A Young Woman's Heart

"Can you catch crabs in this river?"

"That will probably have to wait until the weather gets warmer... Haha." The father squinted his eyes. "No rush, this bait smells quite good, we'll be able to lure them out then."

"There shouldn't be any particularly large fish in this river, right?"

"You don't understand. Small fish taste better; big ones just get fat."

This reminded Mo Xueyao of a time when she went out to eat with her godfather, and the sea bass she had eaten actually contained fatty meat.

To be honest, the fat on a fish is much more repulsive than the fat on a pig...

If you accidentally bite it, it will feel like you've eaten a boil.

Deep in the mountains, the sky was still overcast. The family gathered around the burning firewood, enjoying the peace and tranquility far from the hustle and bustle of the world.

……

Chapter 162 A Family and a Cat by the River

(One)

The sugar fritter had somehow gotten into the car. When we found it, it was snuggled comfortably under the blanket, enjoying the warmth in the freezing cold.

"Su-tang-" Mo Xueyao grabbed its two hind legs and dragged out this big, fluffy cat that was as fat as a ball. With its size, even a weasel would look like a little mouse in front of it.

"Meow—" it let out a reluctant meow, and then suddenly burrowed into Li Wanyan's arms.

It's freezing cold outside, and it doesn't want to go anywhere; it just wants to go somewhere warmer.

It was nearly noon, but the sky was still as gloomy as midnight.

Large snowflakes began to fall throughout the entire mountain.

Unlike hail that hurts your face, this is probably one of the few gentle things that winter brings.

The tent was swaying violently in the wind. If it weren't for the steel nails driven into the ground, Mo Xueyao even doubted whether it would be blown away by the strong wind at any moment.

"Haaah..." She reached out and caught a few snowflakes, then immediately pulled her hand back. "It's so hot!"

"Because it's too cold, right?" The father leisurely took a puff of his cigarette and replied with a smile.

The fishing rods were covered in snow, but the fish baskets next to them were empty.

My father, who said he would enjoy fishing when he came, hasn't caught a single fish yet.

The riverbed was completely calm, with no trace of fish swimming beneath.

My mother wasn't in the tent at the moment. She was carrying a small basket, wearing a raincoat that she could walk in, and digging up some herbs with a small hoe, saying she was going to take them back to plant.

The campfire in the brazier wasn't burning very brightly, and Mo Xueyao was idly poking at it with a stick.

In these deep mountains, there's no radio signal, leaving people at a loss for what to do.

"Dad, aren't you bored?"

"What's wrong? Are you bored?"

"Just staring straight at the river."

"What's so boring about it? Haha, Xiaoyao, you still have no patience."

"Tch, at least you need to have something to do." Mo Xueyao grabbed Su Tang and pulled it into her arms, pinching its cheeks hard.

The latter was too lazy to resist and let it knead and shape it as it pleased.

"Sugar Sugar, a big silly cat~"

"Meow—" Su Tang cried out in protest.

"Sugar Sugar, a big silly cat~"

"Meow—"

"Crispy candy, so plump it's like a ball!"

"...Meow." This time the meow was quite short, perhaps because it understood and felt a little guilty.

"Haha, you're so boring, aren't you hungry?"

"Hmm—a little?"

"In that big bag, there are a few metal lunch boxes filled with skewers of barbecue. Let's grill them and eat them; they're all marinated."

"You made it yourself?"

"nonsense."

"Huh, Dad made this?"

"Of course." The father reluctantly finished the last bit of his cigarette before throwing the butt onto the bare dirt ground beside him, where there were already seven or eight cigarette butts.

He touched the crumpled cigarette box, sighed, and threw it on the ground.

"You're littering, Dad."

"This isn't garbage, it's fertilizer."

"Tch, sophistry!" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes and threw the candy on the ground. The candy immediately jumped onto Li Wanyan, its paws still covered in dirt.

Li Wanyan grabbed its chubby paws and used withered leaves to wipe away the dirt on them, so that it wouldn't leave footprints all over her.

The metal box contained various skewers of barbecue, including both meat and vegetables, as well as staple foods like steamed buns and rice cakes.

Mo Xueyao could tell at a glance that these were leftover vegetables from her family's purchases, and some were New Year's goods.

This can be considered a way to make use of waste.

Because it's already marinated, there's no problem grilling it directly without adding any seasoning.

Mo Xueyao picked out a string of rice cakes and placed it on the iron mesh above the iron basin.

"Eat one skewer at a time, then grill one skewer at a time. This way, you won't get full too quickly, and the skewers won't be overcooked, allowing you to enjoy them for a while longer."

"Dad seems quite experienced, huh?" Mo Xueyao glanced at him, then gently rubbed Li Wanyan's shoe with her toe. "Wanyan, do you want it?"

"That's how we pass the time in the wild, haha."

"Steamed buns, please."

"Want some toasted buns? Okay, I'll put them on up there—"

This is not the common sliced ​​steamed bun, but a flat, traditional steamed bun.

It's quite fluffy overall, and it will become crisp like a cookie after baking.

When I'm at home, I also fry them. The steamed buns usually have a red stamp on them, which is a big "福" (fortune) character.

This seems to be a specialty of my maternal grandmother's area, brought by relatives who had visited her home.

The baked buns weren't marinated, because the flavor of them just from being baked was good enough.

If you find it too bland, you can sprinkle some cumin and salt and pepper on top—these seasonings are all packaged in individual bottles and jars.

Of course, adding some sweet condensed milk is also a good idea.

This stuff is very expensive. Even with Mo Xueyao's current financial situation, they don't usually eat it. They only bought two bottles to take home during the Chinese New Year.

……

(two)

The snow continued to fall.

If it has a sweet taste, it can be sprinkled on steamed buns and eaten as candy.

In the past, it was rare for the whole family to get together.

My father has to go to work. He leaves home at seven or eight o'clock every day and doesn't come back until six or seven o'clock.

The mother, on the other hand, was to become a nanny.

She stays home during the day, but at night she has to cook and clean.

At most, I would bring other people's children back to take care of them during the day, and then go to two different households to cook meals in the evening.

I was busy from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m.

I'm exhausted and busy every day, but life doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Schools often find various reasons to charge money.

Later, with her godfather's help, Mo Xueyao registered her household under his name, thus becoming a local resident and finally avoiding the exorbitant tuition fee.

Even now, legally speaking, she is still considered her godfather's daughter.

After all, they are under the same household registration.

Her father planned to transfer her household registration back to her hometown when she went to university, taking advantage of the opportunity that universities typically require students to transfer their household registration.

Or you could simply go out on your own.

I just wonder if I'll be able to get a permanent Shanghai residency if I get into a university in Shanghai?

The food on the two skewers was ready. Mo Xueyao handed the steamed bun to Li Wanyan, then lowered her head and took a big bite of rice cake.

Whether it was hunger or the appetizing scenery, Mo Xueyao found the rice cake to be incredibly delicious. The sauce on the outside was salty, while the inside was slightly sweet. It was crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, making her mouth water and wanting to eat it all in one go.

However, the freshly baked rice cakes were still very hot, so even if she wanted to finish a whole skewer at once, it wasn't so easy.

"Want some brittle candy?"

"Meow~"

"Tch, you greedy cat, you really want to eat? Let me tell you, no way~" Mo Xueyao glanced at it sideways, "At most, I'll give you some bone scraps later."

"Meow—meow—!" it began to protest, standing up and stretching, tilting its little head back, looking quite eager.

Li Wanyan broke off a small piece of steamed bun for it, which swallowed it whole as if it hadn't swallowed anything at all.

"Are you a kitten or a vacuum cleaner? What are your teeth for?"

It seems that after living with a cat for a long time, you can't help but talk to it, even if it may not understand.

Su Tang, surprisingly perceptive, glanced at her sideways and then found a spot near the brazier to lie down.