A Young Woman's Heart

The house was quiet and there was no festive atmosphere. The lights that had been on during dinner were all off.

He pressed the button on the computer screen, which looked like a big head.

The screen gradually lit up, and the desktop was a vast grassland.

He habitually opened the webpage, entered the forum he frequented, checked if the artists he followed had updated, and browsed the homepage for any new posts.

Sure enough, quite a few people provided image packs.

The replies below were all unanimously positive, wishing the person a peaceful and prosperous life.

However, the weather was too cold, and he had no intention of doing anything.

She simply rested her chin on one hand, opened her friends' chat, and tentatively sent a message to Tian Tingchan.

"Happy New Year, Brother Chan!"

The so-called chat is basically similar to leaving messages; you can only see who has sent you messages by logging onto this webpage.

Unlike text messages, which can be sent and seen by the recipient immediately, text messages do not appear to be sent to a mobile phone.

But to his surprise, he received a reply less than five seconds after sending the message.

"Happy New Year!"

An exclamation mark was added after it, which made it seem as if Zhou Yong could see her smiling expression.

So he replied, "Are you home alone?"

"yes!"

"Did you see the fireworks outside?"

"I see it, it's beautiful! Are you looking at it too?"

"Hmm, I'd like to go downstairs and set off some fireworks."

"Then let's go."

"Never mind, it's too cold..."

"You always just think about it in your heart and talk about it, but how can you get results and happiness without taking action?"

"Does Brother Chan seem to be in a good mood today?"

"It's Chinese New Year, of course I should be in a good mood!"

Zhou Yong placed his hands on the keyboard, unsure of what to type or what message to send.

It's not that I don't know what to say, it's just that there are some things I can't bring myself to say.

"Oh, oh." A thousand words were reduced to just two repeated syllables.

So, Tian Tingchan on the other end of the chat ended first: "I'm going to sleep now, see you tomorrow."

"It's already 'tomorrow'."

"Shall we meet during the day?"

"Okay..." Zhou Yong was silent for half a minute, then sent another message: "Happy New Year".

However, this time there was no response.

He slumped into his chair, staring intently at the computer screen, and drowsiness finally began to creep over him.

……

(four)

Outside Duanmu Bi's hamburger and fried chicken shop, the roller shutter door was tightly closed.

But there were people sitting behind the shop window.

It was her and her younger brother.

The shop was dark, with only a table lamp on the table.

The plate contained fried chicken, hamburgers, and fries.

Duanmu Ji picked up a French fry somewhat awkwardly and dipped it in ketchup: "It's so deserted... Why do we have to be in the store? Isn't it better to be at home?"

“You used to stay at home, isn’t it good to be in the shop this year?” Duanmu Bi asked rhetorically.

"Okay... shall we not go set off fireworks?"

"Let's watch others release them now, and then we'll release them when they've stopped doing so much!" Duanmu Bi's ideas were always a bit unconventional.

"Are you full? If not, I'll make you some more!" Duanmu Bi patted Duanmu Ji's head with her greasy little hands, which made the latter twist his body unhappily as if he had been pricked by a needle.

"Ah, I just took a shower."

"Let's take another shower, there's hot water anyway."

"..."

"Hey, Xiao Ji." The older sister picked up a hamburger, opened her mouth and took a big bite, chewing as she mumbled, "Ah-ee-uh-ma (Do you remember)?"

"what?"

"Nothing after that..."

"Finish what's in your mouth before you talk, okay..." Duanmu Ji looked at his older sister helplessly and handed her a napkin. "Your mouth is covered in cream, wipe it clean."

"It's okay, it's okay, just wash your face after you eat."

"Sis, you haven't changed at all, you're still so carefree..."

"So you really want me to change?" Duanmu Bi chuckled, still taking the napkin he offered and wiping her mouth. "Tell me, do you remember before? When you were just a little kid, I took you in, you poor little thing who ran away from the mountains."

"Please don't use those kinds of adjectives..."

"So, you're a cute little chick? Because at first I thought you looked like a little yellow chick, so I named you 'Ji'!"

"..."

"Puhaha, don't worry, I'm not that casual. When I registered your household, I named you this because I hoped that when you were able to do so, you would be able to help others, just like I do for you."

"Hmm." Duanmu Ji rarely felt that his older sister had said something useful.

"Then, where were we? Oh right, when you were little, you were still young, and we had only known each other for half a year, but we were already very familiar with each other. Then one time when we went out, you were leaning against the door of KFC and looking inside, saying something like, 'Wow, sister, it's so pretty inside, can we go in and take a look?'"

Duanmu Bi imitated it perfectly, making Duanmu Ji scratch his cheek a little embarrassed.

"Actually, you just wanted to eat the food inside, but I didn't have any money back then, so I didn't go in. After all, those things were too expensive. So I lied to you and said that I would open a shop in the future and you could eat whatever you wanted. Do you remember?"

"..."

"Tsk, you definitely don't remember, right?"

"Of course I remember." Duanmu Ji looked at the face of this woman who was both his sister and his mother, and nodded seriously. "I also remember you saying that you would treat me to fries and hamburgers every day, with lots of ketchup and plenty of pickles in the hamburgers..."

"It's rare that you still remember. So, how is it now? Have you fulfilled your wish?"

"That's clearly yours, sis..."

"Tch, how come you're not tired of it yet? You could eat it every day."

"Actually, I don't eat it every day, do I? I just eat it a little more often than usual..."

"So, you haven't had enough yet?"

"...Speaking of which, sis, have you been eating too much? You seem to have gained weight recently."

"Ahem, you brat, your older sister only gets fat here, nowhere else gets fat, understand?"

"..."

……

Chapter 160 New Year's Day, Openly and Rightfully Taking a Break

(One)

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, fireworks and firecrackers continued to sound from time to time.

It's like the lingering afterglow of the New Year.

When Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan returned, it was already three or four in the morning.

By the time I washed up and went back to bed, it was already four or five o'clock.

Around seven or eight o'clock, I could vaguely hear my godfather's family saying goodbye to my parents and leaving, mixed with noisy footsteps in the stairwell and the sound of a car engine a few minutes later.

The fireworks briefly masked the noise in the house, which soon returned to silence.

The bed, which had been as hot as an oven, suddenly turned cold again. Li Wanyan turned over and vaguely felt someone stuffing melodious notes into her ears and throwing them into her dreams.

She opened her eyes groggily and saw the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.

Temperature, sound, and vision all became clearer.

In the spacious and comfortable home, a layer of frost had formed on the windows.

The frigid air made it feel like being thrown into a snow-capped mountain.

Li Wanyan subconsciously curled up her body.

Sleeping on the second floor gave her the illusion of sleeping in her old, cramped farmer's house.

Back then, no matter how clean the house was, it was always messy, filled with the smell of alcohol and vomit.

She slept on the upper floor, and every time dawn broke, she never wanted to open her eyes.

If she were to wake up, she would be willing to leave early and get far away from that home that didn't feel like home.

So she took another deep breath.

There was no strange smell, only a faint fruity and floral fragrance permeating the air.

She straightened up, wrapped herself in the blanket, and like a mermaid, hooked her legs and leaned against the bed railing.

Mo Xueyao was playing the electronic keyboard between the bed and the wall, her feet in cotton slippers tapping out the rhythm.

With her fair and delicate skin and clear, jewel-like blue eyes, Li Wanyan felt as if she were a spirit of the wind.