A Young Woman's Heart

Xuan Anyi turned a corner and arrived at the end of the park.

The park has only one gate, and the further you go in, the fewer people there are, so even the grass grows exceptionally lush.

A dragonfly was hiding in a pile of grass when suddenly there was a commotion. A black cat and a white cat tumbled out from inside, startling the dragonfly, which flew a few feet higher and disappeared into another patch of grass.

"Meow—meow" The two cats rolled to Xuan Anyi's side. As if they smelled a familiar scent, they immediately raised their heads and rubbed against her sandals.

They seemed completely unconcerned about their fur getting wet.

She used her toes to nudge the chins of the two cats, but didn't stop walking until she reached a small pavilion next to them.

This is not a pavilion for people; it is only about half a person tall and looks more like a landscape model.

The pavilion is open on only one side; the other sides are surrounded by artificial rocks.

Inside, there was a smiling Maitreya Buddha statue, with several cats either lying on its belly or on its shoulders, taking shelter from the rain.

"Meow~" Xuan Anyi called softly, immediately attracting their attention.

Then, the stray cats, who were already very familiar with her, immediately raised their tails high and poked half of their heads out.

Its furry head was damp from the rain.

"**, are you hungry?" She wanted to squat down, but was afraid that her long skirt would drag on the wet ground, so she just bent down and spread out the plastic bag containing rice mixed with fish maw in front of the Buddha statue.

This is certainly not for the Buddha statue, but for these stray cats.

"Don't fight over them." Xuan Anyi soothed each cat, making them gather together peacefully and not fight over each other.

The rain stopped briefly, but the dark clouds in the sky did not dissipate, indicating that it would continue for a while.

A cool breeze blew by, and a few raindrops pattered down on the leaves, as if a light rain was falling under the trees.

Xuan Anyi watched the cats finish eating, even licking the bag clean, before picking up the greasy plastic bag and throwing it into the trash can next to her.

Then he turned and left.

Two orange cats kept darting around in the bushes, following her like they were playing a detective game.

They escorted her to the park entrance, standing on the dividing line between the main road and the park, watching the passing vehicles, then looking at her, tilting their heads back and calling softly twice, as if saying goodbye.

"Meow……"

"See you tomorrow." Xuan Anyi waved to them, her umbrella tilting slightly, and many more water droplets rolled off it.

……

(two)

After eating the breakfast her father bought downstairs that morning, Hua Yinyin ran back to her room.

Although she had already washed up, she was still wearing her pajamas.

After several days of rain, the temperature dropped sharply, to the point that even with the fan on, it was still a bit cold.

She turned it on and blew for a few seconds before slamming it off.

Then the curtains were drawn back, letting the dark gray light into the room.

She knelt on the fluffy white carpet, pinched the soft flesh on her waist, pursed her lips slightly, and pulled over the schoolbag next to her.

The items inside were taken out one by one. Last year's textbooks were piled up to one side, while old test papers and used notebooks were placed on the other side.

"My schoolbag needs washing..." she muttered to herself, placing the completely emptied schoolbag by the door, then turning around to open her desk drawer and rummaging through the unused new stationery.

She was taking stock of what she needed to buy so she wouldn't have to go to the convenience store near the school gate to buy things.

Although it was convenient, the main problem was that the convenience store didn't have any stationery she liked, so she always had to go to a stationery specialty store in the city center to buy supplies.

The pens in the drawer were all fancy, with all sorts of shapes and patterns.

For example, there are pens shaped like corn kernels, correction tapes that look like cola cans, notebooks with fruity scents, and pink ink cartridges...

"Hmm... I'm almost out of blue pen refills, I need to go buy some. I wonder if I can find the same color as Xiaoyao's..." Hua Yinyin took them out and then put them back. "It seems like we're out of new pencil cases. Should we go buy a new one? Even though this one has only been used for one semester..."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she thought of something, and she bent down to open the large cabinet underneath.

These are all gifts given to me by others, or things I don't usually use.

The cabinet was very large; even the oil-paper umbrella that Mo Xueyao had given her was kept there.

The gifts were even still in their gift boxes to prevent them from getting dusty.

She opened one of them and took out a cow-shaped pencil case. It was soft to the touch and had a cute, round shape. Although it couldn't hold many pens, it was enough if you squeezed it a little.

"Hmm... I'll use this this year!" she muttered, nodding. "Was this a gift from Xiaoyao or Wanyan...?"

Hua Yinyin opened another gift box, inside which was a mug with a semi-3D cow pattern. She couldn't quite tell who had given her the two gifts.

It doesn't matter, I'm going to use it anyway.

Finding old gifts that I've kept hidden away seems to bring back the feeling of receiving them that day.

However, she also found something strange.

"Uh... a wrench...? I think it was a gift from Brother Xiaoxi..."

The metal wrench still retains its color, looking brand new.

It even has a bow tied on top, as if it's trying its best to prove that it really is a gift.

Hua Yinyin held her little face in her hands, pouted her chubby little mouth, threw it back, and also tidied up all the other scattered things again.

"Dad—?" She pushed open the door, picked up her schoolbag, and went out. In the living room, only her father was sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper. There was still a little bit of soy milk left in the bowl in front of him, and he had been eating half a fried dough stick for almost twenty minutes.

"What?" the father asked without looking up from the newspaper.

Where is my mom?

"Her? She's in the room."

"Oh—I left my backpack here, can you let her wash it for me?"

"Why don't you just put it in the washing machine yourself?"

"Let her release it, okay? Then I'll go out for a bit."

"Oh, where are you going?"

"Of course, I'll buy stationery."

"Okay, bring me a pack of cigarettes when you come back."

"Tsk." Hua Yinyin clicked her tongue and drawled, "I knew it."

"Hey, my daughter is the best."

……

(three)

L City, which is under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou.

New roads have been paved on the streets of the ancient town.

It seems to have lost some of its rustic charm.

However, the shops in the town remained the same, and in the misty rain, the wind blew up the cloth signs at the entrance of the teahouse.

Cha Li sat at the tea table at the entrance of the teahouse, with a large modern parasol overhead that seemed out of place in the small town.

However, it is indeed much more convenient and easier to use than a thatched awning.

A large yellow ox walked on the asphalt road, gently swishing its tail. I wonder if it felt that this road was not as soft as the old dirt road.

In front of her was a plate of fennel beans and a braised chicken leg. The owner's little dog was squatting beside her with its tongue lolling out, waiting to gnaw on the bone.

Cha Li took a small sip of the locally picked and brewed green tea—it hadn't even been roasted.

Its taste is more bitter, but its aroma is also more intense.

She didn't bring any books and had no one to keep her company, yet she didn't feel bored or lonely at all.

Because the people and events on the street are the best movie.

……

(four)

"Huh? You're still in Hangzhou?"

"Ahem... Xiaoxue, don't tell anyone... We're not entirely sure yet..."

"understood."

"Hey, haha, where are you going?"

"The two Mo sisters."

"Damn, when did this happen? You've already won over both sisters?"

"Hmm? It's quiet there, so it won't disturb anyone."

"So what are you doing? Why are you playing such thrilling games?"

"Go do some carpentry work."

"...Can I come along too?"

"Isn't it because I don't want others to know?"

"Ah... never mind."

……

(Fives)

"Mom, this is lunch." Li Wanyan walked into the convenience store carrying two lunch boxes.

Grandma Jin wasn't here today, so Pan Jiexiang was alone in the shop. There weren't many customers, so she was quite relaxed.

"Just put it on the wooden table by the window."

"it is good."

Pan Jiexiang smiled and walked over: "Yanyan, please give this hundred yuan to your godmother later, as my food expenses."

Li Wanyan looked up at her mother, then gently shook her head with a slight smile: "No need."