A Young Woman's Heart

It's not that I don't have money, it's just that everything else consists of whole bills that haven't been changed yet.

"Okay, that's exactly one piece."

Hua Yinyin picked up the small bag of still-warm water chestnuts, feeling as if they were gently pricking her palms.

She came to the city center today to buy replacement strings for her pipa, but to her surprise, the model she needed wasn't available and wouldn't arrive until after the National Day holiday.

On National Day, there happened to be a membership card top-up event. Since I figured I'd have to come here to buy strings anyway, I casually topped up 100 yuan and also participated in the lucky draw.

The rewards were quite generous; she won a second prize, which included a nice musical instrument.

Although it's a very miniature kind.

She only wanted to win a harmonica in the third prize draw, but she didn't expect to win a kalimba made of solid wood.

It is only the size of a palm and has a total of 21 keys.

It's very easy to use; just press the button like an electronic keyboard, and when it bounces up, it will produce sound through vibration.

Hua Yinyin could afford such a small item, but the feeling of winning it for free is ultimately quite different.

She should have taken the bus after crossing this overpass.

Unexpectedly, I was captivated by the city's prosperity and stood there for a while, watching the sunset.

The time is neither too early nor too late.

Hua Yinyin wasn't in a hurry to go home.

Because she was alone at home today.

The parents certainly didn't go on vacation.

Business is actually better during the National Day holiday, so they have to make the most of their time to work.

They might only be able to rest for a few days after the National Day holiday.

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted through the air. Hua Yinyin walked past the bus stop, turned a corner, walked a little further, crossed several traffic lights, and arrived near Yinshan Square.

Yinshan Square was bustling at night, but few people went up the silver mountain behind it.

The main problem is that the streetlights were only installed on a small section of the road at the foot of the mountain; further up, it's pitch black.

This mountain isn't very high.

However, Hua Yinyin still walked for more than ten minutes.

The higher you go, the fewer people there are.

When we reached the top of the mountain, only one of the seven or eight benches was occupied by a couple.

Feeling a bit thirsty, she stood in front of the vending machine and bought a can of Coca-Cola with a five-yuan bill.

She casually collected the change and sat comfortably on a wooden bench at the edge of the mountaintop.

The city's streetlights have been turned on one by one.

The setting sun was reduced to a tiny corner, seemingly about to disappear at any moment.

This mountain is the highest near the city center. Sitting here, you feel that the tall buildings don't seem that tall, and there's not much that can block your view.

At the foot of the mountain, vendors were hawking small toys that could glow at night. From the other side of Hefang Street, wisps of heat wafted through the air, and faintly, one could almost smell the aroma of meat.

That probably smells like grilled lamb skewers.

Hmm... and it also had a lot of cumin added.

Hua Yinyin suddenly remembered the water chestnuts she had just bought, so she put the bag on the empty seat next to her and grabbed one.

It's a little cool now.

But it was still a little warm.

Perhaps it's thirty-seven degrees.

Because Hua Yinyin felt that it was close to her body temperature.

Water chestnuts are much easier to peel than chestnuts; at least the skin and flesh don't stick together as easily.

The flesh inside is white and tastes similar to chestnuts, but it's probably more powdery and not as glutinous as chestnuts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the couple behind her stand up and walk to the only vending machine on the mountaintop.

The young woman smiled shyly, while the young man next to her scratched his head awkwardly.

The vending machine accepts one-cent coins.

He took a handful of coins out of his pocket, counted them carefully, and then fed them into the machine one by one.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."

The sound of a coin being inserted is crisp and pleasant.

"I'm just one cent short of buying two bottles..." the man said softly, a little embarrassed, but also seemingly finding his poverty amusing, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The girl rested her forehead on his shoulder, suppressing a laugh as she lightly punched his arm: "There's still a corner in the pocket of my skirt, it should be... feel around?"

"Let me touch it..."

"Hey, what are you touching?" Her voice grew softer, and her face turned bright red, making her cheekbones stand out even more.

"Haha, I couldn't find it! Could it be in another pocket?"

"Hurry up..."

"I touched it! I touched it!" The young man seemed quite excited.

A one-cent coin was finally inserted into the vending machine. Then he pressed a button.

"Thump, thump, thump." With two crisp sounds, the two cans of cola rolled down.

The couple, holding two cans of iced cola, sat back down in the chairs they had just been sitting in.

Hua Yinyin sighed and gently pinched the corner of her eye.

She took out the thumb piano she had won in the raffle and tried to play it gently.

The sound was clear and ethereal.

Although she had never played before, Hua Yinyin, who was proficient in musical instruments, could quickly get the hang of it after just a little trial.

She first tried playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then immediately started playing a song by the Snow Band.

The song, which clearly has a rock style, sounds like it comes from ancient times when played on this instrument—it has crossed the barrier of time and arrived in the modern era.

The water chestnuts were getting a bit cold by the end.

The taste wasn't very good.

October marks the true arrival of autumn.

Although the daytime sun still makes people feel hot, the nights after sunset are so cool that they feel a bit chilly.

Hua Yinyin watched as the setting sun sank lower and lower, until the entire city was finally enveloped in twilight.

But it did not fall into darkness.

Because the lights on the streets and in the buildings are like stars on earth, illuminating everything.

"Ugh—oh no!" Hua Yinyin suddenly stood up, because just as the couple was laughing and talking as they went down the mountain, she remembered something important.

Huang Yuxi's brother, Huang Zhengyang, also had to work overtime to transport goods during the National Day holiday, so he asked her to take care of his younger brother.

"Xiao Xi is still waiting for me to bring dinner, right... Oh no, oh no..." Hua Yinyin hurriedly peeled the last water chestnut and stuffed it into her mouth, then drank the remaining cola in one gulp.

Fortunately, the mountain wasn't high; it was quick to go up and even faster to go down.

Hua Yinyin skipped and hopped along the wide steps like a rabbit, overtaking the couple who had come down the mountain earlier than her.

Yinshan Square was packed with people.

Hua Yinyin walked through the crowd and stopped in front of a KFC on the side of the road.

"Never mind... I'll try cooking again tomorrow... It was definitely better to just buy it today..."

However, she doesn't plan to buy it here. Firstly, there are too many people inside, and secondly, if she buys it now, it will be cold and damp by the time she gets home, and then it won't taste good.

So she reached out and flagged down a taxi.

Where to?

"silver……"

"it is good."

The driver made a U-turn and sped off.

It wasn't too crowded at night, and there were no traffic jams on the road. Hua Yinyin arrived at her vicinity of home smoothly.

The KFC here is much quieter than the ones in the city center.

An older woman was leisurely mopping the floor, while the cashier at the counter was yawning, looking like she was about to fall asleep.

There was only one middle-aged man in the hall, eating by himself.

A child walked out through the glass door while licking an ice cream cone.

Hua Yinyin ran inside quickly, and before she even reached the cashier, she shouted, "I want a takeaway family bucket!"

Unlike later ones, this big bucket was genuinely stuffed with all sorts of delicious food.

It's more than enough for two people.

Of course, a price of over one hundred is indeed quite expensive in this day and age.

As soon as the steaming hot family bucket was ready, Hua Yinyin couldn't wait to grab the bag and rush out.

It's like a gentle breeze.

……

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Take Me With You

It was a little after seven in the morning.