A Young Woman's Heart

"Yeah, I know that, but in short, most people's personalities don't suit my taste."

"What kind of girl does Nora like?" Li Wanyan asked, also somewhat curious.

It seems that girls always talk about similar topics when they get together.

Or rather, they always use such topics as a starting point to lead the conversation to other things.

The criteria for choosing a partner are always a gossipy appetizer.

"What kind of person do you like...? Hmm...someone direct, someone who doesn't always secretly look at others from behind, someone who looks at you directly if they want to, someone who expresses their feelings directly if they like you?"

"Hmm... It's rare for someone to do that when they're not familiar with you... Especially looking at a girl directly. In the South, that's considered quite impolite. If someone is interested in you, they'll usually observe you secretly like that."

"That felt like spying." Nora swallowed the cake. "Where did you get this cake? It tastes pretty good."

"Seriously? How can something this greasy taste good?"

"I think it's fine, um... it would be even better if it were a little sweeter."

"Ah...you want it sweeter? It seems like you guys really like sweets over there?"

“Yes, Russians like to eat sweets, probably because they’re high in calories,” Nora explained. “Because it’s so cold, they need to eat high-calorie foods.”

"Is this why Russian women usually gain weight so quickly after marriage?"

"That's true for most people, but that just means they haven't been controlling their weight!" Nora muttered. "Even young girls can easily gain weight if they overeat."

"Huh? I thought it was because my body's functions changed after I got married."

"There's some connection to that, like being still developing when you're young, or the energy expenditure is high, but the main reason is that you relax after getting married." Nora directly used a fork to pick up the whole piece of cake that Mo Xueyao brought and put it on her plate. "If Xiaoyao doesn't want it, I'll eat it, okay?"

"Go ahead and eat it."

"Yes, there are many beautiful girls who, even after getting married, still exercise regularly and don't gain weight; they can still maintain a great figure."

Will Nora maintain her figure in the future?

“Of course, I’ve always been consistent with exercising.” Nora took a big bite of cake. “I was quite chubby when I was in elementary school. I’m prone to gaining weight easily, so I have to exercise regularly, otherwise I can’t eat whatever I want.”

"So, the purpose of exercising is actually to be able to eat anything and not gain weight?"

"Yes!" She nodded vigorously.

Mo Xueyao looked at Nora's chest and confirmed that she was indeed prone to gaining weight.

In fact, this is true for most girls with fuller figures. If they don't exercise properly, they can easily go from being full-figured to overweight.

How long is your summer vacation?

"Does Russia have summer vacation?" Mo Xueyao asked back, picking up the teapot and pouring some water into her cup. It was said to be spring water from Tiger Spring, but she didn't know if it was true.

"Of course there's summer vacation! It starts in June and lasts until September, a full three months."

"That's a long time," Mo Xueyao said enviously. "We also start school in September."

"Actually, they're pretty much the same." Nora took a sip of her flower tea. "Mmm, delicious!"

"Really? I think it's pretty average, just some chrysanthemum and goji berries or something." Mo Xueyao had already finished the food she had just brought. "Shall we get some more?"

"Mmm, get some more cake, the cakes here are delicious!"

This is probably just a matter of personal taste...

When the three of them returned to the hall, freshly steamed crabs were served. Mo Xueyao squeezed through the crowd and grabbed five or six, and also scooped out two large spoonfuls of Longjing shrimp.

Eating seafood or river fish at a buffet restaurant is the most cost-effective option.

Because it's not easy to get full from these foods, and they're relatively expensive, you can break even—but it's basically impossible to make a full profit.

Since the owner has opened such a shop, of course he must have a way to make money.

Since the meal was for tea, the dishes should be lighter, so although there were some strongly flavored foods, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan didn't take them.

Otherwise, if you're drinking tea while eating spicy food, how can you even taste the flavor of the tea?

The branches outside the window trembled gently, and a thrush hopped about on one of them. As if sensing Mo Xueyao's gaze, it turned its head to look at her.

"Xiaoyao, don't you really want to go back to school?" Nora teased. "You probably really don't want to go back to school, right?"

"Oh? It's alright..." She shook her head. "I'm actually looking forward to the start of school. Sometimes, when the holidays are too long, I get bored."

"That's about the same as me."

"I guess all students are pretty much the same..."

The three chatted casually, and time passed slowly by.

Actually, it was mainly Mo Xueyao and Nora who were chatting. Li Wanyan was mostly just listening in, only occasionally chiming in.

She seemed to be very distressed about spending so much money, so she spent most of her time eating, and she was choosing the more expensive items to savor slowly.

Before leaving, she specially packed a lot of candies like corn candy and nougat into her bag. Whether Mo Xueyao and Nora got their money back is unknown, but Li Wanyan probably did.

It was already afternoon when they left. The three of them strolled around West Lake again with their umbrellas, took some photos with the vendors who were taking pictures for people nearby, and posed for group photos.

Rather than coming to see the scenery, it would be more appropriate to say they came to connect and exchange feelings.

On the bus back, Mo Xueyao ran into an acquaintance.

That was Zuo Ziya's friend, Tian Tingchan.

However, she didn't interact with her much, so she only glanced at her from afar and didn't go over to say hello.

After all, even if you greet each other, you won't have anything in common to talk about, which would only make things more awkward, right?

At most, I can only ask how Zuo Ziya is doing lately.

When she got off the train, Mo Xueyao saw Zhou Yong waiting on the platform. She thought it was just a coincidence that he was also waiting for the train, but she didn't expect him to greet Tian Tingchan.

They seem to have a pretty good relationship.

So, she was Zhou Yong's girlfriend?

Or is he just an ordinary friend?

Mo Xueyao's mind started to wander again.

……

Chapter 120 Reorganizing the Small Room of the Fruit Shop

Old Chen has already moved back to his own home, so the small room in the fruit shop is now empty again.

It just so happens that Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan will be starting school soon, so it will be more convenient for them to stay here. At least they won't have to worry about rain or snow, and they can get to school quickly.

If you forget something, it's convenient to go back and get it.

The most important thing is that all the food can be prepared uniformly, which can save on gas and electricity costs.

However, the room that Lao Chen had used had an unpleasant smell that Mo Xueyao couldn't stand. After returning from West Lake today, she dragged Li Wanyan along to clean the room.

Actually, it's not Old Chen's fault that the room isn't clean. He works very late every day and leaves very early in the morning, so he simply doesn't have time to take care of his personal hygiene. It's normal for the room to be a bit dirty and smelly.

When people are very tired, they really can't do these things properly.

but--

"Can't you just throw away those stinky socks under the bed?!" Mo Xueyao pinched her nose, used a long pair of pliers to pull the stinky socks out from under the bed, and shouted in dissatisfaction, "How many days has this been? It stinks! And why do we have to wear socks in the summer?!"

"Throw it away! Throw it away!" Even the mother, who was chopping vegetables, couldn't stand the smell anymore. "I knew this room stank!"

"Haha, that's how most men are when there's no woman around."

"Stop making excuses for men!" His mother glared at him disapprovingly. "I told you long ago, your friend is no good; he doesn't care about personal hygiene."

"Oh, that's all it is, he's a decent person." The father coughed. "My goodness, he really stinks, throw him away..."

"You know it smells bad?" the mother said irritably. "It makes me lose my appetite."

Because she would be staying there herself, Mo Xueyao cleaned extra carefully, making sure to clean every nook and cranny. She even moved the wire bed and table to make it easier to clean underneath them.

The old newspapers that were previously pasted on the wall have turned yellow, and some have even fallen off. Without the newspapers, the wall looks really dilapidated, with dust falling everywhere and it looks filthy.

"Wanyan, let's go to the supermarket to buy some things. Let's see if they sell wallpaper and air freshener." Mo Xueyao fanned herself. "If there's anything else we need, we'll buy it too."

"Okay." Li Wanyan nodded and was about to take her wallet out of her bag when Mo Xueyao patted her on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'll pay, so Wanyan doesn't need to bring her wallet."

“…Hmm.” Li Wanyan hesitated for a moment, then put the pink wallet that Mo Xueyao had given her back.

If she had plenty of money, she wouldn't have hesitated; however, in reality, she didn't have much money in her pocket.

Besides, there's really no need to be polite to Mo Xueyao, since she's not usually polite to Li Wanyan either!

I went to the supermarket to cool off. Although it was already evening, the weather was still hot, and the hot air from the electric fan was not enough to make me feel cool.

The supermarket wasn't too far from the fruit shop; it took about ten minutes to walk there.

"Ah—I'm saved." As soon as she entered the supermarket, Mo Xueyao exclaimed sincerely, and white steam even rose from her body, just like when a cup of hot coffee is put into the refrigerator.

Posters were hanging in the supermarket, announcing the start of the school season.

"Welcome the September back-to-school season! All stationery is up to 50% off!"

However, when you actually go to buy them, they are mostly discounted by 20% or 30%, and the 50% off items are clearance sales.

While there are indeed some that are truly affordable and inexpensive, they are extremely rare.

Mo Xueyao was tired of these kinds of marketing tactics, and these discount promotions no longer appealed to her.

Anyway, ordinary high school students don't need much stationery, and it's perfectly fine to buy more when they run out or break.

"Speaking of which, what section should wallpaper be in? Should it be in the stationery section or the furniture section?" Mo Xueyao muttered with some confusion as soon as she entered the supermarket.

Li Wanyan was also stunned for a moment, unable to figure out which district this belonged to.

After all, neither of them had ever bought wallpaper before, and they didn't even know if wallpaper was sold in supermarkets.

The two wandered around for a while, but still had no clue. So Mo Xueyao stopped a passing supermarket employee and asked, "Excuse me, do you sell wallpaper here?"

"Wallpaper?" The other person was taken aback. "Sorry, I'm from the fresh produce section, I really don't know if we sell wallpaper."

"Oh... thank you."