A Young Woman's Heart

"Yes, I believe you." Zhou Yong's face was sincere, but the smile in his eyes couldn't fool her.

"Die, Zhou Yong!" The magnet finally flew a considerable distance, but the two tables together were still quite long, so it only flew to the middle line. It was still quite a distance away from catching his magnet.

"Okay, it's my turn." Zhou Yong breathed on his palms a few times and rubbed his hands vigorously, looking very professional.

Then he pressed the magnet, and the magnet bounced up. Instead of landing on either side, it rolled on the table and snapped onto Mo Xueyao's magnet.

She stared intently, muttering to herself, "Mine is up there, mine is up there..."

But the magnet didn't stop at all; instead, it went towards Mo Xueyao's other two magnets.

With two more 'snap' sounds, it ate the other two as well.

Such a thick magnet couldn't be easily flipped over by its own strength, so it continued to roll, bumping into the 'fence' blocked by books, tilting its 'body' slightly, and finally falling to the ground.

"Gurgle... Thud!"

Now, it's directly attached to the metal legs of the desk.

"Haha, does this count as me winning?"

"Tsk... What kind of luck do you have! Let's go again!" Mo Xueyao raised her head defiantly, picked up the magnet in her hand, and placed it on the table like a chess piece.

……

Chapter Ninety Going to Her House

Saturday, September 2001, 11.

This was a rare morning when Zhou Yong's parents were home but hadn't made breakfast.

The father's deafening snoring came from the living room, while the mother slept soundly.

He quietly got out of bed, opened the desk drawer, and stuffed a few five-yuan bills and seven or eight coins into his pocket.

Perhaps because many people are resting at home today, the breakfast shop downstairs isn't doing very well.

Zhou Yong ordered a takeaway bowl of mixed noodles and didn't forget to ask the owner to add a runny poached egg.

—Because I had some free time, it was freshly made, and it smelled especially delicious.

The gentle sunlight shone on him, making him feel as light as if he could jump up and touch the basketball hoop.

The bus arrived just as I got to the station.

He even glanced at the license plate a few more times with some suspicion to make sure it was the car he was supposed to get into.

There weren't many people in the car; everyone was sitting in twos and threes.

Zhou Yong found a private seat, sat down, leisurely opened the styrofoam box, and began eating his mixed noodles in the slightly swaying carriage.

Noodles are always best when they're freshly made.

Steaming hot, a quick stir and the vegetable oil soaks into every inch of the noodles; one slurp and it all slides into your mouth.

Eating breakfast on the bus is something Zhou Yong has long been accustomed to.

He spent almost every morning on his way to school like this.

Sometimes they bring it from home, and sometimes they buy it from outside.

The sanitation workers on the street had already filled their tricycle garbage trucks to the brim, and every now and then they would use long tongs to pick up a cigarette butt from the ground.

Several plastic bags containing plastic bottles of different sizes were hanging from the handlebars of the tricycle.

This can be considered as extra income for this sanitation worker.

Zhou Yong likes to eat fully cooked poached eggs, finding the delicate and smooth texture particularly enjoyable.

By the time the bus arrived at the station, he had almost finished his breakfast.

This is already near Tian Tingchan's home.

It's neither in the city center nor in the suburbs; it's a development zone that's a mix of old and new areas.

She lives in this tall, terraced apartment building.

Zhou Yong felt the money in his pocket and bought two cans of hot coffee from the vending machine downstairs.

The sound of the tin can rolling down was particularly pleasant.

He grabbed them and took the elevator upstairs.

He had visited Tian Tingchan's house many times.

Sometimes it's an invitation from the other party, and sometimes it's a side trip on the way back from or to Gaoyuan.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong—" The pleasant doorbell rang.

Footsteps came from a distance, then gradually became clearer until the door was opened.

The room was very clean, and there wasn't even a speck of dust on the floor.

Although the room is small, the sunlight streaming in from outside makes the whole house feel bright and airy.

"Good morning." Zhou Yong handed him a can of hot coffee.

She was dressed neatly, and there was no sign of sleepiness on her face, indicating that she had obviously gotten up early.

"Good morning." She smiled sweetly.

Zhou Yong hurriedly and nervously looked away.

Tian Tingchan opened the empty shoe cabinet, took out a pair of cotton slippers that Zhou Yong had probably worn, and placed them in front of him: "I just washed these slippers a few days ago."

"Oh, oh..." Zhou Yong's first thought was that he had worn smelly shoes, and then he realized that she probably wanted him to wear clean shoes.

Whether it was self-pity or not, he was in an exceptionally good mood at that moment.

A pot of tender green succulents sits on a small dining table next to the stairs, with pretty pebbles dotting the soil, making it look like a work of art.

Zhou Yong then noticed that Tian Tingchan was holding a tiny spray bottle, about the size of a palm, and had obviously been watering it.

"Oh, when did you buy it?"

"A while ago," she smiled, gently poking the succulent's leaves with her slender fingers, "how about it, isn't it cute?"

"It's really quite good..."

"If they grow well, I'd like to buy a few more."

"It seems you really like potted plants."

"Because growing potted plants is the least effort required."

“But they don’t move.” Zhou Yong walked over and touched the succulent’s leaves. “How about we try getting a pet?”

"The house is too small."

"For keeping hamsters, a small cage is all you need."

Tian Tingchan blinked, her eyelashes casting long shadows in the sunlight: "It'll smell terrible, won't it?"

"Um... if it's well cared for, it shouldn't smell too bad?"

"We'll see."

"How about we go to the flower and bird market later?" Zhou Yong touched the banknotes in his pocket. "I'll pay you."

Tian Tingchan turned her head away, not looking at Zhou Yong: "Well, let's talk about it later."

Zhou Yong, who had been there many times, didn't stand on ceremony. He moved a chair and sat down at the small table next to the stairs.

This is Tian Tingchan's usual dining table. It's very clean, with nothing on it except for a pot of green succulents.

A faint aroma of rice wafted from the kitchen, suggesting that the porridge was already cooked.

Have you had breakfast?

"Ah...I ate it."

Tian Tingchan gently bit the soft flesh of her cheek and nodded silently.

"The clothes I wore back that day have already dried and are in the bedroom, already packed in a bag."

"Oh, okay, I'll go get it myself." Zhou Yong said, standing up and going up two flights of stairs.

The house is small, but it has three floors.

The bedding in the bedroom was neatly folded, and Zhou Yong's clothes were packed in a black paper bag.

On the chair in the study sits a plush bear, more than half a person's height, that we fished out of the river that day.

After washing it, I discovered that it was actually a deep gold color.

It's a bit like the color of pork floss.

It looks plump and fluffy, appearing exceptionally soft and fluffy.

Even Zhou Yong couldn't resist giving it a pinch.

This thing would be great to sleep with.

When he came downstairs again, Tian Tingchan was already sitting at the table drinking porridge.

In front of her were several bottles and jars, filled with all sorts of pickled vegetables.

"Bought?"

"I pickled it myself." Tian Tingchan picked up a slice of pickled ginger, took a small bite, and made a crunchy chewing sound. "Want to try some? It tastes great."

"Ah, I'll give it a try." A bowl of noodles certainly wouldn't fill his stomach, and eating some pickled vegetables wouldn't be a problem at all.

These pickled vegetables tasted surprisingly good. The radishes weren't bitter, just crisp and sweet and sour. The ginger had its own unique spiciness, but it was so delicious that you couldn't stop eating it. After eating it, you would feel a warm current rising in your lower abdomen.

It was so delicious that Zhou Yong couldn't resist serving himself a bowl of porridge and sitting down next to Tian Tingchan to eat it together.

The porridge has a smooth and creamy texture, and this thick porridge is also his favorite.

She raised the corners of her mouth and swallowed the pickled cucumber in her mouth.

"Speaking of which, you've cleaned that teddy bear too, right?" Zhou Yong slurped down a bowl of porridge, feeling as refreshed as if he had taken a hot bath on a snowy winter day.

"Well, the motor inside was broken and couldn't be repaired, so I took them all out and stuffed them with cotton. It's more comfortable to hug now, but it just can't move on its own anymore."