A Young Woman's Heart

"No, even if it's reimbursable, we can't waste money. Let's see if we can find any secondhand ones."

"Hey—why not buy the new ones when you don't have to spend your own money..." the younger sister pouted and complained.

"You can't be so selfish, Youyou." Mo Xiao smiled and patted her sister's head. "If we spend less, the extra money can help other people."

"Tch~ Other people won't think that way."

"Just being yourself is enough."

Hua Yinyin and the others weren't waiting at the door, so it seems that everyone was more interested in naming the band.

When I entered the classroom, I saw everyone sitting around Mr. Xue and Hua Yinyin's table, having a heated discussion.

The main reason for choosing this location is that Mr. Xue and Ms. Hua Yinyin are both band members and also sit at the same table, so having them together would make the space feel larger.

Otherwise, it would be very crowded if everyone were sitting around one table.

Li Wanyan didn't go over to join in the fun, since that was a matter for the band.

"Go ahead, Youyou."

"Isn't your sister coming along?"

"I'm not a band member," Mo Xiao said with a smile.

"What... okay, I'm going."

"Hmm~"

“Youyou’s here too, our… drummer who can’t play the drums yet,” Hua Yinyin teased.

Mo Zhuyou glanced at her sideways. The two had been deskmates for a semester and were quite familiar with each other, exchanging all sorts of jokes, so she didn't mind: "Hey, do we really need to add those modifiers anymore?"

"Alright, now all five of us are here!" Wang Jiale said excitedly. "Youyou plays the drums, right?"

"Ah."

So Mr. Xue wrote the words "Drum Set: Mozhu You" on the white paper in front of him.

"First, let's decide on the team leader!" Hua Yinyin said, pointing to herself and laughing narcissistically, "Hehehe, I think no one is more qualified for this than me, right? I shouldn't have any problem being the team leader, right?"

“I think it should be Xiaoxue,” Mo Xueyao retorted.

"Yes, it should be Xiaoxue."

"Eh—! If I weren't the captain, I'd suddenly lose interest!"

"Hey, did you form a band just to conduct people?" Mo Xueyao sighed and said helplessly.

“I think Xiaoxue is more suitable. She’s steady and meticulous, and she can do almost everything. If Yinyin were to come, there would probably be a lot of trouble. Besides… Yinyin is not reliable at all.” Mo Zhuyou pouted and teased, getting her revenge for what she had just said.

"Who said that? I'm very reliable, okay? I'm very reliable when it matters!"

“I think the captain should be someone with more leadership qualities…” Mo Xueyao said, resting her chin on her hand, and glanced at Mr. Xue.

Mr. Xue, who had remained silent until now, finally smiled and said, "I think we should spend the silver."

"Huh?"

"See!" Apart from Hua Yinyin, everyone else thought that Mr. Xue was deliberately being modest.

“Xiaoxue doesn’t need to give in to her,” Mo Xueyao said.

"No, firstly, most of our band members are girls, so it's better for a girl to be the leader because it's easier to communicate with most people that way. Secondly, Hua Yinyin is more energetic than me and is very suitable to be the leader. She can easily leave an impression of the band on others."

"My impression of her is the same as my impression of the band..." Mo Xueyao covered her face, "People would probably think it's a terrible band!"

Mr. Xue neither confirmed nor denied it, and continued, "Moreover, Hua Yinyin is also a very capable leader."

"Huh, her?"

"I can't tell at all?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Hua Yinyin shouted, slamming her hand on the table in dissatisfaction.

“So, let’s go with Hua Yinyin.” Mr. Xue said, writing “Hua Yinyin” in the captain’s column.

"Hehe, that's more like it! So, from today onwards, I'm the band's leader!"

"Don't get too cocky..." Mo Xueyao said helplessly.

"Xiaoxue is too accommodating to her," Wang Jiale shook his head.

But there's nothing we can do about it. Mr. Xue is a "good guy," and at least in most things, he doesn't like to argue with others.

However, no one was surprised that Hua Yinyin was chosen as the team leader. In fact, everyone was prepared for this, because they all knew that if they didn't let her be the team leader, she would make a scene until everyone agreed.

So... let's just be straightforward.

"Next, the band's name!" Hua Yinyin slammed her hand on the table even harder, until her hand was red. "Ouch, that hurts..."

"How about we call it the Snow Music Band?" Wang Jiale suggested, "The 'Le' in music, the 'Xue' in snowflakes."

"Uh...it feels pretty good." Mo Xueyao was satisfied because of the word 'snow' in it, but she didn't know if it referred to her or Mr. Xue...it should refer to her, right?

She was a little unsure.

"No, no, call her Xueyin!"

"Yinyin, you just put your own name in there!"

"You're the same way! Lele is so cunning!"

Mo Zhuyou smiled awkwardly, unsure of who to choose.

Actually... they're all pretty good.

"I'll agree to anything with snow in it!" Mo Xueyao raised her hand. "You two have a fight to decide who to choose!"

"Alright, Lele, let's fight to the death!"

"Come on~!!" The two immediately started playfully hugging each other, looking less like they were fighting and more like they were rubbing against each other...

"How about this, let's change 'silver' to 'music' and call it the Snow Music Band? What do you think?" Mr. Snow spoke up, and everyone quieted down to think about it.

Finally, everyone unanimously agreed:

Hua Yinyin: This one is fine, hehehe, I won!

Wang Jiale: That's pretty good, but Yinyin, you didn't win. Xiaoyao is mine!

Mo Zhuyou: Huh? I have no objection.

Mo Xueyao: As expected of Mr. Xue, shall we decide on this then?

The group exchanged glances, then shouted in unison with laughter, "Snow-Sound Band!"

……

Chapter Fifteen: Secondhand Musical Instrument Shop

There were a few fallen yellow leaves on the street, and the maple leaves were already turning golden. The orange cat that was perched on the tree and shaking the branches was the culprit behind the fallen leaves.

The girls walking together created a beautiful scene, frequently attracting the attention of passersby.

Mr. Xue walked alone at the front, creating a sense of distance between him and the others.

Mo Xueyao and Wang Jiale walked behind, mimicking piano playing gestures and exchanging their thoughts.

She had already parked her bicycle at the fruit shop; now she was going to take the bus with everyone else.

—To buy a drum set for Mo Zhuyou.

“Youyou, let me tell you, that secondhand musical instrument shop is quite cheap. For expensive instruments like drums, it’s better to buy secondhand ones, as long as the condition is okay.” Hua Yinyin introduced while chewing on a lollipop. “I went there once before when I was helping someone choose an instrument, and it was pretty good.”

“A secondhand musical instrument shop is fine, as long as there aren’t any major problems.” Mo Xiao smiled and nodded. Buying secondhand musical instruments to save the school some money was her idea. Although her younger sister was a little reluctant, she still chose to listen to her older sister.

"Generally there shouldn't be any problems, unless it's the kind that's extremely dilapidated... well, those kinds of extremely dilapidated items are usually only of interest to junk collectors, but they're not unavailable for sale."

"Will the price be very cheap?" Mo Zhuyou asked doubtfully, "Those shabby second-hand musical instruments."

"Hmm—it's pretty cheap, but there's no need to buy something that's so broken, right? Because you can't use it... That's why I say only junk collectors would be interested in it."

"Yinyin, which bus do you take?" Mo Xueyao asked, turning her head after walking to the bus stop.

"Route 34, um... get off at Daguan Residential Area. There's a second-hand musical instrument shop nearby, but it's inside the residential area, so it's a bit hidden."

"Huh, why make it so hidden?"

"Probably... because the rent is cheap or something? Anyway, the prices of musical instruments there are quite reasonable, they definitely won't rip you off!"

"Ah, that one? Is it it?" Mo Xueyao stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance.

"Yes, yes, the car is here! Everyone hurry up!" Hua Yinyin immediately shouted.

Because it was after school, the train carriage was extremely crowded, and it seemed that there were mostly elementary school students, followed by junior high school students and high school students.

Perhaps it's because most high school students choose to cycle to and from school?

To avoid being unable to get off the train, everyone squeezed their way into the carriage until they reached the vicinity of the exit door before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's so stuffy..." Mo Xueyao tried to stand on tiptoe, but still felt like she couldn't breathe.

She hadn't ridden such a crowded bus in a long time. Usually, when she got on the bus, it was either in the morning or at night, and there were always seats available.

"Me too... I feel like I can't breathe fresh air..." Wang Jiale stood on tiptoe, but still couldn't reach the handle hanging there. She could only hug the railing and gasp for breath.

The others were nowhere to be seen; they seemed to have been separated by the crowd.

"I shouldn't have come along..." Mo Xueyao muttered under her breath. The seat in front of her had a window, but the people sitting there wouldn't open it, even though it was a bus without air conditioning...

Perhaps he didn't realize how stuffy the carriage was?

After all, the possibility of sitting in a relatively spacious seat seems quite high.

"Oh dear, after all, we're in the same band, so it's only right that we all support each other when it comes to buying instruments."

"Isn't Hua Yinyin more familiar with this kind of thing?"

"That's true, but wouldn't it be more impressive to have more people around when negotiating?"

"What kind of swagger is this..." Mo Xueyao smiled helplessly. At this moment, the bus suddenly braked hard, and the people standing there also swayed violently.