A Young Woman's Heart

"Is that impressive? Hmph, you haven't seen my real skills yet!" Hua Yinyin looked eager to try, and the performance seemed to be about to begin.

"Try it once?" she asked you.

"Ok!"

This sentence doesn't need translation. After receiving the signal, the woman looked at Hua Yinyin expectantly, waiting for her to play. The latter also understood and began to pluck the pipa. Although it wasn't her own pipa, her technique was still incredibly skillful.

"La la~" the woman sang softly into the microphone.

The music style leans towards pop, with a touch of Japanese folk tunes and a somewhat melancholic feel.

Everyone sat on small stools, swaying gently. Although they couldn't understand the lyrics, her slightly hoarse, softly singing voice, which told stories in a gentle and detailed way, still allowed them to immerse themselves in the music.

That's probably the charm of music.

……

Chapter 7. The Tram

(One)

Last night, everyone stayed up very late with Hua Yinyin, and later even exchanged contact information with the woman who sang – namely, MSN.

Of course, this thing was completely unfamiliar to Mo Xueyao and the others. Even Wang Jiale's family didn't actually own a computer. Although Hua Yinyin had a computer, she didn't use this thing; she usually went to forums instead.

Fortunately, Mr. Xue had both a computer and an MSN account, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to exchange MSN numbers.

In this era, many Chinese people believe that computers are not something ordinary people can use; only high-end companies or government agencies need them.

For most children, their understanding of computers is basically limited to playing games; only those with internet access at home can access various forums.

With dial-up internet, the speed is so slow that you can't do much.

Because we stayed up too late yesterday, everyone is still not up when the sun is high in the sky today.

The summer sun was already scorching hot at 7:30 a.m. When you were under the sun, even the air conditioner seemed to stop cooling.

Mo Xueyao rolled over on the air mattress and instinctively hugged the person next to her.

Yu Shu was still dreaming, mumbling something incoherently. Her saliva dripped uncontrollably from the corner of her mouth and smeared onto Mo Xueyao's face.

"Still sleeping? Get up!" Hua Yinyin's shout echoed throughout the room. Mo Xueyao didn't react much, burying her head in Yu Shu's arms, trying to block out the noise.

"Oh dear, if we don't get up, the whole day will be wasted!"

"Let them sleep a little longer; they won't have fun if they're not in good spirits," Mr. Xue said with a faint smile, as he started fiddling with the open kitchen in the house.

What is Xiaoxue going to do?

"Want to join me in making breakfast?"

"Uh... well... I think I'll pass." Hua Yinyin shrank her neck. "I think you've already made it."

"Let's try Japanese food." Mr. Xue nodded and opened the Japanese cookbook he had just bought yesterday to look at it.

When it comes to Japanese cuisine, the most well-known dish is undoubtedly sushi. Mr. Xue first steamed the rice, planning to make sushi later.

Plain sushi is definitely not enough; miso soup is also a must.

In addition, you should also order some side dishes, such as grilled fish and fried mushrooms.

The range hood was whirring and sucking up the cooking fumes, but the downside of an open kitchen is that it still can't prevent the smell from spreading to other places.

Fortunately, the kitchen has a window, which prevented the house from being stuffy and filled with the smell of cooking oil.

Around 8 o'clock, people gradually got up, and the girls lined up shoulder to shoulder to wait to wash up.

Mr. Xue had already prepared a delicate breakfast. Although it was his first time making it, it looked quite presentable.

"Huh, is this breakfast I bought?"

"Xiaoxue made it."

"I didn't realize... Yinyin, if your cooking skills were even half as good as Xiaoxue's, it wouldn't be so bad," Mo Xueyao teased.

"Hey! What does this have to do with me?!"

"Where are we going today?" Mo Zhuyou picked up a piece of sushi and put it in her mouth, blinking in surprise. "Delicious! Much better than the sushi on airplanes!"

"How about we take the tram today?" Mo Xueyao didn't have much of an appetite, so she only drank a small amount of miso soup.

The flavor was a bit bland, probably because not enough salt was added, but it was just right for someone who had just woken up.

"Where are we going by tram?" Wang Jiale rubbed her eyes, clearly still half asleep.

"Why don't we just take the tram and explore? It'll be nice to go around and see what's going on. If we want to get off at any stop, we can do so."

"Shall we get to know the environment a bit?"

"Okay, now we know where to go for the next few days!"

"That makes sense..."

"Okay, let's take the tram after breakfast."

"Wait, which tram line should I take?"

"Just take whichever route is closest."

"That's a really convenient idea..."

……

(two)

Trams are a special type of ground transportation, somewhat similar to trains, but they travel shorter distances and make many more stops along the way.

This is one of Japan's main public transportation systems, intricate and extensive, but it is a product of several decades ago.

Many lines have now ceased operation, with more advanced subway systems replacing most of them.

Mo Xueyao stood in the station, gazing into the distance. The tracks, overgrown with weeds, trembled slightly as a tram approached from afar.

It has a square front end, and the design style looks quite outdated, inevitably bearing many traces of time.

As soon as the tram arrived at the station, people rushed on, and there was no such thing as queuing.

Only at times like this would Mo Xueyao realize that at least half of the articles written in certain magazines were wrong.

After finally squeezing onto the tram, there were no seats available.

Everyone was somewhat awkwardly squeezed into the crowd, and it took several stops before they finally managed to grab an empty seat.

The scenery outside the window slowly recedes into the distance as the tram travels through the city made of reinforced concrete.

Everywhere you look, there are towering utility poles and electric grids that stretch across the sky like a spider web.

As the tram headed towards the suburbs, everything around it became visibly desolate.

Many shops were closed, and many idle people sat on the roadside smoking and chatting, or pushing and shoving each other as if they were about to fight.

"Is the bubble economy still affecting them?" Mo Xueyao muttered to herself as she leaned against the car window.

"Yes, it's only been two or three years after all." Mr. Xue nodded gently.

Mo Xueyao thought about things further ahead: "Will our country be like this in the future?"

"We'll have to wait until it's developed before we talk about that," Mr. Xue said with a faint smile.

"Oh, that makes sense. Do all developed countries have to go through something like this? The United States also had a Great Depression."

Not entirely.

"We might very well encounter such an era, right?" Mo Xueyao suddenly felt a little worried.

Mr. Xue didn't answer, but just winked mischievously.

Mo Xueyao felt that he was holding back something, but in the end she didn't ask any further.

The tram line runs along the coast for a stretch, where the scenery is incredibly expansive.

The blue sea and sky met, reflecting a deep blue hue into Mo Xueyao's pale blue eyes.

After fumbling around for a while, Hua Yinyin finally found the window switch. She opened the window with a whoosh, and the salty sea breeze blew in from outside, lifting a few strands of her hair.

"Does our country have a train along the coast? It's so beautiful by the sea."

"Maybe, but they're probably going to be phased out soon, like those old green trains."

The number of people on the train has decreased significantly; there are no standing people left in this carriage.

Everyone leaned back in their chairs, gazing at the scenery outside the window, enjoying the exotic seaside atmosphere.

……

(three)

"We actually spent most of the day on the bus..." Hua Yinyin kept fanning herself with her hand. "There were so many more people on the way back."

"I still prefer bustling areas," Mo Zhuyou said, skipping down the steps. "I always feel unsafe when there aren't many people on the street."

"I'm hungry..." Mo Xueyao rubbed her stomach. "I haven't bought anything to eat. I want to sit down and eat now..."

"How about we just go eat ramen?"

"Let's go, there are many shops along the way, let's go into whichever one we like."

"Xiaoxue is right, let's take it one step at a time."

"I want to drink water..." Yu Shu licked her dry lips.

Wang Jiale pointed to the vending machine not far away: "If you want to drink water, you can just buy it from the vending machine. But water might be a bit expensive. It's probably more cost-effective to just buy a Coke."

"Speaking of which, I've noticed a lot of vending machines on the street these past few days, and a lot of them don't sell drinks."

"Yeah, there are lots of different kinds of vending machines here. You can buy almost anything you want in them, and you can even enter a lucky draw." Wang Jiale nodded vigorously. "How about we try them out later?"

"Want to try it out for a bit?" Mo Zhuyou became interested.

The allure of lotteries lies in their unpredictability, which makes them incredibly captivating. Even someone like Mo Zhuyou, who doesn't have much money, can't resist giving it a try.

……

(four)