A Young Woman's Heart

Those were truly days only gods could have.

However, the city where I live not only lacks underfloor heating, but also has no fireplaces in any of the homes.

So even if it's only minus one or two degrees Celsius in winter, it will still be very cold.

Fortunately, our school is going to start installing radiators, so at least it will be warmer at school.

I saw the city photos you sent me; it's such a bustling and magnificent city.

The city I live in isn't that prosperous yet.

However, I have also been to equally bustling cities, which are similar to those in your photos.

Hmm... I really like the domes on the tops of your buildings, they look so beautiful.

Speaking of which, Moscow should have a subway, right?

The city I live in doesn't have one yet, and I don't know when we'll have a subway.

However, by the time the subway is built, the city's surface roads will probably be very congested.

Well... of course, the city isn't that congested right now.

I've heard that traffic jams are common in big cities, sometimes taking an hour to travel just 100 meters. Is that true?

That seems outrageous. If that's the case, why bother driving? Riding a bicycle is much faster.

Last autumn, I collected some maple leaves and made them into bookmarks. I'll send you a set with this letter. If you want anything else interesting, feel free to leave a message next time you send a letter—of course, I'm still a student, so I can't afford anything too expensive.

Actually, I have so much to say, but I don't have many people around me to confide in.

I feel like I've experienced far too much in the second half of this year...

Sometimes when I wake up, I feel like I'm still dreaming, and it feels unreal.

Have you ever seen The Matrix?

It's probably that unreal feeling.

Although I know this reality is, of course, true.

By the way, do you like cats?

I have a tabby cat. It's cute, well-behaved, and a bit clingy.

My dad bought it to put in the fruit shop to catch mice.

Although I don't think I've ever seen it come out with a mouse in its mouth one morning.

But that doesn't stop me from liking it.

Every day after school, when I return to the fruit shop, I pick it up and pet it. Its fluffy, soft fur and supple body always make me feel relaxed.

Hmm... I call it 'crispy candy'. It's a kind of pastry here. If you want some, I can send you some.

Of course, we have to wait until the Chinese New Year.

The ones sold in the city are usually not authentic; only the ones made by hand in the countryside taste good.

What are some unique snacks from Russia?

The kind that can be stored for a long time.

All I know is that there is cheese and very hard bread.

I've heard that Russia's economy has been sluggish for a while. Is that true?

Things have been getting better on our end.

The elders often say that in the past, they couldn't even afford rice, and they could only eat meat during the Lunar New Year.

They usually only eat coarse bran.

Fortunately, after the reform and opening up, everything started to get better.

Although my family's financial situation is average, we can eat meat quite often now.

However, high-tech products such as mobile phones and microcomputers are still very expensive, and it's unclear when they will become cheaper.

Speaking of which, if I had a cell phone, could I just call you directly?

But international calls must be very expensive, right?

When will humanity reach the point where we can transcend the limitations of chatting anytime, anywhere?

I remember when I was in elementary school, my teacher told us that there would be video phones in the future, so that we could easily see what the other person was doing, even if we were thousands of miles apart, just like face-to-face communication.

But even now, let alone video calls, mobile phones haven't become widespread.

If a high-tech product like a video phone were to actually come out, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

But I really hope that era comes.

I wonder if I'll live to see that era.

When I first picked up my pen, I felt like I had a lot to say, but after I started writing, I found myself at a loss for words.

Perhaps it's because we're not familiar enough yet. Once we get to know each other better, we'll have more things to talk about.

Yes, that's right, I should let you know me better too.

I'm currently 1.58 meters tall, but I think I'll definitely grow taller in the future, to 1.7 meters!

After all, I do have Soviet ancestry.

There's no way he could really be that short, right?

My weight... was 80 jin (40 kg) - I don't know how much I weigh now, that was measured during my junior high school entrance exam, I should have gained a little weight now.

I wear size 34 shoes, which is the size that I can fit into some children's shoes.

Men's shoes almost never have this foot size, but thankfully women's shoes do. However, I don't like wearing overly feminine shoes; I prefer more neutral canvas shoes or sneakers.

I enjoy all kinds of food, and I prefer snacks to formal meals.

I also really like tokusatsu TV series, such as Ultraman or Kamen Rider.

Unfortunately, it wasn't imported to mainland China. I only watched the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan versions, or the Japanese audio with Chinese subtitles.

I don't know what you like.

That would be wonderful if we shared the same interests.

Well... that's about it for the first letter.

I'm writing this now in the classroom, in the afternoon sunlight.

I will also send a photo of my pet cat, 'Sugar,' along with photos of our city.

Wishing you a wonderful day!

And I look forward to your reply.

—Glimmer

November 9, 1999

Chapter 125 The Morning of the Two Sisters

The winter sun is bright and dazzling.

But all of this seems to have nothing to do with this small house.

In the tiny room, less than ten square meters in size, some miscellaneous items were piled up haphazardly.

Some foam mats, resembling jigsaw puzzle pieces, were laid on the cement floor.

Clean clothes were neatly folded and placed in a cardboard box in the left corner, while unwashed clothes were scattered on the floor.

Apart from a wire bed that could barely fit two people, there was no other furniture.

The bedside table was also a cardboard box, filled with a bunch of old books, used to prop up the box so it could be used to store odds and ends.

Even the writing desk was a cardboard box, the only difference being that an old wooden board was placed on top to ensure a more flat surface for writing.

At the entrance, some disassembled cardboard boxes formed a small entryway, where shoes, umbrellas, and thermos flasks were placed.

The golden sunlight shone on Mo Xiaoxiao's smiling face, waking her from her sleep.

Although I was staying in such a small room that I could barely move around, I slept quite well last night.

I woke up to find it was already daylight.

"Mmm..." She squinted and took a deep breath, then gently lifted the sheet. The cool air made her shiver.

She put on an old coat that was a bit too small for her and had many patches inside, and then put on jeans that had faded from being washed too many times, before walking to the window and 'whoosh' pulling open the curtains.

Mo Xiaoxiao stretched lazily, but not very happily. What came into view was not a breathtaking view, but a small street lined with stalls.

Every weekend morning, this narrow street, where two cars can barely pass each other, becomes exceptionally lively.

Many elderly people will set up stalls here selling fresh fruits and vegetables, either pushing tricycles or carrying loads on their shoulders.

Of course, there will also be live animals for sale.

Live fish, live chickens, live ducks, stray cats, stray dogs...

They could all appear at this small market.

Of course, after each market day, a large pile of rotten vegetable leaves that no one wanted would be left on the ground. In the summer, things rot quickly, and if no one cleans them up for a day, there will be a pungent stench.

"Hmm..." Mo Zhuyou rolled over, clutching the blanket, seemingly trying to hug her older sister, but found nothing. This made her slightly open her eyes, a little uneasy, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Big sister... up so early again..."

"Yes, you should get up soon too. We have a club activity planned for today, and we need to wash our clothes before we leave." Mo Xiao smiled and pointed to the school uniforms on the ground.

"I'm so sleepy..." The younger sister buried her head in the pillow. "I really want to sleep in... It's so rare to get a rest..."

"It's already seven o'clock, and you still haven't had enough sleep?" The older sister pinched her younger sister's cheek helplessly. "Get up, you lazybones! You got off work at 11:30 yesterday, you should have had eight hours of sleep, right?"

"But I haven't been getting enough sleep... I need to... catch up..."

"I just can't do anything with you~ Well, go back to sleep for a while." The older sister shook her head, threw all the clothes she had changed out of into a large red basin, and also put the laundry soap, washboard and scrubbing brush in.