A Young Woman's Heart

"Are you out yet?"

"No, uh, it's a bit slippery, the part I can pinch is too short..." Mo Xueyao opened her eyes wide again, pressed down the area around Yu Shu's fingertips to make the burr protrude a bit more, and then she realized she had no hands to use.

The sound of climbing a ladder came from downstairs, and then Wanyan stood on the rooftop, holding several novels in her hands. Just as she was about to ask Mo Xueyao which one she wanted to read, she saw her lower her head, her pink lips pressed tightly against Yu Shu's fingertips.

The next second, she jerked her head back, leaving a thin, long trail of glistening saliva and her fingertips.

It broke immediately when the wind blew.

"Pah!" She spat to the side. "Alright, alright, it should be out by now."

"Hmm, it doesn't hurt anymore..." Yu Shu put her fingertip in her mouth and licked it gently. When she noticed Li Wanyan's gaze, she hurriedly hid her hand behind her back.

"Yaoyao, I've brought the novel you wanted to read."

"Okay." Mo Xueyao nodded casually, then spat to the side. She felt as if she had bitten the thorn into pieces, and some of it was still in her mouth, and she had even swallowed a little. "Ugh—spit!"

"What's wrong."

"It feels like something's stuck in my throat, uh, it's up there."

"Have some water."

"This is the only way..."

The three of them sat down, and the eldest uncle's son arrived late.

He was slightly overweight but quite tall, probably around 1.8 meters. He had many red acne scars on his face, and his hair was messy and greasy. Judging from his sleepy eyes, he looked like he had just woken up.

"Brother Ganggang." Mo Xueyao greeted him somewhat awkwardly. Although they had met a few times and she had even played on his computer at his house, they only saw each other once or twice a year on average, and they rarely spoke.

"Hmm, Xiaoyao, Shuer..." His gaze swept over the two of them and landed on Li Wanyan, as if he was thinking about how to address her.

"Wanyan, you live with me every day now."

"Oh—Wanyan, uh, hello." She scratched her head awkwardly and said with a sheepish smile, "My dad said I stay at home all day and don't go out for fresh air, so he wants me to at least go up to the rooftop to get some fresh air and sunshine, and chat with some people."

"Oh—but staying home and not going out is really great."

"Yes!" He nodded, feeling a strong connection with Mo Xueyao. In that instant, he seemed to have suddenly become familiar with her.

"Speaking of which, we still don't know what Brother Gang's name is..." Yu Shu asked with a soft laugh, the saliva on her fingers seemingly dried by the wind.

"Du Gang, uh..."

"Du Gang? Du Kang?" Mo Xueyao immediately gave him a weird name. "It's a very nice surname, why is the given name so casual?"

"You'll have to ask my dad." Du Gang rubbed his eyes, squatted down, yawned, and pulled over the small charcoal grill. "Would you like some barbecue now? I'll make some for you."

"You know how to do it?"

"Haha, of course I can do it." Du Gang chuckled. "It's quite simple, and I used to help out at home a lot. I can fry or grill things."

"But Wanyan and I just had breakfast..."

"What time is it for breakfast? Haha, same as me, but I haven't eaten yet!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"I ate at 8:30..." Yu Shu weakly raised her hand.

"Then let's bake a few to eat as snacks."

"Okay, it's fine. Snacks and meals are stored in two different stomachs. Isn't that common sense?"

"Be careful not to gain weight, hahaha."

"Brother Gang, no wonder Uncle said you don't have a girlfriend, tsk tsk."

"Tch, you're a tomboy until high school, you have no right to talk to me like that." Du Gang rolled his eyes and placed the charcoal pieces one by one under the grill.

Mo Xueyao unceremoniously took a fig, then turned to look at Li Wanyan and Yu Shu: "Eat, eat, why aren't you eating? Figs can help cut through the greasiness before barbecue!"

"Shouldn't we eat first and then eat later?"

Mo Xueyao ignored Du Gang's question and changed the subject, asking, "Brother Gang, is university fun?"

"Ha, not bad."

"Is it easy or not?"

"It's easy if you want to say it's easy, and it's tiring if you want to say it's tiring..." Du Gang poured some kerosene on the charcoal, then lit it a few times with a lighter. Slowly, you could see the charcoal starting to burn. "Anyway, it depends on your own conscience."

"Then you must be the least conscious one?" Mo Xueyao asked jokingly, stuffing a fig into Li Wanyan's mouth, who still hadn't moved.

The latter shook his head helplessly, reached out and pinched the outer part of the fig, and took a small bite.

As for Yu Shu, she was already eating by herself.

"Did your uncle say you're graduating next year?"

"Yes."

What are your plans after graduation?

"Let's open a fried food stall for the family," Du Gang said with a smirk. "Haha, but my dad said that's not a promising career path and wants me to do something else, a more promising job."

"Then let's go."

"Well, I didn't study very hard, I'll probably just barely graduate... um... haha, I had too much fun in college."

"Tsk—"

"Don't end up like me when you go to college. Looking back now, I still regret it a little."

"If you could do it all over again, would you study harder?"

"If I had to do it again... well... I probably still wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of eating, drinking, and having fun."

"Oh dear—" Mo Xueyao spread her hands and laughed, "Brother, you were too honest just now, weren't you?"

"Haha, from elementary school to high school, it was all very tiring. But when I got to college, no one was watching me, so I naturally relaxed."

"Will Wanyan be like this in the future?" Mo Xueyao teased, nudging her arm as she asked.

"No," Li Wanyan replied firmly.

"Which university did you take the entrance exam for, brother?" Yu Shu asked curiously. Li Wanyan pointed to the corner of her mouth, and the latter quickly wiped it with a napkin.

The four chatted casually.

Time flowed slowly, and the weather grew hotter.

Du Gang would grill some, and everyone would eat some. Sometimes no one would speak, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward.

They either stare blankly into the distance or look down at a novel.

They seemed exceptionally relaxed.

"The holiday has been too long, and now I'm actually looking forward to going back to school," Mo Xueyao said suddenly, looking up from her book.

"Uh, me too. It's not that troublesome if you live on campus."

"Well, you're pretty much as relaxed during holidays as you are during school, aren't you?"

"Ugh, at least I'll go to class, okay..."

……

Chapter 87 The Story Under the Waxing Moon

A crescent moon hangs high in the sky; it has a beautiful name—the waxing crescent.

The black night is its garment, surrounded by buttons, and scattered around, flickering lights, are the stage lights.

"Ugh, it's so crowded..." Mo Xueyao pouted and leaned closer to the window so that Yu Shu could lie down a little more.

Tonight, Yu Shu wanted to spend the night with Mo Xueyao and the others. She took a shower at home and then came over. She seemed to really like the uniquely designed bunk bed.

Li Wanyan lay on the outermost side, Yu Shu lay in the middle, and Mo Xueyao lay on the very edge.

The main reason is that she likes to sleep with her back against the wall.

Don't worry about bumping into the window; in fact, you won't bump into the window unless you sit up.

At most, you might kick it when you lift your foot.

"Squeeze in, Haruka..."

"Tsk, I forgot that you love the feeling of being squeezed together, Yu Shu."

"Hmm?" Li Wanyan squeezed out a sound from her throat, indicating that she was not asleep yet.

Mo Xueyao's face was pressed against the cold wall, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. So she tilted her head and leaned to the left. This time she was no longer pressed against the wall, but her face was pressed against Yu Shu's.

The bed wasn't crowded for two people, but it wasn't spacious either. So even with the petite Yu Shu squeezing in, the three of them were pressed tightly together, leaving almost no room to move around.

“Yu Shu, uh…” Mo Xueyao turned her head to the side, finally out of Yu Shu’s breath, “She used to love those little boxes, and she would crawl into them, and pull me in too. She was happiest when the two of us were squeezed together, she was just like a piece of candy…”

"Like a cat."

"Yes, just like a cat."

"Meow~?" Yu Shu blinked playfully, then laughed at herself—or perhaps she felt embarrassed.

"Meow meow meow?" Mo Xueyao also meowed along with her.

Faintly, one could hear Li Wanyan sighing.

"Meow."

"Huh? Wanyan called out just now!" Mo Xueyao suddenly turned her head and bumped her head with Yu Shu's, both of them clutching their foreheads in pain.

"Yes!"

“It’s the cat meowing outside,” Li Wan said calmly.

"Really? It's so clear even through the window—" Mo Xueyao muttered with a hint of suspicion.

The bright moonlight shone on the bed, giving it a cool hue.

Mo Xueyao reached out and grabbed it, feeling as if she had pinched a clump of stream water that would ripple.

"Little Yao, Little Yao."