A Young Woman's Heart

"Phew...it's finally warming up." She stretched comfortably, took off her down jacket that was hindering her movement and tossed it onto the back of the chair. Her shoes, which were soaked with snow water, were placed near the air vent so that the heater could slowly dry them.

"The inside and outside of the house are completely two different worlds." Hua Yinyin also became quiet for once, took off her shoes and sat by the window, leisurely swinging her legs.

"Why did my great-grandfather come to China when he was young?" Mo Xueyao saw the instant noodles and various snacks in the cupboard, but she didn't take them because she knew that eating them would cost money.

"My dad said that at that time, he didn't have too many expectations. It was just like brothers helping each other... The ultimate goal was to truly realize socialism in the world, right?"

"Hmm... I know why I stayed in China later. It seems that it had become Soviet revisionism and deviated from the original path."

"If only all countries and all people in the world could help each other," Hua Yinyin said, resting her chin on the windowsill and watching the snowflakes fall outside. "Why must there be so much conflict?"

"Then we can only hope for world unification..."

"Oh, right!" Hua Yinyin suddenly jumped off the chair. "Little Yaoyao, let's go shopping!"

"What's the point of shopping in this cold weather..."

"Come on, come on, I'll go to the arcade with you if necessary."

“The arcade… um…” Mo Xueyao hesitated for a moment, “Let’s go after my shoes are dry.”

"Let's play some other games first!"

"Uh... what game?"

"For example... a game where you fight without clothes?"

"Hey!" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "Go play by yourself if you want!"

More than half an hour later, Mo Xueyao's shoes were dry, and she was sweating from the heat. It was perfect time to go outside and cool off.

The streets were deserted everywhere. I don't know if it's like this in the city center, but although the shops were all open, it always felt like there was hardly any business coming in.

This made Mo Xueyao curious about how they managed to make a living...

The shops here seem to be more spacious than those in the south, but this also makes them feel somewhat empty.

At the entrance of an arcade, an old man sat in front of a tricycle selling oden, which was steaming hot.

On the plane, Mo Xueyao felt a little dizzy, so she didn't eat the airplane meal. After resting for so long, she started to feel hungry.

"Boss, how much is one skewer of these?"

"One cent a string."

"So cheap?" Hua Yinyin's eyes widened in surprise.

The old man, dressed in thin clothes but not looking cold, smiled smugly: "Little girl, you're from the south, aren't you?"

Yes, that's right.

"The food here isn't as expensive as where you are," the old man laughed heartily. "Haha, take whatever you like, eat until you're full!"

In Mo Xueyao's memory, oden, which cost one cent a skewer, seemed to be something from her elementary school days.

The cheapest oden in Hangzhou now starts at 30 cents a skewer, with most starting at 50 cents, and the portion size is far less than what you see here.

Whether it's meatballs or tempura... they're all quite large and look very plump.

Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin each picked ten skewers, spending only two yuan in total.

Instead of disposable cups, the oden was served in a large paper bowl filled with soup, so much so that Mo Xueyao didn't dare to walk too fast, for fear that the soup would spill out.

"Is this enough?" the old man asked earnestly.

"That's enough, that's enough."

"Come buy more if you're still not full!"

"Yes, I'll definitely come..."

In fact, Mo Xueyao had some doubts about whether she could finish all ten skewers.

The two of them carried the cheap and delicious oden into the arcade.

This place looks like an old factory building; it hasn't been renovated at all, and the floor is all cement. It seems like they just moved the game consoles in.

"Boss, how much is one game coin?"

"Twenty for one yuan." The shopkeeper raised his eyelids and stared into Mo Xueyao's eyes for a few moments. "Are you of Russian ethnicity?"

"Huh? More or less..."

"Hehe, me too." The shop owner, who was wearing a hat and had been keeping his head slightly down, looked up. He spoke fluent Northern Mandarin, but had a Russian face. "How much do you want to exchange?"

"Then... shall we get a five-yuan note first?"

The boss was generous and gave her two hundred game coins: "Go on, have fun!"

"Um... thank you..."

There were quite a few people in the arcade, including many junior high school students and even elementary school students.

Different machines require different numbers of game coins; the highest number requires five coins at a time.

"Little Yaoyao, let's play the claw machine!"

"Ugh, I want to play King of Fighters." Mo Xueyao broke free from her grasp. "Let's each play our own games!"

"No, no, I want to play with Yao Yao!"

"Oh? Come on then, but don't say I tortured you later." Mo Xueyao tilted her head up. "My skills are no joke."

"Tch, come on, today I'm going to deflate your arrogance!"

With so many game tokens, the two of them had a great time and spent almost the entire afternoon there. The ample heating made them even forget that they were in the north.

The game coins were not used up in the end, and it was already getting dark.

Mo Xueyao returned the rest to the boss, and then went back to her room with Hua Yinyin.

"Hmm, that was so much fun..." Mo Xueyao lay on the bed in a starfish shape and stretched comfortably.

"Beep beep beep..." Hua Yinyin's phone rang at this moment.

"Hello? Dad? Oh... um? Okay, I know, you've got money, sure, umm, I know, I know~"

"What's wrong?" Mo Xueyao, still lying in bed, tilted her head and asked Hua Yinyin.

“It’s nothing. My dad said that the adults have to keep vigil, so we should go out for dinner and go to bed early. We have to get up at five o’clock tomorrow.”

"So early?"

"Yes, after all, it's a burial, so it's probably better to do it sooner rather than later. I'm not really sure."

"Let's go have dinner later, then you can go to sleep. Go to bed at eight o'clock, so you can sleep a little longer..."

"You can't possibly fall asleep that early, can you?"

"Let's go to sleep first," Mo Xueyao said, leaning against the window and looking at the slightly busier street below. "Shall we go get some noodles?"

"Why eat noodles? Let's go out to a restaurant! My dad will cover the expenses anyway!"

"Don't waste money..."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's perfect timing to enjoy some delicious food from Northeast China!"

"Isn't most of the food in Northeast China noodle dishes...?"

"They also have delicious Northeastern Chinese food, how about trying that... um, candied sweet potato!"

"I think I've eaten this before?"

"The ones from the South aren't as authentic as the ones here." Hua Yinyin hugged Mo Xueyao's arm. "Let's go, let's go, little Yaoyao!"

So, the two of them, who had just returned to their room, put on their coats and went out again.

For the adults, this visit was a somber and serious affair.

But the children were not affected; for them, it was more like a legitimate out-of-province trip without having to attend classes.

……

Chapter 146 It's Summer Inside the Room

"Pfft, Hua-Yin-Yin! Don't come any closer!"

"Hehehe~"

"It's so itchy, hahaha..."

In the spacious bathroom, even loud laughter echoes.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Mo Xueyao rushed out naked, quickly disappearing into her bed.

"Oh dear, Xiao Yaoyao isn't dry yet!"

"It's all your fault!" Mo Xueyao shouted irritably, "Who told you to make such a ruckus!"

"I was just wiping it for you~"

"It's not like I don't know how to clean it myself!"

Mo Xueyao's eyes darted around, and she suddenly ran to the bathroom door, locked it from the outside with her key, and then quickly put on her clothes.

Hua Yinyin tried opening the door several times before finally managing to get it open. When she saw that the woman was already dressed, she looked disappointed.

"What's wrong with you? Can't you just look at yourself?" Mo Xueyao muttered, her eyelids drooping.

"Hmph, little Yaoyao, you can't escape!" Hua Yinyin had no intention of letting her go. She pounced over, hugged her face and rubbed it against her, while her legs clamped around Yaoyao's right leg and rubbed against her as well.

It's like a kitten that hasn't been weaned yet.

Of course, this guy is way more outrageous than a kitten...

The snow outside Changchun has not stopped.

The room was warm, like summer.

The two wet girls rubbed against each other for a short while until they were dry. Mo Xueyao's hair hadn't been dried yet, but it was already dry to the touch.

After playing around for a while, both of them were sweating. Mo Xueyao was only wearing a tank top and briefs, and she didn't feel cold at all.

It was as if the inside and outside of the house were two different worlds.