A Young Woman's Heart

Then she walked to the bedside table, picked up a crudely made piggy bank, and the coins inside jingled.

The older sister opened the lid of the piggy bank, and a bunch of one-cent coins slid out. She grabbed a handful and put them in a small square box she had made from cardboard, then put the lid of the piggy bank back on.

The money in this small cardboard box is for getting hot water: one cent for a thermos and two cents for a kettle.

Finally, she put a dime in her pocket, then, carrying a washbasin in one hand and a thermos in the other, she walked out of the room.

"Little sister, I didn't bring my keys."

"Hmm..." Mo Zhuyou responded weakly, looking like she was about to fall asleep again.

There is a whole row of faucets at the entrance of the public restroom.

Mo Xiaoxiao found a spot on the edge and started washing her clothes there.

Many people who rent rooms here don't have private bathrooms, so they have to bring a large washbasin to wash their clothes here.

While one could go to a dry cleaner, people renting such houses clearly don't have the money.

Besides, washing clothes outside the public restroom saves you money on water, so why not?

Of course, you can also wash your clothes when you go to the public bathhouse to take a shower, but yesterday when Mo Xiaoxiao and her sister went to the bathhouse, it was almost closing time, otherwise they wouldn't have had to come here today to wash their clothes.

Actually, for them, winter is much better than summer.

At least the room isn't too hot, and there's a bathroom where you can take a shower.

Finding a bathroom that's open even in the summer in the South isn't easy.

Many times, I have no choice but to settle for a swim at the swimming pool.

But swimming tickets are much more expensive than taking a shower in a public bathhouse.

After washing the clothes, Mo Xiaoxiao struggled to carry the thermos upstairs and hung them on the horizontal bar outside the window. There was a small iron cage installed by the previous tenant, so she didn't have to worry too much about the clothes being blown outside.

"Phew..." Mo Xiaoxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief after doing all this. She put a few cheap tea leaves into her slightly yellowed glass and then filled it with boiling water.

"Little sister~ wake up, we have to leave before eight o'clock, the agreed time is eight-thirty."

"Ugh—" Although Mo Zhuyou was very unwilling, she still struggled to get out of bed. "It's so cold..."

"It's so sunny today, why are you still cold? I feel quite warm." Mo Xiaoxiao took out Mo Zhuyou's glass and filled it with water. "I've already filled your toothbrush cup and basin with water. Just open the door and wash up. You can just pour the wastewater into the manhole cover by the door later, saving you a few steps."

"It's not that much different..." the younger sister muttered, carrying the washbasin and toothbrush cup as she walked out.

Meanwhile, the older sister took advantage of this free time to tidy up the house.

She carried a small crossbody bag, the kind that bus conductors carry. It couldn't hold much, just some odds and ends.

When she's not in school, she usually carries this small bag when she goes out.

Inside were two clean handkerchiefs, a neatly folded roll of toilet paper, and a small wallet that I had sewn myself, with some loose threads.

...and the only 'cosmetic' item in the house besides skincare cream—lipstick.

Finally, put the glass inside, and the small bag is full.

Bringing your own water is to avoid having to buy bottled water when you're thirsty outside.

Although bottled water isn't expensive, every little bit helps, especially considering that it costs dozens of times more than a large thermos of hot water which costs just one cent.

Not long after, my younger sister returned to the room after washing up.

"Here, your clothes have been taken out for you."

"Why are you wearing a sweater again?"

"It's warm here."

"Then why doesn't the older sister wear it?" the younger sister muttered, pouting.

The older sister paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and curled her yellowish hair: "Because... I'm not cold."

"I'm not cold either!" the younger sister said, as if in a fit of pique.

"I'm in charge of riding the bicycle, so I won't be cold~ But you're sitting in the back getting chilled, so don't complain if you get cold later."

"No, it's so sunny today, how could it be cold?" the younger sister said, putting on her coat. Her coat was obviously newer than her older sister's. "Besides, it's inconvenient to move around if you wear so many clothes, so it's better to wear less."

"Hmm..." The older sister hesitated for a moment, glanced at the bright sunshine outside, and nodded helplessly, "Alright then, the sunshine is indeed very nice today, it shouldn't be cold."

"Okay, okay... let's go. Hmm, I'm a little hungry." The younger sister rubbed her flat stomach, clung to her older sister's arm, and said pitifully, "Sister~ I want to eat xiaolongbao~"

"Sure, but if you eat xiaolongbao, there won't be anything else to eat. Will one serving of xiaolongbao be enough to fill you up?"

"Another cup of soy milk would be perfect!"

"Why drink soy milk? I made you some tea. Tea will be fine."

"But I want to drink soy milk... sweet soy milk..."

"...Alright, alright, stop fooling around, let's go."

"Uh-huh!"

Bathed in the warm sunshine, the twin sisters stepped out of the house.

Bathed in such light, the dark and damp feeling in the cabin quickly faded away, and one felt refreshed.

At around 7:40 a.m., the breakfast shops along the roadside were still bustling with customers.

Because of the weekend, many people sleep in late and have breakfast around this time.

The older sister pushed her bicycle to the breakfast shop, quietly waited in line until it was her turn, and then said, "Boss, give me a serving of xiaolongbao, a bag of soy milk, and a tofu bun."

"Pack?"

"Yes, separate the tofu buns."

"Alright." The shopkeeper deftly packed the steamed buns into a bag, then put the soy milk in another plastic bag, opened the steamer, took out a tofu bun that was a little bigger than her fist, and handed it to her. "Two yuan in total."

"Give."

"Is one steamed bun enough for you, sister?"

"That's enough, these buns are so big!" the older sister laughed, hopping on her bicycle. "Let's go!"

"Do you want to eat while you ride?"

"What, you don't trust your sister's skills?"

"No... this will be too dry, won't it?"

"No problem."

"Well……"

And so, the two sisters rode their bikes toward school.

Mo Xiaoxiao held the handle with one hand and pinched the bun in the other, taking a small bite every now and then.

Meanwhile, Mo Zhuyou sat leisurely in the back seat, using disposable chopsticks provided by the owner to pick up the xiaolongbao from the bag, enjoying the rich meat juice flowing in her mouth.

"Sis, want some soy milk?" Mo Zhuyou squinted, found the right spot, and suddenly inserted the straw into the top of the bag of soy milk, holding it up as she asked.

"Hmm... I'll take a sip." There was a traffic light ahead, and Mo Xiaoxiao slowly stopped, turning her head slightly. Mo Zhuyou then brought the soy milk to her lips. "Delicious~"

"Right? You should drink some sweet soy milk in the morning!"

……

Chapter 126 Clearing the Land

Saturday, September 1999, 11.

On such sunny days, one can't help but want to go out for a walk. Although it's winter, the surrounding scenery is still not boring.

There are many deciduous trees, but there are also many evergreen trees that do not lose their leaves.

There are also some trees whose leaves remain yellow all winter long without falling, adding to the beauty of this magnificent landscape.

Mo Xueyao stretched out a big yawn. The warm sunshine made her feel all tingly and weak, and she couldn't muster any energy.

Walking along this country lane, I actually started to feel sleepy.

"Not there yet?" Zhou Yong stuck out his tongue, looking like a tired dog.

"We'll be there soon," Gao Yuan replied.

Today, all the members of the Art Practice Society came out to see what kind of vacant land Gao Yuan, this big landowner, had acquired.

In fact, when they first heard the news, everyone was surprised and disbelieving.

In everyone's opinion, even if Gao Yuan's family is very rich, it is impossible for them to just give up a piece of land for the club to use indefinitely, right?

However, this is true.

This made Mo Xueyao sigh, realizing that she would never know what life was really like for the rich.

They said they could just take out an empty space, and Gao Yuan's father could also provide all kinds of materials for building simple houses free of charge.

And the answer to the question of designing blueprints was immediately found last time.

So that's what it was all for.

Just as Gao Yuan said, it was an incredibly large 'club activity'.

"So, once the house is built, what will it be used for? Will it be used occasionally for club activities? But it seems too far away... After the bus arrives, you still have to walk such a long way. It might be better if you had a bicycle." Zhou Yong asked the question that he had been pondering all along.

"Of course, it's for those who need it."

"People who need it...? Everyone has a place to live, and it would be inconvenient for parents to go to work if they lived here." Zhou Yong seemed determined to get to the bottom of things.

Zhou Yong didn't understand, but Mo Xueyao suddenly realized.

Homeless—isn't that a perfect description of Li Wanyan?

But how did Gao Yuan know such detailed information?

And to take such a big step just to help a classmate, isn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Or rather, for wealthy people, this is just a trivial matter.