A Young Woman's Heart

"But why is it always us? I don't accept this!" Liu Xiaowei shouted.

"If you listen attentively and don't disrupt the class, you won't be kept after school." Li Wanyan glanced at him sideways. "Gao Yuan, sweep the floor."

"Yes!" Gao Yuan nodded obsequiously, looking like Li Wanyan's little follower.

The classroom was quickly cleaned up. Li Wanyan wasn't a very rigid person. She didn't mean that the classroom had to be spotless, but at least she should sweep away the visible trash and clean up the visible dirt.

"Zhou Yong, take out the trash on your way down," Li Wanyan instructed. Sometimes she seemed more like a class monitor.

"Let me help you carry them," Ye Banxia said softly. "You can't carry them all by yourself, there's a lot of trash today."

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Zhou Yong patted his chest. "This little bit of weight is nothing!"

"Be careful not to get your school uniform dirty." Ye Banxia reached out to help Zhou Yong lift the trash can. "Let me help you."

"Cough, that's fine too." Zhou Yong, feeling that it was indeed a bit heavy, coughed awkwardly.

After the two carried the empty trash can back, Li Wanyan did a final check of the classroom before closing the door.

Mo Xueyao shook the backpack behind her and looked at her somewhat awkwardly.

She barely spoke to Li Wanyan all day, mainly because she felt awkward and didn't know how to explain her running away from home.

"Going home?"

"Okay, let's go home."

Because Mo Xueyao didn't ride her bicycle over, she walked home today.

Fortunately, the fruit shop wasn't far away, and it wouldn't take too long to walk there.

Going home after school is a very ordinary thing, but at this moment Mo Xueyao felt a little uneasy and nervous.

What should I say when I get back?

What should I do if my parents have a stern face?

I had already decided to apologize as soon as I got back, but I didn't know how to start.

“Your uncle and aunt are very worried about you.” Li Wanyan, walking beside you, gently brushed a strand of hair from the side.

"Oh, really?" Mo Xue gazed at the sky, feigning nonchalance. "They didn't come looking for me either."

"Because I told them that you would definitely go back today."

"How would Wanyan know? What if I don't go back today?" Mo Xueyao looked at her in surprise.

"I guessed that, but you do need a few days to calm down, don't you?"

"Um... thank you." Mo Xueyao scratched her head. "Was I being too childish?"

Li Wanyan smiled and shook her head: "No, everyone has moments of emotional breakdown, that's normal."

"Does Wanyan have it too?"

"It will happen."

"Huh~ I've never seen this before."

Li Wanyan just smiled.

The journey felt both long and short; Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan finally arrived at the fruit shop.

At the shop entrance, the mother had set up a coal stove and was filling it with coal briquettes, while the father was negotiating a business deal with someone, haggling over a few dollars.

"Okay, okay, thirty yuan. Come again next time."

"Of course, of course." The guest happily picked up the red bag full of fruit and turned to leave.

The father then looked at the two girls who had returned to the shop, waved his hand, and chuckled, "Oh, girls, you're back?"

"Ahem." Mo Xueyao coughed awkwardly.

"Dinner is very plentiful tonight, you wouldn't have had any if you hadn't come back!" the father joked with a laugh.

As relaxed and casual as ever.

This relieved Mo Xueyao.

Meanwhile, the mother, who was cooking soup on a coal stove by the side of the shop entrance, asked in a slightly teasing tone, "So you've finally decided to come back?"

Mo Xueyao bit her lip, wanting to say something, but in the end she said nothing. She simply darted behind her mother and put a large straw hat on her head.

"What are you doing, you little rascal!" the mother said with a laugh and a scolding. "Are you comfortable outside?"

"Tsk, Mom, I admit I shouldn't have run away from home, and I shouldn't have argued with you. I was wrong about that, but!" Mo Xueyao took a deep breath and finally said what she wanted to say, "But you shouldn't always think I'm stingy or anything. After all, those are things I like, and they're quite expensive. Don't always side with others, okay! Also, I..."

Her mother turned around and looked into her eyes with gentle eyes.

Mo Xueyao's voice gradually lowered, until only her mother standing in front of her could hear it: "It's not like I wanted to be a girl... It's already difficult enough that I'm willing to slowly accept this identity, can you please stop provoking me?"

"Silly child." The mother smiled and ruffled her hair, then mischievously messed up her hair, even taking off the hair tie, making her look like a ghost with disheveled hair. "How could Mom not be on your side? Well, that's true, sometimes I don't think things through from your perspective, Mom is wrong too."

"Okay, can you two stop being so mushy?" The father rolled his eyes, took a brand new toy out of the drawer and handed it to Mo Xueyao. "I knew you liked this kind of thing, so I bought you one at the supermarket. It wasn't too expensive, only a few dozen yuan. I think it's about the same as your previous one."

This is a poorly made domestically produced Transformers toy, and it's not even in the same league as the exquisite Dragon Warrior merchandise.

But since her father had such a wish, Mo Xueyao was too embarrassed to say anything more—that was impossible: "Hey, you bought a cheap toy! Mine is imported from abroad. Look how rough it is, the paint is all wrong, and there are burrs!"

"Why be so fussy! It's just a toy!" The father rolled his eyes. "If you're so particular, why don't you play with your dolls?"

“BJD dolls,” Li Wanyan whispered a reminder from the side.

"Yes, the Jade Chicken doll!"

"Mom! Dad's provoking me again." Mo Xueyao shook her mother's arm as if she were being spoiled.

"Okay, I'll beat him up for you!" The mother gave the father a symbolic pat on the butt, which was considered a beating.

The atmosphere returned to its previous state, and Mo Xueyao's anxious heart finally relaxed completely.

"When I called your homeroom teacher today, she said she took you to see the counselor. How did it go?" The mother placed a large earthenware pot on the coal stove and poured in tap water, seemingly intending to make soup.

"It's alright. I was a little uneasy at first, but I was surprised when we met. She looked even younger than me."

"Really?" The father looked incredulous.

"Really? Believe it or not." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "She looks like a very cute girl, probably only in middle school, but she's a teacher. However, after being 'treated' by her, I did feel much better."

"How was it treated?" the mother asked curiously.

"It's not really that special, is it...? It's just like this... hugging." Mo Xueyao said shyly.

"Oh~ that's a treatment method that really suits you," the father teased with a smile.

"Is this how counselors treat patients?" Li Wanyan asked in surprise. "It's so unique."

"Yes, and after she left, she even gave me a note saying that I could go to her place for milk tea if I wanted."

"Can I go?" Li Wanyan joked. "I sometimes crave milk tea too."

"It should... be possible, right?"

"Xiaoyao, get me a bottle of rice wine, I want to drink it tonight," the father said, taking out some change from the drawer.

Mo Xueyao glanced at her father sideways: "Warm wine and boiled eggs?"

"Yes, add some brown sugar, and the taste will be absolutely amazing." The father was already drooling.

"I want to drink too!"

"Go away, go away, what are you doing drinking alcohol, little kid?"

"No, I want to drink it. Why can't kids drink it?"

"Tsk, alright then, I can only drink a little bit."

"One cup!"

"no!"

"Half a cup!"

"no!"

"You stingy person." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "Wanyan, come with me to the bar to drink some illicit drinks on the way."

Li Wanyan nodded helplessly, but her eyes held a hint of envy.

"That's so nice, Haruka."

"How come it's all better?" Mo Xueyao asked in confusion as she walked down the street.

"I've made up with my parents."

"There will always be times when we argue, and it's normal to make up."

"Hmm." Li Wanyan nodded gently. "Xiaoyao, aren't you planning to take that doll home?"

"Hmm... okay, I'll take it back with me when I go home today." It felt like a hand was gently stroking her heart, making her feel a little itchy, and she actually wanted to see it again.

What? Why is it that only girls can like dolls?

Can't boys do it?

If boys can like girls, why can't they like dolls that are just like girls, only much smaller?

Or rather, it's not a kind of interest-based liking, but a kind of appreciation-based liking, like appreciating a beautiful woman!

"What name does Xiaoyao plan to give her?"

"Ah, a name? Let's just pick one..." Mo Xueyao turned her head and saw a sign that read 'Tiannan Pawnshop' hanging at the entrance of a shop next to her, with a 'Xixi Cake Shop' next to it. Suddenly, she had an idea. "How about calling it Nanxi?"

"That's great... Oh, right, I forgot to give you a Christmas present."

"Huh? It's all over, right?"

"Yes, it's not too late now." Li Wanyan said, taking a pretty little cloth bag out of her pocket and handing it to Mo Xueyao.

"What is this?"

"handkerchief."

"Huh? No, let's not. It'll get dirty and we'll have to wash it."

"I'll help you wash it."

"what!?"