A Young Woman's Heart

She could only endure the pain in her palms and old wounds, and kept walking forward until she finally arrived at the school gate.

"Phew..." Zhuang Lianlian breathed a sigh of relief. She saw Chen Cheng standing next to the gatehouse, sheltering from the rain, with a few boys who were on good terms with him chatting with him. She licked her lips, tried to walk steadily, and came to him. "Chen Cheng."

"Lianlian? Why are you here? Did my dad send you? What's he doing here?" Chen Cheng asked, somewhat angrily.

"No, no... Uncle didn't send me, I wanted to come and pick you up myself..." Zhuang Lianlian lowered her head shyly. "Um, shall we... go home together?"

"Why are you out in the rain?" Chen Cheng patted her head and asked helplessly, "Is your leg alright?"

"It's...it's alright..."

"What do you mean 'not bad'?" Chen Cheng pulled him to the other side of the guard room, away from the boys he had just been chatting with. "Your right leg was shaking, and you call that 'not bad'?"

"well enough……"

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Cheng gently pressed down on her right thigh.

"Ouch!" Zhuang Lianlian's face scrunched up in pain, but she still instinctively covered her mouth.

"Don't do that again next time." He shook his head. "I told you not to go out casually. If you want to go out, I'll pick you up on my electric scooter. When the weather is nice, we can walk around. Why are you walking in this heavy rain? Don't you like listening to me?"

"No..." Zhuang Lianlian grabbed Chen Cheng's arm, swaying her body coquettishly, "I just wanted to pick you up..."

"Chen Cheng, is this your girlfriend?" a chubby boy shouted.

"correct."

"Hehe, you're not bad, kid."

"Tsk tsk, your girlfriend is pretty, and she's so considerate to you. She even brought you an umbrella on a rainy day. I asked my sister to pick me up, but she wouldn't come!"

Chen Cheng smiled smugly, then suddenly picked Zhuang Lianlian up in his arms. The latter gasped and hugged his neck tightly.

"I'll carry you on the way back," Chen Cheng whispered in her ear.

"Huh? Can I... can I hug you...?"

"Don't worry about that. Hmm... have you gained weight recently? You seem a bit heavier."

"I haven't gained weight!" Zhuang Lianlian exclaimed in panic, then lowered her voice, "I've only gained a tiny bit..."

"Haha, it's probably because the prosthetic leg is heavy," Chen Cheng chuckled softly. "So, the job of holding the umbrella is yours?"

"Mmm!" Zhuang Lianlian quickly raised the long-handled black umbrella, its wide canopy perfectly covering the two of them.

"Damn, Chen Cheng, you're so romantic."

"Tsk tsk, so romantic, let's see how long this kid can hold on."

"Don't even mention it, guys in the throes of new love have boundless energy, okay?"

"Ha ha--"

The boys made some good-natured jokes, then looked at each other and laughed.

Soon, their laughter faded into the distance, as Chen Cheng carried her toward the noodle shop, leaving the school far behind.

She gazed at him, and he looked at her; they both seemed to cherish each other like precious treasures.

Chen Cheng suddenly felt a pang of guilt for his own sins. Even a man as dissolute as him was worthy of true love.

"Pfft." Zhuang Lianlian suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. "What are you doing? Why are you staring at me?"

"It's not pretty, why would I look at it for so long?" Chen Cheng retorted, then quickly reminded her, "The umbrella is tilted."

"Um..."

Just as Zhuang Lianlian was about to say something, Chen Cheng suddenly stumbled, and the two of them almost fell to the ground together.

"Watch where you're going!"

"I'm watching, you're watching too."

"Pfft... Hmm, then, pay more attention to where you're going."

"okay."

"Should I get off and walk by myself?"

"No, what if your wound reopens?"

"No, it's not... it's been healed for a long time."

"I said no, and that's final. Just listen to me," Chen Cheng said firmly, his steps still resolute. He would stop from time to time to lift Zhuang Lianlian up a little higher, because after holding her for a while, his arms would become increasingly difficult to raise.

The noodle shop finally came into view, and Chen Cheng quickened his pace, carrying Zhuang Lianlian into the noodle shop.

Old Chen, who was cooking noodles in the kitchen, glanced at the two of them, then chuckled and teased, "Oh, you walked over but carried them back, how romantic!"

"Dad, I'm hungry. Quickly cook some noodles." Chen Cheng gently placed Zhuang Lianlian on the chair and let out a long sigh.

"Can't you be a little nicer to your dad?" Old Chen teased.

"Then what do you want?" Chen Cheng frowned.

"Haha, never mind, I see now, you're just like this!" Old Chen said irritably as he brought out the noodles and placed them in front of the guests. "What kind of noodles would you two like?"

"Lianlian, please order for me."

"Okay, then let's have pork kidney noodles... Shall I cook them?"

"No need, you sit down," the father and son said in unison.

And those two guests were Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan, who had come to eat noodles.

The two of them sat in the far corner, watching with great interest the sweet look on Chen Cheng and Zhuang Lianlian's faces.

The romantic atmosphere in the air seemed to make the noodles in the bowl taste even sweeter.

……

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Are you feeling bored with your daily routine lately?

1. Daily life is mundane and lacks a clear main storyline. The only main storyline in daily life is the gradual growth of the various characters.

2. Too little screen time for the main character? Because the book is so long, it's impossible to write about the main character entirely. Also, this book is a pseudo-ensemble piece; the "girl's heart" isn't just Mo Xueyao's. Other girls also have their own "girl's heart." Finally, some people say that the main character isn't seen in several chapters, which is nonsense. At most, it's just that Mo Xueyao isn't a major character driving the plot in several chapters.

3. Although the overall main plot is vague, each stage has its own main plot, and many different stories happen every month. Thinking about it carefully, did I really write a lot of repetitive plots? It's annoying that people keep saying it's filler.

4. Does the main plot only exist when the protagonist falls in love with someone? Can't other characters fall in love? Can't the protagonist experience family or friendship? Is romance all you can think about? There's no romance element listed in this book's tags.

5. If you're still bored, that's fine too. I can write something interesting for you. First, let's have someone die to liven things up.

Chapter Ninety-Three: The Cat Seeking Shelter from the Rain

Sunday, July 8, 2000.

Today is a continuation of the National Day holiday, and the rain from yesterday has continued into today. Although it has lessened a bit, it still hasn't stopped.

Fortunately, Mo Xueyao had no intention of going out today. She had spent the night at the fruit shop yesterday, and naturally, she would stay there as well.

The drizzling rain was like a wall, making her lose all interest in even stepping out of the shop. So she simply used cardboard boxes to create a circle around herself, as if she had created a private space, and leisurely started reading a novel inside—the one Li Wanyan had just finished reading, "Cat City".

Although I don't like this kind of pseudo-science fiction, it's fine to use it to pass the time.

Su Tang lay on the cardboard box in front of her, and Mo Xueyao simply used it as a cushion to put her books on, turning the pages with one hand and stroking its cat head with the other.

Li Wanyan made a fruit platter with the salad dressing she bought and placed it in front of her.

Su Tang obediently looked at the food on the plate and didn't move.

Domestic cats are always very smart. They know the difference between themselves and their owners, and they will not touch any plates placed on high places.

Because it's for humans to eat, not for it.

Besides, it prefers to eat meat and has no interest in fruit platters.

"Xiaoyao, Wanyan, we're heading out now. You two are in charge of minding the shop. If anyone wants to buy fruit baskets, tell them to buy ready-made ones. The red baskets are all eighty yuan, the purple baskets are all one hundred and twenty yuan, and the small baskets at the bottom are all fifty yuan." The father said, puffing on a newly lit cigarette. "If anyone wants them made to order, tell them they can only come tomorrow, or you can tell them to go to Old Lu's fruit shop upstairs."

"Do you all really have to go out together?"

"There's nothing I can do, it just so happens that your mother and I are separated today."

"What exactly happened?"

"Your mother is going to someone else's wedding, while I'm going to take care of some business matters and treat someone to a meal."

Why do you two always have to be together?

"It was all arranged a long time ago. The problem is your mom. Who knew her relative was getting married today?"

"What do you mean? Are you blaming me now?" His mother glared at him, annoyed.

"Ugh, it's my fault, it's my fault, okay?"

"What you're saying means you blame me."

"Alright, alright... Let's go... Let's not waste any more time." The father had no choice but to admit defeat, changing the subject as he pulled the mother's arm and led her outside.

"You two take good care of the shop. If you really can't remember how much it costs, just call us. You generally know the prices of the fruits that sell well, and the ones that don't sell well usually have price tags. There are also special offers, which are sold at the price tags..." the mother instructed somewhat naggingly.

"Okay—" Mo Xueyao drawled, sounding impatient.

"Let's go, let's go. You're all grown up now, what's there to worry about? When I was your age, I was already running my own business." The father pushed the mother out of the shop, and a little while later, the van slowly drove out of the alley and left the street.

Mo Xueyao wasn't too worried, since Li Wanyan was there, and most of the time she could just sit and read.

This is probably one of the advantages of having siblings; at least you don't have to do everything yourself, and if others are more diligent, you can even slack off a bit...

There were hardly any pedestrians on the streets, let alone any customers.

For a long time after my parents left, the fruit shop was quiet, as if the whole city was asleep in the rain.

Mo Xueyao rested her chin on one hand and played with the tail of the sugar candy with the other, her attention completely focused on the novel in front of her.

"Da da da—"

Footsteps sounded on the steps, and a man in a suit walked in, shook his wet umbrella, and put it aside.

How much are the fruit baskets?

"The boss isn't here, so we can't make it to order. We only have what's ready-made." Li Wanyan greeted them, her tone calm but not cold, so no one felt uncomfortable.