A Young Woman's Heart

"Cough..." Ye Wen's forehead vein throbbed. She always felt that without the lure of money, Mo Zhuyou would never have participated.

"Hmm... let us think about it. We also need to talk to the store manager, because if we do, we'll have to resign." Mo Xiaoxiao didn't agree immediately.

"Okay, then let me know when you've thought it through. I hope to get your reply by Monday." Ye Wen nodded. "Well then, I'll head back now."

"Are you leaving already? Would you like to come to the shop for something to eat?" Mo Xiaoxiao invited.

"Next time, next time~ I have other things to do when I get back." Ye Wen rubbed her temples. "Bye-bye, Xiaoxiao, Youyou!"

Goodbye, teacher.

"Goodbye, Wen~"

After watching Ye Wen leave, the two sisters turned around and went back into the shop.

"What did your homeroom teacher want to talk to you about?" Duanmu Bi asked curiously.

Mo Xiao smiled and glanced at her younger sister, then told her the whole story.

"A band? That's great!"

“But if we resign, will Sister Bi be able to manage?” Mo Xiaoxiao asked worriedly.

"Haha, you don't need to worry about this. If all else fails, I can just bring Xiao Ji over to help!" Duanmu Bi laughed loudly. "If you want to do it, then do it! Youth is fleeting. If you don't seize the opportunity, you won't have any wonderful memories! Don't let yourself regret it!"

"Yes, thank you."

"Yay, finally I can go home and get a good night's sleep every day..." Mo Zhuyou said, then yawned widely. "Sister, shall we go play the drums?"

"No, Youyou goes."

"Huh? What? I don't want to move..."

"Then we won't participate."

"Hey, why, why!"

"For no reason."

"Eh..."

"Learning more things will also benefit you."

"Isn't it the same if my sister learns? My sister's things are mine, and my things are my sister's!"

"Then I won't participate."

"Okay, okay... I'll go play the drums, alright? For a thousand dollars! In that case, wouldn't this donation count as me earning it?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll make you a bento box or snack later."

"Eh...? Hmm... Sister is in charge of logistics? That sounds pretty good. Okay! Let's tell Wen on Monday that we plan to participate! We don't want someone else to beat us to it."

"Ah."

"Dong dong, dong dong dong~!" Actually, Mo Zhuyou is not someone who is afraid of being annoyed by anything. When she gets into the mood, she is very energetic. For example, right now, she rolled up two posters and used them as drumsticks, banging them on the table.

"You're already starting to practice?"

"Hmm! Look, sister, don't you sound a bit like a drummer?"

"It's a little bit better," Mo Xiaoxiao said with a smile, patting her head.

"Haha, keep it up! Don't forget to tell me when the show starts, I definitely want to go!" Duanmu Bi chimed in with a laugh.

"Are you closing the shop?"

“It’s perfectly fine to close for a day occasionally! And it lets the other staff keep an eye on things, the manager doesn’t have to be in the store all the time!” Duanmu Bi rubbed her nose. “Don’t let my appearance fool you, I actually play a few musical instruments.”

"Huh? What can Sister Bi do?" Mo Zhuyou asked curiously.

"Heh heh, I'll scare you when I tell you!"

"What is it? What is it?"

"Air guitar, oh~~!"

"Alas--!"

"Pfft."

How wonderful, such a bright future.

Covering her mouth and laughing, Mo Xiaoxiao gazed at the azure sky outside and thought sincerely.

……

Chapter Eleven Parent's Signature

Sunday, July 9, 2000.

The weather has really cooled down. Now the fan blows a cool breeze instead of the scorching hot air of summer.

A few cicadas were still stubbornly making their own sounds, carrying a hint of loneliness and solitude, which further accentuated the desolation of autumn.

Mo Xueyao gave her father the parent notification slip Ye Wen had given her, pretending to be nonchalant as she rubbed Su Tang's head, but in reality, her attention was entirely focused on him.

"Oh... a band?"

"Meow!" Su Tang complained, because she had reflexively used a little force after hearing her father's voice, and accidentally pinched it hard.

"Yeah, the band!"

"Haha, you've only been teaching yourself the electronic keyboard for less than a year and you already want to perform on stage? Isn't that a bit too confident?" the father teased.

"How will you know if you don't try? Besides, there's still time for learning and practice."

"Hmm... but I'll be back quite late at night."

“That’s right, students should prioritize their studies. Once you get into university, you can form any band you want.” Her mother chimed in. She had already seen the notice. Although there was no explicit rejection, her tone and expression made Mo Xueyao extremely uneasy. And when she said those words, it basically meant rejection.

“Hey—don’t say that. High school is high school, and college is college. They’re different. High school classmates and college classmates are also different.” Her father’s tone sounded promising, which rekindled Mo Xueyao’s hope. “This is a memory, and a very special one at that. You’ll regret it if you don’t try it.”

“Yes, yes!” Mo Xueyao nodded vigorously in complete agreement.

"You're just spoiling her. When her grades drop, see how you cry then."

"Haha—there are many things in this world that are more important than grades!"

"Dad!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed excitedly, "You agreed?"

"Okay, let's give it a try."

"No, I don't agree. It will interfere with your studies. What's the point of forming a band? You won't amount to anything." The mother remained firmly opposed. "You'd be better off studying more instead of wasting that time."

"Mom, do you really think my high school life is all about studying...?"

"If a student doesn't study, what kind of student is he?" Her mother's words left Mo Xueyao speechless for a moment, and she didn't know how to refute them.

"Here's what we'll do," the father said, lighting a Double Happiness cigarette and putting it in his mouth. "You can join the band, but your grades can't fall out of the top fifty in the whole grade."

"Okay!" Mo Xueyao was quite confident in herself, so she immediately agreed.

"We're in the top ten now. If we drop to fiftieth, how much will our grades drop?" The mother frowned. "No, we have to stay in the top ten, otherwise we won't be allowed to participate."

"Don't listen to your mother, she's just an old fogey," the father joked. "Just listen to me, I'll back you up!"

"As expected of my father!" Mo Xueyao ran up behind her father and started patting his back.

"Haha, stop trying to curry favor now, it just looks so fake, doesn't it?"

"Cough cough!"

"You spoil her too much," the mother sighed helplessly.

“What’s wrong with that? Being in the top fifty is enough to get into a decent university. There’s no need to pursue something so good. The most important thing is to be happy, right, Xiaoyao?” Her father pulled Mo Xueyao to face him and winked at her.

"That's it!"

“I will also help tutor Yaoyao with her studies,” Li Wanyan said softly.

"Fine, fine, whatever!" The mother seemed unwilling to get involved, but this was already a concession.

"Hehe!" Mo Xueyao clenched her fist excitedly, then stared at her father indicating his agreement and signing his name on the receipt. As if afraid he would change his mind, she quickly took the receipt and stuffed it into her pocket.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid I'll change my mind?"

"What if!" Mo Xueyao carefully clutched her pocket. "That's it! I wonder how the others are doing..."

"Haha, don't let it turn out that only your dad agrees while the other students' parents don't," the father joked, taking another deep drag of his cigarette.

"No, everyone will be fine!" Mo Xueyao said so firmly, but deep down she wasn't sure either. "...It should be okay, right?"

……

"Dad, are you resting at home today?" Wang Jiale asked cautiously after pondering for a long time, holding the notice in her hand.

"Oh, yes."

"Hey Dad, could you sign this notification form?"

"Oh, what is it?"

“Hmm…band…” Wang Jiale touched his cheek, nervously fidgeting with his fingers.

"Okay, are you planning to use an electric piano?"

“No… um… um…” Actually, Wang Jiale wasn’t worried that her father would disagree; her main concern was that he wouldn’t buy her a new musical instrument. “I want to be a bassist.”

"Bass? Haha, you learned guitar in junior high, but didn't you not like it? So we sold the guitar."

“Bess is different… um… Daddy~”

"Okay, okay. Business's been pretty good lately, so I'll buy you a new bass. Shall we go look at it together now?"

"Thank you, Dad!" Wang Jiale bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle. "Let's go!"

"Why is your school suddenly forming a band? It's quite popular now, but it's only popular on campus, right?"

"Because there will be a competition, the best band in the whole school will be selected and then go out to compete."

"So, are you confident enough to break out of the campus?"

"I'm not very confident... but shall I give it a try?"