A Young Woman's Heart

Although the uniforms at Yukong High School are beautiful, you'll definitely get tired of wearing them after a while.

The six people, each carrying a paper bag, walked out covered in sweat.

The wind blowing in my face was so refreshing, it lifted the hair at my temples, and every pore on my body seemed to be opening up.

"But it seems like we haven't had any performances since then, have we?"

"Hmph, of course I have! I've already made a plan!"

"Huh—they didn't tell us at all?"

"As the captain, of course... cough cough, actually it was just a temporary appointment."

"What is that?" Wang Jiale was amused. "Yinyin is really something."

"But there is indeed a plan. When I went to collect the activity funds, the head of the teaching department told me that our band has a performance to arrange in a while."

"Is it a nursing home or a welfare home?" Mo Xueyao gently touched the ponytail behind her head with her free hand, and Mo Zhuyou behind her couldn't help but gently tug at it as well.

"No, it's about participating in a competition!"

"Aren't those usually the school band?"

"Listen to me, it's not the competition itself, it's the publicity for the competition. I don't know the specifics, it should be next month, right?"

"Like a cheerleader at a football match?"

"Something like that?"

"Hey, hey." Mo Xueyao scratched Mo Zhuyou's cheek with her ponytail. "We're a band, not a cheerleading squad."

"As long as I can perform, it's fine. Isn't it more interesting to grab the audience's attention the moment I step on stage?"

"Then, there must be others, right? Judging from what Yinyin just said, it doesn't seem like there's only one activity?" Wang Jiale reached out and grabbed Yu Shu, who almost tripped over the uneven stone bricks, and turned to ask Hua Yinyin.

"And another thing—I've already talked to Yue Tingfeng, and I'll be performing at his family's bar tomorrow!"

"Huh? This is so sudden!" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes at Hua Yinyin. "You didn't say anything beforehand!"

"Because Yue Tingfeng only told me this today. The band that usually performs at his stage all caught a bad cold yesterday and have to stay home to rest for the next two days. There were no band performances yesterday and today, but they can't be without performances tomorrow, right? So he asked us to fill in for them."

"Just do it the same way you would during regular practice."

"That's right, just do it the way you usually practice!"

Yu Shu timidly raised her small hand: "Then...then...can I drink alcohol to give me courage?"

"Absolutely not!" Mo Xueyao was the first to object. "Your health is so poor, why would you drink alcohol? No way!"

"Well... actually, it's not impossible. Shu'er performs even better after drinking!" Hua Yinyin, always eager to stir up trouble, gave a thumbs up.

"Yinyin, what are you doing? Don't cause trouble." Wang Jiale glared at her. "Xiaoyao is right, Shuer can't drink alcohol recklessly. What if she really drinks herself into a stupor one time?"

"Then, then I..."

"You've participated so many times already, are you still stage-frightened?" Mo Zhuyou asked curiously.

"The time for mental preparation... was far too short..."

"Ah, well, I used to do that too, but... um..." Mo Zhuyou tilted her head, "When you go on stage, just forget about your own existence, forget about yourself and the audience. Anyway, don't worry, we won't be the most conspicuous ones."

"Ah, ah, that's right, Yin Yin will definitely steal the show." Mo Xueyao said with a hint of helplessness and teasing, "The audience's attention will definitely be on her."

"Can I rob it?" Mr. Xue seemed intrigued.

"Hey, Xiaoxue, are you trying to steal my thunder again? Damn it, I absolutely won't let you get away with it this time!"

"Wait, wait!" Mo Xueyao suddenly realized she couldn't find Li Wanyan. "Where's Wanyan?"

"Huh? Right, where's my sister?" Mo Zhuyou finally realized something was missing.

……

(three)

At the other end of the supermarket plaza, there was also a long stall, but there weren't many people gathered around it, and almost all the people sitting on the benches were children.

They sell a special kind of painting here.

—Powder painting.

Essentially, it's a type of coloring book.

The seller will give you paper with a pre-printed pattern. You can tear the middle section for coloring and then apply the colors you want.

The only difference is that instead of crayons or watercolors, they use a finely ground powder.

Simply sprinkle the powder where you want it; there's no need to worry about it getting on other areas, as it's only sticky where you need to fill in the color.

To apply the paste neatly, you can use a toothpick or a flat wooden stick.

Li Wanyan and Mo Xiaoxiao were both engrossed in watching. Although they didn't talk to each other, they would occasionally exchange a smile.

"Sis~!"

"A polite remark!"

Mo Zhuyou and Mo Xueyao were the first to rush up, curiously looking at what they were focusing on.

"Hmm, is this thing interesting?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"It's alright." Li Wanyan didn't look away.

Mo Xiaoxiao covered her mouth and chuckled, "I just think kids who are focused on their work are adorable, right?"

"What maternal glow? It's so bright I can barely open my eyes!" Hua Yinyin teased, exaggeratingly shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

The evening sunset was still brilliant; it seemed it wouldn't be completely set until at least six o'clock.

—The days are indeed getting longer.

"Have you all finished drawing?" Mo Xiaoxiao took a half step back and stood next to her younger sister.

"Okay, everything's taken care of. Go back and wash it before wearing it!" Mo Zhuyou nodded vigorously.

"Shall we take these things back to the classroom now?"

It's not far from Yukong High School, so no one minds walking a little further.

"Wait a minute!" Wang Jiale stood on tiptoe and jumped up and down. "On my way here, I saw a new photo booth machine on the street! It's huge, and the poster says it has a lot of new features!"

"Great idea, how about we go take pictures together?"

"Then I want to take two photos with Xiaoyaoyao alone!"

"It's fine to shoot them individually or separately—"

Everyone was persuaded by Wang Jiale, and Mo Xueyao also remembered the time she took a photo booth picture with Li Wanyan last time.

It's only been a little over a year, but it feels like it happened ages ago.

Those photo booth pictures are kept in a metal box at home, and I haven't really opened them to look at them much.

Besides the photo booth pictures, she remembered a few photos that others had created by compositing backgrounds. She felt it was a bit of a waste to just leave the carefully taken photos lying around.

"Why don't we just make a few more copies later...?" she couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"What?" Li Wanyan turned slightly to the side.

"Oh? It's nothing, I just remembered those photos we took before. Let's go back and look at them!"

"it is good."

……

(four)

Photo booths are currently one of the most popular forms of entertainment among young people in China.

In an era when cameras were expensive and taking a photo was a hassle, photo booths fulfilled the wishes of many young people, and their fancy decorations were very popular.

The key point is that the photo booth pictures aren't expensive. You can keep them as souvenirs or stick them on other things, like your suitcase or pencil case...

After all, this is an era that is gradually beginning to show off individuality and charm.

Although it was already a fairly large photo booth, it still felt a bit crowded when six people squeezed in at once.

"Xiaoyao, Xiaoyao, could you close the door? Just in case someone opens it and comes in later." Wang Jiale, who was the first to squeeze in, was operating the machine and making selections according to the buttons on it. She also looked up and called out to him.

"Okay, is that alright? It should show up as someone is outside now?"

"Just close it—it's one yuan a sheet, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. If the photos are large, you'll need fewer photos. If they're all one-inch size, you can take about ten." Wang Jiale paused on the selection screen. "So how should we take the photos first? The sizes can be combined freely, but if there are large gaps in the middle, it will seem wasteful?"

"Isn't there a template?" Hua Yinyin squeezed in and pressed her little face against Wang Jiale's.

"Yes, there are hundreds of templates! That's amazing, isn't it incredible?"

"Hmm...it looks like a machine imported from Japan. I saw it in a magazine before."

"So, how do we choose?"

……

Chapter 228 Hoodies, Powder Paintings, and Photo Booths (Part 2)

(One)

One after another, exaggerated and quirky or beautiful and cute patterns flash by, and the hundreds or even thousands of choices available on the photos are dazzling.

There are no seats available, only two protruding sections on either side, which appear to be the outer shells of some kind of device, where you can sit for a while.

Mo Xueyao didn't want to crowd in front of the screen with Hua Yinyin and the others, so she simply sat on Li Wanyan's lap, who was already sitting down.

Of course, in reality, it is almost entirely supported by the legs, so it is only slightly easier than a horse stance.

"Have you made your choices yet—" Mo Xueyao drawled, fanning the hot sweat sliding down her cheeks with her hand.

The small wooden house had only a tiny exhaust fan constantly blowing above it, but it couldn't even carry away the heat, let alone bring in any cool air.

Fortunately, it's only April, and the weather won't get too hot. Once things calm down, the sweltering heat will gradually subside.

“There are eight of us in total, so how about each of us gets a board? And as for the templates…” Hua Yinyin muttered as she operated the machine, while Wang Jiale pointed and gave instructions.

"Hmm—I want this template, and this one too…this one looks good too. Hey, hey, let's go back, there was a really nice one earlier!"