A Young Woman's Heart

Hua Yinyin rolled over to Mo Xueyao's side, clutching the blanket: "Only at times like this do I feel like I'm still alive..."

For the students, these two weeks felt even longer than the previous two months.

Students who were initially terrified of the college entrance examination are now looking forward to it.

"Hey~ why isn't our college entrance exam in June this year... why does this policy have to be delayed until next year?" Wang Jiale puffed out her cheeks, lifted her leg, and turned on the TV with her toes.

It was too early; there were no TV programs, only that grid-like image, and not even any music was playing, just a 'beep beep' sound.

However, it wasn't harsh at all; instead, it felt comfortable, like having something clean your ears.

"It might not be until July next year, and these things... could change by then."

"Sigh, but it's really hot during the college entrance exam in July."

"So what? High school sophomores still have to attend classes in July."

"what?"

"Yes, I heard it from Wen. This year, the second-year high school students will have to continue attending classes after we finish the college entrance examination."

"How awful." Wang Jiale suddenly felt much better. "Anyway, we'll be free soon, just one more month and a half!"

Mo Xueyao rolled over: "Speaking of which, is breakfast still being served as usual today? Or can I come down a little later?"

"what?"

The girls opened their eyes and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even Li Wanyan was unaware of the specifics.

"I really should get up, wash up, and go down for breakfast!" Mo Xueyao suddenly sat up. "Otherwise, there will be a bunch of people again."

As a result, the quiet dormitory room immediately became lively and busy.

……

(two)

On this rare holiday, some people sleep in late in their dorm rooms, while others, like Li Hongran, hurry out to get some exercise.

"Damn, I haven't played basketball for days, I've lost my touch." He missed several shots in a row, and quickly made up an excuse to explain to An Ruosu next to him.

"Damn, Lao Li, are you sure you can handle this? I'm not passing you the ball later!" A classmate from another class who came to play basketball teased him.

"Damn it, let's just pass it to Susu, give him a three-pointer, and I'll dunk."

"OK!"

Mo Xueyao sat on the steps, looking down at the boys playing basketball.

Many people came out and walked around, and the usually quiet building inside and outside became lively at this time.

The orange cat that often comes here has reappeared in the hallway. The boys and girls all want to grab it and rub it hard, but unfortunately, unless it comes close on its own, they can't even touch it.

Perhaps it was raised by the people who work here, like the chef or the cleaning lady—Mo Xueyao thought to herself.

A basketball court was divided into two sides, with two teams competing on each side. After all, all the boys in the grade were playing basketball here, and if they played the game in the proper way, there would be no way to divide them up.

Even so, the number of people was far beyond the limit, with some teams even having fifteen or sixteen people. The scene was truly lively and extraordinary.

"Little Yaoyao!"

Without a doubt, the person who likes to pat her on the shoulder so much must be Hua Yinyin.

Mo Xueyao continued playing her game console without looking up.

She wasn't playing Tetris or a shooting game; she was playing Sokoban.

Because it doesn't require such intense concentration, and you can think and play at your own pace, it's a very relaxing game for her.

"Little Yaoyao, where's your cassette player?"

"It's in my pocket, what's wrong?" Mo Xueyao touched her shirt pocket. Because it was a holiday today, she was wearing her own clothes instead of her school uniform.

—A loose-fitting, thin long-sleeved jacket, plus a pair of casual pants that don't even reach above the knee.

The pockets are much bigger than the school uniform pockets, so I can put a lot of things in them.

In fact, because they usually had to wear school uniforms, many of the clothes she and Li Wanyan brought never actually got a chance to wear.

"Thank you~!" Hua Yinyin took the tape recorder, skillfully switched it to radio mode, and then put on the headphones.

Deep in the mountains, there are few signals that can be received, and even if there are, they are often faint and indistinct.

There was only one channel with the strongest signal that was relatively clear, but it still occasionally made a crackling sound.

Listening to these sounds is like returning to the city, where you can feel the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

……

(three)

"distant."

"Hmm?" Mo Xueyao responded without looking up from her game console.

Right now, she's playing Tank Battle, probably the most fun game on this console. Although the graphics are simple, Mo Xueyao is still having a blast.

"Shall we go see the village opera in the evening?"

"A village opera? Oh, the kind Lu Xun wrote about?"

"almost."

"Huh? Was this arranged by the school?"

“Teacher Taiyin is going.” Li Wanyan paused.

"Hey, Yinyin, are you going or not?" Mo Xueyao stopped playing her game and nudged Hua Yinyin's arm.

"What? What?" Hua Yinyin took off her headphones, clearly she hadn't heard anything.

"Let's go see the village opera, and go with Taiyin."

"I want to go! I want to go!"

"Hey, Yinyin, do you understand the village opera?"

"You haven't seen it before? So what? Just because you haven't seen it before doesn't mean you can't see it. After all, you've only seen it in the textbook. Wouldn't it be better to see it in person?"

"Hmm... Shall we invite the others along too?"

"A boat can't carry too many people."

"Is it just Teacher Taiyin going alone?"

"Well, so there are still three people left to sit."

"Huh? Then why don't we just have the three of us?" Hua Yinyin pointed around.

Mo Xueyao stared into her eyes: "Tsk—I'd rather go play with Lele or Youyou."

"That wretched little Yaoyao, no, no, you have to take me with you!"

"Let's go together." Li Wanyan gently patted their heads and made her decision.

Normally, if you asked Mo Xueyao to go see a traditional opera, she probably wouldn't be interested at all.

But these past two weeks of studying have been so busy, it would be nice to go out and relax a bit.

Watching the play isn't the most important thing; the journey itself is.

……

(four)

It was not yet four o'clock, and the sun was still high in the sky, showing no sign of setting.

Taiyin led Mo Xueyao and the other two away quietly from the dormitory building deep in the mountains.

We didn't take a car; we just walked along a path, crossed a low hill, and came to a small river.

A small, covered boat was already moored there, with oars drying on the boat. The boatman was an old man with half-white hair, who waved to Taiyin and the others from afar when he saw them.

The little boy I saw at the barbecue that day was there too, but this time he had probably taken a shower and changed into clean clothes. His face and arms were the color of a tea egg, much cleaner than when he was all black that day.

"Hello." The old man spoke in Mandarin with a slight local accent. "Has Master Taiyin come?"

“That’s me.” Taiyin pointed to herself and nodded expressionlessly.

The old man looked her up and down with some suspicion, then nodded apologetically: "I'm sorry, young lady, but you look really too young..."

Taiyin handed over her ID card, and the sharp-eyed Mo Xueyao clearly saw that the year of birth written on it was 1980.

"Hmm, Teacher Taiyin is actually twenty-two years old..."

"What? Little Yao Yao saw it?"

"Ok!"

"I'm so sorry, it really is you. Please get on the boat." The old man looked somewhat educated and spoke in a rather refined manner. He quickly stepped aside and invited everyone to board the boat.

Chapter 262 The Village Opera

(One)

The boat wasn't very big, but fortunately, the girls were all petite, so even with an elderly person and a child added, there was still plenty of room to maneuver.

Although she had experience traveling by boat during her time teaching in rural areas, Mo Xueyao was still a little nervous about stepping onto the deck, which was far less stable than the ground.

There were four small bamboo chairs on the boat, while the old man and the boy were standing.

The little boy blinked, seemingly not in a good mood. He sat quietly by the side of the boat, not making a fuss or disturbing others.

The old man stood at the stern of the boat, using a long bamboo pole to brace against the riverbed, allowing the small boat to drift away from the shore.

Interestingly, he didn't use oars, but instead used the force of bamboo poles to propel the boat forward.

The bow of the boat pushed through the waves, and the rushing sound of the water seemed to be right next to our ears.

Carrying a few drops of water vapor, the small boat slowly moved forward.

The river wasn't very wide, and the surrounding mountains seemed to be pressing down on it.