A Young Woman's Heart

"of course."

"What should I do?"

"It's ok."

Even from a great distance, Zhou Yong could still seem to see Tian Tingchan's confident and determined smile.

Is it that she has a strong heart, or is she just trying hard not to appear vulnerable?

Zhou Yong scratched his head, his mind filled with many things he wanted to say and ask, but he didn't know how to begin or where to start.

The call seemed to have been disconnected, and both sides fell silent.

Then Tian Tingchan chuckled softly, "Hey, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you... cough, ah... I just got back from a school trip. It was a whole month there, and I was so bored. But my grades have definitely improved a lot. If I catch up in the last month, I should be able to pass the exam."

"Is the school trip fun?"

"It was... kind of interesting, wasn't it? At first, we went there to have fun, but then we ended up living there. It was a bit like military training, except it turned into studying all day long. We didn't go to bed until after midnight and had to get up at six every day. The first day I came back, I slept in late until noon. At that time, I felt like I was finally free." Zhou Yong held the phone receiver with both hands. "What about you, besides being tired?"

"Everything is fine."

Have you made any new friends?

Yes, there is.

"Uh, what do other people... think of you?"

"Only the leaders know."

"I kept it a secret from you?"

"Ah."

"Oh, then others probably won't notice..."

"of course."

Zhou Yong coughed twice more, trying to find a topic to talk about: "Ah...have you eaten?"

"not yet."

"You're working so hard, what should we prepare for you to eat?"

Instant noodles.

"You should eat something nutritious."

"Just have a good lunch."

"Oh... what did you have for lunch?"

"Beef stew with potatoes... Pfft, what about you?"

"Me? Ah... what did I have for lunch again?" Zhou Yong scratched his head vigorously, but couldn't quite remember what he had for lunch at school today. "Ah, I forgot."

"Take care of yourself too."

"Of course, I won't treat myself badly."

"...In what way will you not be treated unfairly?" Tian Tingchan's tone was somewhat mischievous.

"...Cough cough cough!" Zhou Yong paused for two seconds, then immediately realized what the other person was talking about. "So, have you done that before?"

"……Have."

Zhou Yong's cheeks were burning hot, and he was too embarrassed to ask any more questions: "Oh right, I've already submitted my college applications. I've chosen all universities in Beijing. If I don't get into a four-year university, I'll go to a vocational college."

"Good."

"I go to an internet cafe occasionally when I have free time to relax and unwind."

"When I'm resting, all I want to do is sleep."

"Uh...yes, me too, I don't want to go anywhere."

"I'll go next time I have the chance."

"Okay... uh, I sent you a ton of messages, don't bother reading them... they're all just nonsense..."

"I will read them one by one."

"Hmm..." Zhou Yong scratched his thigh, then his cheek, then his head, and finally pressed his cheek against the glass wall of the phone booth. "I...you...um...I, uh, I'm out of money, I'm about to hang up."

"it is good.

"Then, goodbye?"

"Ah."

"Let's contact each other next time."

"it is good."

Zhou Yong rubbed his cheek against the not-so-clean glass, his posture somewhat awkward: "I remember... I remember that... Ah... You miss me!"

"Hmm? Hmm... You too." Tian Tingchan's voice suddenly became soft, as if she were gently breathing in his ear. "Remember to think of me."

"I'm hanging up, bye!" Zhou Yong hung up the phone quickly, his heart pounding as if he had just run a kilometer.

……

(three)

The moon outside the window was exceptionally clear; of course, it would have been even more beautiful if it had been closer and appeared larger.

By the time Zhou Yong came to his senses, he had already finished his second shower.

I felt refreshed and invigorated, as if every pore was opening up.

He remembered what Tian Tingchan had said, hesitated for a moment, took out the milk he would drink the next morning from the refrigerator, stuck the straw in, and gulped it down.

"I need to take care of myself..." he muttered to himself as he pushed open the door and went into his room.

The empty milk carton was placed on the desk next to it.

There were piles of first-year high school textbooks by the window, and a stack of test papers from that year were stuffed into that old schoolbag.

He kicked lightly with his foot, then pulled it back, rolled onto the bed, and wrapped the thin blanket around himself.

The starry sky outside the window looked exceptionally distant, but when he reached out, he felt as if he could already grasp one of them.

His outstretched arm slowly drooped down, dragging a long distance on the cool wall before gently landing on the bed.

The sound of keys turning came from the doorway; it seemed my parents had returned.

Although they tried to keep their voices down, their steps were still somewhat heavy.

"Clap."

The living room lights were turned on, and a faint light shone in through the crack in the door.

"Is your son asleep?"

"Alright, don't bother him anymore."

The hand that was on the doorknob seemed to gradually drift away because of those words.

Zhou Yong closed his leaden eyelids and finally drifted off to sleep.

……

Chapter 291 Dragon Boat Festival

(One)

If Qu Yuan hadn't jumped into the river, perhaps zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) would still have been passed down in another form.

It's just that the festival no longer gives it more meaning, and people won't specifically think of its name on a day called Dragon Boat Festival.

Because of this festival, there was a window in the cafeteria where people could get zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) at noon today. Each serving had three different flavors, but very few people took them.

It's not necessarily that it doesn't taste good; it could just be that people are too lazy to peel the bamboo leaves.

Mo Xueyao ordered a serving and quickly ran over to Li Wanyan, who was peeling zongzi leaves by the sink: "Wanyan! You're peeling some right now! Could you help me peel some?"

"What kind of monotone tone is that, Xiao Yaoyao..." Hua Yinyin was somewhat helpless.

"Mind your own business!" Mo Xueyao turned her head and glared at her fiercely.

The rice dumplings at Yukong High School don't seem to be bought from outside—or even if they are, they are handmade, because the size and shape of the rice dumplings are not very uniform, and they look much rougher than those produced on an assembly line.

“It’s a red bean rice dumpling…” Wang Jiale glanced over, “Sweet?”

"It doesn't seem like it, it just has red beans added. It's delicious! Red bean rice dumpling, ah, sure enough, there are chestnuts inside! And a big piece of lean meat!" Mo Xueyao squinted her eyes with happiness. "I haven't had rice dumplings in so long."

"Does Xiaoyaoyao like eating zongzi that much?"

"It's alright, it's just that I haven't had it for a while and I miss it a bit. But when I was a kid, it was just regular rice with a little bit of glutinous rice mixed in, unlike now where it's all made of glutinous rice."

"Because glutinous rice was more expensive back then?"

"Hmm...probably."

……

(two)

In Mo Xueyao's memory, the Dragon Boat Festival always seemed to be a sunny day.

Today was no exception. The school security guard was carrying a bucket of realgar powder and sprinkling it on the base of the school walls and flower beds. The pungent smell made people cough involuntarily when they got close.

"Uncle, what's going on?" she asked, somewhat puzzled, as she walked toward the laboratory building.

"Repel insects and snakes! I killed one at school last night! People often get bitten by snakes at times like this!"

"Ah... there shouldn't be any in the teaching building, right?"

"Normally there isn't any, just avoid the bushes." The uncle sneezed, facing the other side, and continued sprinkling realgar powder.

As soon as Mo Xueyao stepped into the laboratory building, she heard a clattering sound coming from the stairwell.

Just then, Wang Jiale and her friends, who had just gone upstairs, rushed back down in a hurry.