A Young Woman's Heart

"Xiao Yao came in third place today." Li Wanyan nodded gently to Mo Xueyao.

"Third place? Ah... that's right, the third one to arrive."

"No, that's not it." Li Wanyan waved the list in her hand. "Teacher Ye gave me the list this morning and asked me to help rank the students. You are third in our class in total score."

"Eh? Really?!" Mo Xueyao asked excitedly.

"Well, we don't know the overall ranking for the whole grade yet; that will have to be done by the teachers."

"Getting third in the class is already pretty good! By the way, did Wen arrive so early today?"

"Hmm, but she looks really sleepy," Li Wanyan replied softly.

"Well, I don't think I've ever seen the homeroom teacher arrive this early before," Mo Xueyao muttered. Suddenly remembering something, she sat down next to Li Wanyan and asked in a low voice, "By the way, Wanyan, how can I eat slowly and chew thoroughly while also eating quickly?"

"Isn't that contradictory?"

"Ah... okay, so, Wanyan, how exactly do you eat so slowly and carefully? Do you have any tips?" Mo Xueyao sighed helplessly, "You don't seem to eat particularly slowly, but... at home, if I wolf down my food, I always get scolded, it's so annoying."

“Of course you can’t eat like that.” Li Wanyan shook her head, took out a piece of draft paper, and neatly drew a spoon on it. “If you’re using a spoon, you should only eat one-third of a spoon each time. If you’re in a hurry, you can eat only half a spoon. But you must be careful not to put the whole spoon in your mouth, otherwise it won’t look good.”

Mo Xueyao nodded blankly, pretending to hold a spoon and try it out, making it look like a pantomime.

“If the rice and vegetables are served separately, then eat one bite of rice and one bite of vegetables evenly.” Li Wanyan then drew a pair of chopsticks and a bowl. “If you are using chopsticks, then when you pick up vegetables, the amount of vegetables should not exceed this amount.”

As Li Wanyan spoke, she drew a red circle between the chopsticks.

"Then, if there are any food or rice grains on your chopsticks, you must eat them clean before you can pick up more food. Although there will still be some drool without serving chopsticks, at least it looks much better than having rice grains on your chopsticks."

"I see." Mo Xueyao looked at Li Wanyan in surprise. "Wanyan, how do you know so much? This is etiquette that only noble ladies would learn, isn't it?"

“…This is what my mother taught me.” Li Wanyan gave a bitter smile.

"Was your mother a rich girl before?"

“I don’t know.” Li Wanyan shook her head. “Perhaps she just wants to live such an elegant life someday.”

"Hmm..." Mo Xueyao nodded, "So you're saying this is actually completely impractical?"

“How could it not be practical? At the very least, it will make you more feminine,” Li Wanyan retorted. “Xiaoyao is just too boyish. She’s so pretty; she shouldn’t waste her advantages.”

"Perhaps it's not bad to have something unique like this," Mr. Xue interjected with a smile. "Isn't it boring to be all the same?"

"That's right!" Mo Xueyao felt like she had found a kindred spirit.

"However, it's not good for either men or women to be too sloppy, so just pay attention to etiquette and don't be too rigid in your standards."

Upon hearing Mr. Xue's words, Li Wanyan glanced at him sideways, feeling that he was implying something.

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Mo Xueyao quickly changed the subject, saying, "Ah, Mr. Xue, what novel are you reading? The title is so strange."

"This one? It's also science fiction."

"Huh, why are they called Russian nesting dolls?"

"Because in everything there seems to be a smaller element and a larger element, as if everything is endless."

"Who said that? Isn't the universe itself the biggest?"

"But in fact, this is still uncertain. No one knows whether there are other things outside the universe."

"So... what story does this science fiction novel tell?"

"It tells the story of a civilization in a universe that has reached its peak of development and finally leaves its universe. The ultimate spaceship they traveled in is called ants by humans," Mr. Xue summarized simply. "It's quite an interesting novel."

"Mr. Xue, you have so many interesting science fiction novels..." Mo Xueyao exclaimed. "By the way, have you been reading The Matrix lately?"

"The Matrix? Oh... I've heard of it, but unfortunately I don't have a projector at home, and it's not shown in theaters, so I haven't been able to watch it. Maybe in a few years when there are cheap domestic DVD players, I can buy discs to watch it."

"Oh dear, that's such a pity~" Mo Xueyao said with a hint of pride and boastfulness, "The class monitor and I watched it with the projector~"

"What's the plot like?" Mr. Xue asked, intrigued.

"Well, specifically, it's like this, firstly..."

……

Chapter 116 Two English Class Representatives

The school bell rang, signaling the closing of the gates, and all the students in the classrooms realized they had to line up at the gate.

Because the next event will be the Monday morning meeting.

"Hey! Wait!" Wang Jiale waved his hand and shouted, stumbling through the closing main gate and rushing into the school.

"Which class are you from? You're late!" shouted the older student on duty.

"No, no! I just happened to be there!" Wang Jiale hurriedly protested. "Look, the ringtone has only just started ringing!"

"You always arrive at school just before you're late," the teacher on duty at the gate frowned. "Can't you arrive ten minutes earlier?"

"I didn't want to be stuck in traffic!" Wang Jiale said with an embarrassed smile. "Besides... this way I can practice sprinting every day, right? It's about 400 meters from the station to the school gate."

“I remember now, at the last school sports meet, in the girls’ 4x100m relay for first-year high school students, you seemed to run about as fast as the athletes from the training team.”

"Yes, yes, teacher, it's still useful!"

"But that's no excuse for always arriving at school late every day."

"But... I'm not late yet..." Wang Jiale pouted, lowered her head, and muttered softly.

Meanwhile, just as the bell rang for the late arrivals to stop, the familiar athletes' march began to play.

I hear this almost every morning when I go to school.

Whether it's a morning meeting, morning exercises, or a morning run...

"Alright, go in. Don't let me catch you being late, even a minute late will get you points deducted." The teacher on duty frowned, but ultimately let them in.

"Thank you, teacher~" Wang Jiale said sweetly, then grabbed the shoulder strap of her schoolbag and ran upstairs quickly.

Despite her petite stature, she surprisingly possesses excellent athletic ability.

"Wang Jiale~" At the classroom door, the students had already lined up. Ye Wen crossed her arms and asked her with a 'kind' expression, "Were you late today~?"

"No! Perfect!" Wang Jiale quickly said, then ran into the classroom, put down her schoolbag, and nimbly darted to the front of the line before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"This is Wang Jiale's daily life," Hua Yinyin, standing behind Wang Jiale, explained to her.

"The most amazing thing is that she has never been late..." Mo Xueyao began to suspect that she deliberately rushed into school when she was almost late every day, just to pursue this kind of thrill.

Just like some authors with peculiar habits like to write furiously on the night of the deadline, or like some students like to finish all their winter and summer vacation assignments in one day.

Is Wang Jiale also seeking this kind of thrill?

Well... of course, she probably just can't get up.

So what allows her to get to school on time every day is probably the adrenaline secreted during critical moments?

At Monday's morning assembly, as usual, the performance of each class last week was discussed, and then the principal announced some good news that surprised and delighted the students.

"Because winter is coming, and considering that the revised girls' uniform is a skirt, it will be very cold even indoors when it snows," the principal said with a slight smile. "In order to take care of all the girls in the school, electric heaters will be installed in each class this week."

For children in the south, heating is a very distant concept.

In rural areas, people can use the ashes left over from burning firewood for warmth, but in cities, most people can only rely on wearing more clothes to keep warm in winter.

Only very wealthy people have air conditioners that can provide heating.

Some people have also made unauthorized modifications to their homes to use gas for heating, but such devices are too dangerous to use in the city. Because of several accidents, they have been strictly prohibited, and if discovered, they will be required to be removed.

However, Yukong High School immediately decided to use electric heaters, which would cost a lot of money.

"This winter, the electric heaters are free. The boys should thank the girls. If it weren't for taking care of them, you wouldn't be enjoying this kind of treatment," the principal said with a hint of sarcasm. "If Yukong were still the private school it used to be, we might still charge fees, but now it's a public high school, so we try our best to provide a better learning environment for everyone free of charge. For this, we also need to thank the country."

"Long live the principal!" But most people still prefer to shout that.

Mo Xueyao, who had never experienced central heating in winter when she was in school, was now looking forward to it.

She had been worried that it would be very cold if it snowed, but instead she started fantasizing about a heavy snowfall after the heating was installed.

Enjoying beautiful scenery in a warm indoor environment is a pleasant thought.

The morning assembly ended quickly, and the students back in the classroom started talking about the electric heaters that were going to be installed.

"But an electric heater shouldn't be able to warm an area as big as a classroom, right?" Some knowledgeable people began to worry. "I've seen those electric heaters before. When you turn them on, the copper wires inside glow red-hot, but they're only warm when you get close. They're still cold from a distance."

"That's not copper wire, it must be some other fiber material," said a short-haired boy about 1.7 meters tall sitting in front of Gao Yuan. "But it's true, the heating effect is really good."

“I don’t think we’ll use that kind.” Gao Yuan waved his finger, finally having a chance to show off his knowledge. “There’s another type of heating system called a radiator, which is installed against the wall and then uses pipes to deliver heat to every corner. I guess if the classroom is that big, two radiators would be enough. If you want it to be warmer, four radiators would be even better.”

Mo Xueyao was filled with questions because she had never seen a radiator before and couldn't imagine what it was like.

But... flakes?

Is that a very small one?

After all, when people talk about films, they almost always think of a leaf or a biscuit.

If something so small can keep the whole classroom warm, that's really high-tech.

But if it's going to be installed, it should at least be something that can make the classroom warmer.

Otherwise, there's no need to waste this money.

Because the installation technicians also need to rest at night, the installation of the electric heaters began after the morning meeting.

Senior high school students are given the highest priority because they need a more comfortable environment to study with peace of mind.

Then proceed in order of grade and class.

In other words, it will probably be at least Wednesday before the electric heaters are installed for the first-year high school students.

The first period on Monday morning is English class.

"Ahem." Dressed in expensive European-style clothing, looking like a noble lady, the English teacher stood on the podium, coughed lightly, and even winked mischievously at Mo Xueyao.

This reminded her of the person she had met at the gathering of enthusiasts that day.

It still feels amazing to think about it now, that I could actually meet her at a party that's supposed to be for kids.

Moreover, her alias seems to be Yu Yu Jiang.