A Young Woman's Heart

"Damn it, get lost! You're just as disgusting as Gao Yuan."

"You're really biting the hand that feeds you! Well then, you can leave by yourself."

"Wait, let's go together!"

"Tch—you little brat." Zhou Yong shook his head, which drew laughter from the others.

"Chen Cheng, let's walk home together after school." The man in vest caught up with Chen Cheng as he walked out of the classroom, nudged his arm, and whispered, "Did you bring any cigarettes?"

"I brought it, so what?"

"Go get a smoke."

"I'll smoke it when I get home."

"Damn, living alone is so great! I can even come home and smoke like a maniac." The man with the vest shook his head dejectedly. "Hey, how are things going with you and your girlfriend?"

"Great."

"Is it okay for a disabled person to be in this situation?"

"So what if someone is disabled?" Chen Cheng glared at him. "You discriminate against disabled people?"

"No, no, I'm just curious if it might be inconvenient when we're doing 'that'."

"...Stop thinking about these kinds of things, don't be so filthy."

"Oh my, it's unbelievable to hear you say that! A prodigal son returning home?"

"When have I ever been a prodigal son?"

"You really think I don't know that I had a few girlfriends in junior high?"

"You found out again," Chen Cheng chuckled. "I'm leaving."

"You came by electric scooter today?"

"correct."

"Hey, give me a ride."

"My seat is now reserved for my girlfriend."

"It's okay, it's okay, just pretend I'm your girlfriend now!"

"..."

Today, all the cleaning staff are girls, so Li Wanyan doesn't need to supervise them much; Ye Banxia can arrange the work herself.

The boys are the ones she needs to supervise.

As a transfer student, Mika Tongjue was also assigned a job just like everyone else. It was actually quite simple: after finishing her shift, she just had to take out the trash.

Huang Yuxi, who was sitting next to her, was worried that she wouldn't be able to do the job, so she stayed behind to keep her company.

"Xiao Xi and Sanhua Tongjue seem to have a very good relationship...?" Mo Xueyao whispered to Mo Zhuyou.

"Uh-huh!"

"Huh? Really... What a pity..." Hua Yinyin dejectedly wiped the blackboard again with a damp cloth. "I thought he could be with his brother~"

"Hey, don't think strange things." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes at her. "In reality, how could a younger brother fall in love with an older brother? Xiao Xi's feelings for his older brother are just dependence, it has nothing to do with love."

"Oh, really? I have a feeling that Xiaoxi might be bisexual?"

"What's the basis for this?"

"A woman's intuition, hehe."

"Straight my foot!" Mo Xueyao tapped her on the head. "It's not even wiped clean yet."

"I can't reach it!"

"Xiaoyao, have you finished cleaning the windowsill?" Ye Banxia called out from the back of the classroom.

"Not yet—we're just about to start. By the way, our class's rags are so dirty, ugh—sticky and disgusting."

"Isn't this how the rags from which class are used for a long time?" Mo Zhuyou said, as if she was used to it. "Someone will definitely not clean the windowsill properly after wiping it, and then they will all turn into the same color."

"Is this kind of rag really effective for wiping windowsills...?"

"Never mind whether it works or not, just wipe it first, hurry up and get it done so we can get to the band room!" Hua Yinyin shouted.

"Yinyin and Xiaoyao, wipe everyone's desks today. Use this new rag, because the student council will be coming to inspect later."

"The student council...it feels like our school's student council doesn't have much of a presence," Mo Zhuyou remarked with a sigh.

"I guess we'll only run into them during inspections." Mo Xueyao knelt on Du Qicai's table and began wiping the windows.

The job of cleaning the windowsill naturally includes cleaning the windows as well.

There were still quite a few students in the classroom. Some planned to finish the last bit of homework before going home, while others were simply procrastinators, chatting and packing their bags at the same time. Sometimes, the students on duty would finish cleaning before they had even finished packing their bags.

"Xiao Ji, Xiao Ji." At the classroom door, Zheng Qiang, who was still in the last class this semester, called out a few times in a low voice.

"Hmm, what for?" Duanmu Ji packed his schoolbag and stood up. After school, he planned to help out at the fried chicken shop his sister ran.

"Come on, shall we go fight?"

"Fight?" Duanmu Ji frowned. "Why would we need to fight?"

"Sigh, I got into a conflict with people from other schools before, and then I impulsively arranged a fight. Can you come and support me? Don't worry, there are other people too. If there are enough people, the other side might not dare to fight and will run away."

Which school?

“Those guys from the vocational school next door, they’re all incredibly arrogant. They often bully our students when they pass by our school gate. I can’t stand it. If you’re a man, come with me and fight them!”

High school is a time when hormones are at their peak.

Especially among the boys, some of the more active ones are always looking for excuses to fight. Don't be fooled by Zheng Qiang's seemingly high-sounding words; who knows what he's been insulted about that led him to deliberately find a reason to get into a fight?

"Okay, let's go together." After all, he's my friend, so I should give him that much face.

"Haha, I knew you'd help. You're so loyal. Let's go call the others."

"...So you still don't know how many people will be coming?"

"Don't worry, I've already asked the others beforehand. We're just calling them to gather together. The location is the urban village next to the school."

"Wasn't that place already demolished?"

"Yeah, it's almost all demolished. Now some parts are under construction, and some parts are empty, perfect for a fight! You can bring your own bricks and steel bars, just don't kill anyone."

"I can't stop myself when I'm fighting," Duanmu Ji said seriously.

"It's okay, go for it! Anyway, your fighting skills are only so-so, you might get beaten up if you don't go all out!"

"..." Duanmu Ji's expression wasn't very pleasant. He looked away and changed the subject, "So where should we go first?"

“Five guys from Class 7 are willing to come, and a few others were assigned to other classes this semester. Let’s go first. Class 6, Class 5, and Class 4, oh, and one more from Class 3!”

"Let's go."

……

Chapter 43 Wang Jiale and Mr. Xue's Solitude

"Dong—dong—dong—" The heavy chimes rang out, and the school clock tower, which had been out of service for a year, finally resumed operation today.

The weather forecast said today would be sunny, but it rained several times in a row. Although the dark clouds had dispersed by dusk, the setting sun was still obscured by the clouds, with only a small part of its 'forehead' showing.

Perhaps it was because of the rain, but the evening sunset looked particularly dim, like an oil lamp about to go out.

"Xiaoxue~ how about another cup of ginger tea?" Wang Jiale pressed her face against the table. After a day of classes, she really didn't want to move when she first arrived at the band room.

"Okay." Mr. Xue stood up leisurely. Actually, he was just pouring some water into the teapot that still contained ginger. There was definitely not enough brown sugar, but it would still be drinkable, although it would definitely be very spicy.

The new electric kettle boils water quite quickly; in just a few minutes, Wang Jiale had already picked up a cup of warm ginger tea.

"It would be nice to have a thermos, so I could save some for Xiaoyao. But it won't get cold in such a short time, will it?" Wang Jiale knew that Mo Xueyao was on her period. After all, they were girls, and she was also a bit gossipy, so it was normal for her to ask a few questions.

"No, it's not particularly cold today." Mr. Xue smiled as he took out his homework and placed it on the table, intending to finish the remaining assignments during his free time.

"How much has Xiaoxue written?"

"There's one history assignment left."

"Oh~ homework for the last class." Wang Jiale also took out her history homework. "Anyway, they haven't arrived yet, so I'll do some too."

"Is history all you have left?"

"You didn't do your Chinese copying or math homework." Wang Jiale crushed a packet of instant noodles, then opened it up completely, letting the packaging lie underneath like a piece of paper. "Xiaoxue, help yourself if you want some."

“Okay.” Mr. Xue didn’t stand on ceremony. He grabbed a handful with his left hand and ate it slowly, while his right hand kept writing on his workbook.

"Don't you need to read a book?"

"Do it yourself first, then check the book to see what you've got."

"Doing homework every day feels like taking an exam...?"

"Hehe, I'm used to it."

"If I can't read, I'm afraid I'll be even slower at doing my homework." Wang Jiale grabbed a large piece of instant noodles, took a bite, and slowly pulled out her history textbook. But after finishing the noodles, she changed her mind. "Never mind, I'll do my Chinese homework first. There's only half left. I'll copy it down first..."

Mr. Xue responded with a smile, his attention still focused on the workbook in front of him.

This made Wang Jiale suddenly miss Hua Yinyin. Whenever she was there, the band room would be very lively.

It wouldn't be as quiet as it is now.

Sometimes, when it's too quiet, it seems like I can't calm down.

Even when copying homework, she would occasionally drift off into thought. After finally finishing copying, she would put the other homework books into her schoolbag and lean back in her chair, thinking, "The others should be here by now, right?"

"Almost done." Mr. Xue glanced at the time. "I'm almost finished writing too."

"So fast?"

"Hmm." As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Xue put down his pen, opened his textbook, and started comparing his work, as if he had just finished an exam and was grading his own work.

"Phew, I think I'll take a break." Compared to doing homework, Wang Jiale would rather play the bass for a while. After not playing it for several years, the novelty seemed to have returned. Moreover, her music theory knowledge was much richer than before. The more she played the bass, the more she seemed to like the instrument, especially its deep and mellow sound, which was irresistible.

However, it still can't compare to Mr. Xue's bamboo flute and suona, especially the suona. When it plays, the sounds of other instruments are almost inaudible, except for the drum set.