A Young Woman's Heart

"Drink less, or you'll get diarrhea."

"Hey, Wanyan, don't jinx it... Your words have made me afraid to drink it... What if I really get diarrhea during the exam tomorrow?"

"So drink less."

"But once you start drinking it, you can't stop... um..."

"Then I won't drink it."

"Forget it, I'd better drink less."

Li Wanyan shook her head with amusement, then pushed open the door, and a blast of cold air from the air conditioner hit her face...

……

Chapter 315: Laying Down the Burden of Youth

(One)

Around noon, the area around the Zhejiang University High School, which served as the examination venue, was bustling with activity.

The school gates are open, and students can choose to go home for meals or eat in the school cafeteria.

Although the cafeteria provides free lunch, some people find the food unappetizing or the lines too long and opt to eat at nearby small shops.

Mo Xueyao wasn't too particular. She came down quickly and got her food without queuing for long. Now she was sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, eating her lunch at a leisurely pace.

A downpour started outside, finally making the wind blowing in our faces much cooler.

Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the appetite for lunch.

—For example, yesterday, Mo Xueyao only ate some rice soup, and her energy replenishment came almost entirely from the chocolate she brought.

"Oh, Xiaoyao is here." Ye Banxia sat down with her lunch in hand, followed by Leng Feng—she probably didn't have much of an appetite, so she just grabbed two steamed buns to eat.

"Phew, last exam this afternoon, finally I'm free..." Leng Feng sat down in a daze, "The exam gave me a headache..."

"How do you feel about your exam, Leng Feng?" Ye Banxia first picked up a few grains of rice and put them in her mouth, chewing them carefully, as if savoring the sweetness of the rice reacting with her saliva.

"It's alright... I don't really have any ideas anymore, as long as I can get into a junior college, that's fine." Leng Feng covered his forehead. "But I feel like I don't know how to do so many of the questions."

"Does being cold give you extra points in sports?" Mo Xueyao crunched a piece of fried pork chop.

"Yes, it does, but it won't add many points. I'm not that good at sports..."

"Don't worry, there shouldn't be any problems," Ye Banxia reassured her. "Just do well on the last exam."

"Ah, whatever, I just want to finish the exam quickly and be free, it's too torturous!"

"The exams are over today, and the graduation ceremony is tomorrow." Mo Xueyao rested her chin on her hand. "It'll be over soon."

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Xiaoyao's band is having a concert in the classroom tomorrow morning?"

"Ah, right, Yinyin told you that?"

“I heard it from Cha Li.”

"Oh, I see."

"Won't it be very loud? Will the vice principal or the head of student affairs come to arrest us?"

"Uh... I hope they won't come so soon." Mo Xueyao was also a little unsure. "Never mind them! Just play as much as you can before they stop us."

"I feel like it'll be a great memory." Ye Banxia covered her mouth with one hand, chewing her food in small bites. "I really envy you guys, Xiaoyao."

"What's wrong, Xiaxia? Do you regret not signing up for the band back then?"

"A little bit? Actually, I can play the harmonica and stuff... but even if I sign up, I probably won't be able to stick with it."

"Who knows?" Mo Xueyao shrugged. "Anyway, good luck on your last exam."

"Okay! Keep it up!"

……

(two)

Last year's college entrance examination, although it also lasted three days, actually combined geography, history and politics into one exam, which was called the humanities comprehensive exam.

However, this year Hangzhou was selected as a pilot city in Zhejiang Province, and the separate examinations were conducted on a relatively small scale.

The content of the exam is different from that of the humanities exam, but the total score for all three subjects is the same.

The exam time is shorter than other subjects, but overall it is longer, perhaps to give students enough time to finish the questions.

Such attempts often occur in provincial capitals. If they are effective, they will be promoted throughout the province or even the whole country. If they are ineffective, they will be treated as if nothing happened.

As for the students, they were simply used as guinea pigs.

But in any case, the exams are finally coming to an end.

This time, the exam venue was the same classroom where I first took my Chinese exam.

It's still the first one in the first row; it starts here and ends here.

She unscrewed the pen and glanced at it. There wasn't much ink left in the refill, but it should be enough to last her until she finished the exam.

"Never mind... I'll just use it like this." She muttered as she screwed the pen back on and slowly started twirling the pen.

When the bell rang, the invigilators began to distribute the exam papers. The students were already familiar with this process. After writing their names, they waited quietly, quickly looking at the questions and thinking about the correct answers.

"The weather system that caused the drought in the Yangtze River basin is..." Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, glancing at the given options and immediately determining the answer. For her, these questions were very simple, and the answers seemed to be engraved in her brain, appearing on their own without any thought.

"Ring ring—" The very traditional bell rang, and the proctor standing in front said to start the exam. The students immediately bent down and entered the sea of ​​questions.

……

(three)

The torrential rain outside the window had stopped, and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds again.

The wind blowing in my face seemed to carry a bit more heat.

The classroom was quiet, with only the scratching of pens on paper and the sound of exam papers being turned over.

Mo Xueyao wiped the sweat from her palms with a handkerchief, picked up her pen again, took a short breath, and continued working on the questions.

The exam paper wasn't difficult, but as the college entrance exam drew to a close, even she couldn't help feeling a little excited and uneasy.

Even after she finished the exam, she still felt dazed and confused.

Is that all?

Have all the subjects for the college entrance examination been completed?

Are the burdens that have been weighing on us since junior high, or even elementary school, about to be lifted off our shoulders?

The college entrance examination leaves an indelible and significant mark on one's youth.

I had heard of its great reputation since elementary school. In junior high school, my teachers also said that the high school entrance exam was just the beginning, and getting into a good high school meant that you could get into a better university.

Back then, the college entrance exam was still a long way off, and even after I entered high school, it still felt like an unattainable dream.

As time flows downstream, just as people grow old, the college entrance examination arrives as scheduled.

Many of the troubles, worries, efforts, and torments of youth originated from it, but today, I will also end it with my own hands.

Things that seemed so far away eventually came to an end.

Looking back, she suddenly felt that life wasn't so long. Otherwise, why would she feel that these eighteen years had passed in the blink of an eye, as short as a fleeting moment?

However, those three years as a girl seem to occupy most of my memories, to the point that when I look back, I feel like I've always been a girl.

Sometimes when I reminisce about my childhood, I see myself as a child, even as a girl.

Time always subtly changes a person.

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but wonder if her life as a girl was back on track.

No matter how resistant she was at first, she had to admit that this was probably what her real life should be like.

From now on, I will continue to walk this path as a complete girl.

"There's nothing wrong with being a girl," she told herself, a slight smile appearing on her face.

Her smile was so serene.

Three years ago, she wondered if one day she would fully accept herself and her life as she was.

And that day seemed to arrive unconsciously.

"The exam ends in twenty minutes. Those who have finished should check their work. Those who want to hand in their papers early can do so now."

The proctor's words snapped Mo Xueyao back to her senses. Instead of handing in her paper early, she carefully checked it several times until the exam was completely over. Only then did she sit quietly and let the teacher take her paper away.

The students, who had been suppressed for several days, seemed to finally be released at this moment.

Cheers from students could be heard everywhere; far more students ran out of the classrooms today than the previous two days.

Everyone chatted excitedly about their summer vacation plans, and some even sang songs to say goodbye to the first eighteen years of their youth.

Mo Xueyao was also somewhat infected by everyone's emotions, and her steps became much lighter.

She carried her schoolbag, swayed her body, and hummed a song softly.

I didn't see Ye Banxia and Leng Feng, but I did see Chen Cheng.

The guy smiled relaxedly and walked alone.

"Hey, Chen Cheng!" Mo Xueyao ran over, jumped up using the difference in height on the stairs, and patted him on the shoulder. "You came on an electric scooter?"

"Um, would you like me to give you a ride?"

"Oh? You're being so kind today."

"If you don't want to sit, then don't."

"I'd like to, but I came by bicycle. How about I borrow your electric scooter and you ride my bicycle?"

Chen Cheng was speechless for a moment. Just as Mo Xueyao was about to say it was a joke, he nodded and said, "Okay."

"Huh, really?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Chen Cheng chuckled lightly. "It's been a long time since I rode a bicycle. I'll take my time and enjoy the scenery along the way."