A Young Woman's Heart

"I don't know if it will taste good."

"It should taste better than what you make in a rice cooker, right?"

"Not always."

"Does my sister want some?"

"I'll serve it myself later."

The typhoon should have passed, but its lingering effects are still present. A light drizzle has started to fall again, and the wind blows into the room through the half-open window, bringing a touch of coolness.

Drinking a warm bowl of stew in this kind of weather is truly one of the most wonderful things in the world.

"Youyou...isn't it ready yet?"

Mo Zhuyou, who went to serve the rice, remained silent for a long time.

Mo Xiaoxiao looked in that direction with some concern, but the dim candlelight obviously couldn't reach that far.

"Whoa!" Just then, she suddenly appeared from behind Mo Xiaoxiao, startling her.

"What's wrong, Youyou? You scared me to death!"

"Hey, it worked!"

How did you get behind me?

"I came around it, how come you didn't notice? Hehe..."

"You scared me, you have to pay me back," Mo Xiaoxiao said, unusually coquettish.

"Then I'll... give you a kiss in return!" The younger sister said jokingly, kissing her older sister on the forehead. Then, as if she had won the lottery, she happily ran back to her seat, almost tripping over her own chair.

"Be careful," the older sister said, sounding both helpless and reproachful.

"Let's practice the drums later."

"It's so dark, what are we practicing for?"

"That's precisely why it's interesting when it's dark!"

……

Chapter Twenty-Three: Learning the Drum Set

Friday, July 8, 2000.

Perhaps because the typhoon had just passed, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, making it exceptionally clear and refreshing.

Although the strong winds damaged many buildings, they also seemed to have carried away a lot of dust.

Early in the morning, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan had already arrived at the classroom. The school had already been cleaned up, and there was no mess after the typhoon, as if nothing had happened at all.

On the playground, boarding students are doing their morning exercises again.

These boarding students seem to have stayed at school even during the typhoon; otherwise, they should still be on their way.

An Ruosu was the fastest runner among them.

He's already half a lap ahead of everyone else, and he seems to be doing it with complete ease.

To be fair, the boarding conditions at Yukong High School are quite good, but similarly, very few people are allowed to live on campus. Only those who live far enough away or have other inconveniences can be allowed to live on campus.

As a boarding student, An Ruosu should have been the first to arrive at the classroom, but after each run, he seemed to go back to take a shower, then go out for breakfast before coming to the classroom.

So every time he arrives, the classroom is already quite lively. If he doesn't say it, most people would hardly guess that he is actually a boarding student.

"Susu~!" Mo Xueyao leaned on the windowsill and waved vigorously at him.

An Ruosu, who had just stopped, searched for the source of the sound. After looking around for a while, she finally discovered that the sound was coming from above her head.

The height of the fourth floor made Mo Xueyao's voice less clear; he could only hear her calling out her nickname and see her waving her hand vigorously.

I don't know why I'm so excited when I see him every day.

Perhaps it's just something I suddenly found interesting.

"Susu—!"

"What's wrong—?" An Ruosu could only respond loudly.

"Bring me a bottle of Coke up here!"

It turns out that she hadn't suddenly become interested; she just wanted him to do her a favor.

“Oh—” An Ruosu nodded helplessly. The latter chuckled twice, and her waving arms seemed to become even more agile.

"Haa... phew..." Hua Yinyin, who didn't come to school very early last semester, once again followed Mr. Xue into the classroom today. However, as soon as she walked in, she yawned several times, as if she hadn't slept well last night.

"What's wrong, Yinyin?"

"I'm a little sleepy... I was thinking about music last night..."

Have you figured it out yet?

"No..." Hua Yinyin swayed as she sat down next to Mr. Xue. "Does Xiaoxue have any good songs in mind?"

"I don't have any inspiration right now," Mr. Xue replied, sounding a little tired. It seemed he had indeed tried to think about it.

Hua Yinyin nodded, took out a headband with cat ears from her schoolbag, and before Mr. Xue could react, she suddenly put it on his head.

"Hey! Look! Isn't it super cute?"

"...Don't bully him just because Xiaoxue has a good temper." Mo Xueyao looked at her with droopy eyelids, but still couldn't help but take a closer look at Mr. Xue. "Hmm...surprisingly not bad?"

"Really?" Mr. Xue smiled and touched the cat ear headband on his head. "Why are you suddenly making me wear this?"

"I just wanted to see what it felt like... Hmm... As expected, Xiaoxue is very suited to be a girl!"

"Can you please stop ruining other people's lives? First it was Susu, then Xiaoxi, and now it's Xiaoxue." Mo Xueyao roughly rubbed Hua Yinyin's little face. "Do you really enjoy turning boys into girls?"

"Because it's so interesting! Just imagine, what would Xiaoxue be like if she were a girl?"

"I don't think it's much different from now..." Mo Xueyao was referring to her temperament.

"Look, Yaoyao, our band has five people, but Xiaoxue is the only boy. So... wouldn't it be more harmonious if it were all girls?"

"Hey, don't try to find fault with me!"

Mr. Xue did not express any opinion, but simply smiled.

"Hey, Xiaoxue, I'm counting on you for the next performance!"

“…Let’s talk about it next time.” Even Mr. Xue was amused by her and felt a little helpless. “Here, take back your headband.”

"Wear it."

"You look better in it."

"Ugh, Xiaoxue, that's so cheesy." Mo Xueyao deliberately hugged her chest tightly. "I'm getting goosebumps."

"Tsk, what's so cheesy about it? I look good in it!"

"You're so easy to please..."

"By the way, did you bring Xiaoyao's electronic keyboard?"

"I brought it—just thinking about having to bring it to school every day makes me feel so tired," Mo Xueyao muttered, pointing to the keyboard bag on her desk.

"Then why don't you just take your drum set back like Youyou's and bring it back on the weekend?"

"No, I'm a little worried... cough, and besides, we still need to practice with it when we get back!"

“Sigh, after practicing at school, you’ll never want to go back to practicing, because… it’s just too tiring,” Hua Yinyin said in a tone of someone who’s been there.

"Let's talk about it later."

"Shall we go to the band room and put our instruments away first?" Hua Yinyin pointed to the pipa case that was still on her back. "It's not convenient to put it down here."

"What about the others?"

“Of course we’ll go together!” Hua Yinyin looked at Li Wanyan. “Wanyan, when the others arrive, tell them we’re in the band room!”

"it is good."

"Hey, perfect timing, I can skip morning reading!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways and said, "Is that all you've got?"

"So what if that's all you've got? Humph!" Hua Yinyin put on her cat-ear headband, turned her head and called out to Mr. Xue, "Let's go, Xiao Xue."

"it is good."

Mr. Xue took out two instrument cases from his schoolbag. Although there were two, they were not even half the size of Hua Yinyin's pipa case.

These two instruments are the suona and the bamboo flute.

Normally, Mr. Xue can play the bamboo flute with the band, and if there is a special need, he can play the suona to bring the music to a climax.

The band room was exactly as it had been when I left on Tuesday.

Mo Xueyao took out her electronic keyboard and its folded stand and placed them at the front of the classroom.

Hua Yinyin and Mr. Xue do not need to take out their instruments; if they are not using them now, they can simply leave them on the table or chairs for the time being.

"Oh right, I brought a foam mat!" Hua Yinyin said, then ran out of the classroom again, and came back a little while later carrying a paper bag.

It's basically a foam mat that can be placed on the floor to act as a carpet, or it can be used to distinguish the floor from the surrounding floor.

"What's it for?"

"Could we make a rest area?" Hua Yinyin said, ordering Mr. Xue around without any hesitation, "Xiao Xue, come help me mop the floor!"

Mo Xueyao was happy to have some free time, so she leisurely walked to the electronic keyboard, casually pulled up a chair, sat down, and began to test the sound.

As she sang "Two Tigers," Hua Yinyin and Mr. Xue set up a small resting space near the window in the classroom.

Soft foam mats were laid out here, and several cardboard boxes were placed on both sides to serve as low walls.

When not in use, instruments like her pipa can be placed here directly.

It is very rewarding to freely modify the classroom. Even though it is just a few small changes and some new things are added, it makes you feel a great sense of belonging. Walking into this place is like entering a space that belongs only to their band.

"Whew, mission accomplished!" Just as Hua Yinyin finished speaking, the classroom door was pushed open.