A Young Woman's Heart

"Why don't you get married? You don't even have a girlfriend. Aren't you lonely when you get old?" This was what Mo Xueyao was most curious about.

"When I was young, I didn't want to talk about it. Back then, I only thought about working hard to build the country." As he said this, the tall, thin old man's eyes were incredibly sincere. Then, he laughed again, "Later, I realized that my efforts weren't necessarily useful."

“Uh…” Mo Xueyao didn’t pay attention to his last sentence and asked, “Then why didn’t you look for one later? Thirty or forty wouldn’t have been enough time, right?”

"I'm used to being alone, and I find it too troublesome to get along with women." The old man shrugged. "Besides, when you get old, it's about time to live. If you have money, you can live a few more years; if you don't, you can leave it to fate. Anyway, we're all going to die, so it doesn't matter whether we have children or not—and children aren't necessarily filial."

"I...I've only ever loved one person in my life. When I was young, I was completely obsessed. It's kind of funny to think about it now, but I'm used to it, so I don't plan to look for anyone else." The short, stout old man smiled, his eyes filled with memories of the past.

An afternoon can feel very long.

The old man was also happy to talk about his life.

In their words:

I don't have any descendants myself. If I tell others now, maybe some people will remember me in the future. If I keep it to myself and don't tell others, I will only be completely forgotten in the future.

This is the story of the joys and sorrows of two ordinary yet extraordinary people throughout their lives.

But compared to tradition, they are still quite special.

"Sigh, we were about to get married, but... that happened. I stayed with her to watch the last sunset of her life, and then I watched her slowly close her eyes. If I were ten or twenty years younger, I might still shed tears when I think about it."

"So, have you come to terms with it now?" Mo Zhuyou asked, wiping the corner of her mouth.

"Haha, it's not that I've come to terms with it, it's just that I'm getting old and can't shed any more tears."

"Ah... I'm sorry, we may have asked too many questions..."

"It's okay, it's okay, I already said it's alright, sigh."

"Haha, this old man is a devoted lover!" The tall, thin man patted his friend's back forcefully, his white hair making him seem less energetic.

The drizzling rain seemed to be gradually stopping.

……

Chapter Thirty-Four: Spending the Holiday Together at a Nursing Home (Part Two)

(One)

After the dark clouds dispersed, the sky was a clear, bright blue.

Rain was still slowly dripping from the edge of the parasol.

Blue and yellow fallen leaves spread out like carpets.

Several more elderly people gathered around to chat.

The setting sun at four o'clock, tinged with the twilight, slanted across people's faces.

Ye Wen, who had disappeared for a while, suddenly ran back: "Alright, alright, it's almost time for our Snow Music Band's performance! Hurry up, get ready, let's go on stage and set things up!"

"Huh?" After chatting for almost a whole day, Mo Xueyao and the others had almost forgotten that they were there to participate in a performance.

To be honest, this really feels like sitting in the audience and leisurely enjoying other people's performances during a New Year's Day cultural performance.

After a hurried farewell to the elderly folks who seemed to have endless topics to discuss, the Snow Music Band picked up their instruments and headed to the makeshift stage.

Because it was set up temporarily, there was no backend at all.

Several parasols were placed on the stage. Although they couldn't block out the wind and rain, they could at least provide some protection when a downpour came, or give everyone time to pack up their instruments and leave.

……

(two)

"We haven't even started performing yet, but why do I already feel so tired?" Hua Yinyin hugged her pipa and plopped down on the wicker chair, making a creaking sound. "Ugh, so tired—"

"Because you've been chatting the whole time, without stopping, of course you're tired by the end of the day."

"If only we could play all our pieces in the morning, like the school band..."

"Alright, alright, Yinyin, stop complaining." Mo Xueyao squatted down, placed the piano stand on the ground, and shook it to check its stability. "Everyone still remembers the pieces we practiced before, right? There are a lot of pieces we practiced on short notice this time, so don't forget them. If you really forget them, just follow along with the rhythm a little."

"Don't worry, just follow my rhythm, it's not difficult!" Hua Yinyin turned her head and winked playfully, her gaze focusing on Yu Shu and Mo Zhuyou.

"I...I'll try my best..." Yu Shu took a deep breath. Having had some performance experience, she was gradually becoming more mature.

At least they won't be easily intimidated by the audience.

However, to reach the level of Hua Yinyin, who becomes even more outrageous the more people there are, she's still far from it, unless she's given a drink...

"Go for it!!" The elderly men and women who had been chatting for a long time suddenly stood up and waved vigorously.

This only made Yu Shu lower her head even more shyly.

For Yu Shu, the best outcome would be for no one to notice her...

……

(three)

There was once an era when only positive and uplifting songs were allowed, and Teresa Teng's songs were labeled as "decadent music."

But as it turns out, people can't always be positive and optimistic; they also need gentle songs to soothe their tender hearts.

The first song this time is Teresa Teng's "The Road of Life".

This arrangement and adjustment was made after everyone discussed it. Originally, all the songs were their own creations, but they were worried that older people would not be able to accept those pop songs, so in the end they chose many old songs.

The rhythm wasn't set by Hua Yinyin's pipa, but by Mo Xueyao's electronic keyboard.

The main reason was that she knew this song very well. Her father would always hum its tune when he had nothing to do, and Mo Xueyao was confident that she was no less skilled than Hua Yinyin.

This time, the lead singer is no longer Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin, but Wang Jiale.

Although it was her own request, holding her bass guitar and facing so many people, she suddenly realized that opening her mouth into the microphone was not such an easy thing.

What's more, she's going to sing the Cantonese version.

The wind kneads the clouds like clay, shaping them into whatever form it desires.

The air was filled with the fragrance of blooming wildflowers, and the dampness was gradually dissipating.

"By your side, though the road is long, I am not tired..." A slightly accented Cantonese song began to play.

It twirls and floats gracefully in the blue sky and white clouds.

The song doesn't actually have a lot of ups and downs, but it has a subtle beauty in its simplicity.

Wang Jiale's voice is very sweet. Although it is not mature enough, this sweetness, which is like that of a tangerine, has a unique flavor.

Originally, Wang Jiale planned to sing it in Mandarin, but he felt that it would be difficult to express the original song's meaning in that way.

Even parts that originally rhymed became strange.

"Though the road is rugged, there is no need to fear trials..."

Wang Jiale's voice gradually loosened up, returning to the same level as during her daily practice.

For Mo Xueyao, this kind of song is already considered an old song.

But for the elderly people sitting in the audience, it was a true pop song.

Or rather, in their general understanding, this is what constitutes popular music, while other genres, such as rock, are probably just considered noise...

So although the Snow Music Band prepared their own songs, there weren't many.

……

(four)

This is the fourth song by the Snow Music Band; the song selection follows a cyclical progression.

Each song is closer to this era than the last.

The next few songs will all be original compositions by the Snow Music Band.

Everyone was covered in sweat. Mo Zhuyou, who was the most exhausted, had her clothes soaked with sweat and her hair stuck to her forehead. When she finally got a chance to rest, she immediately slumped down and vigorously shook her clothes up and down, hoping that more wind could get in and cool her down.

As for ladies...

In this heat, she simply couldn't keep it up.

"Peng..." Hua Yinyin waved vigorously to the audience, her face covered in sweat. "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and Happy National Day, everyone! After the four songs we just sang, there are three more original songs we performed. I wonder if you all enjoyed them?"

The elderly certainly wouldn't shout "I like it!" Their way of expressing liking is simple: they just smile and clap.

"Well then, I hope you'll enjoy what's to come!" Hua Yinyin wiped the sweat from her forehead, lowered her head, then suddenly looked up again. "Oh, right, just to add, we are—the Snow Music Band!"

Mo Xueyao unscrewed the mineral water bottle handed to her by the staff and gulped it down into her mouth.

It seemed like only twenty or thirty minutes had passed, but in reality, Mo Xueyao felt much more tired than running 1,500 meters.

……

(Fives)

"Thank you everyone!" Hua Yinyin shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice had become a little hoarse because she had sung so many songs.

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but laugh when she heard her speak, because she really sounded like an old woman.

"Thank you!!" Mo Xueyao also stood up and waved in thanks.

No one thought about how many performances this was; they just felt that they were enjoying the feeling of being on stage more and more.

Even Yu Shu, when she came down, still looked at the stage with some reluctance.

The setting sun hid behind the buildings, casting only a few orange-red rays of light.

"There's no label this time," Mo Xueyao muttered, looking at the sticker on her keyboard bag.

"What logo?" Wang Jiale hadn't quite come to his senses yet.

"It's a sign of accumulated experience. Last time, everyone got a sticker."

"What kind of logo do you want?" Ye Wen, who had been standing below the stage, teased them with a light laugh. "If you want a logo, I have some here, just stickers~"

"It really exists!" The most excited person wasn't Mo Xueyao, but Wang Jiale.

However, when Ye Wen handed over the stickers, everyone had some doubts.

Well... the main problem is that the logo isn't actually that good-looking.