A Young Woman's Heart

"Hmm, is porridge okay?"

"I'll cook it. Xiaoxiao, go do something else."

"Hmm...okay." Cha Li came often, so Mo Xiaoxiao only hesitated slightly before becoming more polite.

After all, it's almost always the same.

She would stay overnight to watch the sunrise and help make breakfast; sometimes she would even make lunch and dinner.

Her cooking skills weren't bad, but unlike Mo Xiaoxiao, she was better at Western dishes and not very good at Chinese cuisine.

Of course, this is only in comparison to Mo Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxue, go and get the rice!"

"Are you feeling energetic today?" Mr. Xue asked with a smile as he walked into the house.

Are there times when you're not feeling energetic?

“Once, you fell asleep standing up while watching the sunrise.”

"Huh... is there?"

"Yes, there is," Mo Xiaoxiao replied. "But you only slept for a little while. We had to shake you to wake you up. Cha Li, you're really amazing, you can even sleep standing up!"

"I felt like I just squinted my eyes slightly."

“After all, when you’re sleepy, your perception of the outside world becomes weaker, especially your perception of time.” Mo Xiaoxiao quickly walked into the house again.

Even without making breakfast, there are still many things to do.

To avoid accumulating too much dust and making it impossible to clean properly, we set aside one day each holiday for a thorough cleaning.

Even if we don't want to thoroughly clean every corner, we should at least wipe most of the areas with a cloth.

At times like these, the two sisters would wonder if they were losing too much hair, because there wasn't a single spot in the entire house without hair...

They're all sticky and messy, like they can't be cleaned up no matter how much you try.

Mr. Xue washed the rice and placed it on the earthen stove.

The porridge cooked over a wood fire is especially fragrant.

It seemed as if the aroma of burning wood had permeated the air.

Cha Li used a wooden stake as a cutting board and skillfully chopped vegetables.

There wasn't much verbal communication, but everyone understood each other very well.

The sun finally climbed over the low tea plantation beside it.

Mo Zhuyou finally came out, rubbing her eyes.

"Phew—" She let out a long breath, then took a deep breath, looking at Mr. Xue and Cha Li, who weren't exchanging much but worked together seamlessly, frying dough sticks. "Good morning..."

"Good morning! Youyou is finally awake?"

"It's a rare break, so of course I should sleep a little longer..." Mo Zhuyou yawned a series of times and walked to the earthen stove, facing the gentle breeze blowing from the river.

Seemingly annoyed by the heat, she took a few steps back.

"You two are like a father and mother..."

"Then, quickly call her Mom."

"Tch—taking advantage of me." Mo Zhuyou snorted lightly, wrinkling her small, cute nose. "I was referring to what happened just now."

“Why can’t it be two mothers?” Cha Li winked playfully.

"Xiaoxue?"

"Xiaoxue can be a mother too, right?"

"Uh...maybe...okay?" Mo Zhuyou remembered the time he wore the tea-colored clothes before.

Speaking of which, she really has a great presence and is exceptionally beautiful.

Even with makeup, it's still quite remarkable to achieve that level of beauty.

"Then let's just have two dads," Mo Zhuyou joked. "Can't Cha Li wear men's clothes too?"

"Sure! If it weren't for the school requiring us to wear skirts, I wouldn't even want to wear one. It's too much trouble; you always have to be careful about this and that."

"That sounds like something Xiaoyao used to say..." Mo Zhuyou nodded. "But sometimes it really is a hassle, always having to be careful not to expose yourself... even though it's become an instinctive habit..."

"Xiaoxue~" Chali suddenly looked at Mr. Xue beside her teasingly, "Want to wear it again?"

Mr. Xue gave a hearty laugh: "Let's talk about it later."

……

Chapter Twenty-Four: Yellow and Purple

(One)

"Hey buddy, you've had a long day. Haven't had dinner yet? It's on me today!"

"No need, no need, I have to drive back quickly, I can eat on the way."

"Hey, you're eating while driving tonight, be careful."

"Hmm, I'm not hungry yet, I'll just have a piece of bread."

"Alright, then I won't keep you any longer. The typhoon is about to make landfall, so it's good for you to go back soon."