A Young Woman's Heart

"Okay, I'm going now. Don't wait for me if you're not back after school."

"Okay, okay!" Mo Xueyao made a gesture and started packing her schoolbag.

Now, only she and Li Wanyan are left among the teachers; everyone else who doesn't have classes has gone swimming in the pool.

Including Xiaoxue.

Compared to other students who still have to attend classes, those who rank in the top 30 in both arts and sciences have a much richer and more comfortable life.

……

(three)

The overcast sky made even the shadows appear somewhat dim. Li Wanyan walked slowly to Ye Wen's office door and gently knocked.

"Dong dong."

"Please come in."

Pushing open the door, there weren't many teachers inside; only one Chinese teacher from another class was grading test papers.

Ye Wen's desk was piled with all sorts of odds and ends, and her yellow and white tabby cat was lying among them, fast asleep.

"Wanyan's here? Do you know which of you is close to Zhang Yumeng?"

"...Ye Banxia, ​​I guess." Li Wanyan wasn't too sure. "I often see them chatting together."

"Hmm..." Ye Wen frowned slightly, as if she was considering something. After a long while, she raised her head and said, "After school today, why don't you and Ye Banxia go to Zhang Yumeng's house? She took leave yesterday and today."

"Oh..." Li Wanyan hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask something, but Ye Wen spoke first.

“I’ve already called to ask, but I can’t come because of some family matters. She doesn’t seem to want me to come, so I’m asking you to go and see what’s going on first. If there are any problems, please let me know.”

“Okay.” Li Wanyan straightened up and nodded gently.

"Take these things with you." Ye Wen placed two paper bags on the table. "Some snacks and fruit."

"Ah."

"I've written Zhang Yumeng's address on this piece of paper. If you have any questions, you can call me later. You should bring Mo Xueyao with you, right? She has a cell phone, right? The vice principal gave it to her that time."

"some."

"Okay, that's settled then. Remember to contact me if you have any questions."

"Mm." Li Wanyan picked up the bag and nodded gently.

……

(four)

Ye Banxia walked out of the classroom after the last student left. Li Wanyan closed the door and locked it with a key.

Mo Xueyao, standing beside them, was carrying the two bags of things Ye Wen had asked them to take, her hands constantly swinging them from side to side.

"I don't know the exact address of Yu Meng's house, but I've been to the vicinity of her house."

"It's okay, there's a detailed address." Li Wanyan picked up the note and glanced at it, while Ye Banxia next to her also came over to take a look.

Only Mo Xueyao lazily swung her arms: "Are you done yet? Can we go now?"

"Let's go."

The sky remained overcast, as if a heavy rain was about to fall at any moment.

However, not a single drop of rain fell today.

"Let me carry it," Li Wanyan said, extending her hand.

"Shall I take one too?"

“Okay, here you go.” Mo Xueyao didn’t stand on ceremony at all, handing the two bags to the two of them, while she put her hands in her pockets and seemed to shrink her neck as if she was a little cold.

It was so hot before that it felt like summer was just around the corner, but now it's so cold it feels like winter is coming back.

The black leggings were fine in the classroom, but as soon as she came out and was hit by the cold wind, she felt as if a block of ice from Antarctica had been stuffed into every pore of her thighs.

"How long will it take to walk there?" she muttered, adjusting the shoulder strap of her violin case.

"About half an hour?"

"Not too far, not too close... but it's so cold." She squinted her sky-blue eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. "Hoo... why can't I feel warm?"

“You’ll get hot if you walk for a while.” Li Wanyan turned to look at her. “This morning, your godmother told you to wear more clothes, but you didn’t listen.”

"Cough, wearing too many clothes makes it difficult to move around..." Mo Xueyao rubbed her hands vigorously, feeling as if it were about to snow.

It's not actually that exaggerated. Even though it's gotten quite cold, the temperature is still around ten degrees Celsius.

The cold you feel now is simply because you haven't taken proper precautions to keep warm.

……

(Fives)

The further you walk, the more deserted the road becomes.

Moreover, the road got worse and worse, from asphalt to cement, and then to just a small path made of compacted dirt.

Yukong High School is already located on the edge of the city, and the place where Zhang Yumeng lives is on the edge of the edge.

Finally, a low wall came into view. This was Zhang Yumeng's residence, a village in the city's suburbs.

Compared to the urban villages in the city, even the walls here are dilapidated, garbage is scattered everywhere, and you can smell the stench of the ditch from afar.

Children in slippers were running around, while several adults with obvious patches on their clothes were smoking and discussing where to do their next business deal.

—They all look like they're doing odd jobs.

"It's probably around here, but I don't know which room it is exactly..."

"Numbers two and three, 313." Li Wanyan glanced at the note again.

"313? These are all farmers' houses, right? Are there really that many rooms on one floor?"

"Yes, there is." Li Wanyan was very certain of this. Walking here felt like returning to her childhood home.

Even the stench in the air felt so familiar.

Dirty and chaotic are the most fitting adjectives to describe this kind of urban village.

Thugs, pickpockets, vagrants... most of them live here. Simply because rent in these places is generally very cheap.

Of course, don't expect a good living environment. Each room is very small, like a warehouse. Forget about a separate bathroom, even having a separate window is considered good.

The three people wearing Yukong High School uniforms walked in, immediately attracting the attention of many people.

Some of those gazes were malicious.

Mo Xueyao looked around warily, like a little rabbit that had entered a lion's den, somewhat nervous.

While urban villages in cities are also chaotic, they are far from reaching this level.

Li Wanyan appeared calm and composed. Her taller stature compared to the average girl gave her an imposing and unapproachable aura. Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few men present, some of whom were not even as tall as her.

Ye Banxia looked even more flustered. She walked behind Li Wanyan intentionally or unintentionally, turning her head quickly to look back every now and then.

It seemed as if they were afraid someone was following them.

Although they attend the same school, the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs.

Zhang Yumeng lives in such an environment, going to and from school every day must be a challenge, right?

Mo Xueyao racked her brains trying to recall any memories of Zhang Yumeng, but she couldn't find many.

In my memory, she never seemed to have much of a presence. She was usually quite well-groomed and seemed no different from an ordinary person, except perhaps a little introverted.

As they were thinking, the three of them found themselves standing at the door of a four-story farmer's house. The house was as gloomy as the sky, and it seemed that there wasn't even a corridor light installed.

"Go in." Li Wanyan didn't hesitate and took the lead.

The narrow staircase was only wide enough for one person to go up and down, and its slope was as steep as a ladder.

The hallway on the first floor was exceptionally long and narrow, surrounded by rooms. A single incandescent light bulb hung there, but the switch was nowhere to be found.

The oppressive atmosphere here makes it hard to breathe.

At the end of the corridor, we finally found room 313, which was opposite room 314.

The deep red wooden door had peeling paint, and the "福" (good fortune) character pasted on the door was blurry, making it look like a scene from a horror movie.

“…Knock.” Li Wanyan took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door.

The room must have been small, because the door opened with a 'click' when the knock was made.

Zhang Yumeng cautiously peeked half her face out from behind the door, and with the help of the light from inside the room, she could see who had come in.

She took a half-step back in surprise and asked in a low voice, "...How come it's...you guys?"

"Yes, Wen asked us to come and see you. Here, these are the things Wen bought for your family."

"Thank you..." She glanced back at the room, hesitated for a moment, and stepped aside. "Would you like to come in?"

"Let's go in and have a seat," Li Wanyan nodded.

"Okay... just come in, no need to take off your shoes..."

……

Chapter 237 Circumstances

(One)

Not to mention that there was hardly any sun at this time, even if there were, it wouldn't be able to shine into this crowded and cramped room.

The room wasn't big; it was just a simple rectangle.

The only window was like a ventilation window in a dungeon, allowing only a sliver of pale light to stream in from outside.

There was a musty smell in the room, and the lack of air circulation made it feel stuffy and suffocating.

Various items were scattered haphazardly. On the dilapidated little wooden table sat a very cheap rice cooker, with some marks on it from when it had been burned by something.

Aside from the miscellaneous items, the main body of the room consisted of two beds, which were very simple wire beds, and a mat was laid on the floor next to them, suggesting that someone was sleeping on the floor there.