A Young Woman's Heart

"I think it's best not to bring an electronic keyboard from Monday to Thursday anymore, since you won't be able to practice much anyway..."

"Can't we just leave it at the school?" Li Wanyan glanced at her sideways.

"Leaving it at school, um... um... I'm worried about its safety?"

"Only you guys are allowed in the band room, so it should be fine."

“That’s true, and very few people go to that lab building.” The reason I didn’t want to put the keyboard in the band room at first was because I hadn’t been playing in a band for very long, and I started to touch the keyboard more often than I used to. I had developed an attachment to it and was reluctant to leave it in the classroom—even though I knew it was unlikely to be stolen.

Now, it's been in use for quite a while.

People are always like this; they seem to gradually stop treasuring things they've used for a long time.

Although she still takes care of the electronic keyboard regularly, she no longer worries about it all night when it's left in the band room like before.

That's why they started to consider Li Wanyan's suggestion.

I had just gotten used to it before, and my thinking had become somewhat fixed, so I hadn't thought of it for a while.

"Then let's start by bringing them over on Monday, and then take them back on Friday."

"Ah."

"Should I just put it back today?" Mo Xueyao asked herself, without stopping her steps. "Forget it, it's too much trouble to walk back. I'll just go home."

Li Wanyan nodded gently and picked up Mo Xueyao's schoolbag as well.

There were no stars in the pitch-black night sky.

The ground was wet; it must have just rained.

Water droplets were still trickling down the lamppost.

The orange-yellow light also carried a slightly damp feel at this moment.

There are still many vendors waiting near the school. Among the senior high school students, there are always many who want to buy something to eat on their way home.

At the first alleyway outside the school, there's an old lady who sells eggs. Business isn't good there, probably because eggs aren't as appealing to students as other snacks.

On the small tricycle was an iron bucket filled with tea eggs, and next to it was a small coal stove with an oil pan on top. If you liked fried food, you could ask her to put batter on the tea eggs and fry them.

In addition, there is an iron plate placed on the wood-burning stove. This is the largest item on the entire tricycle. Because it is so big, it seems out of place on the tricycle, like an adult's head growing on a child's body.

This is for frying eggs.

Of course, the raw material is no longer tea eggs, but raw eggs.

You can make poached eggs or scallion pancakes.

Although Mo Xueyao had never eaten at her place, she always saw a few people buying it when she passed by every day.

She touched her pockets, feeling a restless urge to buy something today.

"Didn't you eat enough for dinner?" Li Wanyan asked, glancing sideways with a half-smile.

"It's alright... I'm just a tiny bit hungry!"

"I was just craving something sweet."

"Hey, Wanyan, do you want some?" Mo Xueyao, carrying her electronic keyboard, quickly stood in front of the old lady's tricycle, taking two steps at a time.

"Little girl, would you like to buy some? Eat them on the way. Eggs are good for you; they're healthy and won't make you fat—"

Mo Xueyao knew, of course, that eating too many eggs was actually bad for her health, but she didn't take it too seriously. After all, it was just a business pitch from the other party, and to argue about it would just make her seem like she was being too argumentative.

"Uh... how much does it cost?"

"Tea eggs are four cents, deep-fried ones are five cents, poached eggs are three cents each, and egg pancakes are one dollar each, with two eggs and a little bit of minced meat inside."

"Hey, tea eggs and poached eggs have different prices."

"Of course! Poached eggs are done in no time, no trouble at all. But for tea eggs, you have to factor in the cost of the tea!" the old woman explained with a smile. Although she was dressed simply, she was very clean, and even if you stood close, you couldn't smell any odor on her.

"Hmm, then I'll have a fried egg. What about Wanyan?"

"A poached egg will do."

"That's eight cents in total."

"One yuan, how about another fried egg?" Mo Xueyao asked somewhat shyly, this was one of the few times she had tried to bargain.

The main problem is that the old lady didn't look like she had much money, and I was haggling over the price. Wasn't that taking advantage of her?

"Okay—sure." The old lady smiled. "Would you like some ketchup on the fried egg?"

"no need."

"No need, no need!" Mo Xueyao quickly shook her head as well.

Let's save that penny on the sauce; we can't let her not only fail to make money but also lose money.

Perhaps because her family members run a shop, Mo Xueyao felt that doing business is about making money, and it would be too much if customers always thought about not letting the shop owner make money.

Even shop owners are just working for themselves, earning hard-earned money, and their lives aren't as easy as those who are truly wealthy.

If shop owners are like this, then street vendors must be working even harder.

The streetlights at the alley entrance provided some light, but because the tricycle wasn't directly under one of them, the light was still rather dim. Mo Xueyao couldn't even make out the color of the oil; she could only see it sizzling like rippling lake water.

The old lady gently rubbed the tea egg on the cutting board of the tricycle, and then, as easily as taking off clothes, peeled off the entire eggshell.

Even in dim light, this tea egg, with its beautiful patterns all over its surface, was coated in batter and tossed into the oil pan.

While the deep-frying was underway, the old lady busied herself frying eggs.

"Should the egg yolk be cooked a little, or raw?"

"Cooked."

"Hey, I want mine raw, with the yolk of a poached egg. It tastes better when it's a little raw!" Mo Xueyao hurriedly exclaimed. So, her portion was scooped up and put into a styrofoam box.

The use of foam boxes is also very economical. The lid and the box are used separately. If you buy a small amount of things, like Mo Xueyao and others, you will use the lid. If you buy a larger amount, you will use a deeper box.

For street vendors, profits come from saving every little bit of money in these small places.

Disposable chopsticks are wrapped in a thin plastic film, the cheapest kind, and are not only thinner than regular chopsticks, but also slightly shorter.

In another small basket were loose disposable chopsticks. At first, Mo Xueyao didn't understand why these chopsticks weren't packaged, until the old lady stuck a chopstick into a fried tea egg, put it in a styrofoam box, and then handed her a pair of packaged chopsticks. Only then did she understand what was going on.

Those loose chopsticks are probably the ones left over from when you only have one chopstick.

Generally speaking, it would be better to give each person a pair of chopsticks, but she saved costs by using a more frugal method.

Life is really not easy for ordinary people, or rather, for those at the bottom of society...

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but sigh inwardly as she picked up the chopsticks with the fried tea egg stuck in them.

"Take care," the old lady said with a kind smile.

"Ok!"

Mo Xueyao waved goodbye to her.

Often, it's in these quiet alleyways that you can truly feel the warmth of human connection and the everyday joy of life.

The outer layer of the deep-fried tea egg is already golden and crispy. One bite, and it tastes even better than the egg itself.

Li Wanyan slowed her pace, bent down to pick up her fried egg, took a small bite, as if to savor its deliciousness.

Even with inexpensive street food, they can still enjoy it.

While eating, Mo Xueyao wished the road back to the fruit shop would be longer.

The clouds in the sky dispersed a little, revealing a few bright stars.

By the time Mo Xueyao went to eat her poached egg, it had gotten a little cold, and the yolk, which was originally half-cooked, had solidified a bit, but it still tasted pretty good.

Compared to Li Wanyan's slow and careful eating, she ate half a piece in one bite and finished it in two bites.

With her mouth full of egg yolk, she licked her teeth for quite a while.

The road to the fruit shop is really not far.

Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan had already arrived at the store entrance.

Business was slow today. My father was negotiating the deposit and price with a man who had ordered fruit baskets for tomorrow, while my mother was packing up cardboard boxes nearby.

"Mom, how's business today?" Mo Xueyao asked casually.

"that's it."

"Any big business opportunities coming in?"

"forget."

Are you tired today?

"nonsense."

"...Mom, why are you being so rude?" Mo Xueyao felt inexplicably wronged. She just wanted to start a conversation.

“You’re so tired every day, and when you come home at night you still ask me all sorts of questions. Do I have to report my work to you? There are so many things, how am I supposed to remember them all? It’s exhausting to recall them all. Isn’t it troublesome? Ask your dad, don’t always ask your mom.” The mother said irritably, “You don’t help with the work, all you do is ask questions. What’s the point of asking so many questions?”

"Tch—" Mo Xueyao dragged out the sound and couldn't help but click her tongue, "If you don't want to talk, then don't talk, really, then I'll never ask again."

"Oh, you're getting angry just because I said a few words to you?"

"I'm not angry!" Mo Xueyao, who wasn't angry before, was now genuinely angry.

"Then next time I come back, please don't ask me any questions, okay?"

"I was just concerned about you, but is that the same as what you are?"

"I was just concerned, wasn't I?" Mo Xueyao stepped down the stairs. "Never mind, I'm going home now!"

"The cut watermelon is on the counter. Eat it before you go. There's also some bread I bought at the supermarket yesterday. If you're hungry, take some and eat it yourself."

"..." Just as Mo Xueyao was about to start sulking, she suddenly felt as if she had punched a cotton ball, which was both funny and sad.

"understood--"

That's life, isn't it?

……

Chapter Seventeen: Rest!