A Young Woman's Heart

"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Mo Xueyao, who was originally planning to throw the trash downstairs in the garbage room, put it directly next to the railing in the stairwell by the entrance. "Are you going to the roof?"

"Yes, I hung some things out to dry up there. I'm going to check how they're drying now."

"Oh—" Mo Xueyao remembered that she had been up there when she was a child, but when asked to describe what it was like up there, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As we were chatting, my uncle had already climbed up the ladder, and the small, square skylight connected to another cave.

At this moment, Mo Xueyao felt like a frog standing at the bottom of a well, inexplicably longing for the sky above the rooftop.

"Uncle, can I go up?"

"You can go! But be careful!"

Having received permission, she naturally ignored the last sentence, gripping the ladder with both hands, as if she had rediscovered the feeling of childhood.

The creaking ladder always makes you feel like it's going to break at any moment.

A ladder made of bamboo is hollow inside, so it is naturally not as sturdy as one made of wood.

But the key is that these things are cheap, and there is a lot of bamboo in the south, so almost all the ladders you see here are made of bamboo.

Mo Xueyao quickened her pace, her skirt fluttering lightly in the breeze.

But since the distance wasn't long, he used both his hands and feet and climbed to the rooftop in less than ten seconds.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on her face, causing her to squint and feel a little dizzy.

"Hey, be careful!" The uncle quickly grabbed her arm with his rough, dark hands and pulled her towards him.

"Uh...it's nothing, it's nothing." Mo Xueyao quickly shook her head, her blue eyes regaining focus, but she was still a little unaccustomed to the strong sunlight.

Actually, it's not hot on the rooftop because there's a cool breeze blowing in.

The roof is flat and has no tiles.

They just built some drainage ditches around it.

A thick layer of waterproof paper was laid on top—this wasn't laid by the community, but by Mo Xueyao's father himself.

Because of its flat roof design, it is easy for water to leak into the house.

"I heard that they're going to convert flat land to slopes later?" Mo Xueyao suddenly asked. "Then Uncle, you won't be able to dry these things then."

"Haha, it's okay, we'll talk about it later."

The so-called flat-to-slope roof conversion is to replace a flat roof with a tiled roof.

When houses were built, insufficient consideration was given to the details. Over time, people discovered that houses with roof tiles were better at preventing leaks, and because of the slope, rainwater wouldn't pool together.

Unlike single-story houses, which, even with drainage ditches, still experience water accumulation and leaks during typhoon seasons.

The flat rooftop, with only a guardrail less than half a meter high, is almost ineffective.

There is a large water tank in the middle. All the water for the entire building is first pumped into the water tank and then delivered to each household.

This thing needs to be cleaned regularly, otherwise the water will get all dirty.

Because the water tank supplies water to everyone in the building, it cannot be turned off. Therefore, there is a family on the fourth floor who never pays their water bill.

It wasn't that their family was deliberately refusing to pay; they were simply too poor to afford it.

They can have their electricity cut off separately, but the water can't be, so they have to keep using it.

However, the water company certainly wouldn't lose out; the extra water bill was then spread among the other households.

Fortunately, the water bill itself wasn't expensive, and after being split among everyone, it wasn't much at all. People didn't really hate the fourth-floor residents; they were just slightly resentful. But overall, they felt a bit sorry for them.

"You can have a barbecue upstairs now!"

"Haha, want to have a barbecue? I have a small barbecue grill at home, just the right size."

"Ah, never mind..." Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek awkwardly; after all, she had only said it casually.

"It's nothing. I was just bored at home, so I thought I'd keep you girls company. I'll also invite your... your classmate? and Shu'er from next door."

On a clear, sunny day, what to eat and do on this rooftop might actually be a very interesting thing.

Mo Xueyao was slightly tempted.

She leaned against the large water tank, staring at the cicada that had somehow climbed there and was flapping its wings for a long time before finally saying, "Ah... could you bring the tables and chairs up here?"

"Don't worry, I have all of these at home, haha. I used to love camping when I was working, so I have all the gear I need!"

"Hmm, where did you work before, Uncle?"

"I quit working at the steel mill; it was too tiring!"

"Aren't you tired now too?"

"At least it's freedom! You can work when you want and rest when you don't. Isn't that great?" The uncle fiddled with a large pile of dried sweet potatoes spread on the sack, turning them over one by one to make sure they were dried evenly.

"Ah, Xiaoyao, you're going to be a top student! What are you planning to study in college?"

"Hmm... I think the job I want to do most in my life is to be the owner of a convenience store..." Her face flushed slightly, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead, which had been exposed to the sun. She smiled shyly and said, "It's very easy. I just sit and watch the store."

"Haha, not bad, that's a good ideal! But college students can't be so unambitious, you're supposed to be elites!"

"Tsk, well then, maybe I'll become a teacher? Or a journalist or something."

"Teacher, teaching and nurturing students is a wonderful ideal." The uncle said, then sighed, "Alas, my family just graduated, and we don't even know what we'll do after graduation."

Is he graduating soon?

"It'll be soon, you'll graduate next year." The uncle didn't continue the conversation, but instead turned and climbed down the stairs. "I'll go get your things!"

"oh oh……"

What would you like to eat?

"Ah, whatever, whatever. Oh right, never mind, I'll just take some from home!"

"It's alright, I have everything ready at home!"

Mo Xueyao watched her uncle laugh heartily, climb down the ladder, and then hurriedly ran into the room.

"Wanyan! Want to go to the rooftop to get something to eat?"

"Didn't we just finish breakfast?"

"Well, just think of it as going to see the scenery or getting some fresh air!"

"Oh."

"You're going? Then I'll go call Yu Shu!"

"it is good."

Then came another series of hurried footsteps, followed by a knock on Yu Shu's door.

……

Chapter 86 Leisurely Strolling on the Rooftop

Although it's still August, according to the lunar calendar, it's already after the beginning of autumn.

In other words, autumn has arrived.

The sun was still blazing, but upon closer inspection, there was a difference. At least it wasn't as stuffy as in the height of summer. Even though it was still hot, it felt cool whenever there was a breeze.

The air on the rooftop is nice, and looking around, there don't seem to be many buildings taller than six stories.

The line of sight could extend very far; Mo Xueyao could even see the buildings in Peace Square, and if she had binoculars, she might even be able to see the 'Lotus Supermarket' sign.

On the flat rooftop, there were many potted plants, and someone even brought a few styrofoam boxes to grow vegetables. It was unclear which floor they lived on.

The sweet potatoes in that styrofoam box looked especially appealing. If my mother saw them, she would definitely want to pick the sweet potato vines and eat them.

Yes, she has recently developed a liking for eating sweet potato vines. Her father said that those vines used to be used to feed pigs, but her mother insists that they are delicious.

Mo Xueyao thought the taste was neither good nor bad. It was a little sticky and the texture was different from ordinary green vegetables. It was okay to eat it occasionally, but if you ate it often, you would easily get tired of it.

After carrying his food upstairs, the uncle selling fried skewers went downstairs. He usually starts his business at night, but he also has to prepare during the day.

The filling for the fried dough balls needs to be prepared well, the skewers need to be marinated, and the rice cakes need to be cut and skewered...

Although it may seem like I'm only busy at night, I'm actually working all day long.

"Yu Shu—" Mo Xueyao stood beside the ladder and shouted to Yu Shu, "Come up quickly!"

"Hmm..." Yu Shu, who hadn't tied her hair up today, tossed her medium-length hair back and tentatively placed one foot on the ladder.

"It's okay, I'll help you hold onto the top!" Mo Xueyao gripped the top of the bamboo ladder tightly to make it more stable.

"Hmm, um... I'll try..." Yu Shu carefully grabbed the bamboo ladder and climbed up little by little. What should have taken only a dozen seconds took her almost three minutes to complete.

When she came up, Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief for her.

"Phew... You're too slow. There's no need to be so scared."

"I...I'm a little afraid of heights..."

"It's okay, it's okay, then don't go to the side."

Yu Shu nodded gently, clasped her hands in front of her chest, tiptoed to look outside, and then quickly looked away.

Four small stools of different shapes and sizes were already placed on the rooftop: some were plastic, some were wooden, some were round, and some were square...

There was a chessboard drawn on the small table, exactly the same as the chessboard tables that the old men downstairs in the community often use.

Several plates of marinated meat or vegetable skewers were placed on top, and a dozen figs were placed in a transparent glass bowl.

There were no drinks, only two thermos flasks on the ground. Mo Xueyao took out her own cup, poured some hot water in, so she wouldn't burn herself when she wanted to drink later.

"Ugh...it hurts." Yu Shu suddenly bit her finger, as if trying to squeeze something out with her teeth.

"What's wrong?" Mo Xueyao moved her stool closer to her.

"Xiaoyao, look... it looks like something has pierced through..."

"Uh, it's probably a burr. Old ladders like these usually have them." Mo Xueyao grabbed her fingers and pulled her hand closer, her eyes scrutinizing the small white dot. "It might hurt a little. Let me rub it for you. It would be easier if we had a needle..."

"Hmm..." Yu Shu nodded, her face slightly flushed. "Can you pull it out?"

“It should work…” Mo Xueyao narrowed one eye, pinched the end of the bristle tightly with her slightly longer fingernail, and then pulled hard—