A Young Woman's Heart

Turn the clock back to the evening of the 25th.

The location is near Hua Yinyin's house.

Huang Yuxi went home after dinner, and Hua Yinyin, who was too lazy to cook, led the two of them to the apartment building.

"Fast food or KFC?" Hua Yinyin asked with a laugh, her arm around Mo Xueyao's neck. To be honest, this gesture really resembled that of best friends between boys.

"They're all fast food, aren't they?" Mo Xueyao subconsciously reached out and hugged her neck, as if she had returned to the time when she was still a boy.

"One is Western-style, and the other is Chinese-style; they're different."

Do you eat like this when your parents aren't home?

"Yes, it's so convenient. You don't have to buy groceries, chop vegetables, or wash dishes, and you won't make a mess of the kitchen and end up cleaning it yourself."

"Hey, you're even lazier than me!"

"Oh? What dishes can Little Yao Yao cook?"

"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and such are no problem."

"I can do that too!"

"You can?"

"I can cook instant noodles!"

"...I can only say that you've mastered the most basic survival skills," Mo Xueyao said, her eyelids drooping.

"Hey, Wanyan, what would you like to eat?" Ever since Hua Yinyin discovered that Li Wanyan only called her by her name, she also started calling her by her name, as if it were a matter of reciprocity.

Li Wanyan looked around. The commercial street around the neighborhood wasn't very lively, and there weren't many restaurants or eateries open for business.

The KFC across the street appears to be the brightest lit.

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's on me!" Hua Yinyin patted her soft chest and said loudly.

But since she said that, Li Wanyan wouldn't choose a place like KFC that wasn't cost-effective.

Ultimately, under the watchful eyes of Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin, she made the decision.

"That one, please."

"Hmm... Old Wang's Rustic Restaurant, that sounds really rustic..."

"Let's go with that one!" Mo Xueyao chose to side with Li Wanyan. "A local restaurant should be cheaper, right?"

"That's not necessarily true," Hua Yinyin said, pursing her lips.

Local cuisine restaurants are often just home-style restaurants, and the ingredients they use are mostly bought directly from farmers in the countryside.

This area is on the outskirts of Hangzhou, with vast stretches of farmland behind it. Buying common ingredients such as eggs, chicken, and vegetables from the farmers shouldn't be a problem.

The price is much cheaper than the KFC next door, but because it's a standalone stir-fry restaurant, it's slightly more expensive than a regular Chinese fast food restaurant.

"Please have a seat, sir!" The owner is also the chef. The shop was probably not open for long, as it was a bit quiet. The tables were very clean and not greasy at all, clearly freshly bought.

It's difficult for a typical local restaurant to maintain a clean and tidy environment after operating for a long time.

Unlike KFC, which is always bright and clean no matter when you go there, many people joke that going to such a place is not about eating food, but about enjoying the environment and atmosphere.

What would you like to order?

"Uh...do you have a menu?" Mo Xueyao asked, pausing for a moment.

"No." The owner answered readily. "Haha, order whatever you want, or just look at the menu posted there. I can cook any home-style dish."

"Uh..." Hua Yinyin pondered for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Then, boss, how about some Japanese tofu?"

"Okay, anything else?"

"Japanese tofu?" Mo Xueyao felt like she had never eaten this before.

“It’s just egg tofu,” Li Wanyan explained.

"Oh...that."

"How about another Kung Pao Chicken? Do you have any?" Hua Yinyin ordered another dish.

"some."

"I want a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes!" Mo Xueyao raised her hand; she liked to eat the kind of dishes that were very inexpensive.

"Another bowl of pea soup, please." That's what Li Wanyan ordered.

"Okay! Is that all?"

"Yes, that's enough, that's enough. We can't finish any more." Mo Xueyao nodded quickly.

"Shall we leave it at that?" Hua Yinyin stopped thinking about ordering more food.

"it is good."

Hua Yinyin stood up, preparing to take out her wallet: "How much is it in total?"

"Twenty yuan, no rush, pay after you finish eating. Would you like a drink?"

"I don't need it." Mo Xueyao shook her head and waved her hand. She wouldn't spend money recklessly when others were treating her; on the contrary, she would save money for them. "Anyway, there's already soup."

"Mm." Li Wanyan nodded gently in response.

"Ah, then you guys have the soup, I don't want any soup..." Hua Yinyin walked to the freezer and took out a glass bottle of Fanta. "Boss—where's the bottle opener?"

"Hang it next to the dining table!" The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen.

"Oh, here it is." Hua Yinyin opened a Fanta, then took a sip straight from her lips, just like the expression on the face of a man who has just finished drinking beer after eating barbecue. "Haha—this is definitely the only way to truly enjoy Fanta!"

"What's the difference between glass bottles, jars, and plastic bottles?" Mo Xueyao asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"The glass bottle one tastes the best! Next is the canned one, and the plastic bottle one tastes the worst." Hua Yinyin stuck out her tongue, as if she'd been 'burned' by the bubbles in the Fanta. "Ugh! So much carbonation!"

Although only one person was busy in the kitchen, there were only their table of guests. Soon, all three dishes and one soup were served. The owner was very efficient in cooking and did not make everyone wait too long.

After serving the dishes, the somewhat plump middle-aged man sat down at the cashier with a smile, leisurely watching them: "Try it, and if you think it's bad, I'll cook it again for you."

I don't know if it's because of good service or because they're overly confident in their skills.

Mo Xueyao was the first to pick up her chopsticks and taste the shredded potatoes.

This is the simplest home-style dish, but making it delicious is not so easy.

In some places, the potatoes are too sour; in others, they are too spicy; and in still others, the potatoes aren't crispy enough—all of these factors affect the taste.

But this hot and sour shredded potato dish has a perfect balance of sourness and spiciness, and the potatoes are very crisp but not undercooked, making it taste excellent.

"How is it?"

"Appetizing!" Mo Xueyao gave a thumbs up, which was probably the highest praise for a home-style dish.

In fact, most home-cooked dishes are very appetizing, unlike high-end dishes, which are just for tasting.

"Haha, eat more, look how skinny you all are."

“I’m not thin anymore!” Hua Yinyin exclaimed.

"Haha, you young girls are always like this, you're clearly very thin but you still complain that you're fat," the boss laughed, patting his bald head.

"Boss, where's your hair?"

"Shave it."

"You're losing your hair at such a young age?" Mo Xueyao asked in confusion.

The boss was somewhat pleased to hear the word 'young,' but his feelings became more complicated as he heard the rest of the text.

"I just think having hair is a hassle. When I cook, hair will fall into the food. If I shave my head, won't it be clean then?"

"That's true, they don't even need a chef's hat anymore."

"Boss, are you alone? What will you do when you're busy?" Hua Yinyin asked in a very ladylike manner, her feigned innocent smile making Mo Xueyao's lips twitch.

"Haha, we're hiring right now. We just opened, so we haven't been busy yet."

"I'll be very busy from now on," Li Wanyan commented softly. "The taste is very good."

"Hehe, I'm quite confident about that. I'm sure there will be a lot of repeat customers." The bald boss wasn't modest at all.

Afterwards, the three girls started talking about their own topics.

—It's mainly about spending money.

"Ah... By the way, have Xiaoyao and Wanyan finished their summer homework?"

"I finished it a long time ago." Mo Xueyao maintained her ladylike posture, taking small bites of her food. "You haven't written it yet, have you?"

"How could that be? I've finished my Chinese homework!"

"Does that mean the other subjects haven't been touched at all?"

"Hehe..." Hua Yinyin coughed twice, "Um... So, little Yaoyao, my lovely little Yaoyao, can I borrow your work to copy something? Don't worry, I definitely won't copy it all..."

"You deliberately omitted some text to get away with it, do you think I didn't know?" She rolled her eyes at the other person; she was all too familiar with this tactic.

"Little Yaoyao~ Please be lenient with me..."

"Then ask Wanyan if she agrees."

"How could Wanyan possibly agree to that..."

"But we didn't bring our homework notebooks. If you want to copy, you'll have to wait until I go back and get them tomorrow."

"I'll teach you how to make it in a bit." Li Wanyan picked up three peanuts with her chopsticks at once, her tone becoming somewhat cheerful.

"Huh—? I don't want to... I don't want to use my brain, I just want to copy the answers..."

"Then I'll give you the answer." Wanyan was surprisingly easy to talk to today.

"Huh? Really? But wouldn't it be very slow to make it on-site?"

"Don't worry, Wanyan's approach suggests she's done her summer homework at least three to five times. I feel like she can almost recite the answers backwards."

Is it really that exaggerated?

"You'll find out soon enough." Mo Xueyao smiled mysteriously, as if it was she, not Li Wanyan, who was about to show off her skills.

After dinner, Hua Yinyin paid the bill, which came to 22 yuan. It wasn't expensive because the portions were so large that the girls couldn't finish even half of it and ended up packing the leftovers to go.

"Here, have a can of Fanta for each of you!"