A Young Woman's Heart

"A polite remark!"

"Well, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, let's go out and have fun today!"

“Mm.” Li Wanyan had no objection, because this was something that had been planned long ago.

The two parents left home early in the morning; the mother went to open the shop, while the father went to buy goods.

After he got his driver's license, he kept thinking about where to get a loan to buy a minivan.

However, there has been no news from the godfather. The father was thinking that if he could buy a used car, he would drive a used one first. After all, as long as the car can carry goods and can be driven, that's fine. He didn't have any other major requirements.

Having a car makes it much easier to go and buy goods myself.

Of course, expenses will also increase.

However, it's actually quite normal to earn more and spend more.

With that thought in mind, Mo Xueyao put on casual clothes and went into the living room.

She likes loose-fitting coats and pants because they don't feel restrictive and make her feel especially comfortable.

Of course, while skirts offer less restriction, they also make people feel less secure.

Li Wanyan was combing her hair while looking in the mirror, checking her face for any pimples or blemishes.

"Stop taking pictures, you're beautiful enough," Mo Xueyao teased.

"The pimples on my forehead still haven't gone away."

"So you shouldn't cover it up with your bangs, right? Covering it up will make it less likely to fade, right?"

“But if you tie your bangs up, your hairline will recede further.” Li Wanyan sighed helplessly. “Yaoyao, come wash up.”

"Hmm—what did Mom make for breakfast today?"

"Egg porridge with pickled vegetables."

"It's pickled vegetables again..."

"It's pickled dried bamboo shoots."

"Ah, I like this!" Mo Xueyao felt her mouth starting to water. "Wanyan, have you decided where you're going today?"

"No, we'll see what Hua Yinyin thinks later," Li Wanyan replied casually. "If we don't have a destination, we can just wander around."

"Aimless tactful remarks are quite rare."

"Yeah."

"Hmm!" Mo Xueyao made a face at herself in the mirror. She didn't know if it was narcissism, but she felt that she was getting prettier and prettier. "I really do have an oval face..."

Whenever Li Wanyan had free time, she would help Mo Xueyao calculate the brushing time, and would make her continue brushing if it took less than three minutes, which was quite strict.

"Three minutes?" Mo Xueyao asked, her words muffled and unclear.

"Hmm, three minutes have passed."

"Finally, three minutes..." she exclaimed as usual, tilting her head back to rinse her mouth with 'glug glug', and then began to wash her face with facial cleanser.

She had never used this when she was a boy, but now she was very skilled at using it.

Li Wanyan even bought her two sponges to replace the towel for rubbing her face, so as to avoid damaging her delicate facial skin.

To be honest, she herself didn't care much about it; after all, how could her face become rough from being scrubbed so easily?

And if you only use a sponge instead of a towel, can you really clean the dirt off your face?

After washing up, Li Wanyan had already scooped out the egg porridge from the rice cooker at the perfect time.

The egg porridge wasn't made by cooking rice directly, but by cooking leftover rice with eggs. I don't know how my mother made it, but the rice and eggs were almost completely blended together.

Needless to say, the taste is absolutely delicious.

As long as my mother cooks normally, the food she makes is quite delicious.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch—" Mo Xueyao chewed on the pickled bamboo shoots with gusto, making a refreshingly crisp sound. "A little spicy, delicious!"

"The sound is too loud," Li Wanyan said helplessly.

"Anyway, it's just the two of us at home, so it's okay!"

"Make it a habit at all times."

"That's too tiring, isn't it? Home is a place to relax, isn't it, Wanyan?" Mo Xueyao chewed the bamboo shoot even louder. "If there are too many rules and regulations, it won't feel like home, will it?"

Li Wanyan fell silent, seemingly pondering whether what Mo Xueyao said made any sense.

"A true home is a place where you can open your heart and find solace; otherwise, it's just a temporary dwelling." Mo Xueyao picked up her bowl and slurped down the remaining egg porridge. "I'm done eating!"

The dishwashing was done by the two of them together.

Li Wanyan was in charge of applying dish soap, while Mo Xueyao was in charge of rinsing.

After washing up, Li Wanyan wiped the stove, while Mo Xueyao simply mopped the kitchen floor.

After everything was finished, the two tidied themselves up and prepared to go out.

Both of them wore their hair in single ponytails as usual, but Li Wanyan's was a standard student ponytail, while Mo Xueyao's had a more mature, married look.

— Mainly because she was lazy and didn't want to spend a lot of time tucking her hair in, so she just casually gathered the most hair and tied it up.

This contrasts sharply with Li Wanyan's neat and tidy single ponytail.

She looked so rough around the edges, with several single strands of hair swaying wildly in the wind.

Li Wanyan couldn't bear to watch each time, so she would help Mo Xueyao redo her acupuncture.

However, she let her have her way today, perhaps because she felt that always tying her hair for her would make her develop a habit of relying on others.

Only when you feel that something is not good will you strive to change and do better.

The two rode their respective bicycles, one pale yellow and the other black, through the streets and alleys.

Today is Friday, and most people are at work at this time, so the streets are particularly empty. When you get to the suburbs near the school, you can see a lot of farmland, and farmers are busy watering and fertilizing.

"It stinks." Mo Xueyao gripped the handlebars with one hand and pinched her nose with the other.

"Because they're fertilizing," Li Wanyan replied.

"Is it made with pig manure...?"

"This smell must be from fertilizer," Li Wanyan replied uncertainly.

The air only smelled fresh after we got away from the farmland.

"If anyone ever tells me that the farmland smells fresh, I'll be the first to twist their head off."

“...That depends on when.” Li Wanyan smiled helplessly.

At the school gate, Hua Yinyin was already waiting. She was riding a brand-new silver bicycle and playing a rectangular game console in her hand with boredom. She didn't even notice when Mo Xueyao approached, and was still completely focused.

It seems to be a game where you control an airplane in combat.

"Wow, it smells so good, the fragrance of fruit and flowers..." Hua Yinyin muttered as she looked up and saw Mo Xueyao's face close by. "Oh, little Yaoyao! We're finally here?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Li Wanyan said softly.

"It's nothing, it's not time yet, I just came early~" Hua Yinyin waved her hand casually, "So, have you decided where to go?"

"You haven't made a decision yet...?"

"No! I've got it!" Hua Yinyin picked up a small twig from the ground and tossed it high in the air. "Wherever the thinner end is pointing, that's where we'll go, right?"

"So casual."

"Little Yaoyao, tell me your destination!"

"...Let's just order whatever we like."

The branch had fallen to the ground, pointing south.

"Alright, let's head this way!"

"If we go this way, it seems like we're heading to the city center."

"Who knows? Anyway, we'll just keep going straight ahead without turning!" Hua Yinyin shouted energetically. "Let's go, Xiao Yaoyao, class monitor!"

"So casual," Mo Xueyao said again, but still turned the car around and followed.

The three of them weren't riding very fast. Since there weren't many people on the street, they rode side by side, chatting and enjoying the scenery along the way.

The street scenes gradually became unfamiliar. Although I grew up in this city, there are many places I have never been to or have rarely been to.

The routes to and from school are fixed every day. In Mo Xueyao's mind, the whole of Hangzhou seems to consist of just a few streets.

However, the other streets and areas do not cease to exist just because she doesn't go there.

There was a street musician singing with a speaker by the roadside. While waiting at the traffic light, Mo Xueyao listened to a few lines and tossed him a bright orange five-cent coin.

“Speaking of which, aren’t we actually doing something meaningless?” Mo Xueyao suddenly said.

"Who can guarantee that everything in their life is meaningful? Besides, doing meaningless things is actually a meaningful thing in itself, isn't it?" Hua Yinyin suddenly became philosophical, speaking in roundabout and somewhat incomprehensible words.

"Over there," Li Wanyan suddenly stopped and pointed to the area under the bridge.

There is also a pedestrian path under the bridge, but you can only go down the stairs. It seems to be a pedestrian path that runs along the river. There are no other facilities. It is simply for citizens to take a walk after dinner.

At this time of day, of course there are hardly any people around.

On the other side of the river, pink peach blossoms were planted everywhere, one after another, blooming into a vast expanse, making the entire riverside path seem to turn pink.

"Wow—this is so pretty!" Hua Yinyin couldn't wait to put down her schoolbag, take out a drawing board, sit on the steps, and start drawing with colored pencils.

"Should we draw it on the spot?"

"Yes, we should record such beautiful moments."

"It would be more convenient to use a camera." Mo Xueyao pouted and cupped her face to admire the beautiful scenery that was not easily discovered.

Because people who don't usually live nearby don't go down there, they naturally wouldn't notice it—it's not connected to any important roads.

“Photographs and paintings are different,” Hua Yinyin retorted. “Paintings are imbued with the artist’s feelings; they have a soul!”

"Is that so... If they're all realistic, then a camera will definitely look more realistic."

“Even if both are realistic, the aesthetics they bring are different. Besides, this is not pure realism. Painting requires selection, while photography captures both useful and useless details.”