A Young Woman's Heart

This is a continuous plain, with only a few scattered but low mountains visible in the distance.

The electric tricycle was parked beside a clear stream, with a large waterwheel still in use behind it.

Next to the waterwheel was a windmill, and a man was sitting leisurely at the door smoking, with a lot of flour already packed into sacks piled up beside him.

"Uncle Flour!"

"My surname isn't 'Mian'!" Jiang Yuruo's shout made the uncle take a deep drag on his cigarette, and he answered loudly, pretending to be angry. Then his face relaxed again. "Ruoruo, I made brown sugar steamed buns. Do you want some?"

"Would you like some snacks, sir?"

"Okay!"

Jiang Yuruo immediately reached into the large bag of snacks, grabbed a handful, and threw it directly at the uncle, scattering it all over him like raindrops.

"They're all on the ground!"

"It comes in packaging!"

"Uncle, the fishing rod!"

"I knew it! Why did you suddenly give me so many snacks? Turns out you wanted the fishing rod! Haha, you're something else. You could have just taken it if you wanted it!" The uncle laughed, picked up the homemade bamboo fishing rod from the wall, and handed it over from a distance.

Jiang Yu bowed slightly, seemingly to express her gratitude, and then ran towards the stream with a radiant expression.

Such a small stream seems perfect for such a small fishing rod.

Yu Shu had some doubts about whether Jiang Yu Ruo could actually calm down and fish.

"My parents aren't home tonight, why don't you come over to my house?"

“I’m not going,” Jiang Yu Ruo replied quickly.

Wu Shanshan pinched her cheek: "Hey—why are you so disgusted with me! I'm home alone!"

"Fear?"

"Uh, no, it's just that it's more lively with more people..."

Jiang Yu looked Wu Shanshan up and down with her bright eyes before nodding emphatically: "Go!"

"Where is Shu'er?"

"Well... that's fine..."

……

Chapter 256 Personally Going into the Water

Jiang Yuru hummed a gentle song as she cast her fishing hook into the stream, wondering if she could catch a fish thicker than her finger.

Wu Shanshan opened a bag of snacks, grabbed a handful of fried rice and stuffed it into her mouth: "I heard that the senior high school students went on a study tour and won't be back until next month."

"Ah."

"By the way, have all of Shu'er's senior classmates gone?"

"Hmm..." Yu Shu rested her chin on her hand, pouting slightly, as if she was thinking about how she would be all alone in the band room for the next month.

Jiang Yu opened a bag of shrimp chips, popped one into Yu Shu's mouth, and asked, "Are you afraid of being lonely?"

"Huh? No...no...it's alright." Yu Shu didn't know how to answer for a moment.

“After all, Shu’er is usually with her senior classmates, it’s always so lively.” Wu Shanshan brushed the hair that was stuck to her forehead with sweat. “Leaving them for a month at once must be super—unsettling, right? Pfft.”

"Hmm..." The thought of spending the next month alone in the band room made Yu Shu feel a little empty.

She bit her lip: "If everyone's not around... they probably won't go to the band room much."

"So you don't want to practice because the senior students aren't there?" Wu Shanshan blinked and nudged Jiang Yuruo's arm. "Ruoruo, why don't we go to the band room every noon to keep Shuer company? So she won't be lonely. Look, she doesn't even want to go to the band room because she's lonely."

"Yeah."

Are there any fish here?

"Hmm...it seems not."

"These kinds of streams are usually only frequented by crabs and shrimp, right?"

"Makes sense."

"Hey, Ruoruo, you grew up in the countryside, how come you don't know as much as I do!"

Jiang Yu didn't answer, because she jumped directly into the stream.

The shallow stream water barely reached her knees. As soon as she entered, many small fish that had been lurking at the bottom surged out and swam back and forth at her feet, occasionally taking a bite.

"So many small fish... Are they eating skin scraps?"

"It's biting me." Jiang Yuruo looked at Yu Shu. "It tickles, Yu Shu, do you want to try?"

"I don't need to..." Yu Shu touched her skirt. Although she could lift it up, it would still get wet easily if she walked around in the stream.

Unlike Jiang Yuruo, who was wearing shorts, it wasn't as convenient.

"It feels cool and refreshing."

"Hey, I want to try it!" Wu Shanshan rolled up her pants leg, revealing a section of thigh that was far less white than Jiang Yuruo's, with a few tufts of leg hair and noticeably large pores.

Then she left her sneakers on the shore, put her arm around Jiang Yuruo's arm, and carefully stepped down.

"Wow! So many fish have gone to your place!" Jiang Yuruo exclaimed excitedly.

"Perhaps... it's because Shanshan has a lot of dead skin?"

"You have athlete's foot!"

"No, not at all!" Wu Shanshan protested, "It's just that my feet are a little peeling..."

"Look! A few fish are stuck in Shanshan's leg hair!"

"Stop looking! Stop looking!" Wu Shanshan was so embarrassed she wanted to cover her face.

"Shu'er, aren't you coming down?"

"I'll just watch you guys have fun..." Yu Shu shook her head, still sitting on the tricycle, and started eating a bag of fried rice.

Since being diagnosed with leukemia, she has rarely been as lively and happy as other children.

In fact, she's gotten used to it, and she feels genuinely happy when she sees others having fun.

Jiang Yu Ruo didn't insist. She suddenly bent down, put both arms into the water, and then lifted them up sharply.

Water droplets splashed into the air, creating a brief, beautiful rainbow in the sunlight. Then she raised her right hand high: "Crab!"

A crab the size of a palm was clamping down on Jiang Yuruo's finger, seemingly unwilling to let go.

Yu Shu seemed even more nervous than her: "Oh! Get rid of it quickly!"

"Watch me!" Jiang Yuruo confidently tossed the crab forcefully into the truck bed, where it landed with a 'thud'. "Shu! Put it in a bag!"

"Oh, oh—" Yu Shu hurriedly picked up the black plastic bag from the truck bed, threw the crab in, and then loosely tied the bag open, allowing air to enter without letting it crawl out—and it was also a slipknot for easy opening.

"We'll have crabs for lunch!"

"Does something so small really have meat?" Wu Shanshan asked, but she also looked down curiously, wanting to catch one herself.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Yu Shu was more concerned about this. "Did you cut your finger?"

"No, don't worry!" Jiang Yu shook her head, then bent down and tried to catch the fish several times, but missed. Suddenly, she straightened up and showed off the slippery little fish in her hand that was vigorously wagging its tail.

It was probably a small crucian carp, about the size of a palm, and it looked like it might struggle out of her hand at any moment.

"Be careful..." Before Yu Shu could finish speaking, the little fish slipped out of her palm.

After all, this thing isn't as stupid as a crab.

"What a pity." Jiang Yuruo showed no sign of discouragement, only muttered a word before lowering his head again to search for his prey.

There are quite a few things in the seemingly calm stream.

There are not only small fish, shrimp, and crabs, but also snails clinging to the rocks.

Jiang Yuruo even caught a loach, but it was even more slippery than a crucian carp and disappeared without a trace in no time.

As the sun rose higher, the warm morning sunlight became increasingly intense.

Jiang Yuruo finally climbed out of the stream, shook off the water, and squeezed her wet hair with her hands.

"Come out of the water, I suddenly felt...so heavy!" Wu Shanshan plopped down on the tricycle as soon as she climbed out, as if her legs could no longer resist gravity. "The sun is so warm—"

"I feel so hot." Yu Shu wiped the sweat from her forehead and opened the black plastic bag to take a look.

It was filled with all sorts of things, including snails, small fish, crabs, and even a few pretty pebbles.

"It'll be perfect for drying the clothes." Wu Shanshan stretched out her body. "So comfortable."

Jiang Yuruo went to the bag filled with water, picked up each item and admired it, then threw them back into the stream one by one.

"Huh? We went through so much trouble to catch it...?" Yu Shu asked, puzzled.

"Hmm—too small, not tasty!"

"Then why catch them..."

"It's fun!" Jiang Yuruo's answer was simple and unpretentious.

However, she and Wu Shanshan did have a very enjoyable time.

"Let's go home and make lunch!" She got back on her tricycle. "Are you all ready?"

"Wait a minute, let me hang my clothes out to dry here." Wu Shanshan lifted the hem of her clothes, letting the warm breeze caress every inch of her skin. "Phew... it's so uncomfortable to be all wet."

"What are you planning to make for lunch?" Yu Shu was more concerned about this question.

"Hmm—fried dumpling wrappers?"

"Huh?"

"It's crispy and delicious!" Wu Shanshan's eyes lit up. "It would be even better with some cumin and pepper. Shu'er, you definitely have to try it this time!"

"Huh? Okay..."

Being with Jiang Yu Ruo, it seems like you'll never be bored.