A Young Woman's Heart

"This is a wedding anniversary gift for you."

"You're giving me a glass bottle?"

"Ali, why are you being silly? Of course, you should use glass bottles to store things. I'm making some colorful little candy balls today. Remember, I made these for you back then."

"Oh, that! The sweet little sugar pills? I thought you bought them, but you later said you made them yourself."

"You just like me because I'm good with my hands."

"Hey, you'll definitely want to see something, right?" Mo Wenli laughed, scratching his head, and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Next time for our wedding anniversary, we should order a poster in advance, something like..."

To celebrate the wedding anniversary of the owners, everything is 10 yuan off for every 100 yuan spent.

"Why don't you just put up a megaphone here and play all the things you said when you confessed your feelings to me over and over again for a whole day?"

"Well, that wasn't when we were young anymore. It's too cheesy to say that now."

"You actually know how to be cheesy?"

"Oh, so you liked it to death back then?"

The couple teased each other and smiled at each other. Although they were no longer young, they could still occasionally find some of the feelings they had when they were young.

Although people will always grow old, the pursuit of romance will probably never end.

After all, people are always reluctant to admit they're getting old.

Or perhaps time flies by so quickly, it's not that people refuse to grow old, but rather that they don't realize they've already aged.

Looking back, it always feels like my youthful days were just yesterday.

……

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Note ①: "Slowly walk" is a dialectal expression meaning "walk slowly" or "walk carefully".

Chapter 185 The Season When Cherry Blossoms Bloom

(One)

As February draws to a close, the first day of March has finally arrived as scheduled.

If February still felt like last year, then March truly felt like the start of a new year.

New buds have sprouted on the bare trees, weeds always grow the most luxuriantly, and the little wildflowers bloom earlier than those specially planted in the flower beds.

The gentleness of spring always makes people feel lazy, but not drowsy. Rather, it's the feeling of being carefully cared for, allowing you to relax and close your eyes to enjoy the moment.

Mo Xueyao walked with her hands behind her back, always touching the ground on her tiptoes before putting them down, as elegant as a cat.

In fact, she just happened to want to learn how to walk from Su Tang on a whim.

A spring breeze, carrying the fragrance of spring, passed through the alleyways and the gaps in the tree branches, brushing against Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan's faces and making their long hair at their temples a little disheveled.

The wispy clouds in the sky were tinged with the rosy hue of the rising sun; the color gradually faded, leaving them as pink and tender as a piece of colored candy.

Although she hadn't experienced any dramatic ups and downs in her life, nor escaped from any immense pressure, Mo Xueyao did imagine something in her mind—

Emerging from the dark, sunless cave, having spent the entire winter in hibernation, and seeing the earth bloom again in spring, the feeling of embracing freedom and the world was so wonderful that it made one doubt its reality.

But when you start moving your legs, you will feel more real than ever before that you are truly alive.

Although it was just an imagination, she was actually somewhat moved by herself, and a sentence inexplicably popped out of her mouth: "Wanyan, it's so good to be alive."

"?"

"Cough...it's nothing...it just feels like life is really wonderful." Mo Xueyao seemed to choke on her own saliva. "Just a spontaneous thought."

"Yaoyao is a child who knows how to be content."

"Ugh—Wanyan, talking like that makes you sound like an auntie, doesn't it?"

Li Wanyan didn't say anything, but just stared at me with eyes like an owl.

……

(two)

Right next to the school playground fence, a breakfast stall has been set up.

It was a modified handcart, with pots, a coal stove, and drawers all neatly arranged.

There were two small folding tables and some mismatched stools next to it.

Steam was rising from the pot, and the old lady with gray hair was very quick and efficient. She placed the wonton wrapper in her palm, dipped it in meat with chopsticks, clenched her hands, and gently pinched it closed. A wonton was done in less than two seconds.

"Ah, wontons!"

"What."

"It's wontons. In my family, we call these wontons 'chaoshou,' which is probably used to describe small wontons. And the way they're made is like this: you pick up your chopsticks and poke them into your hand... something like that." Mo Xueyao was a little attracted by the pretty wontons. In fact, the two of them had been traveling all the way from home and hadn't had breakfast yet.

Beneath the white wonton wrappers, you can vaguely see the beautiful red meat filling, so translucent it makes your mouth water.

"Want some?"

"Eat up, boss! How much is one serving?"

"A small bowl costs one dollar, a large bowl costs two dollars."

"How many are there?"

"Ten pieces in a small bowl, twenty pieces in a large bowl."

"Ah—I want a big bowl!" In fact, the enjoyment of these small wontons is that they're meant to be eaten one bite at a time, so even twenty isn't a large portion. "Where's Wanyan?"

"Same."

“Two bowls!” Mo Xueyao held up two fingers.

"Okay." The old lady with gray hair nodded gently, opened one of the drawers, and poured all the wontons into the pot.

This drawer contains enough for one large bowl, so she filled two drawers with wontons at once.

That looks really exciting.

Of course, a serving of wontons is not just a few wontons.

While the wontons were cooking, the old lady opened another pot and an aluminum lunchbox filled with minced meat. She pinched a small handful, squeezed it into strips, and put it into a strainer. But that wasn't all. She then opened another lid, which contained white minced meat that looked more elastic.

"What is this, chicken?"

“Shrimp meat,” the old lady replied simply—in her not-so-standard Mandarin.

Compared to minced pork, less minced shrimp, or shrimp paste, is used; the main purpose is to add a different flavor.

The shrimp paste and minced pork were placed together in a strainer, put into the soup pot for a quick blanch, and then scooped out after a short while.

"Here, to eat?" The old lady seemed to have some difficulty speaking Mandarin. She tried hard to correct her accent, but her tongue seemed to be tied in knots.

"Hmm—Wanyan?"

Let's eat here.

"Okay, let's eat here!"

So the old lady took out two old porcelain bowls, lined them with seaweed, dried shrimp, pickled vegetables, and dried fried dough sticks, and sprinkled some sesame oil and salt, along with a few sesame seeds.

The wontons, along with their broth, were scooped up and poured into a bowl, where white steam immediately rose up.

Sprinkle the freshly blanched minced meat on top, and finally add a few chopped green onions. A bowl of wontons is ready.

Because these wontons have thin wrappers and not much filling, they cook very quickly and don't require a long wait, making them perfect for mornings when every moment is precious.

After receiving the wontons, Mo Xueyao couldn't wait to find a seat and sit down, then gently scooped them up with the ceramic soup spoon—

"Ouch, it's so hot!"

"Eat slowly, there's still plenty of time."

"It smells so good! Wonton is a great breakfast option. It's light and delicious, and the soup makes you feel warm and cozy."

"You've only taken a small sip."

"But I can already feel it!"

Li Wanyan pursed her lips, glanced at her helplessly, picked up the vinegar from the beverage bottle, and squeezed some into her own bowl.

"Well!"

"Haha, don't talk about me! Wanyan got burned too!"

Li Wanyan ignored her, only squinting her eyes like a Tibetan fox.

……

(three)

The large bowl of wontons was completely devoured, with not a single broth left.

This bowl of wontons is much more affordable than many breakfasts.

Mo Xueyao subconsciously wanted to wipe the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, but after noticing that Li Wanyan was looking at her, she coughed awkwardly twice, took a napkin from the latter's pocket, and then wiped the soup stains from the corner of her mouth.

After breakfast, you don't have to walk too far; the school gate is right in front of you.

A gentle breeze blew, and pink petals fell on Mo Xueyao's head. The blooming cherry blossoms bathed the entire school in pink.

It wasn't even open yesterday.

"Like a spring breeze overnight..." Mo Xueyao sighed softly, suddenly feeling that this poem, which she had memorized to the point of being cliché, was actually quite appropriate and suitable for this moment.

"Spring rain adds flowers to the road, flowers stir up a mountain of spring colors." Someone next to her also recited a line, but that voice was clearly not Li Wanyan's.

Hua Yinyin stood up from under the blooming cherry blossom tree, and a few petals fell from her head.

Those bright eyes opened wide, shining as clearly as a crystal mirror.

Good morning, Mo Xueyao.

"?"

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