A Young Woman's Heart

"Okay." Since Li Wanyan was unwilling to say more, Mr. Xue did not press further.

After sitting down, Li Wanyan picked up her Chinese textbook, but did not join in the morning reading. She seemed to be slow to react, and only turned to the page that everyone else was reading after they had finished reading half of it.

"Did something upsetting happen?" An Ruosu asked in a low voice, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of morning reading, so Li Wanyan didn't hear him.

"Wanyan, Wanyan? Where's the class monitor?"

“Here it is.” An Ruosu pointed to Li Wanyan beside her.

"Why aren't you answering?" Ye Wen walked over, puzzled. "Wanyan?"

"Um……?"

"Daydreaming? Come to my office after the first math class."

"Okay." Li Wanyan nodded gently.

Coming to her senses, Li Wanyan seemed to have finally returned to normal. She glanced at An Ruosu's drawer and casually asked, "Two bottles are already full of origami cranes and paper stars. Who are you going to give them to?"

"Huh? Uh... well..." An Ruosu awkwardly pushed the two small glass bottles in her drawer further inside. "Ahem... I was just folding them for fun..."

"Do you need any help?" Li Wanyan asked quite earnestly.

"Ah...ah...I...uh..."

Which girl?

"A girl? No... um... well..." An Ruosu nervously leaned on the table, clutching her drawer as if wary of something. "It was just folded randomly... Class monitor, if you like it, I'll give it to you!"

"..." Li Wanyan paused for a moment, then looked away. "Okay."

……

Chapter 312 Memories of Children's Day

"Yan Yan, what do you want for Children's Day?" A young woman turned her head, looked at her well-behaved daughter beside her, and asked softly.

That year, Li Wanyan had just started first grade.

That year, my mother was still relatively young, and her long, flowing black hair was not as dry as it would become later.

"No need," Li Wanyan shook her head. "If you have the money, Mom should save it up to pay the rent."

"It's alright, it won't cost too much money," the mother said with a smile.

“Then let’s save up and buy a bigger house later.” Li Wanyan looked at the small and cramped rental room and said softly, “I also want my own room.”

"Eh~? That kind of thing will definitely happen in the future." The mother picked up Li Wanyan and gently stroked her long hair. "I'm asking what you want now, nothing too expensive. What do you want to eat? Or what toy do you want?"

On Children's Day, there were many vendors selling toys at stalls along the stone-paved walkways in the park.

Many children were attracted to the toys, gathered around them, and clamored for their parents to buy them.

Among them, small toys that can blow bubbles are the most popular.

In addition, there are wind-up frogs, action figures that crawl and make sounds when powered by batteries, toy guns that simulate gunshots, and masks of various shapes and sizes...

They were all cheap toys, but also poorly made.

Li Wanyan glanced at the stall that sold bubble toys and subconsciously grabbed her mother's hem.

"Want one? The little bubble blower?" Her mother put her down. "Go get whichever one you want."

She stood in front of the stall for a long time, and the owner, all smiles, recommended the electric bubble machine to her. Several children nearby were clamoring for their parents to buy it, but she remained unmoved.

“This one.” She pointed to the bubble-blowing toy in a small plastic bottle placed to the side; it was the cheapest kind.

"Take this one? Don't you want the electric one?" Her mother squatted down beside her and asked with a smile.

Her long hair fell beside Li Wanyan's cheek, tickling her ears.

“No need, this is fine,” Li Wanyan said firmly.

"Wow, you're so good at saving money for your mom! How thoughtful of you~ How much is one, boss?"

"One cent a bottle."

"Give."

Upon receiving the bubble bottle, Li Wanyan rarely showed such excitement and joy. She eagerly unscrewed the cap, dipped the short bubble wand into the bubble solution, and then carefully breathed into it—but no bubbles came out. So she blew a little harder, and this time, tiny bubbles finally appeared, floating in the sunlight, seemingly colorful.

Li Wanyan blew another big bubble. She excitedly tugged at her mother's clothes and pointed at the slowly floating bubble, shouting, "Mom, look!"

"Yes, I see it! What a big bubble!" Her mother smiled and patted her head. "But be careful, don't get your mouth too close to the bubble wand, or you'll get bubble solution in your mouth and your mouth will crack."

"Mmm!" Li Wanyan smiled happily and nodded vigorously.

And what child doesn't love to play?

Li Wanyan was simply better able to control herself and not cause trouble for her mother.

Because she was very clear about her family's financial situation, she knew that money shouldn't be spent recklessly.

"Doo-oo-oo-oo—" A chubby boy next to him was holding an electric bubble machine. He pressed the trigger, and a series of bubbles immediately flew out.

The other children immediately gathered around him, jumping and shouting—

Wow, so many bubbles!

"Wow, that's amazing! Can I borrow it to play with?"

"Oh, Daddy, I want to buy this too!"

The chubby boy, holding the bubble machine, proudly tossed his head and said, "Your manual ones are all outdated. Now everyone plays with these electric bubble machines."

Li Wanyan glanced at the cheapest bubble wand in her hand, then at the obviously exquisite and expensive bubble machine in the other person's hand, then turned around and started blowing bubbles by herself.

"Haha, why are you still using this bubble wand? Go buy a bubble machine, it's not expensive, only five yuan." The little boy walked up to Li Wanyan, pointed the bubble machine at her with a show of bragging rights, and then shot out a string of colorful bubbles like he was firing a gun.

Li Wanyan glanced at him sideways, capped her bubble bottle, carefully put it in her pocket, and whispered to her mother, "Let's go home, Mom."

"Aren't you going to play anymore? Don't worry about what other people are thinking..." The mother said this with a hint of guilt. "How about I buy you a bubble machine?"

"Don't waste money." Li Wanyan shook her head maturely and walked towards the park exit on her own. "Let's go home, Mom."

But Li Wanyan's mother stood there blankly, watching her daughter's retreating figure, and couldn't help but pinch the corners of her sore eyes.

"Mom?" Li Wanyan sensed that her mother hadn't followed, so she turned around after walking a short distance and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Hey~ you're here." The mother's smile returned. "Is Yan Yan tired from walking?"

"Fortunately."

"Are you tired? Do you want Mommy to carry you?" the mother said, already picking Li Wanyan up. "Oh dear~ Wanyan is already a little adult, she's so heavy~"

"I haven't gained weight," Li Wanyan muttered softly, pouting.

"No, I just mean you've grown up~" The mother smiled and pressed her cheek against Li Wanyan's cheek. "Yanyan, what do you want to eat when we get home?"

"Eat whatever is available."

How about braised chicken legs?

“Our house is so small, braised chicken legs would make a lot of oil fumes everywhere,” Li Wanyan shook her head.

"How about boiled chicken then? Tofu and chicken soup?"

"Um..."

So, the mother took Li Wanyan to the market again.

I bought a block of firm tofu, a box of soft tofu, two chicken legs, and steamed buns as my staple food at the market.

There is actually no kitchen in the small house.

Having a toilet with a shower is already quite good.

Because the house is small and there are so many things, it feels even more cramped.

Li Wanyan tiptoed over several obstacles, nimbly climbed onto her bed, sat on the edge of the bed, swung her legs, and began to look through her textbook.

"Yan Yan, be careful, don't fall!"

"Yes, Mom, be careful not to get cut by the knife."

"No, Mom is very careful." The mother smiled, opened the rice cooker behind the door, filled it with some water, and then plugged it in with the lid open to let the water boil.

In homes without a stove, the only option for cooking is to rely on a rice cooker.

Although induction cookers already existed at this time, they were still quite expensive for poor families.

My mother only had one coal stove. If she really needed to cook something, she would take it out and put it outside the door to cook.

The cooking fumes are plentiful, but that's not a problem, because the other renters next door do the same.

However, the price of coal briquettes has recently gone up again, and the landlord doesn't allow them to do so because he's worried about the walls getting blackened by soot, so they rarely cook anymore.

If you want to stir-fry, you can only do it secretly in your own room, which will make the whole room full of oil fumes, and the bedding will be greasy when you go to sleep at night.

My mother carefully removed the bones from the chicken legs, not wasting a single bit of the meat, even the scraps were poured into the water. Then she washed and chopped the meat pieces before putting them into the boiling water.

Next, when the chicken is half-cooked, add the chopped firm tofu, some salt, and MSG—simple and unpretentious seasonings.

There wasn't even sesame oil.

The box of soft tofu was for cold dishes. The method was very simple: just pour in some soy sauce and use peanut oil instead of sesame oil. You could then dip it in the sauce yourself when eating.

The reason for not mixing it directly is that mixing it will make the soft tofu too crumbly and less palatable.

Lunch was ready quickly, and a faint, fresh aroma filled the room, making Li Wanyan swallow hard.

Finally, the mother opened the rice cooker lid, sprinkled some chopped green onions inside, and called out, "Yan Yan, come down for dinner."

"Okay!" Li Wanyan excitedly climbed down the ladder, almost falling to the ground. Luckily, her mother was standing nearby and quickly helped her up, saying with a hint of reproach, "Be careful."

"Mmm...I'm so hungry."

"I know you're hungry." Her mother unfolded the small table she usually used for doing her homework and placed it on the floor. Then she put the tofu and chicken soup and the cold tofu salad on the table and handed her a warm white steamed bun. "Eat up."

"Ah."

Li Wanyan picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of tofu, dipped it in some sauce, and put it in her mouth, eating with great relish.