A Young Woman's Heart

She stood up again, turned halfway around, and looked at Zhou Yong with a flushed face.

"Ah...ah...are you...alright?" Zhou Yong asked hurriedly, then realized that what he said might not be right, so he hurriedly corrected himself, "I didn't see anything just now...no, I mean..."

He tried to find something else to distract himself, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to a small patch in his robe that seemed to be bulging out by a matchstick.

It might be a broken shoulder strap or something else—he guessed wildly.

“I was just wearing a bathrobe…you…” Tian Tingchan’s ears turned bright red, as if they were burning. “You…you should sit in the living room for a while…”

"Oh...oh oh!" Zhou Yong's facial muscles contorted as if he had swallowed a pebble while eating. He hunched over like a cooked shrimp and shuffled to sit on a chair in the small restaurant, his legs tightly pressed together as if he had been punched in the stomach.

"stomachache?"

"N-nothing, why don't you go change your clothes first?"

Tian Tingchan seemed to suddenly understand something, and even the rest of her skin was tinged with a pinkish blush.

She took small, quick steps upstairs and slammed into the bathroom.

It's like he's drunk.

Zhou Yong couldn't help but want to stand up to check if she was alright, but as soon as his buttocks left the chair, he leaned back down.

The sound of water in the bathroom continued for a long time, and he seemed to faintly hear a soft sigh.

The winter sun always sets very early.

He clearly saw that the sunlight outside the window had become somewhat slanted, and the whole city was tinged with twilight.

It seemed like dusk had fallen in an instant.

But he felt that he had only been in a daze for a moment.

"Ah...has more than an hour passed?"

He muttered to himself, then heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

Barefoot, Tian Tingchan, steaming with heat, came downstairs. She looked as if she had stepped out of a painting, exquisitely beautiful.

She wore a long, red and white cotton dress, the subtle texture of which always reminded Zhou Yong of Santa Claus…

"Ah, good morning..."

"Getting impatient, huh?" Tian Tingchan pursed her lips, the shyness on her face vanishing in an instant, then deliberately laughed loudly and patted his shoulder, "Haha, are you hungry?"

He was as cheerful and straightforward as a rough and rugged man.

Of course, with her image, she could never be rough and uncouth.

"I'm glad, oh, I didn't bother you today, did I?"

"No, I'm home alone anyway. If you don't come, I'll probably sleep until tomorrow."

"Oh, you slept for so long?"

"Hmm—I've been feeling sleepy a lot lately..." Tian Tingchan rubbed her eyes and yawned again. "I guess I really am a bit sleepy."

"Because you work very hard usually?"

"Maybe, kid. What do you want to eat?"

"Oh? Oh, I'm not actually hungry... By the way, I brought you two packets of coffee. You might find them useful during class?"

"Thank you! It's rare for you to come to my house, of course you should eat something!" Tian Tingchan raised her voice again, seemingly trying to make her mood seem more cheerful. She suddenly opened the refrigerator. "Hmm... let me see what we have... okay, how about barley flour?"

"Barley flour? I feel like I've only ever read about it in Chinese textbooks."

"A golden fishhook, isn't it?"

"Oh, right, that seems to be it."

"It's that kind of barley flour, right? It's a little rough in texture. Want some? With some greens, meatballs, and pickled cabbage, plus a poached egg—you want it fully cooked, right?"

"Oh, right."

"Okay, I'll cook some noodles for you right away."

Zhou Yong scratched his head awkwardly: "I'm sorry, I always trouble you."

"Why are you being so formal? It's weird—disgusting," Tian Tingchan said bluntly.

He felt that she seemed a little 'sharp' today?

"cough."

"Your final exams are coming up soon, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, my final exams are coming up soon too."

"Oh—you've graduated?"

"I'm in my fourth year," Tian Tingchan's voice came through the sound of a plastic bag being opened. "The fourth year is an internship."

"That is, around this summer?"

"Ah."

"Is the internship in Hangzhou?" Zhou Yong asked somewhat nervously.

"Who knows? They might be reassigned somewhere else."

"Oh……"

"When my internship ends, I'll probably work there directly."

"Ah." Zhou Yong sat up straight. "Will you be assigned to a very far place?"

"We'll see," Tian Tingchan replied, her answer still brimming with uncertainty.

"Uh……"

"We'll go wherever we're needed; there's always been a shortage of medical staff."

“That’s true…” Zhou Yong changed the subject, which made him feel a bit choked up. “Speaking of which, our high school has also started letting students consider their own college applications.”

"Oh—it's a volunteer position."

The sound of water bubbling into a pot came from the kitchen, making Tian Tingchan's voice sound somewhat muffled: "What major do you want to study?"

"I hadn't thought it through. I felt like I wasn't ready at all, and then the college entrance exam was really coming up."

"Don't you have anything you're interested in? Choose a major based on what interests you."

"Nothing... I'm not particularly interested in anything. I don't even know what kind of person I want to be in the future." Zhou Yong started playing with the hamster 'Meat Floss' in the corner of the windowsill, which gently nibbled on his fingertip. "Brother Chan, why did you choose to be a nurse back then?"

"At first it was for myself, but later I wanted to help more people." The range hood in the kitchen was already on, and a 'whooshing' sound came from it. Zhou Yong had to move closer to the kitchen to hear what she was saying.

"For yourself?"

"Huh? What?" The hot oil pan was sizzling, so she was obviously planning to fry an egg first.

"Oh, it's nothing. So, what do you think I should study?"

"what?"

"I said, what major do you think would be good for me? My grades aren't that great... I don't feel like there are many majors I can choose from. I'd be lucky to even get into university."

"How about trying news reporting? As a journalist, you can uncover the truth and report real things."

"Uh, that sounds like it would be really tiring. I could only be a radio host or something... and I don't even know if they'd want me."

"A radio host? That would be fine too."

"Broadcasting? Hmm... It's fine if you don't show your face."

……

Chapter 142 A Brief Discussion on the Future

The clouds this evening are exceptionally beautiful.

It tinged those soft, fluffy clouds with a dreamy pink hue.

Boiled noodles are always one of the most efficient meals.

The range hood, which had been making a constant whooshing noise, finally stopped its grating blast, and a faint aroma of noodles wafted out of the kitchen.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, 'Meat Floss' was playing on its hamster wheel, and some wood shavings were kicked up by it.

"The noodles are here." Tian Tingchan walked lightly, carrying a large bowl of noodles and placing it in front of Zhou Yong.

"Ah, thanks."

"Wait, it's not over yet." Tian Tingchan put down his small bowl of noodles, ran into the kitchen, took out a small stainless steel cup, and used chopsticks to push the hot, viscous brown liquid inside into his bowl.

"what is this?"

"Braised meat sauce, huh? Never had braised meat sauce noodles before?"

"Oh, so this is braised noodles? My family rarely adds braised sauce when cooking noodles."

"I added peanut butter and sesame paste, give it a try." She smiled and gently sat down, handing him the chopsticks.

The enticing aroma had already made Zhou Yong feel incredibly hungry, and the pink sky seemed like a dessert he could enjoy later.

Zhou Yong took a deep breath, seemingly savoring its aroma, before sitting up straight and using his chopsticks to pick up a clump of noodles.

It tastes refreshing with a slightly sour flavor, but it's not quite the same as vinegar.

"How about it?"

"Hmm—it's sour and spicy, quite delicious."

"I squeezed lemon juice, did you taste it?"

"I knew it, no wonder it tastes so naturally sour."

"You're quite good at praising people, aren't you?" Tian Tingchan lowered her head, a smug look appearing on her face.

Zhou Yong devoured the large bowl of noodles in one go without stopping, leaving not even a crumb of the broth, let alone the rich and fragrant soup.

"Ah—I feel like something's missing."