A Young Woman's Heart

"Haha, right, right, you said you're already eighteen. Wow, kids these days still look so young at eighteen. City kids really take good care of themselves."

“That’s what you call natural beauty,” Hua Yinyin said, glancing at Taiyin as she spoke.

After all, compared to that, Taiyin is frighteningly young.

They look like real middle school students.

But she was also the only one among the four who could understand the play.

Those focused eyes clearly showed they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, not just daydreaming.

"Grandpa! Is it cooked yet?" Zhong Jiu wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his arm.

"Oh? Let me see..."

……

Chapter 263 Night Scene on the River

(One)

The river was as black as ink under the night sky.

The only light in the small boat came from the fire in the stove, and the lights on the distant boats made the moonlight seem even dimmer.

The opera actors temporarily left the stage to rest, and an elderly woman dressed simply sat in the chair and sang at a leisurely pace.

Someone shouted from below, asking when the Yue Opera troupe would come up and perform, and many others joined in the jeering.

"Are there several groups of people?" Mo Xueyao vaguely heard a few words and looked at the old man with some curiosity.

"Hey, that's right, it's a big ship with two groups of people on board. One is a small group that specializes in performing Ou opera, and the other is a large group, with about forty people in total!"

"So many people?" Mo Xueyao was somewhat surprised. "There must be around sixty in total, right?"

"More or less." The old man nodded. "There must be makeup artists and prop makers here. These are all famous opera troupes, and they have to make their own costumes."

"What kind of opera is that big troupe performing?" Hua Yinyin joined the conversation.

"Yue Opera." The old man turned off the fire, first scooped out the potatoes and sweet potatoes, then used a strainer to put the remaining edamame into an enamel bowl and placed it on the small wooden table.

The little boy didn't find the play interesting; he was more interested in the cooked edamame. He reached out to grab one, but the old man gently patted his hand, and he pulled it back.

"It's cooked. Do the girls want some?"

"I want it!" Mo Xueyao grabbed a potato, scalding it so hot that she rolled it back and forth between her two hands.

Hua Yinyin asked for a sweet potato, then broke off half and gave it to Li Wanyan.

"Teacher Taiyin, aren't you going to eat?" Mo Xueyao looked at Taiyin, who was watching the show intently.

She turned her head slightly, her porcelain doll-like face expressionless: "No."

"Haha, your teacher here... is rather taciturn." The old man smiled and handed over a small handful of edamame. "Teacher? It would be a shame to watch a show without eating something."

"Thank you," Taiyin said softly, holding the small handful of edamame.

……

(two)

After the elderly opera singer left the stage, a man and a woman came on stage.

From a distance, it's hard to see clearly, but you can still vaguely discern the splendor and exquisiteness of the clothing.

They are dressed as a young couple, both handsome and pretty, and both wearing red clothes.

The old man rowing the boat had already opened a pot of yellow wine for himself and was slowly eating edamame with it: "Hehe, ladies, would you like some wine?"

"Can I drink it?"

"of course can."

"Then I want it!" Hua Yinyin glanced at the stage. "Are they planning to perform a two-person comedy routine?"

"Haha, no, judging from this look, it seems like they're about to sing a song."

"What's the difference between singing opera and singing folk songs?" Mo Xueyao asked, puzzled.

"It's like the difference between the opening theme song of a TV series and the TV series itself," Li Wanyan explained.

"The young lady is right," the old man laughed. "Would you all like to have a drink? It'll help dispel dampness at night."

"Little Yaoyao, you should drink too!"

"I don't care..." Mo Xueyao glanced at Li Wanyan furtively, "Wanyan, do you want some?"

Somewhat surprisingly, Li Wanyan actually nodded slightly.

Since all three of them had their share, Taiyin was naturally included, so the old man poured her a cup and placed it on the table next to him.

Zhong Jiu also insisted on having a drink, but Hua Yinyin 'mercilessly' mocked him: "Pfft, little brat, you still want to drink? Wait another twenty years!"

"Grandpa, I want to drink! Everyone gets to drink!" the little boy insisted.

"Alright, alright, Grandpa will give you a sip."

"Okay!" He immediately stood on tiptoe happily, took the wine bowl handed to him by his grandfather, and took a small sip.

Her little face slowly turned red, and she slowly sat down, staring blankly at the sky.

"So comfortable."

"Haha, will this little guy become an alcoholic in the future?" Hua Yinyin couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmm, it seems so." Mo Xueyao remembered that she didn't like drinking alcohol at all when she was a child, not even light rice wine. To a child's sensitive tongue, it was a spicy and bitter thing.

……

(three)

The two actors on stage were ready, and the people on the boat below were eagerly waiting.

The very modern sound system next to us made two loud 'thump-thump' sounds, seemingly testing the volume. It looked like only people from large opera troupes would use it.

"Let's begin with a song—" The actress on stage stood up, cupped her hands in greeting, and said in unison with the actor, "The Peacock Flies Southeast - Parting is Parting—!"

Then, the woman sat down and picked up the pipa in her arms.

Hua Yinyin watched very attentively this time, probably because the other person was using the same instrument as her.

The music is very soothing, and the first few words are sung very slowly.

They were speaking a local dialect, and Mo Xueyao and the others were able to understand a little bit this time, probably because it was somewhat similar to the dialect of Hangzhou, unlike the dialects of T City and W City, which were much harder to understand.

"Farewell, farewell—Farewell, farewell—" The actress sang first. Even though her face wasn't clearly visible, the emotion conveyed in her voice was rich enough, a slight tremor carrying a hint of reluctance, "Unlimited emotions are etched in the strings—"

"It sounds pretty good..." Mo Xueyao took a big gulp of wine, seemingly able to appreciate the artistic conception.

She casually took out her phone and sent a text message to Yu Shu: "Yu Shu, opera seems quite interesting!"

"This pipa player is amazing..." Hua Yinyin wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth.

"The music is very slow."

"Speed ​​isn't the standard anymore. Sigh, I wonder if I'll be able to reach this level in twenty years..." Hua Yinyin felt a rare sense of frustration.

This time, Mo Xueyao didn't discourage her: "Of course you can."

"Hmm! Heh heh, of course, after all, it's me!" Confidence seemed to have returned to her body all of a sudden.

"The sound of the strings is as melodious as flowing water..."

The song continued, and everyone on the boat, except for Mo Xueyao and Taiyin, was slightly tipsy.

The boiled edamame was only seasoned with salt, but it tasted surprisingly good.

Mo Xueyao was too lazy to peel the edamame with her hands, so she just put the beans in her mouth and chewed them, then threw the skins into the river.

A potato and a handful of edamame—a simple dinner—became exceptionally enjoyable because of the night view over the river.

Hua Yinyin, who wasn't much of a drinker, found herself lying in Li Wanyan's arms at some point. The star-studded night sky was shrouded in a hazy, veil-like mist.

……

(four)

The small boat was moving backward, and the high stage where the opera was still being performed was gradually receding into the distance.

There didn't seem to be many boats around, but there were still people watching.

The edamame in Taiyin's hand had gone cold, and now she seemed to finally feel hungry, so she slowly started eating.

The old man offered to heat it up for her, but she refused.

"Ah, eh... phew... Oh no, I fell asleep. Is it dawn yet?" Hua Yinyin jumped up, her movements so violent that the boat rocked a few times.

"No, you missed the most exciting part just now. That person did more than a dozen somersaults."

"That's amazing?"

"Ah."

"now what?"

"Let's go back." Mo Xueyao held up her watch to her face. "It's already eleven o'clock, it's getting late."

"Hey, I don't think I'm sleepy anymore?"

“Of course you’re not sleepy after sleeping for more than an hour…” Mo Xueyao tapped her forehead. “We’re all sleepy though.”

"Haha, it will be slower going back, since it's quite dark." A light was lit on the boat; if you looked closely, you would see that it was a flashlight tied to the awning.

However, it still doesn't illuminate very far areas.

The pitch-black river water was somewhat intimidating, and I dared not approach it as I had during the day.

However, compared to the journey there, the return trip felt much faster.

……

(Fives)

"Alright, that's it for now. You still have to climb a small hill to get back. Be careful on the way. Did you bring any flashlights?"