A Young Woman's Heart

"Whether you get an extra meal today depends on whether your old man can catch a fish, so pray!" Mo Xueyao said jokingly, just as her father picked up his fishing rod.

Unfortunately, the bait on the hook was gone, and no fish were caught.

"Dad, your skills aren't up to par!"

"Nonsense, I'm a fishing expert, I just had a slightly off day today, maybe it's because it's too cold -- hey, Xiaoyao, grill me a skewer too."

"What do you want to eat?"

"From chives."

"Leeks, are they an aphrodisiac?"

"Go away, do you think your dad is any stronger?"

"Tch—I remember when we were little, after you and Mom finished showering and went into the same room, you would often come out before I even finished watching the commercials."

"What nonsense are you talking about, cough cough!" The father coughed several times awkwardly, trying to take out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, but he found nothing.

He then realized that he had finished his cigarette.

……

(three)

Holding a fishing rod in one hand and a bamboo skewer in the other, the father ate the chives that Mo Xueyao had grilled for him: "Actually, when I was young, I wanted to be a mountaineer."

"Mountaineer?"

"I would pack my bags and go hiking, camp in the mountains, and find food. I was only sixteen or seventeen years old then. I hiked for two months in the fall, when there weren't many insects. So I brought rice and tools, using the schoolbag I used back in school..."

"What about the vegetables?"

“Vegetables? Easy, there are wild vegetables everywhere in the mountains. You can also set traps to hunt, and use slingshots to shoot birds and rabbits to eat.”

"You spent two months like this in the mountains?"

"Yes, I lived there for two months. I brought a change of clothes and bathed in the river. It was autumn then, so it was a bit cold, but I felt very free. It was probably the freest time of my life. I was so carefree. Haha, thinking back, it's so good to be young."

"Ugh, I'll definitely look filthy when I come out."

"Haha, it's alright, it's just that my shoes wore out. Later I made myself a pair of straw sandals, and I can shave with a knife."

"Dad can weave straw sandals?"

"Of course, this is one of the essential survival skills for the wild."

Are you just going to drive around in circles in the mountains?

"Of course not. I kept going deeper into the mountains and kept going until I came out in a very remote town. The feeling of conquering one mountain after another was so exhilarating, it was like opening up new territories."

"Let's go hiking and camping in the mountains next time!"

"Haha, you think life in the mountains is like this? It's not a vacation. There's hardly any seasoning in the food, maybe just salt. You have to process the game you catch yourself, and sometimes you can't catch anything, so you go hungry. Bathing is outdoors, and you have to find your own firewood. Going to the toilet is even more troublesome; if there's no paper, you use leaves..."

"Alright, alright, let's eat!"

"Hahaha--"

……

Chapter 163 New Year's Greetings

(One)

2002 was a year in which the population was moving towards cities.

Although many young people still stay in rural areas, many of those who are willing to work hard in cities have already settled down.

They don't always go back home for holidays; sometimes, like Mo Xueyao's family, they stay in the city for the New Year.

Many of them were relatives and friends, so since there was nothing else to do, I naturally had to visit them.

So the whole family got up very early today.

……

(two)

Breakfast was a steamed crucian carp.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't the only catch from yesterday's fishing trip.

In fact, we didn't catch anything at all yesterday.

I actually bought this from an old man who was fishing on my way back yesterday.

A small crucian carp, about the size of my father's palm.

In his words, "Since we've come out fishing, we have to bring something back, even if it's just buying a fish."

So, this little crucian carp became today's breakfast.

Although the flesh is very tender, Mo Xueyao has never liked eating crucian carp, simply because there are too many bones inside.

So basically, the mother ate by herself, slowly.

There was a bowl of stir-fried wild vegetables on the table. The vegetables tasted bitter and astringent, but my mother kept piling handfuls of them into her own bowl, and also gave a lot to Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan.

"Ugh—I don't want this!" Mo Xueyao slapped her little feet, clad in slippers, on the ground, making a 'smack smack' sound. "This tastes awful!"

"Eat more, it's good for your health, it promotes blood circulation, and it can also make your mind clearer."

"That's because the bitterness made me sober, okay?" She rolled her eyes and piled the whole bunch of food into Li Wanyan's bowl. "Wanyan, can you help me finish this?"

Li Wanyan glanced at her helplessly and gently bumped her slipper with her foot under the table.

"You, eat by yourself, eat a little bit, hurry up." But her mother wouldn't give up, still putting a large mouthful on her plate.

"Oh dear, if she doesn't like it, don't let her eat it. It'll just be a waste." The father had barely finished speaking when the mother put the whole bunch of wild vegetables into his bowl.

"You eat too! Why are you such a picky eater, just like a child?"

“Oh dear—” The father showed a disgusted expression, the moles on his rough face all crowded together, “Oh dear, I don’t want this awful stuff.”

"Just eat it when I tell you to!"

"Okay, okay, let's eat..."

This is where family status comes into play.

……

(three)

They loaded large and small bags of New Year's goods onto the car; these were all gifts to be given when visiting relatives and friends for the New Year.

Sausages, roast duck, tea, cigarettes...

These are all things that everyone uses in their daily lives.

Even if you don't use it yourself, you can give it to someone else, so it won't be wasted at all.

Of course, a large stack of red envelopes were also prepared, since everyone we were visiting had children.

There are at least one, and at most two or three.

Thankfully we had a van, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to fit all this stuff.

Even if everyone carries a little, it would still be incredibly heavy.

Of course, if there were no van, people probably wouldn't bring so many things to visit relatives and friends for the New Year.

This car must have cost quite a bit of money.

While it's said that they're going to pay New Year's visits, there might also be a bit of showing off involved.

To show off their current living conditions, how much better they are than before, etc.?

As Mo Xueyao drifted into thought, the van slowly started moving. On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, the city streets were still as empty as if ninety percent of the people had disappeared.

The once bustling street shops have all closed their cold roller shutters.

But you can still see an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street, shivering in the cold wind, his nose red as if it were swollen.

On days like these, is there really any business?

Mo Xueyao expressed her doubts about this.

However, that's probably just life.

Ups and downs, but you always have to get through them.

Just like businesses have peak and off-peak seasons.

……

(four)

The van drove through the usually bustling city center, Wulinmen, where Mo Xueyao's second uncle lived.

That is, the father's older brother.

There is a large age gap between them; he is more like their father's uncle than an older brother.

His hair was half white, with black hair mixed in, and his face looked somewhat weathered, but he was in good spirits.

Unlike his father, who spent his life struggling in the streets, this second uncle clearly had the air of an intellectual, and spoke in a refined and scholarly manner.

My second uncle doesn't actually live in Hangzhou all the time; it's just that his wife's hometown is here, so he only comes to stay for a while occasionally.

"Ali's here, what a rare guest." He smiled and nodded, neither appearing overly enthusiastic nor distant.

"Second Brother!" His father laughed heartily, like a butcher, and patted him on the shoulder. "Long time no see! It's been over a year!"

My second uncle just smiled kindly: "You're the only one in our family who doesn't want to study hard. Back then, the old man told us not to help you out. I wonder how you've been doing lately?"

"Ha, that's great! Here, these are New Year's gifts for you. Happy New Year!" The father laughed and handed over the two braised ducks he was carrying. His second uncle's wife quickly took them from behind.

The mother placed a box of tea and two packs of cigarettes on the sofa.

“Come here, Xiaoyao, Wanyan, this is your second uncle.”

"Hello, Second Uncle."