A Young Woman's Heart

Since the bathroom has already been cleaned, let's wash the sink too, and then scrub the toilet—my mother scrubs it every day, but there are still some yellow stains left on the edges. Now that I've cleaned it carefully, I feel much more comfortable.

As for everyday life—we usually just ignore it as if we don't see it.

So what should have been a half-hour shower took more than an hour today. It felt like I was doing a major cleaning when I went in to take a shower, but I was in a pretty good mood, especially when all my hair was flushed down the toilet.

"Hoo-hoo—" Mo Xueyao, wrapped in a bath towel, stretched and yawned. Her chest couldn't support the towel, so it slipped down a bit due to the large movement.

Her fair skin was steaming hot, as delicious as a freshly steamed bun.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Wanyan tilted her head and glanced at her: "Did you take so long to shower?"

"Hmm, it was so dirty inside. The hair had clogged the drain, so I did a thorough cleaning. It's clean now! But... uh, it seems like a lot of hot water was used. You'll have to boil it for a while before you can take a shower."

Li Wanyan sighed helplessly and glanced at the clock hand, which was already pointing to the number eleven: "Okay."

Mo Xueyao scratched her head, wanting to apologize, but because the two were so familiar with each other, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Because if she were to actually say it out loud, it would seem rather pretentious and distant, at least in her opinion.

"Hehe." And so, a thousand words were reduced to two simple onomatopoeic words.

She playfully slapped her forehead, then couldn't help but laugh.

……

(two)

Even late at night, convenience stores still attract customers.

When all other shops are closed, the 24-hour convenience store, which remains lit up, becomes a sanctuary for these people.

Every night, it saves many smokers who can't buy cigarettes or lighters, night workers who want to find something to eat but no restaurants are open, and people who need to buy spare parts or tools when they need something replaced at home...

Pan Jiexiang is working the night shift today.

The kind that lasts from evening until the next morning.

Actually, there was a regular person working the night shift, but that person always needed to rest, so she took over.

—As for the daytime, Grandma Jin runs the shop herself.

"Ding-dong." The automatic glass doors opened to both sides, and an electronic welcome sound rang out automatically.

"Welcome." Pan Jiexiang looked at the newcomer with some weariness.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a suit and a top hat. The only thing that wasn't quite gentlemanly about him was his somewhat messy stubble.

Beside him was a young woman who looked to be at most a college student, dressed in a decent, plain-colored winter outfit.

A light blue scarf was wrapped around her delicate neck, perfectly complementing her slightly round face and youthful short hair.

Pan Jiexiang recognized them.

"Ms. Pan, Li Wanyan's mother, hello." The man took off his hat and nodded slightly to her. "How have you been lately?"

"It's been a while since I had a check-up."

"The earlier the surgery is performed, the better. Compared to other cancers, it is already the easiest to cure. If this continues, it will spread."

"No need, it's fine as it is."

“You don’t need to worry about the surgery fee. Our school can cover it for you in advance, Ms. Pan.” The girl next to her looked up and exhaled white mist from her mouth. “You can pay it back slowly each month, and we can also accept extensions.”

Actually, the last time I saw her, Su Yuqing said it was 'free'.

"Thank you for the school's kindness, but you have already helped my daughter and our family too much. I don't want to trouble you anymore. Life is destiny, so let nature take its course." Pan Jiexiang poured a cup of tea for each of them. "You don't need to worry too much about my affairs."

"Your life is more important than anything else, especially for your daughter."

"But actually, because of my other complications, the success rate of the surgery isn't that high, right?"

"We should always try if we have the chance." Mo Kong picked up the paper cup and took a sip. "Delaying it will only make things worse."

"But... after that surgery, am I still a woman? Am I still a mother?"

“If you’re worried about that, there’s absolutely no need to. In fact, after the surgery, you can have a prosthetic eye implanted. Just like when you have an eye disease and you gouge out your eyeball, you can have a prosthetic eye implanted,” Su Yuqing patiently explained. “As far as life is concerned, this is not a big deal.”

"That would cost a lot of money."

"The school can cover the cost..."

"Thank you so much, I'm really grateful," Pan Jiexiang said with a sincere smile. "But... one can't always rely on others to survive. Besides, what if the surgery fails? Wouldn't all your money be wasted, and Yan Yan would have to shoulder a huge debt for me..."

"Back then, it wasn't possible to..."

"Yan Yan will definitely pay it back." Pan Jiexiang looked at the two of them very seriously and firmly, her smile unchanged.

"I still hope you can reconsider. You only have six months at most. If you delay any longer, it will spread throughout your body, and then it will be too late." Su Yuqing pursed her lips. "If you don't live for yourself, at least live for... your daughter."

"If living is a burden, it's better not to live at all."

"It's okay, this surgery won't have much of an impact on your normal life. In fact, your life will be better after the surgery..."

Mo Kong looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing. He simply put down his half-empty water glass and nodded gently: "Farewell."

"Take care, thank you for your concern for our family."

"This is what a school should do..."

"Take care of yourself." Mo Kong stood at the door, leaving behind his last words, before leading Su Yuqing out of the store.

Before long, the sound of a car starting could be heard outside, carrying far and wide in the quiet night.

……

(three)

"Sigh, why do you keep disagreeing? We're doing this for her own good, and we don't have any ill intentions. There's no rush to pay the money back... it's even okay if we don't pay it back."

“There are always people who value dignity more than life, especially when someone who once had no dignity regains it.” Mo Kong smiled nonchalantly. “Let her decide for herself.”

"Hmm..." Su Yuqing leaned back lazily in her chair, "Then let's go see Liu Xiaowei's father. Wenwen told me he just broke his leg today..."

"Ah."

"Fortunately, he only fell from the height of the third floor while laying the marble on the exterior wall. He should be able to recover in a few months without any major aftereffects."

"Did you pay their hospital fees in advance?"

"The school has taken over, and I've been moved to a better ward."

"Hmm, will you be able to finish today?"

"Let me see—" Su Yuqing turned around and laboriously took a folder from the back seat, which contained information about many impoverished students.

"There's another boy from Class 6 of Grade 11 and a boy from Class 1 of Grade 12 in that area. Let's go to the rest tomorrow."

"A student from a poor family?"

"Yes, they are both poor, extremely poor. Our school currently only has these two sisters, Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Zhuyou."

"How are they now?"

"I heard it's pretty good? Living in a suburban house designed by an art club, although it's a bit far from school, there shouldn't be too many problems with daily life."

"Ah."

"Oh, right, that Miss Zuo said she would visit them in a while and would add a little more donation, but the extra amount would be kept at the school until they graduate."

"it is good."

"In addition... Mr. Lin and Mr. Zheng also plan to provide one-on-one sponsorships for impoverished students at our school."

"Not bad—you're starting to look more and more like a secretary."

"Oh, it was Ling'er who told me. Look, she's the one who gave me these documents. I just wanted to be able to help out when we go out together."

"Haha."

"Could you please not smile so perfunctorily?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

"...Go to hell!"

……

Chapter 149 The Final Exam of the First Semester of Senior Year

(One)

Even if time seems to pass slowly, the day that is meant to come will eventually arrive.

The final exams drew near, until they were finally right in front of the students.

Just yesterday, I still felt like the exam was still 'a long way off'.

This is unlike any final exam I've ever taken before.

This time, Mo Xueyao felt a little melancholy, because this was the last final exam.

The next one I'll take is the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao).

There was a power outage in the area near the school today, so the heating couldn't be turned on.

Although the sky was overcast, it wasn't as cold as I had imagined.

It even adds a touch of dashing charm.

Spring has not yet arrived, but there is already some greenery, which makes Mo Xueyao, who has just woken up and is still a little groggy, much more awake.

"Uh-huh—" Mo Xueyao checked her drawer first, packed up the remaining things she hadn't taken back yet, and planned to put them in the band room later.

Today was a very formal unified exam, and all the key high schools in H city participated.

The students were also dispersed to various examination rooms.

The first and second year high school students started their summer vacation the day before yesterday, while the third year high school students only started their exams today.

"Ah—uh—I can have a holiday after two days of exams." Mo Xueyao twisted her body, her bones making a 'crackling' sound.

"Hmm." Li Wanyan, unusually, did not open her textbook to review early in the morning. Perhaps she had already reviewed enough in the past few days, and now she needed to relax in the breeze for a while.

"Wanyan, come with me to the band room? By the way, is there anything you didn't take back yesterday? You can leave it there for now."