A Young Woman's Heart

The driver cleared his throat and repeated the three words more slowly.

That's when everyone realized what he was saying.

"Oh right...can you speak Chinese?"

"I know a little." This colonel-like accent from an anti-Japanese war drama made Mo Xueyao burst out laughing.

"English, is that okay?" Wang Jiale asked tentatively.

"OK, my English is very GOD!"

“Cough, pfft… OK…” Wang Jiale then began to communicate with the other party in English, which was much smoother than when he was speaking Japanese.

Mo Xueyao's English is good not because she likes English, but because she has to learn it. Wang Jiale is different. She is good at English because she likes English, or rather, she likes all kinds of languages. Therefore, she feels particularly satisfied with communicating in a foreign language.

Yu Shu leaned against the window, snapping photos of the street scene, making a continuous clicking sound.

Wang Jiale suddenly turned around and looked at her, saying, "Um, Shuer, the driver told you not to take pictures randomly and get fined if the police find out, especially if you take pictures of someone's face... that's roughly what he meant."

"Huh?"

"It's fine to photograph people who have permission... but you can't just photograph people on the street."

"Um, okay, okay..." Yu Shu hurriedly covered her camera, as if afraid that someone would snatch it away.

Japan's roads are noticeably narrower, but that doesn't diminish its prosperity.

This place is much more prosperous than Shanghai in Mo Xueyao's memory, especially the area near the city center, which is full of all kinds of high-rise buildings. However, interestingly, it does not bring a strong sense of oppression, probably because the surrounding buildings are relatively short.

Moreover, there are many detached villas built right by the roadside, some with yards and some without, and most of them are very small. Mo Xueyao couldn't think of any words to describe them, so she could only call them villas.

"That's called a detached house." Wang Jiale seemed to notice Mo Xueyao's confusion and took the opportunity to explain while chatting with the driver.

"Oh, wow, so many detached houses."

"Hmm, I heard that the land here is all privately owned, so they won't build very tall buildings..."

"Wow, I've always wanted to live in a villa in the city," Mo Xueyao murmured enviously, resting her head on Mo Zhuyou's shoulder beside her. "What are those? Trains?"

"The light rail."

"Light Rail?"

"Something like a subway."

"I see."

In the city, you can often find a track where pedestrians have to wait for the tram to pass before they can cross.

Interestingly, the trains running on these tracks that Mo Xueyao saw were quite different. Some were like subways with many carriages, while others were like buses with only one train.

The clean roads were almost devoid of litter, giving Mo Xueyao the illusion that she had acquired new eyes and that the scene she was seeing had suddenly become high-definition.

Along the coast, you can also see a long greenway for bicycles, where people ride bicycles in twos and threes, enjoying the sea breeze and feeling very relaxed.

Everyone says that life in Japan moves at a fast pace, but at this moment, Mo Xueyao is experiencing a slow and orderly life.

Of course, upon closer inspection, one can also see hurried pedestrians on the street, as well as disheveled homeless people who always hide in the shadows of corners.

Occasionally, you can see people being loudly insulted but bowing and apologizing repeatedly, as well as salespeople running around sweating profusely while promoting their products.

Perhaps because they are just tourists, they are able to enjoy the beautiful parts of this country, while the negative and painful aspects are silently borne by the local people.

Not just here, but perhaps everywhere is the same.

—Mo Xueyao, who hadn't traveled to many countries, thought this in her heart with a touch of naivety.

After passing through many traffic lights, the taxi finally stopped in front of a building near the sea.

The building has six floors. From the front, it looks quite normal; it's just a regular rectangular prism laid sideways.

But as she drove along, Mo Xueyao had seen its entirety. It was a hotel with a triangular base, which didn't seem like it was deliberately being unconventional, but rather like it was forced into it.

The driver enthusiastically helped carry the luggage out, thanked him several times after taking the money, and then rattled off a long string of words, but because he spoke so fast, even Wang Jiale couldn't understand him.

But Mr. Xue picked up where he left off. He smiled and nodded, replying in Japanese. The latter immediately gave him a thumbs up.

"What?"

“He said Xiaoxue’s Japanese is very standard…” Wang Jiale puffed out his cheeks, “When did Xiaoxue learn Japanese?”

“I study a little on my own when I have free time.” Mr. Xue smiled faintly, waved goodbye to the taxi driver, and watched his car drive away before continuing, “He just said that the hotels here are triangular in shape because there isn’t enough land, and they are very unique guesthouses in this area.”

"B&B?"

Mo Xueyao sensed that she was here and heard many words she rarely heard before.

"It means something like... the style of an ordinary family home."

"Oh...the family-style kind?"

“That’s right.” Wang Jiale pressed Mo Xueyao’s shoulder and pushed her into the hotel, followed closely by the others.

The translation work was all handed over to Wang Jiale and Mr. Xue, while Mo Xueyao and the others chatted about the novel things they had seen along the way.

"Everyone, please take out your visas!" Wang Jiale leaned on the front desk, slightly raised her right foot, and called out softly to the others chatting behind her.

Since I had just gotten off the plane, my visa and passport were either in my pocket or in a compartment of my bag that was easy to reach, so it was very convenient to take them out.

Although it was her first time staying in a hotel abroad, thankfully nothing went wrong. Mo Xueyao had originally thought that things would take a dramatic turn, like in a novel or movie.

For example, arriving at the destination only to find that you've found the wrong hotel, or arriving at the place only to discover that you haven't booked enough rooms.

However, none of these things happened. All the procedures were completed smoothly. The room I booked was on the top floor. Although it was only six floors, there was an elevator.

Everyone carried their luggage and chattered as they went up the elevator.

How many rooms are there?

"One room."

Is one room enough?

"Hmm...it shouldn't be a mistake, right?" Wang Jiale was also a little hesitant. "Anyway, it's room 601, at the end of the corridor, right, Xiaoxue?"

"Correct."

Instead of a key, a magnetic card was used to open the door, which was a rare commodity in those days.

Although she roughly understood the principle behind it, Mo Xueyao still felt extremely curious when she saw Wang Jiale open the door with a simple swipe of his card.

Pushing open the door, you'll find the interior decorated in a wooden style. The walls separating the rooms are also made of wood, while the regular supporting walls are covered with something resembling wallpaper.

Yu Shu curiously reached out and squeezed it, but it felt a little soft, and the material seemed to be a bit like foam and plastic.

"You need to take off your shoes," Wang Jiale said, taking off her shoes and placing them at the door. She then put on the slippers that were already laid out and went inside first.

The walls of the house are slanted, but because the design is so reasonable, it doesn't have much of an impact; on the contrary, it's quite innovative.

Of course, the house wasn't very big, and there wasn't much furniture. When Mo Xueyao opened the bedroom door, she even found that there wasn't a bed.

"Hey, isn't there a bed?"

"You can just sleep on the tatami mats," Wang Jiale explained.

Mo Zhuyou pointed to an empty room and exclaimed excitedly, "Xiaoxue! This is what you call a Japanese-style room, right?"

"Correct."

"There are three rooms in total. Xiaoxue will sleep in one by herself... and there's another room where three people will have to sleep?" Mo Zhuyou muttered, tilting her head.

"Wow!" Yu Shu excitedly ran to the exquisite stove. "Why is there a kitchen here?"

"It's an open kitchen."

"Do you need to cook when you stay in a hotel?"

"B&Bs are usually for stays of a week or even longer, so they are usually equipped with a kitchen so you can cook your own meals."

"But the cooking fumes must be quite heavy, right?"

"Hmm... so it's just some light food."

"The designs are all different everywhere."

"There's no other way. After all, our land area is small, so we have to make the most of every aspect."

……

Chapter 4. Izakaya!

(One)

Perhaps it's because this hotel is expensive, or perhaps it's just that such thoughtful service is common here.

In short, not long after they moved in, staff members called to ask what they needed, and even worried that they wouldn't be able to sleep on the tatami mats, asking if they needed a folding bed or an air mattress.

Mo Xueyao asked for an air mattress, while the others didn't mind sleeping on the floor.

In addition, they asked what I wanted to eat that evening, where I wanted to eat, and offered to help me make reservations.

Although it costs money, it's good to have some advice from a local in a foreign country where you don't know anyone.

She asked, "Which type do you recommend, the one that requires reservations or the one that doesn't?"

"Since we're already here, let me recommend something you should book! Uh... it won't be too expensive, will it?" Mo Xueyao coughed twice. She had exchanged 1,000 yen for this trip abroad, which was a large sum for her family, but she didn't know if it would be enough in this developed country.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I have money for you." Hua Yinyin is a wealthy person here. Her family has made a lot of money in business this year, so this time, I exchanged 10,000 yen for her and deposited it into a bank card that can be used here. I also brought 3,000 yuan in cash.

"Yes, that's right. Yinyin and I both brought quite a bit of money with us."

"But being too extravagant is also not good, because you can spend all your money very quickly."

"Hmm...that's true. Should I tell her to recommend some more affordable restaurants for the reservations?"

"Yes, this is good!"

"Arno..." Wang Jiale leaned closer to the hands-free phone and started chattering again.

Mr. Xue, who also worked part-time as a simultaneous interpreter, said: "Nearby recommended restaurants include an izakaya, a yakitori restaurant, a sushi restaurant, a yakiniku restaurant, and a seafood noodle restaurant."

"Izakaya!!" Hua Yinyin immediately shouted, "Let's go to an izakaya!"

"Huh? It sounds like there will be a lot of gangsters..." Yu Shu said with some concern.