A Young Woman's Heart

"Hmm, whatever you want..." Mo Xueyao muttered, cupping her cheeks. "The sun is so nice...it makes me feel so good..."

……

Chapter 217 Aimless Shopping Trip (Part 1)

After Hua Yinyin finished drawing a landscape painting in the freehand style with colored pencils, the three of them got back on their bicycles and continued on their way.

"It seems like Wanyan rarely does anything 'meaningless'," Mo Xueyao said with a smile as she leisurely rode her bicycle.

Li Wanyan glanced at her sideways but did not answer.

Instead, Hua Yinyin chimed in, "What does Xiaoyaoyao think is meaningless?"

"Well... like spacing out, or aimlessly wandering around like this, or playing games or something? Anyway, adults define these as 'meaningless things'."

“That’s just a utilitarian definition.” Hua Yinyin pressed the brake slightly to make herself parallel to Mo Xueyao. “That can only be called something that cannot bring substantial short-term benefits. In other words, adults always define things that ‘cannot make money or have no potential to make money’ as ‘meaningless’.”

"Hmm, that makes sense. Even though we're just wandering around aimlessly right now, seemingly without any purpose, we're actually having fun and seeing scenery we don't usually see. So it's not entirely meaningless."

"That's right~ If we divide things according to the standards of adults, then this world is too boring. After all, we can only do 'meaningful' things!"

Mo Xueyao glanced at Hua Yinyin sideways and suddenly realized that if Hua Yinyin were to have a serious conversation, she could actually say a lot of insightful things.

So, is Hua Yinyin, who always likes to tease girls, just a mask, or her other side?

“However, it seems like Mom really doesn’t do much ‘meaningless’ stuff. She doesn’t seem to have any entertainment of her own.” Mo Xueyao tilted her head and muttered, “Every day she repeats the same things: cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, helping out at the shop… When she has free time, she just reads the newspaper and keeps up with current events that might be relevant to her—even though she doesn’t recognize many of the words and has to ask us how to read them.”

"Yaoyao's mother has always been so devoted to the family." A few white dandelions floated past Li Wanyan, tickling her nose and making her sneeze slightly, "Achoo!"

"Hmm, isn't it boring to live without your own hobbies?" Mo Xueyao touched the mole on her neck. "Now that you mention it, it seems like Mom is really bored every day."

"Hey, is that what Yao Yao's mom is like? Tsk, my mom is different. She loves watching soap operas and playing mahjong."

"Speaking of which, Mom seems to enjoy watching soap operas too, but she always watches TV while doing chores, making full use of her time." Mo Xueyao pondered for a moment, "Maybe it's just that the older generation's entertainment is different from ours. For them, they prefer things that can bring both pleasure and tangible benefits, like knitting sweaters or sewing shoe soles?"

“Yes.” Li Wanyan agreed, but she did not mention her mother.

In fact, only half a year had passed, but Mo Xueyao had almost forgotten why Li Wanyan had come to live in her house in the first place.

That's probably the magic of time; it always manages to heal those wounds.

Life isn't like a novel, where everything has a resolution.

Perhaps Li Wanyan will never see her parents again, and will never have any contact with them again, slowly fading from her memory...

Just like in a novel, a character with a name and a story will always have some role, but in reality, they might just be a stranger you'll never see again.

Not everything has an answer.

Mo Xueyao was lost in thought when she suddenly felt her foot slip and instinctively pressed the brake, almost causing the car to overturn and fall to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Li Wanyan immediately stopped.

"Xiao Yaoyao's bike chain fell off." Hua Yinyin took half a step forward before realizing what had happened, and immediately got off the bike to take a look.

“After all, this bike is quite old… When we get back, I’ll ask Dad to tighten the chain a bit more.” Mo Xueyao muttered as she squatted down.

"Can Xiaoyao fix chains?" Hua Yinyin asked curiously, squeezing her cheek with her chubby little face.

"Hey—don't come any closer. I just rode my bike and was in the sun, it's so hot." Mo Xueyao pushed her away impatiently. "Repairing a chain is a basic skill, right? People who ride bicycles always encounter this kind of problem."

"Really? Hmm... I only recently started riding a bicycle, and I haven't encountered this problem yet." Hua Yinyin looked at her brand-new silver bicycle, which looked much more expensive than the ones Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan rode.

“We’ll definitely run into this again in the future…” Mo Xueyao pouted, her brows furrowed slightly, and hesitated for a full half minute before pulling up her sleeve. “Ugh, I hate having to put this chain back on.”

"What's wrong?" Li Wanyan was clearly not very familiar with this matter either.

"It will leave your hands covered in oil! And it's a blackish kind of oil that you might not be able to wash off with just water; you have to wash it many times with dish soap."

“There’s a rag under my cushion. Use this to wrap your hands,” Li Wanyan said, taking out the rag and handing it to Mo Xueyao. “Do you need any help?”

"Hey, you have a rag there? Hmm, Dad probably put it there before. I don't know where my old one fell. Ah, this makes things much easier..."

Li Wanyan stood quietly to the side watching, while Hua Yinyin leaned over to examine the structure of the bicycle chain: "Oh, so that's how it is! I've never looked at it so closely before!"

"Are you also interested in gears and such?" Mo Xueyao asked in surprise.

"As a qualified artist, of course you need to be clear about the details of many things in life! Otherwise, you'll make some very ridiculous mistakes when you're drawing—who knows, maybe one day you'll need to draw the details of a bicycle?" Hua Yinyin suddenly reached out and helped Mo Xueyao brush her bangs back. "Look, am I good? Otherwise, little Yaoyao's hair will get stuck in the chain!"

"My bangs aren't that long, they just block my vision a little..." Mo Xueyao muttered softly, wrapping her right hand with a rag, then using two fingers to disgustedly pinch the chain and slowly bring it towards the gear. When she felt it was about right, she gently turned the foot pedal a few times to make it fit tightly with the gear.

"Done!" Mo Xueyao clapped her hands in satisfaction and stuffed the rag back under Li Wanyan's cushion. But when she looked at her fingers, she couldn't help but curse under her breath, "Damn it! I still managed to get it..."

A little black oil stain was smeared on the back of her hand, which stood out conspicuously on her fair little hand.

"Go wash your hands," Li Wanyan said, frowning.

"But where can I wash my hands..."

"Let's go to the restroom," Hua Yinyin replied lightly.

Mo Xueyao looked around.

The roadside is lined with lush trees, and next to it is a riverbank surrounded by railings. Ahead is a road that seems to have no end. There are no public restrooms or even a single shop around.

"What kind of bathroom is this?!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed in exasperation. "It's so annoying! That's why I hate it when things fall apart!"

"Eh—it seems so. Speaking of which, where is this place?" Hua Yinyin finally asked the most crucial question.

"We didn't make any turns in the middle, did we?" Mo Xueyao was taken aback.

"Probably not?" Hua Yinyin asked in return.

"No," Li Wanyan replied affirmatively.

"Phew, that's good, we can find our way back." Mo Xueyao turned the car around. "Let's turn back, I saw a public restroom ahead."

"Eh—? Should we turn back? We just rode here. Actually, I don't really like going back the way we came." Hua Yinyin lay listlessly on the handlebars, looking like she didn't want to move.

"Are you some kind of strange creature that never goes back?" Mo Xueyao teased. "Hmm, I remember now. Just walk straight ahead along the overpass, turn left after the traffic light ahead... That's Zhejiang University of Technology. You can wash your hands in the school's restrooms there."

“OK, let’s make that our target!” Hua Yinyin was the first to act.

The journey wasn't actually that far, but the stains on the back of her hands kept bothering Mo Xueyao, making her feel uncomfortable all over. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the university gate.

The school gate was wide open, and it seemed that anyone could come and go as they pleased. The security guard at the gate did not stop these three little guys who were obviously not college students.

The university's sports field is about the same size as Yukong High School's. It's not that it's smaller, but rather that Yukong High School is much larger. However, the university's sports field is much deeper than Yukong High School's, making it feel like you've entered a residential area called a school.

"It's so complicated, like a maze..." Mo Xueyao finally found the restroom, turned on the tap, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, college students seem pretty relaxed—at least they’re quite free.” Hua Yinyin bought three bottles of Coke at the university’s convenience store, handed one to Li Wanyan who was standing next to her, and then put the other one in Mo Xueyao’s bicycle basket.

Mo Xueyao carefully scrubbed the stains off the back of her hands until they were red before she finally managed to clean them.

She seriously doubted that if she kept washing, her skin would break open...

"What university is Xiaoyao planning to apply to? Whew—cola is so refreshing." Hua Yinyin took a big gulp of cola, squinted her eyes, and looked completely satisfied.

"Huh? Me? Hmm... I'm not sure, I haven't decided yet, but I'll probably stay in Hangzhou."

"Hey, aren't you planning to go to another city? Growing up means you should experience what it's like to be away from your parents!"

“…I’m not as rebellious as you.” She rolled her eyes. “Because I’ve lived here since I was a child, I don’t really want to change.”

"But life is meant to change, right? If you don't change, you'll miss out on so much!"

"But change also means missing out on a lot! Speaking of which, which school does Wanyan plan to apply to?" Mo Xueyao teased Hua Yinyin, then asked Li Wanyan.

"Let's go with Yao Yao."

"Ah, then I want to go with Xiaoyaoyao too!" Hua Yinyin hugged Mo Xueyao as if she were afraid that Mo Xueyao would be taken away.

"Hey—stop rubbing against me, it's so hot!"

……

Chapter 218 Aimless Shopping Trip (Part 2)

"Ah—university is so great." Hua Yinyin exclaimed sincerely as she watched two tall girls walk by arm in arm. "We can sleep in the same dorm room every day, hehehe..."

"Shut up, you're drooling." Mo Xueyao muttered with droopy eyelids, "But Zhejiang University's scores are quite high, Hua Yinyin, if you don't work hard, it won't be easy for you to get in."

"Sigh—oh well, I'll be lucky if I can even get into any university. Hmm, I'm planning to go to an art college." Hua Yinyin clung to Mo Xueyao's arm and swayed back and forth. "An art academy, something like that?"

"Whatever you want."

The three of them got on their bicycles and left the maze-like university.

"When I was in elementary school, I thought high school students were already very mature. Now that I'm a high school student myself, I still feel like I'm not mature at all," Mo Xueyao said with a sigh. "Just like how I now think college students should be very mature, but that's not actually the case, is it?"

"It's just a longing for the future. In any group, there will be mature and immature people." Hua Yinyin was trying to figure out which way to go. "Oh well, I'll just ride wherever I want."

"It's all right."

So this time, everyone simply stopped going straight and went wherever they thought was interesting. If no one had a choice, they would vote to let their intuition decide where they wanted to go.

Sometimes, you might even end up going in circles and ending up back on the same road you rode before.

Even so, everyone was still happy. Returning to the starting point was an interesting experience. Gradually, even Li Wanyan's lips curled up slightly, a half-smile on her face.

But Hangzhou is really too small. After wandering around, everyone arrived near West Lake again, where they could see the towering Leifeng Pagoda in the distance and the tourists crowding the lakeside.

No matter what day of the week it is, there are many tourists here.

But... there's an entrance fee.

So I could only stand at a distance and glance at it a few times, and then wander around the side.

“By the way, we know someone at West Lake.” Mo Xueyao remembered Zuo Ziya, the piano teacher who had a large courtyard by West Lake.

"Teacher Zuo?" Li Wanyan asked softly.