A Young Woman's Heart

Everyone has a destructive urge deep down, and the greater the pressure they are under, the stronger that urge becomes. When she sees a strong wind blowing, almost bending the trees and overturning awnings and billboards, she feels a strange sense of pleasure.

She couldn't help but want to play a piece of music, but couldn't think of anything that could match the strong wind.

When I improvise, something always feels off.

"It shouldn't just be the oppressive feeling of the end of the world, it should also have a sense of release..." she muttered to herself, tried a little more, but was still not very satisfied.

"Yaoyao, would you like some cantaloupe?" Li Wanyan walked in carrying a plate with slices of cantaloupe on it.

People who own fruit shops will never lack opportunities to eat fruit.

When my parents came back yesterday, they brought back a lot of fruit, which they planned to eat as snacks today.

"Oh, I'll leave it for now. I don't want to eat it right now." Mo Xueyao showed no intention of getting out of bed. She placed her hands on the piano keys and played a piece called "Two Tigers."

For some reason, combined with the view outside the window, there was a strange sense of absurdity.

"Are you practicing?"

"Yes, let's choose this as our first ensemble piece."

"...Two tigers."

"Well, because it's simpler, and you can modify it a bit to make it more fashionable." Mo Xueyao's electronic keyboard has a row of special keys that can make it sound like a drum kit even without any adjustments.

With fast enough hand speed and an electronic keyboard, you can absolutely become a one-man band.

However, the sound produced by an electronic keyboard is ultimately different from the sound produced by a real musical instrument.

—I wonder if it's because her keyboard isn't good enough, otherwise maybe she wouldn't even need a drum set and could just use her electronic keyboard instead.

The mother in the kitchen opened the window, and a strong wind rushed into the whole house, instantly blowing the half-closed door of Mo Xueyao's room shut.

"Boom!"

"Mom, what are you doing?"

I accidentally opened the window!

"How can you not be careful with something like this..."

The sky outside the window grew increasingly gloomy.

It should have been a bright and sunny 10 a.m., but the dark sky looked like midnight.

Moreover, it was the kind of absolutely dark midnight where starlight and moonlight were obscured by a black curtain.

"Boom—!!!" A clap of thunder rang out, and she saw all the lights in the neighborhood go out at once.

I don't know if it was because of this lightning that the main power switch here tripped.

If people don't care even if the wind is strong when the lights are on, then when all the lights are turned off, it can inexplicably create a sense of panic.

It felt as if my connection to this world had been severed.

Each building is an isolated island, both independent and unreachable.

"Crack—!! Boom—!" Mo Xueyao, who lived on the sixth floor, felt as if the thunder was right next to her ears, and it felt as if the roof was about to be blown apart.

After a few claps of thunder cleared the way, the rain finally poured down.

It was as if the whole world had become part of a waterfall. The water downstairs was rising at a visible speed, and the water flow at the drain formed a whirlpool, but it was nowhere near as fast as the rain.

Unlike a typical rainstorm, this one won't end after just a short period of time; even if it's quick, it will probably last for half a day.

A torrential downpour that lasted for half a day... just thinking about it is terrifying.

At this moment, Mo Xueyao felt especially fortunate that she lived on the top floor.

"Squeak—" The door was pushed open, and the mother reached out and pulled the light switch in the room. Finding it didn't work, she went back out. "Is the power out?"

"Probably so."

"The food is only half-cooked."

"We just had breakfast."

"They're braising pork chops in a rice cooker," the mother replied. "Honestly, the power goes out every time there's a typhoon. Can't they be a little more reliable? What are the power companies doing?"

"Use gas!"

"I know, so I guess I'll just have to pour it into the pot and use the gas!"

The more advanced the technology, the more fragile it is in a sense.

The simpler something is, the more sturdy and practical it is.

Fortunately, we've always used gas at home, unlike some people who use induction cookers or similar appliances for various reasons. If there's no electricity, they'd probably have to go hungry.

Mo Xueyao climbed out of bed, picked up a piece of cantaloupe with a toothpick, and stuffed it into her mouth: "Is my dad awake yet?"

"Still sleeping."

"No way?" She ran barefoot to the main room and saw her father fast asleep, sprawled out, snoring away. The loud thunder hadn't woken him up.

As the local saying goes, "It's rare to sleep in late, even if the King of Heaven himself came, I wouldn't wake up."

This is truly the kind of sleep quality that countless people envy.

"Is she still sleeping?" Li Wanyan asked softly when she saw Mo Xueyao running over again.

"Yeah, Dad can sleep a lot."

"Are there any tips or tricks for learning the electronic keyboard?"

"There's no special technique involved... um..."

"You learn much faster than I do."

"Hehe, I guess that's what talent is!" Mo Xueyao chuckled without a hint of modesty. "After all, everyone has their own strengths!"

Li Wanyan didn't answer for a long time, just rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly, perhaps wondering what she was good at?

She clearly felt that her excellent grades didn't count as a special talent—at least she should be good at playing a musical instrument or other interests like drawing to be considered a special talent.

The sun didn't come out all day long after the typhoon arrived.

The wind and rain subsided a little by the afternoon, but the water downstairs was already quite deep, making it impossible for cars and bicycles to drive out. When a man waded out, Mo Xueyao saw that the water was even above his calves.

Even when the window was opened, the wind blowing in from outside was still quite strong.

"Phew... It's still dark. It feels like yesterday's night never ended and then tonight's night just followed... What a long night."

"It should be fine by tomorrow."

"Well, but the emergency repair team will probably need to work on it tomorrow, so the school is scheduled to reopen the day after tomorrow. The city won't be back to normal until then." Mo Xueyao looked at the several broken trees and fallen utility poles in the neighborhood, their wires submerged in water. "Won't I get electrocuted walking over them...?"

"The power should have been cut off by now," Li Wanyan said uncertainly.

The power hasn't been restored to the neighborhood yet. In fact, when you stand on the balcony and look out, you'll see that the whole area is almost completely dark.

Neither residential nor commercial areas have electricity.

The only light they had was the dim glow of candles.

Father finally got up, and he sat on the bed yawning several times in a row: "Ahhh—I slept so well! Xiaoyao, what time is it now?"

Standing on the balcony behind the large room, Mo Xueyao turned her head slightly and replied, "It's six o'clock!"

"So early?"

"What do you mean 'early'? It's six o'clock in the evening, okay?"

"Haha, I knew it! I slept for so long, it couldn't be only six in the morning!" The father laughed as he stood up, twisting his body and making a 'crackling' sound.

"How's it going? Has the typhoon passed yet?"

"It should be over, but the wind outside is still very strong, although the rain has lessened considerably." Mo Xueyao said, opening the window and letting the wind tousle her hair.

"Xiaoyao, you look better with long hair."

"what?"

"Her long hair flows in the wind, just like Wanyan's, isn't it beautiful?"

"Tch." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "Long hair is hard to manage."

"You just like to be lazy. Which would you choose: looking good or being convenient?"

"Convenient!" she answered without hesitation. Li Wanyan, who was standing next to her, smiled slightly and secretly laughed.

"What? You're not a boy anymore. You should learn from Wanyan!"

“Yaoyao is fine this way,” Li Wanyan said, speaking up for her. “She has a lot of personality.”

"What's the use of this kind of sex? It's not like a girl at all. Look at you, standing here with your legs spread so wide apart, what are you doing?"

"Dad, aren't you the same?!"

"I'm a man, are you?"

"Hey!" Mo Xueyao gritted her teeth, turned around and elbowed him.

"Well, you dare hit your father!" The father laughed and grabbed Mo Xueyao's hands behind her back, immobilizing her like a policeman arresting a prisoner. "I'll throw you in the trash can later!"

"Alas!"

……

Chapter Twenty-Two: Rain Boots

Although the typhoon was very strong, people living in the city were not too worried.

In most people's minds, it is unlikely that apartment buildings in residential areas will be blown down, since the typhoon that reaches Hangzhou no longer has such strong destructive power.

But the two sisters, Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Zhuyou, who lived in the suburbs, were a little frightened, fearing that the wind would blow over their simple container house.

Fortunately, the house was of good quality and these factors were taken into account during the design, so nothing actually happened, and we arrived safely at the next day.

There isn't much standing water here, because it all flows into the river through various pipes and ditches.

However, the gravel road leading out became extremely muddy, making it difficult to ride a bike or even walk.

Dark Chocolate was unusually brought indoors, and now it's quietly staying in its cage, dabbing its saliva on its paws and then smearing it on its face – that's how animals wash their faces.