A Young Woman's Heart

Hua Yinyin was introducing the band members, and a few passersby stopped to watch.

They all looked relaxed, and their whispered comments were quite tolerant.

"This is our pianist—but since we can't afford a piano, we'll have to make do with an electronic keyboard for now!" Hua Yinyin laughed and extended her hands, introducing Mo Xueyao with a graceful and generous manner.

Mo Xueyao, who was often tormented by Hua Yinyin, was already used to it and didn't panic at all because others were focusing their attention on her. Instead, she had the leisure to tease Hua Yinyin: "Tch, I'm not you. An electronic keyboard is already very expensive for me!"

In reality, Mo Xueyao doesn't know how to play the piano at all; you have to know how to use the pedals.

In comparison, aside from Mr. Xue, who can probably play everything, the person who is better at playing the piano here is probably Wang Jiale.

"The one playing the electronic keyboard is called Mo Xueyao, she's of mixed Chinese and Russian descent! You can tell by her blue eyes. By the way, I'm actually one of them too, cough um!" Hua Yinyin pointed to herself and muttered somewhat resentfully, "But I don't have such pretty eyes."

"Black eyes are the most beautiful!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"That's right!" Immediately, many more voices echoed in agreement.

Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways, subconsciously narrowing her eyes. Hua Yinyin, standing beside her, continued excitedly, "Isn't Mo Xueyao beautiful and cute? She has perfect pitch! She's the fastest improving one among us!"

Mo Xueyao squeezed her face aside, snatched the microphone, and said, "If we're talking about the most amazing one among us, it's definitely Xiao Xue! His full name is Mr. Xue, Xue as in snow, Xian as in first come, and Sheng as in birth!"

Mr. Xue smiled but didn't say anything. He simply picked up the suona and played a few clear and melodious bird calls.

Several older people clapped enthusiastically. These older generations know very well just how difficult it is to play the suona.

"Ta-da, next up is our bassist~" Hua Yinyin moved aside a bit, and Wang Jiale put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed forward. The three of them were now very close together, and the fine downy hair on their cheeks could even stick together—it seemed that only young girls had such cute downy hair that could only be seen up close.

Because it was a street performance, we didn't bring many microphones, only two in total. One was with Hua Yinyin, and the other was with the old man earlier, but we put it next to the drum set later.

Both the bass and synthesizer can be wired to the speaker, so there's no need to place a microphone next to it for amplification.

"Bass—that's the instrument, it's from abroad, it has a deep and solid sound, and it's the only bass instrument in our band!"

Hua Yinyin fiddled with the bass guitar in Wang Jiale's hands a few times, and said jokingly, "The bass is just like Lele's boyfriend~"

"Cough cough! No way!" Wang Jiale hurriedly shouted in a panic, "Hey, Yinyin, don't talk nonsense!!"

Wang Jiale took a few steps back and quickly pulled Yu Shu up to cushion his fall: "This is our keyboardist! He's carrying an electronic synthesizer on his back. It can not only play guitar sounds, but also other musical timbres! Like my bass, or even the pipa, and of course, the electronic keyboard is no problem either."

"H-H-Hello everyone..." Yu Shu lowered her head and spoke very softly, but the microphone still faithfully amplified her words through the speakers.

"The keyboardist is a little shy," Hua Yinyin ruffled Yu Shu's hair in a bun. "But she's very hardworking and her skills are pretty good! She's our junior! Isn't she super cute?"

Yu Shu didn't dare to look at anyone else, her face flushed as she hid behind Mo Xueyao.

"Next up is our drummer, the soul of the band!" Mo Xueyao changed the subject at the opportune moment, "Mo Zhuyou!!"

Mo Zhuyou peeked out from behind the drum set, revealing a bright forehead and two eyes: "Hello everyone! I'm the band leader!"

"Hey! Hey!" Hua Yinyin immediately shouted, "I'm clearly the captain!"

Mo Xueyao flicked her long hair behind her ear and teased, "This captain is unreliable. Even Youyou is better than you."

"Tch, I'm clearly the most reliable one—in terms of performance!"

"Who said that? They always create a whole bunch of unexpected situations—" Mo Xueyao retorted without hesitation.

"Hehe, that's what makes it entertaining~" Hua Yinyin cleared her throat and brought the topic back on track, "Anyway, that's all, I am the real captain of the Snow Music Band—Hua Yinyin!"

As she spoke, she spontaneously played a classic pipa piece, perfectly showcasing the pipa's melodious sound, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

Hua Yinyin's skills are indeed superb, after all, the pipa has been with her for more than ten years.

When she plays, it even feels like the instrument and the player become one.

When she gets excited, it can even make you feel like everything around you disappears, and all the light is focused on her, making her the only one in the world.

The melody of the song suddenly turned very melancholic, and Hua Yinyin lowered her eyes slightly, as if she were secretly shedding tears.

But soon, it became cheerful again, taking the prelude to a funeral dirge of sorrow.

The sound of a drum set then rang out behind her, and this time, the first person to join in was surprisingly Mo Zhuyou.

The others quickly returned to their positions, picked up their instruments, and joined in the playing.

Hua Yinyin didn't seem to have any intention of singing. Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways, giving her a meaningful look. Seeing that she still didn't move, she began to sing the first line herself: "On the road to growing up, life is never easy—"

Singing can make people forget all their troubles.

Mo Xueyao has a very special voice. She didn't know how to sing very well at first, but later she learned to play the piano and gradually learned many singing techniques from Hua Yinyin.

At least it won't be as off-key as before.

In fact, with her voice, it's not easy for her to sing off-key now.

It's as refreshing as ice-cold Sprite, and it even seems to have a touch of shaved ice.

She sang this song with a minty flavor. Although it's not really autumn yet, the roadside trees are still green, but you can still hear a hint of autumn's crispness.

The music had a melodious tune.

The Snow Music Ensemble's performance has only just begun.

The crimson sunset finally sank below the horizon with its weary light, and the afterglow that set the clouds ablaze was its last rays.

Finally, night fell, and the streetlights suddenly lit up in rows.

The night market stalls were lit up with lights of different colors.

Yellow incandescent bulbs come in different shades of yellow, and white fluorescent bulbs come in different shades of white...

The night did not silence the city; instead, it brought it to life, even more bustling than during the day.

The Snow Music Band's performance venue had no stage or bright lights; they relied on the lights from the surrounding stalls and shops for illumination.

Oh no, actually there are also streetlights.

This time, a street lamp was right above Mo Zhuyou's head, shining directly on her like a spotlight on a stage.

Now, he truly is the 'soul' of the entire band.

After all, her place has the brightest light.

……

Li Wanyan gently took her mother's hand and walked across the small road where people came and went but few cars passed by.

Is it okay to give the work to her?

"Yes, I've already told Zhuang Lianlian beforehand that we'll go back after Yaoyao finishes her performance."

"How was their performance?" The mother, who was now several feet taller than Li Wanyan, squeezed her daughter's hand tightly and asked with a smile.

"Fortunately."

"That sounds a bit forced?"

"Not very professional." Li Wanyan's gaze fell on the roadside vendors one after another, and after a while she continued, "But for students, it's already pretty good."

"I think I heard singing, it's very intense."

"Hmm," Li Wanyan replied calmly, tiptoeing slightly as if searching for the source of the sound.

Finally, I saw that a large crowd had gathered there. Some were standing on the road, some on the sidewalk, some stopped on their bikes, and some were sitting and drinking.

Even if the singing voice is muffled and hard to hear, it doesn't diminish the charm of the music.

Li Wanyan pulled her mother's hand and squeezed into the crowd. The smell inside was extremely strange, a mixture of sweat and other odd smells that made it very unpleasant.

She struggled to squeeze out of the crowd and finally saw Mo Xueyao and the others playing their instrument, their faces covered in sweat.

Is this what it means to sweat and toil during one's youth?

Li Wanyan suddenly thought of a sentence that high school seniors had written to death.

But at this moment, there is truly no more fitting description.

This vibrant and beautiful spirit is what students should be like.

Mo Xueyao's blue eyes had already spotted Li Wanyan. Taking advantage of the break, she raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her face and brushed her matted bangs aside.

"Wanyan—!" Mo Xueyao shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd.

Li Wanyan could only see her mouth moving, but couldn't hear her voice.

She felt as if something was slipping from her hand, and hurriedly turned around to look, but her mother was not beside her.

Before she could think any further, Hua Yinyin leaned close to the microphone and shouted to Li Wanyan, "Wanyan~! You're here! Let me introduce you, this is our belated lead singer!"

"Clang!" Mo Zhuyou almost fell face-first onto the drum set.

Mo Xueyao also choked and coughed, and the sound of the electronic keyboard suddenly became chaotic.

"Hey!" Mo Xueyao glared at her fiercely.

"Welcome, lead singer!" Hua Yinyin showed no intention of changing her address.

This was so unusual that even Li Wanyan was somewhat bewildered.

Hua Yinyin quickly walked up to her with small, quick steps, took her wrist, pulled her to the microphone, and teased with a smile, "Lead singer, what do you want to sing today?"

She didn't answer, her eyes still fixed on the direction she had come from. Her mother was struggling to squeeze through the crowd, looking somewhat disheveled.

"...There's no one better than a mother in the world."

……

Chapter Ninety-Two: Umbrella, Rain, Night

The sudden downpour outside the window made me feel uneasy.

Mo Kong took off his monocle, rubbed his eyes, and seemed a little tired.

Su Yuqing sat quietly to the side, stroking the pure black cat with her left hand again and again.

It was only four in the afternoon, but it felt like midnight.

The only sound in the principal's office was the rain pattering against the eaves.

Although school hasn't started yet, he often comes by to handle some official business.

"How is it?" Su Yuqing hugged the black cat into her arms, leaned against the mahogany chair against the wall, and asked softly.

"She plans to give up."