A Young Woman's Heart

In her opinion, all breads taste pretty much the same. Many of those bakeries decorated like cafes have inflated prices that have nothing to do with the food itself.

A pretty young girl with wet hair and clothes stood under the eaves in front of the bakery. Mo Xueyao recognized her immediately because of her familiar bun hairstyle.

"Huh, Yu Shu?"

"Um... Haruka..."

What are you doing here?

"Wait, wait for the rain to stop..." Yu Shu was shivering from the cold and could only try to get closer to the bakery, because it was warm enough inside.

Why didn't you bring an umbrella?

“When I came out… it hadn’t rained yet…” Yu Shu’s lips were a little purple. Mo Xueyao glanced at her restless little hands and reached out her own.

Are your hands cold?

"Mmm..." Yu Shu shyly placed her small hand in Mo Xueyao's palm, "Xiaoyao's hand is so warm..."

"Of course." Although Mo Xueyao herself was also afraid of the cold, her hidden male pride made her have to tough it out. "This kind of weather isn't that cold for me!"

"Hoo..." Yu Shu blushed and clenched both of her hands tightly, trying to warm herself up a little.

"I'll hold the umbrella for you, shall we go back together?"

"Ah."

Seeing that she nodded, Mo Xueyao turned to look at the boss who was busy in front of the stove.

He's still baking bread in a rather primitive oven, while some bakeries have already started using electric ovens.

However, a stove also has its advantages; at least it keeps you warm in winter.

Mo Xueyao subconsciously leaned forward and stared at the bread displayed in front of the shop.

"Buy bread? What kind of bread do you want? Do you prefer savory or sweet?"

"Either is fine." Mo Xueyao's gaze quickly fell on the pork floss bread. "How much is this pork floss bread?"

"One dollar and fifty cents each."

The price wasn't expensive, because the bread was not only large, but also covered with plenty of pork floss. Just looking at it made Mo Xueyao's mouth water.

"Hmm... do I need to buy twenty yuan's worth of goods to get the gift?"

"It's okay, if you buy ten yuan's worth, I can give you a baguette for free, it's freshly baked, but you'll have to wait a little while."

"Okay! Then I'll have seven pork floss buns! How long will these last?"

"In this weather, it's about the same whether you put it in the refrigerator or outside. It can usually last for about three days. If it lasts longer, even if it doesn't spoil, it won't taste good."

"Three days... um, about right." Mo Xueyao estimated that if she ate one every morning and brought one to school, she could eat six in three days, and she could also share the extras with Li Wanyan!

"Wait a moment, I'll pack it up for you when it's done baking." Only the owner was working in the shop, and although there weren't many customers, it looked quite busy.

"Yu Shu, what are you doing out here?"

"I want to go to the stationery store to buy some stationery; we're almost out of pens at home," Yu Shu said softly. "Xiao Yao, do you want some? I've bought a lot."

As she spoke, she shook the plastic bag she was carrying in her left hand, which contained several boxes of pens and stationery such as correction tape and correction fluid.

"You bought so much... You probably won't even use it all in a year, right?"

"Hmm...it should be about right, right?"

"What's that?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously, pointing to the plush bear in the bag. "Is it stationery too?"

"No, no... that, that was... um..." Yu Shu seemed a little embarrassed, "I got it from the claw machine at the supermarket entrance."

"Pfft, you still love plush toys so much, even though you have so many at home."

"Hmm..." Yu Shu lowered her head, holding the bag in both hands, and swayed her body somewhat shyly.

"Here you go, little girl, here's your bread." The shopkeeper said, handing her a bag of pork floss bread, along with a French baguette in a long paper bag.

It's fresh out of the oven, and it's still a bit hot even through the thick cardboard, but it feels quite comfortable to hold it outdoors in the rain.

Mo Xueyao glanced at Yu Shu and handed her the baguette: "Want to hold this?"

"Huh?" Yu Shu didn't react at first, but she still took the bread blankly. Her purplish lips and face seemed to turn rosy all of a sudden.

"How about it?"

"Mmm...it's so warm."

"Right?" Mo Xueyao took the pencil case from her hand. "I'll carry it for you, you can just hold the bread."

"Won't it...get wet? My clothes...are wet..."

"Oh, it's alright, it doesn't matter if it gets wet, it's just a free gift anyway." Mo Xueyao said casually, ignoring the shopkeeper standing right next to her, and then opened the tattered umbrella again. "Let's go, come closer, this umbrella is a bit small."

"Um……"

Holding the baguette, she was initially too shy to get too close to Mo Xueyao, but after walking for a while, her head was almost resting on Mo Xueyao's chest.

"Hey, Yu Shu, you're blocking my way! Don't walk like that!" Mo Xueyao said helplessly.

"Ugh..." Her pretty face flushed red, and she lowered her head, taking a step to the side like a scolded child.

"You don't need to walk that far, the rain will get on you." Mo Xueyao helplessly tilted the umbrella to cover Yu Shu, who was much shorter than her, so that she wouldn't have to worry about getting wet—except that her own shoulders would get wet.

But since she was already close to home, she didn't care about anything else.

The two went up to the sixth floor together. Mo Xueyao returned the pencil case to her and then took out her key to open the door.

"what……"

"what happened?"

"Mmm..."

"Hey Yu Shu, since you went out this morning, why didn't you take the trash out in front of your house with you?"

"Um... I... I forgot..."

“Okay.” Mo Xueyao shrugged, took the baguette from Yu Shu, and pushed open the outermost iron door to go inside.

Yu Shu, however, was still standing at her own door, looking somewhat anxious.

"Shushu, you didn't forget your keys again, did you?" Mo Xueyao asked, turning around in confusion as she stood in front of the wooden door of her house.

Yu Shu, with her back to her, nodded awkwardly.

"Ah...where are your parents?"

"They'll be back tonight..."

"Then why don't you come to my place and rest for a while?" Mo Xueyao said helplessly, covering her forehead, both amused and annoyed. "How can you be so forgetful? You forgot to bring it last time too... Are you sure you forgot it this time and didn't just lose it?"

"Yes, I forgot to bring it..."

"Looks like your memory isn't that bad after all," Mo Xueyao muttered teasingly. "Why don't you take a shower first? Uh... I don't have a water heater at home, so I can only shower with a mixture of hot and cold water."

"Okay, sure."

"As for clothes... what should I do? Should I wear mine?" Mo Xueyao pushed open the second door, took off her shoes with her heels, and went inside.

"Either is fine..."

At home, Li Wanyan had just gotten up and was sitting at the living room table drinking red date and honey tea, still looking very weak.

"Wanyan, you're up? Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Hmm." Li Wanyan sighed softly and looked at Yu Shu, who was soaking wet. "What's wrong?"

“She went out without an umbrella and got soaked. Then she came back without her keys. She’s going to catch a cold, so I told her to come to our house to take a shower and change her clothes. Uh, let me look for some of my old clothes…” Mo Xueyao was already petite enough, but Yu Shu was even more so, only about 1.5 meters tall. She looked like a little girl who would never grow up.

Even Mo Xueyao's clothes would look too loose on her.

……

Chapter 170 Sake

Yu Shu was taking a shower in the bathroom when Mo Xueyao found some unisex clothes from when she was a boy and put them on the stool by the door.

There was a brand new pair of women's briefs and a gray-white shirt on it. I couldn't find suitable pants, so I had to make do with the school uniform pants I wore in junior high school.

Mo Xueyao originally wanted to give her the school uniform as well, but she couldn't find it in the closet. In the end, she could only find a large coat that she usually liked to wear at home.

"Wanyan, does your stomach still hurt?"

"A little." Li Wanyan took a sip of tea, her attention completely focused on the television program.

Right now, the TV is showing Animal World, telling stories about the African savanna.

It looked quite hot there, but instead of making you feel warm, the contrast made you feel even colder.

Mo Xueyao also sat down at the dining table, stepped on the tattered cloth under her feet, glanced down, and couldn't help but click her tongue: "Damn..."

"What's wrong."

"I was wondering why I couldn't find my junior high school uniform. Turns out my mom tore it up and used it as a rag..." Mo Xueyao covered her forehead helplessly. "Didn't she even tell me?"

"They probably felt they were no longer useful."

"But it's still very comfortable to wear, and it seems like this is only part of it. Where did the other half go?"

"They probably used it to line the candy nests," Li Wanyan speculated.

"Ah... never mind, it's fine to give it to Sutang." Mo Xueyao pouted and took out the pork floss bread from the bag. "Wanyan, do you want some?"

"No need, I've already had breakfast." Li Wanyan shook her head gently, glancing at her as the TV program went into commercial break. "Is it cold outside?"

"It's alright, not too cold," Mo Xueyao said confidently, as if she had forgotten how she felt walking with her neck hunched over when she went out alone earlier.

"Yeah, I feel especially cold today."

"Is it because of a stomachache?"

"Ah."

As they were talking, Yu Shu carefully reached out a hand from the washroom and took the clothes that were on the stool inside.

Then, rustling sounds came from inside.