A Young Woman's Heart

"It'll be easier to manage this way..." Yu Shu smiled awkwardly, "How are Xiao Yao's grades?"

"Well, me? I'm alright, I'd say I'm barely considered a student in the top class," Mo Xueyao said modestly.

"Yaoyao is in the top ten of the whole grade."

"Huh?! That's amazing? Really?" Yu Shu was a little incredulous. After all, Mo Xueyao used to only think about playing all day long and didn't seem like someone who would study hard at all.

"Ah."

"Tch, Wanyan is even better; she's in the top five of the whole grade." Mo Xueyao took a sip of her cold mung bean porridge. "Yu Shu, do you have any sugar at home?"

"Yes, yes, I'll go get it." She quickly stood up again, ran into the kitchen and got a jar of sugar, letting Mo Xueyao put it in herself.

The atmosphere froze once again.

Li Wanyan didn't say anything, and just kept looking at the magazine.

Yu Shu wanted to speak several times, but then swallowed her words back.

Mo Xueyao wanted to find a topic to talk about, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

It seems like all we can talk about now is the past.

"Um... Yu Shu, why didn't you come back after your surgery?"

"Well... I went to live in my hometown because there was no rent. Back then, my family was very poor, and all the money was spent on me, on... on medical treatment." Yu Shu blinked. "I've been a burden on my parents."

"What are you saying? As long as you are well and healthy, you will never be a burden."

"Hmm... but we got through those days."

"Yes, at least we made it through, things should be getting better now, right?"

"Well... now that the money has been paid off, the family can slowly start saving money."

"Were you studying in your hometown back then?"

"Um……"

"Hmm..." Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek, unsure of what to ask next.

Fortunately, Yu Shu took the initiative to speak this time: "It was...it was postponed for a year, and then I went to elementary school. In the first year, my hair was very short..."

"What?"

"I had to get a haircut for the surgery, so... I shaved my head completely."

"Ah—!" Mo Xueyao struggled to suppress her curiosity. "Cough, it must have been very sad, right?"

It's nothing for boys, but it can be quite painful for girls.

"Hmm... I didn't dare to go out that year."

"Can I wear a hat?"

“I can only wear a hat now…” Yu Shu bit her lip. “And I can’t speak the local dialect, so when I was studying in my hometown, I was often… ostracized.”

"Oh, why is that? Do you understand now?"

"Um……"

"So, once you have a bone marrow transplant, you're cured for good, right? You should be just like a healthy person?"

"Um, no, no, my constitution will be much worse, and, and if there are any accidents, I might need a second bone marrow transplant..." Yu Shu gently licked her lips.

"Oh, we don't need to now, do we?"

"Not now...."

"That's good." Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you make any friends back in your hometown?"

"I...I don't have many friends..."

"Huh? That shouldn't be the case. Wouldn't anyone want to be your friend?" Mo Xueyao immediately thought of Hua Yinyin. "If she saw you, she would be so excited."

"she?"

"Ah, he's a classmate of mine, a pretty awful guy. His only interest is getting close to all sorts of pretty or cute girls." Mo Xueyao waved her hand.

After breakfast, Yu Shu took out the test papers she had bought and started writing on the small table next to her, while Mo Xueyao played games. Playing games on such a big screen TV was definitely more enjoyable.

Although she said she would help Wanyan answer her questions, in reality, it was mostly Li Wanyan who carefully taught her, and Mo Xueyao only occasionally added more detailed information.

"Yu Shu, how are your grades?"

"It's alright..."

"Average? Like the 20th in the class?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"That's already pretty good." Mo Xueyao exclaimed "Ah," startling Yu Shu.

"W-What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just died. Oh dear, I was so close. Why didn't it have a save function? Seriously..."

"Um..."

Want to play together?

"Yaoyao, don't disturb others." Li Wanyan frowned.

"Yes Yes Yes……"

"Yes, sure, let me finish this test first." Yu Shu blushed and lowered her head.

She was working there, while Li Wanyan stood beside her, glancing at magazines and then at her exam paper, pointing out any problems that arose.

"Wrong, this formula shouldn't be applied here. You need to read the question carefully."

"Huh? What... what is that?"

"Read the question carefully a few more times." Li Wanyan did not give the answer directly, but patiently guided her to solve the problem herself.

"Huh? So we should use that one...?"

"Correct."

"There was a calculation error."

"Huh...? Is that right...?" Yu Shu didn't quite understand for a moment.

“Recalculate it.”

"Um……"

At first, Yu Shu was a little afraid of Li Wanyan because she felt that Li Wanyan was very serious and acted like a strict teacher when teaching others.

But after a while, it became clear that her tone wasn't serious; it just lacked emotional expression.

And you don't have to worry about her getting angry, because she is actually very patient. She will repeat a small problem many times, and if you don't understand, she will explain it again from a different angle.

If you treat her as a learning machine, there won't be any problems.

But as a 'teacher', she still didn't seem gentle enough.

In fact, patiently explaining problems is itself a form of gentleness.

Gentleness is not something that needs to be expressed in one's tone of voice.

After finishing a test paper, Mo Xueyao pulled Yu Shu over to play a puzzle game together.

She was playing Contra, the game she was best at.

"Hey, hey, keep up with me!"

"Wait, jump over!"

"How did you die? Oh... did you run out of life?"

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Hey, it's just a game, why apologize?" Mo Xueyao restarted the game. "Come on, let's start over~ When you're playing a game, the main thing is to enjoy yourself, nothing else matters. Pfft, haha, that move you made just now was hilarious!"

When Mo Xueyao plays games, she always manages to share her joy with others.

Even Yu Shu, who wasn't very good at playing games, seemed to be infected by her, and her smile became more frequent.

……

Chapter Ninety-Five: Getting Up Early for a Run

On Sunday, the weather forecast said the high temperature would reach 40 degrees Celsius, but the sun was blocked by clouds in the morning, and the wind was quite cool.

It is 6:00 AM now.

In winter, it might not even be dawn yet!

Mo Xueyao jumped out of bed and saw her mother hanging clothes out to dry, looking like she was about to go to the store to open.

"Hey, the sun's rising in the west? Why so early today?" Mother walked into the house carrying an empty washbasin. "What's wrong, can't sleep?"

"No, I set an alarm to go for a jog starting today!"

"Is it okay to do strenuous exercise now?"

"This level is fine."

"Oh, it's good for you to exercise more." The mother placed the basin on the sink in the bathroom, "so you won't get fat later."

"Ahem!" Mo Xueyao coughed twice. "Mom, where did you put my other tracksuit?"

"Isn't it in your closet?"

"Really? You couldn't find it?"

"The very bottom."

"Oh……"

"Why don't you just wear a skirt? It'll be cooler when you run around."

"It's also easier for it to be blown away by the wind..."