A Young Woman's Heart

"Hmm, it looks very similar." Grandma Jin smiled and shook her head. "Alright, then you should finalize it as soon as possible. I'll just tear down the rental ad right away."

"Let's keep it for now, just in case."

"It's alright." Grandma Jin tore up the rental notice quite readily, as if she was very certain that Mo Wenli would rent the shop.

We're all adults here, and he certainly understands how well she's taking care of him, but for now, he can only keep his gratitude in his heart and repay her later.

Mo Wenli walked out the door, lit another cigarette, and walked all the way to the small open space behind the fruit shop. He held the van with one hand and dialed Old Chen's number with the other.

He had also worked on construction sites before. By this time, Old Chen should have already been working for an hour. The sun was gradually rising, and it was the busiest time of the day.

The call was finally answered after three attempts. Old Chen's slightly breathless voice came through the other end: "Hello? Ali? What's wrong?"

"Hey, do you want to check out that noodle shop from last time?"

"Sigh, didn't I say I didn't have any money? Besides, I'm not very professional. Even if I run a noodle shop, I might not be able to do well. If the noodles don't taste good, no one will come."

“It’s okay, I’ll rent it and you can go work. It’s better than you going to work on a construction site, right? It’s hard work and you might not even get all the money.”

"But……"

"Forget about 'buts' and all that. How about this: I'll pay all the rent and shop decoration costs, and then you open the shop here. We'll split the profits 70/30... I'll take 60 and you take 40, how about 60/40?"

"You're being too generous."

"Why are you being so sarcastic? Do you really think it's generous, or do you think it's too little?"

"No, no, no, you're really generous. A 30/70 split will do."

"Tsk, I said 64, so it's 64. You can come and open right away. You don't have to open for business at first. I'll teach you how to make noodles first. This stuff is super simple. Back in the day, I learned how to make tofu pudding in just three days, let alone cooking noodles. Is there anything simpler than this?"

"What you're talking about is all too easy."

"You don't think I can do it, but you can't, do you?"

“…Okay, thank you very much.” Old Chen was silent for a while, then suppressed his joy and said.

“It’s no big deal. I’ll get you a stable job so I can rest easy.” Mo Wenli laughed and took a drag of his cigarette. “After all, we’ve known each other for years, haven’t we? You took good care of me when I first came to Hangzhou.”

"I didn't notice."

"So you're a good person, this is called giving without expecting anything in return."

"Okay, okay, stop praising me. I'm going back to work. If you're sure you want to open a business, contact me and I'll quit my job and come work here."

"You can start preparing in the next few days. The shop doesn't need any renovations; just buy some old tables and chairs, and it'll be done in three days."

"So fast?"

"At most a week, the sooner the better. We either don't do it, or we have to be efficient. Besides, this shop used to be a noodle shop, so we'll definitely have some repeat customers."

"I'm afraid my cooking won't taste as good as my previous boss's."

"You can rest assured about that!" Mo Wenli glanced at his phone screen. "Okay, I'm hanging up now. We'll talk about the details later!"

"Okay, thank you."

"Stop saying thank you all the time, it's so girly," Mo Wenli said with a chuckle, then hung up the phone, looked up at the sky, and began to plan his next move.

……

"My dad told me that he might be opening a noodle shop soon, and he'll rent the one in the back," Chen Cheng said with a strange expression when he came to pick up Zhuang Lianlian that evening.

"It's fine, what's wrong?"

"...My dad is not very good at cooking."

"Huh? Really...?" Zhuang Lianlian was lifted onto the electric scooter by Chen Cheng. She sat in front, while he sat in the back. When it was windy, she would lean against him and gently nudge his chin with her head.

"Yeah, so is it really possible to make it? It would be ridiculous if we ended up losing money."

"You have to trust your uncle." Zhuang Lianlian glanced at the fruit shop next door, as if she had thought of something. "Hmm... there's nothing to worry about about that."

"Forget it, let him do whatever he wants. It's his own decision anyway."

"It's okay, I can help if you really can't."

"Lianlian? Hmm... your cooking has indeed gotten better and better lately."

"Right~" Zhuang Lianlian happily rubbed Chen Cheng's cheek, "Maybe I can be the head chef?"

"You're a head chef now, so you're not working at the grocery store anymore?"

"Hmm... Uncle's shop is more important, right? Besides, it's not far away, so Grandma Jin can come over whenever she needs my help."

Chen Cheng sighed deeply and gently kissed her cheek: "It's good that you're here..."

"I was thinking of saying that too."

"So... are you planning to resign?"

"I'll talk to Grandma Jin about it later, and she'll definitely agree. Don't worry, Uncle wants to open a shop, so let's support him! Maybe he'll really become a rich man someday."

"Heh..." Chen Cheng chuckled, a mixture of anticipation and sarcasm in his voice. "Him? Give me a break."

……

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Fallen Leaves Are Like Potato Chips

Let's go back to Wednesday afternoon. School has just let out, and the school is filled with noise. People are shouting and yelling, and you can hear them clearly even in another building.

The inky black clouds in the sky seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, slowly rotating.

It's obvious that a heavy rain is about to fall.

I don't know how long this rain will last. If it lasts all night, it might be inconvenient to go home.

"Let's all go home first today!" Hua Yinyin, the team leader, stood barefoot on a chair and shouted authoritatively, "Otherwise, we won't be able to get back later, and the instruments won't be easy to protect when it rains heavily, so it's better to go back early to avoid getting them wet."

"Huh, it's unbelievable that Yin Yin said those words." Mo Xueyao said with drooping eyelids.

"What's wrong with me! I'm the captain, no matter what! You naughty little Yaoyao! You always sabotage me!" Hua Yinyin shouted angrily, her cheeks puffed out.

"Pfft, but it's definitely better to go home early today. I don't even know if my bass bag is waterproof." Wang Jiale picked up his bass bag. "Besides, it's nice to have a day off."

"Then go home early." Mr. Xue nodded. He had just entered the band room and didn't even need to pack up; he could leave right away.

"Going home! We'll have hot pot at home on a rainy day!" Mo Zhuyou was the happiest because she could go home early after school, which meant she could go to bed early tonight.

For her, who is always sleep-deprived, this is one of the happiest things.

"Okay, let's go home." The fruit shop is quite close to the school, so Mo Xueyao isn't too worried about the heavy rain. If it gets too bad, she can call her father to come pick her up. But since everyone has decided to go home early, there's no point in her staying here any longer.

"You guys go back first! I'll clean up a bit and then lock the door."

"Hmm, something seems off about Yinyin today?" Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways and muttered suspiciously, "Is she plotting something bad?"

"Hey, is that what you think of me? Okay, okay, let's go home! I'll clean up! I'm the band leader, after all, I have to take responsibility for this!"

Amidst the skeptical gazes of the crowd, she pushed them out of the classroom.

Mo Xueyao listened through the crack in the door for a while, quite disbelievingly. She heard the sound of brooms and dustpans clattering inside, which sounded like someone was really cleaning.

The group exchanged glances and could only conclude that Hua Yinyin was simply in a particularly good mood today.

Perhaps because it was about to rain heavily, the classrooms in the school were cleaning very quickly today. In just ten minutes, the entire school fell silent.

The dark clouds in the sky were still swirling, as if rain could pour down at any moment.

After cleaning, Hua Yinyin put away her tools, let out a long sigh, and sat down in a chair.

Judging from her relaxed demeanor, she didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

"Huh? Xiaoyao didn't take her keyboard..." Hua Yinyin paused for a moment, then rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window. "She'll come to get it later, right?"

Just as she was saying this, Mo Xueyao appeared at the school gate, stepping on the golden fallen leaves spread on the ground, making a crisp 'crunch crunch' sound, and panting heavily as she ran into the school.

Not long after, the door to the band room was pushed open with a thud.

"Huff...huff..." She gasped for breath, her hands resting on her knees, and glanced at Hua Yinyin, who was still in the classroom. "Yinyin, you haven't...huff...home yet?"

"Yes, I was just about to go home."

"I almost forgot to bring the electronic keyboard back with me."

"Is it alright to leave it here for the night?"

"That being said, I still feel I should take it back, just in case I need to practice with it."

"No, no, it's not Friday." Hua Yinyin waved her hand.

Mo Xueyao walked into the classroom and slung her violin bag over her shoulder: "Phew, but I'll feel more at ease taking it home... Yinyin, aren't you leaving yet? It feels like it's about to pour rain."

"Okay, I'm going to the restroom. You can go home first," Hua Yinyin said, and headed towards the restroom on the fifth floor.

Mo Xueyao felt that she seemed to be deliberately stalling for time, but she couldn't think of any reason, so she didn't ask any more questions and quickly ran out of the school.

Li Wanyan had already arrived at the store with her schoolbag, and almost instantly, as she rushed into the fruit shop, a torrent of rain poured down.

"Whew...that was close!" Mo Xueyao put the electronic keyboard on the table in the small room, then plopped down in a chair, looking completely exhausted.

Although I had to run back halfway to get it, the journey wasn't short at all.

"It's raining so hard, the temperature is going to drop a lot..." Mo Xueyao said lazily, leaning against the cardboard box behind her.

Suddenly, a street lamp lit up, and then all the lights along the street came on, illuminating the city that had entered darkness early.

Yukong High School was now enveloped in the pitch-black rainy night, with only a few classrooms and offices still lit.

Hua Yinyin was sitting in the dimly lit classroom. She took off her shoes, sat cross-legged on the chair, and stared blankly out the window.

The braids she had tied in the morning had been let down, and her smooth, long hair was once again draped over her shoulders.

When Hua Yinyin is quiet, she looks like an extremely similar pair of twin sisters.

Because the differences in their personalities are just too great.

Many people who know Hua Yinyin find it hard to believe that she can be so quiet.

The lights outside the window were reflected in her pearl-like eyes. She held a pen in her hand, pondered for a long time, and finally turned on the small desk lamp she had brought herself, and began to write on the paper.

This is writing lyrics for a song she composed. She's been putting it off lately because she hasn't been able to concentrate on writing due to various things, so she deliberately chose to stay today and start her creative work in the quiet, deserted school.

As for the heavy rain that night, it wasn't in her plans, but such a heavy rain was actually better, because it would block out more of the outside noise, allowing her to fully immerse herself in writing lyrics.