A Young Woman's Heart

Each skewer of meat here is the size of a baby's fist. In comparison, the skewers in the south are simply a cheap treat for children—too stingy!

"Wow—this kind of meat skewer is so satisfying!" Mo Xueyao took a bite of a lamb skewer with great satisfaction. "It's so delicious!"

"Eat slowly. It's unseemly for a girl to eat like that," her mother said, giving her a disapproving glare.

"It's alright, let her eat. When you're here, it's okay to be generous," her father said, trying to smooth things over.

"That's right, that's right." Now she felt even more at ease eating.

However, Hua Yinyin's eating manners weren't much better. The two exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly, as if Mo Xueyao had found common ground with her.

Mr. Xue ate in a more refined manner, using a knife and fork whenever possible, and chopsticks when necessary.

In short, I definitely won't use my hands.

Even with grilled skewers, people use a fork to put the meat into a bowl before eating.

But Mo Xueyao felt that eating it this way would miss the soul of eating barbecue skewers.

Grilled skewers should be eaten directly from the grill; that's the most satisfying way to eat them!

The dishes on the table were plentiful, but not all of them were served. New dishes were brought out every now and then, and right now a plate of large shrimp was served.

Or should it be called... a giant lobster?

This was the first time in Mo Xueyao's life that she had ever seen such a large lobster, twice the size of her head. She could pick up the meat inside with chopsticks, and it tasted incredibly delicious.

Eating lobster is a hassle.

But eating this giant lobster was surprisingly easy.

Before long, the shrimp meat was all gone, while Mo Xueyao licked her fingers, clearly not satisfied—she had even broken open and eaten the last crab claw.

"Oh—the one in the middle is prettier!" Mo Wenli patted Hua Jiankai on the shoulder. "Hehe, which one do you like?"

Six young and beautiful women walked onto the stage, wearing red dresses that resembled traditional Russian folk costumes, displaying their perfectly curvaceous legs to the audience.

"I like the one on the left, the blonde one is pretty."

"Black hair and blue eyes are definitely more attractive. Look at those legs, tsk tsk, they're amazing." Mo Wenli clicked his tongue, completely forgetting about his wife beside him.

It wasn't until Yang Xiaoyu pinched and twisted the soft flesh of Mo Wenli's thigh that he snapped out of his screams.

“I think shorter girls with big breasts look better,” Hana whispered in Mo Wenli’s ear. His wife, however, seemed unfazed by this and didn’t react in any particular way.

"Oh, no wonder you like the one on the left. That's the shortest one here, I think he's less than 1.7 meters tall."

"Actually, it could be even shorter, around 1.6 meters would be about right."

"Too short, isn't it? I like tall girls, with long legs, tsk tsk tsk."

Two grown men, both fathers, whispered amongst themselves, discussing which woman was prettier.

How should I put it? Do men's interests never change as they get older?

Or are these two grown men not 'old' enough?

“Dad’s a total lolicon.” Hua Yinyin rolled her eyes. “Tsk.”

"What is a loli? " Mo Xueyao asked, puzzled.

"It's just a little girl, doesn't Xiaoyao know that?"

"...Most people wouldn't know this at all. They might think they've heard of it, but they have absolutely no recollection of it."

"Hmm, it seems neither your dad nor my dad are exactly respectable people." Hua Yinyin stroked her chin. "In that case, we two should get along quite well, right?"

"What does it matter to me if my dad isn't a decent person..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "I'm a decent person!"

"It's okay, just learn more from me in the future, and Xiaoyaoyao can become a mischievous person!"

"I don't want to become like you..."

“If Yaoyao were to become like that,” Li Wanyan paused, “it would be too strange, and it wouldn’t suit her.”

"Exactly, I don't want to become a 'pervert' that everyone hates."

"Where am I hated by everyone?!" Hua Yinyin complained. "Everyone clearly likes me!"

How did they develop such a thick skin, thicker than a city wall?

Mo Xueyao skillfully ignored her words and instead turned her gaze to the stage in front of her.

The red skirt flutters in the breeze; for Chinese people, this is the color that symbolizes the New Year and is also a color of good fortune.

Of course, for most men, this is another kind of 'springtime', right?

The troupe has a very diverse program.

There are not only song and dance performances, but also stage plays.

This is a Russian troupe; of course, they can't perform opera.

Although Mo Xueyao couldn't understand the lines they were reciting, it was the New Year, and that was enough to enjoy the lively atmosphere.

And so, amidst the excitement, the performance on stage finally reached its climax, and the time was drawing near.

Just as the cast and crew finished their performance and were taking their final bow, the clock struck midnight.

The sound emanating from the clock tower echoed throughout the town.

The new year has finally officially arrived.

……

Chapter Fifty-Two: Spring Festival

"Ding-dong—Ding-dong—"

The melodious sound of the bell carried far, causing the snow on the mountain to tremble and rustle.

Everyone in the hall put down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed out as if they had planned it beforehand.

There are lots of fireworks and firecrackers at the entrance; you can take them if you want to set them off.

Mo Xueyao took a huge pile of things in one go, and could barely walk.

"Xiaoyao, you're being too greedy," Li Wanyan sighed helplessly.

"There are so many people, if we don't grab as much as we can, there won't be any left!"

"Little Yao Yao, who's such a tomboy, especially loves setting off fireworks~" Hua Yinyin covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed loudly with an exaggerated expression.

It's a pity I didn't have a camera, otherwise I could have taken a picture of her expression and hung it on the front door; it would definitely ward off evil spirits.

"Let's find a high place to set off fireworks," Mr. Xue said with a faint smile, his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, Xiaoxue, do you know where I can find one?"

"I went there during the day, and there's a water tower you can go up."

"As expected of Mr. Xue, you've scouted the location perfectly!" Hua Yinyin gave a thumbs up.

"That sounds like a thief scouting the place beforehand," Mo Xueyao muttered.

"Then let's go quickly," Li Wanyan, who was somewhat impatient, urged in a calm tone.

She rarely shows her true emotions.

Mr. Xue nodded: "Okay, everyone follow me, we're going to the water tower."

The water tower is on the other side of the town, accessible by a long, winding staircase, though the slope is quite steep.

Everyone helped Mo Xueyao carry some fireworks and lined up to go up the stairs—because the stairs were very small, only one person could pass at a time.

The water tank of the water tower is located at the top, and there is a small platform at the top. I don't know what it is used for, but the open space is quite large, with at least four or five square meters of open space in the middle that can be used to set off fireworks.

"Let's set them off one by one! Let's start with this big 36-shot firework!" Mo Xueyao brought over a large firework and placed it in the center of the open space. "I'll light it, everyone quickly move to the side!"

Be careful.

"Don't worry, Xiaoxue, I'm the best at setting off fireworks!" Mo Xueyao excitedly struck a match and lit the fireworks.

"Hiss—" The fuse of the firework began to burn.

Mo Xueyao ran to the edge of the top of the water tower and leaned against the rusty iron railing.

"call out--"

"boom--"

"Snapped--!"

Brilliant fireworks exploded, and for the Chinese, the real year 2000 had finally arrived.

"Happy New Year—!!" Mo Xueyao shouted at the top of her lungs, then immediately began to cough violently.

"Why are you yelling so loudly?" Li Wanyan patted her back helplessly to help her catch her breath.

"It's the New Year, so of course we have to be loud."

"Happy New Year!" Hua Yinyin shouted loudly.

"Hehe!" Even Mr. Xue grinned heartily, "What are everyone's wishes for the new year?"

Mo Xueyao looked up as the fireworks exploded in the dark night sky, merging with the fireworks set off by others.

Fireworks, a fleeting moment of brilliance.

Just like a person's short life.

"A wish..." Mo Xueyao murmured softly, "If only I could turn back into a boy..."

"Huh?" Mr. Xue tilted his ear. "I didn't hear you!"

The sounds of fireworks were incessant, and even when you were very close, you couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

Moreover, as more and more people set off fireworks, the 'bang bang' sounds, like firecrackers, became incessant, giving people the illusion that the earth was trembling and the sky was about to be torn apart.

"It's nothing." Mo Xueyao smiled and shook her head. "I hope—next year—will be even better—"

“That’s not really a wish—it’s too vague—” Mr. Xue shouted with a loud laugh.