A Young Woman's Heart

A bowl of noodles was quickly made. He served it to Hua Yinyin first, and then made the next bowl of noodles in the same way.

The methods are actually quite similar; only the ingredients on top are different.

Mr. Xue, who had become a bit addicted to drinking these past few days, ordered a small glass of sake to try, at the strong recommendation of his uncle.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these are just two small cups, each about the size of a thumb. This wine is anything but simple. It contains tiny red flower petals and is decorated with glutinous rice balls. Although it's called wine, it's presented more like a beverage.

"What did you talk about with the old man?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously. Over the past few days, she had been able to understand a few common Japanese words, but she still couldn't understand such a long conversation at all.

"We just chatted about life. The old man said he started selling ramen on the street when he was 25, and he's already 82 this year."

"So long? How many years has it been? Come to think of it, there are indeed many elderly people in Japan who run stalls and shops."

"The aging population is quite serious, so he said he envies our country because we have so many people, so many young people, and so much youthful vigor."

"Did you tell him where we're from?" Mo Zhuyou stared eagerly as her noodles were placed in front of her, then picked up a spoon and took a sip of the soup. "Delicious!"

“Yes, he said he was a member of the Japanese Communist Party back in the day! The kind who went to the streets to protest.”

"What are you protesting for?"

"Protesting against wars of aggression!"

"Wow, that's amazing." Mo Xueyao blinked. "So what did he do back then? Was he persecuted?"

"Yes, I was imprisoned and only released after the defeat."

"Hello!" Mo Xueyao couldn't help but look up and greet him.

"Hehe." He nodded with a smile, taking another sip of wine while waiting for the noodles to cook. "You, good! Long live the great unity of the people of the world!"

He actually spoke a sentence in Chinese, and it was even more fluent than saying "hello" in Chinese.

"Hmm! Comrade, hello!" Mo Xueyao felt a surge of pride for no apparent reason.

"Comrade." He smiled even more broadly, his wrinkles crinkling together.

He even added two extra pieces of char siu to the noodles he cooked for Mo Xueyao, then raised his wine glass high and drank the rest of the wine in one gulp, as if he had already enjoyed himself enough.

……

(four)

The ramen was finished quickly, but everyone was reluctant to leave, still chatting with the old man. Luckily, the typhoon had just passed, and there weren't many people on the street, otherwise they would have been disturbing his business.

Mr. Xue and he chatted happily. The other party even took out a red book with yellowed pages from the trolley. On the bright red cover was a golden five-pointed star. The Chinese characters were blurred, and only the two characters 'Selected Works' could be vaguely seen.

He stroked the book cover with great reluctance, then handed the book over with exceptional care.

Mr. Xue shook his head, wanting to refuse, but the latter forced it on him.

He could only take the book with both hands and put it in his pocket.

The old man spoke at length with great earnestness, and Mr. Xue nodded very seriously.

"What are they saying?" Hua Yinyin held the Mo Zhuyou tail toy in her arms and played with it, then leaned close to Wang Jiale's face and asked curiously in a low voice.

"Hmm... If this path goes astray, I hope... you won't forget the truth of your predecessors, and you will rise up in resistance to ensure that this path continues to be correct. That is the only hope for world equality and peace. That's probably the idea."

"That sounds weird," Mo Xueyao muttered, but couldn't pinpoint what was making her feel uncomfortable.

Mr. Yuki seemed to be in a heavy mood and replied with a long message in Japanese. The latter patted him on the shoulder, as if to comfort him.

"The trend of the times is irresistible, and there is nothing I can do alone."

"If that day ever comes, as long as you are not afraid to sacrifice yourself and become a fire that illuminates the way forward, that will be enough."

Wang Jiale was translating attentively.

The other girls, however, felt quite confused, wondering why they were speaking so seriously, as if Japan were in dire straits.

But perhaps they weren't talking about Japan?

……

(Fives)

"There won't be a typhoon tomorrow, right?" Hua Yinyin exclaimed on the way back. "We definitely have to go to the maid café tomorrow!"

"Disney! Disney!"

"Lele is just a child."

"But do I really want to see those princesses from fairy tales?"

"We should be able to go tomorrow. It's impossible for there to be a typhoon today and another one tomorrow."

"I suddenly realized something: what if the typhoon hits our area when we get back?"

"Uh... the same typhoon hits twice? Hmm... not impossible?"

"If that happens, flights will probably have to be grounded."

"It's good to have a few more days of fun since it's postponed," Hua Yinyin said, quite pleased.

"Tch, think about it, our visas are only valid for seven days. If we extend them, the procedures will be a huge hassle."

"That's true..."

……

Chapter 11. Time Difference

(One)

The azure sky was cloudless, and the sun shone down without any obstruction.

It's as if the typhoon from a couple of days ago never happened.

"Yinyin, what time is it now?" Mo Xueyao had almost finished packing her luggage. She looked at the clothes hanging on the balcony and hesitated whether to take them down later.

It's still a little damp now, but it should be almost dry in a while.

"Beijing time ~ 3:30 pm on the 17th ~ Don't worry, our flight is at 5:30 pm, there's still plenty of time."

"Oh, then I'll bask in the sun for a while longer." Mo Xueyao immediately relaxed a lot.

"Wait, Beijing time?" Wang Jiale stuffed the remaining half bag of potato chips into his mouth, so he wouldn't have to take them on the plane later. "No, no, Beijing time?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"But we're in Tokyo!"

Even the slower-witted Mo Zhuyou realized this: "So, it's 4:30 now?"

Yu Shu, who had already finished packing and was lazily enjoying the air conditioning, suddenly widened her eyes: "Eh, eh—!?"

"Is it possible to get to the airport from here in an hour?"

"Theoretically, it's possible. Even if you factor in the time for ticket checking and baggage check-in, it's still possible." Mr. Xue stood outside the door, his voice drifting in from afar.

"Hurry up!!" Mo Xueyao quickly pulled the clothes off the hanger and stuffed them into a plastic bag. She didn't even have time to put them in her suitcase, so she could only barely put them in her backpack. She nervously looked around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, then ran quickly to the door. "Hurry, hurry, hurry—!!"

"Yinyin—!"

"Why blame me? Lele's phone also uses Beijing time, right?"

"We didn't even change our time zone when we came here...?"

"Thinking about it carefully, it seems that there really isn't one."

"Is it too late? We need to hurry!"

"Xiaoxue, we'll go downstairs and call a taxi first. You guys hurry up and come over. Oh, right, Xiaoxue, go return the room key! I'll go call a taxi! Japanese, how do you say 'Tokyo Airport' in Japanese?"

"Tokyo Airport."

"Is Doujiong empty and withered?"

"Almost there." Mr. Xue didn't insist on her pronunciation. "If it really doesn't work, you can use English. Most taxi drivers in Tokyo know some English."

"Okay! Let's go down first!"

……

(two)

Running, nothing but running.

Mr. Xue was the first to stop because he still needed to return the card.

Mo Xueyao, dragging her luggage, almost bumped into the transparent glass door.

After so many days of fun, I thought that apart from that typhoon, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Unexpectedly, this time the rush to catch a flight made things much more hectic.

She had originally planned to enjoy the scenery along the way, but now, she probably wasn't in the mood for it.

When Mo Xueyao flagged down one of those taxis, the others shouted to her from a distance.

"Little Yao Yao!"

"Have you managed to call a car yet?"

"Huh...huh..."

Mr. Xue ran in the lead, carrying his suitcase on his shoulder, yet he still managed to walk with incredible speed.

After he arrived, he put down his luggage, turned around, picked up the suitcase from Yu Shu's hand, and continued to walk briskly.

This was the first time Mo Xueyao had ever seen him so anxious.

He usually appears extremely calm, as if everything will proceed according to plan.

Um... But looking closely at the excited expression on his face, she felt that it wasn't that he was anxious, but rather that he was excited because of the sudden situation.

As for whether it will be late... perhaps he doesn't really care?

……

(three)

The Snow Music Band forgot one thing: Tokyo, such a bustling city, is very likely to experience traffic jams.