A Young Woman's Heart

Liu Xiaowei chuckled mysteriously twice: "Hehe! You guys are still too young!"

"Can't you just say what you want to say? If you keep pretending, Zhou Yong and I will crush you!" Gao Yuan said with a laugh.

"You should use the excuse that it's too late to accompany her home after school, and then leave. That way, you'll make her feel good about you."

"That makes sense?" Gao Yuan stroked his chin.

Zhou Yong glanced at Liu Xiaowei and said, "But why can't I believe what this kid is saying?"

“There are other ways to get closer to a girl!” Liu Xiaowei held up his index finger. “For example, make a bet with her, and if you lose, you have to do something, or find a reason to shake her hand or have some intimate contact with her.”

"I have a feeling that you're using this kind of dirty trick."

“Men should take the initiative. If you’re always passively waiting, what woman would like you?” Liu Xiaowei spoke with the air of an expert, “Also, don’t choose the pretty ones, because they will definitely have no shortage of suitors. But you can choose the very pretty ones—because those girls have fewer suitors, and everyone feels that they are not good enough for them. Maybe then you will have a chance.”

“Extremely beautiful, like Mo Xueyao?” Zhou Yong thought to himself, “There are quite a few average-looking girls in our class though.”

"So, we still have a good chance!" Liu Xiaowei lowered his voice. "We can first try to get closer to the girls, then chat with them often or hang out together, which will help us develop a relationship. Then we can find an opportunity to go home together, and then go out together on holidays..."

"Easier said than done." Gao Yuan nudged Liu Xiaowei. "It's not that easy to do."

"If you don't do it, how will you have a chance, right? First of all, start by buying girls drinks!"

“Uh… I don’t think even if I try to please girls, they won’t like me…” Zhou Yong scratched his head. “They might just find me annoying.”

"Or rather, it's like an ATM." Gao Yuan strongly agreed with this assessment.

"That's because you haven't investigated deeply enough! Even a stone can be smoothed out over time, let alone a person's heart! Maybe feelings will develop over time?"

“Okay, let’s give it a try!” Gao Yuan looked at Zhou Yong. “Let Zhou Yong be the first one! We’ll give you some advice.”

"What? What do you mean? It sounds like I'm being treated like a test subject!" Zhou Yong dodged to the side. "I'm not going to do anything that would be embarrassing."

"It's alright, it's alright. You've embarrassed yourself plenty of times too, you'll get used to it," Liu Xiaowei comforted Zhou Yong, making him both amused and exasperated.

"Let Gao Yuan go. That kid is rich, much better than us!"

"How about you, Gao Yuan? Have you got your eye on any girl? We can give you some advice. As the saying goes—"

Zhou Yong continued Liu Xiaowei's words: "Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang!"

As for which character "皮" it was, the three of them didn't have the cultural knowledge to argue about it at that point.

"Then... shall I?" Gao Yuan was actually a little eager to try.

"Quick, pick one, who do you like in our class?" Liu Xiaowei immediately got into the zone.

"Is Mo Xueyao any good?"

"Starting with something too difficult? Let's try something else!"

"Uh... damn it, what exactly constitutes 'low difficulty'?" Gao Yuan asked irritably.

"Uh... Tian Xinnan?" Zhou Yong asked uncertainly.

"I'd rather die than look for her!"

"Of course not that kind..."

"Gao Yuan, how is Xuan Anyi?"

"Aunt?"

"correct."

"...Uh...it seems like that works too?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yong couldn't help but pat Gao Yuan on the shoulder: "Not bad, you have quite a wide range of interests, you're into any girl?"

"Isn't this just something to give it a try? Damn!"

"Then let's go find Aunt Xuan first!"

Xuan Anyi is called "Auntie" mainly because her name sounds very similar to Xuan Anyi's.

Moreover, she herself has a very mature, older woman vibe, seemingly much more mature than high school students. When she's not wearing her school uniform, she even looks more like a teacher than Ye Wen and the others.

What should I do?

"To deal with someone as mature and composed as Xuan Anyi, just rush over, grab her hand, and pull her along. That'll get her excited!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, this seems completely different from what we were saying earlier!?"

"Of course, advice varies from person to person," Liu Xiaowei replied matter-of-factly, pushing Gao Yuan next to Xuan Anyi. "Go for it, Gao Yuan! We'll handle the rest!"

"Depend on--!"

At this moment, Xuan Anyi had already noticed them.

She was standing alone outside the iron fence of the basketball court, and it seemed she had been watching the boys play basketball.

"cough……"

Seeing that he had been noticed, Gao Yuan gritted his teeth and, thankfully, was not swayed by Liu Xiaowei, a fool. Instead, he stepped forward in a gentlemanly manner and asked, "Uh, Auntie, can I hold your hand?"

"Is there something you need?" Xuan Anyi asked, extending her hand in confusion.

"Can you run with me?"

"What's wrong... is something the matter?"

"Let's run first!" Gao Yuan then grabbed Xuan Anyi's wrist and started running on the playground.

To be honest, his chubby body couldn't run fast at all, so much so that even girls could easily keep up with him.

"Huff..." And after running for a short while, this guy was too tired to run anymore and stopped panting heavily.

"So, what exactly happened?"

"Uh... well... I lost the bet!" That was the only explanation Gao Yuan could give.

"I thought it would be like this." Xuan Anyi smiled. "Alright, everything should be fine now, right?"

"Uh... wait!" Gao Yuan didn't let go. "Um, Auntie! Can you teach me how to pursue girls?"

As soon as he said those words, he couldn't help but want to slap himself twice.

What kind of nonsense is this? It's not like I'm chatting with my best friend!

Xuan Anyi looked him up and down very seriously: "Hmm, do you want me to teach you?"

"Oh? Really? Okay!"

Would you confess your feelings?

"Yes."

"Tell me about it?"

"Uh...should we say it here?" Gao Yuan asked, a little embarrassed.

"Hmm, shall we give it a try?"

"Ah... well... hello, I'm Gao Yuan..."

"That doesn't seem right."

"Should we get straight to the point?"

“Yes.” Xuan Anyi nodded, then quietly walked behind Gao Yuan, who was keeping his head down and didn’t notice her at all.

"I... like you!" He finally made up his mind and shouted. Ye Ran, who was standing not far in front of him, turned around. There was no one between them, and they bumped into each other.

"What are you doing, kid?" Ye Ran looked at him, puzzled. "Even if you can't find a girlfriend, there's no need to give up on yourself, right?"

"Ah, teacher, I didn't mean it..." Gao Yuan was about to explain when he realized that Ye Ran's gaze wasn't on him, but on a spot not far in front of him—where a black cat was taking a nap.

"what!"

Since then, a rumor has circulated: Gao Yuan has even slept with cats...

……

Chapter 139 Death

The starlight shone on Mo Xueyao's face. In the fruit shop, her mother was clearing away the dishes. Mo Xueyao sat in a rocking chair, holding Su Tang, swaying back and forth as she watched the passersby.

A doctor, who was off work so late, came over, bought a bunch of bananas, and then rode his somewhat old Phoenix bicycle home.

Everyone has their own life, and everyone is the protagonist of their own world while they are alive.

Mo Xueyao narrowed her eyes as Li Wanyan handed her a peeled banana.

These are bananas that are already overripe. Generally, not many people buy them, so they often dispose of them themselves to avoid waste.

As the number of customers gradually decreased and it approached nine o'clock, my father began to pack up, preparing to close the shop later.

His brick-like phone rang, and it took five or six seconds to be answered.

"Hello? Dad?"

"……OK."

The father's expression wasn't particularly grave, but it seemed he hadn't received good news either. He sighed, then smiled and said, "Alas, everyone eventually dies."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up so late at night?" Mo Xueyao shook her chair back forcefully and asked, puzzled.

"Your great-grandfather..."

"Her great-grandfather...is gone?" The mother seemed to have guessed something.

The father smiled with a furrowed brow: "Sigh, yes, he's gone, but it's alright, at least he lived for a whole century."

"Fortunately... it was a happy funeral."

“Yes…” The father was still smiling, but his tone was melancholy. “Alas, we all try not to think about this, but many things are still unavoidable. What’s meant to come will come.”

"So what are your family's plans? To bury him in Russia or to bury him there?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll call my mom and ask." The father dialed the number again, and the dial tone seemed to last forever, as if an eternity had passed before the call was finally answered. His expression was somewhat dazed, yet also slightly delighted. "Mom?"

Compared to Grandpa Mo Xueyao's low spirits, Grandma was calmer. She answered some of Mo Wenli's questions, and the conversation ended with the mother and son telling each other to take care of themselves.

“My grandfather passed away peacefully in his armchair, smiling. He didn’t seem to be in any pain. We only found out when we went to check on him that evening,” the father explained to Mo Xueyao and the others.