapter Eighty: The happiness of life comes from its ordinariness

(One)

The rain keeps falling.

The park was shrouded in mist, perfectly embodying the humidity of the south.

Water droplets slid off the dark lamppost. Xuan Anyi, dressed in a light green gauze dress, held a transparent umbrella and wore semi-transparent sandals, walking slowly along the stone path.

Because it had been raining for several days with almost no stopping, the park was nearly deserted. Only in a nearby pavilion were two elderly men playing Go – the only spectator being one of their granddaughters.