A Young Woman's Heart

Yang Xiaoyu was checking the accounts at the counter. Although today was not the last day of the month, it was still the end of the month, so she had to check the accounts. If there were any mistakes or omissions, she could make up for them as soon as possible, lest she forget them after a long time.

“Ali”.

"What's wrong?"

"We've already saved enough money in the bank, enough for two months of restocking, and after accounting for our expenses, it's enough for more than a month."

"Then why don't we just pay it all off?"

"Yeah, I think so too. It would be better to pay it all off right away and be debt-free."

"Well... after all, Ah Liang has helped us a lot, so we can't keep owing him this money. Besides, his wife might be nagging him behind his back, so we can't let him be a good person and still get nagged every day."

"She must have played a part in lending out this money, so don't mention it."

“Cough…” Mo Wen said, biting a short grapevine with his left teeth, “If the business is stable, one month’s cost is enough. Anyway, we make money every day, so there’s no need to worry about cash flow problems.”

"Do you think this is better? I thought you would say to keep the money and start another business."

“I can do business later, but paying back the money is more important. If it weren’t for this money issue, I would definitely open another shop next door. But we have to prioritize these things, don’t you think?”

"Okay, let's do it this way. I'll go to the bank later and transfer the money to him."

"Okay, just confirm with him after it's settled." Mo Wenli hummed a song. "We should be able to save some money before the Chinese New Year this year. What do you think we should do?"

"Let's open another store. Look, our income has increased significantly since this noodle shop opened."

“We have to thank Aunt Jin for this.” Mo Wenli crossed his legs. “But we’re not in a hurry to open another store, since we don’t have any other friends we can trust.”

"What, didn't you used to have a lot of 'friends'?" Yang Xiaoyu emphasized the word "friends".

"Haha, those are just... fair-weather friends."

"You still know that? They're just fair-weather friends. See, they didn't help you when you were in trouble."

"Let's not talk about this anymore, how did we get onto this topic again?" Mo Wenli shook his head helplessly. "I'm saying, how about we renovate the house?"

"What a waste of money, it's not like we can't live here anymore."

"But it's not comfortable to live here, especially in winter. Ugh, it's so cold. Can't they at least install an air conditioner?"

"Oh, you've got money now, installing air conditioning. Why not install it in the shop first instead of there? It's so hot here in the summer."

"I know how to do it... I've thought about it. I used to work on construction sites, so how about this: you take care of the shop's work, and you learn flower arranging and fruit basket making from me. I'll be in charge of sourcing the goods, and then we'll do the home renovations, like painting the walls and tiling. It's not too much trouble, and it's cheaper than hiring someone. Plus, I can buy the materials myself and won't get ripped off."

"Can you manage all this by yourself?"

I think it's fine.

"Where will we live after the renovation is finished? The way you're decorating it, it's going to waste a lot of time."

“That’s easy. There’s a small storage room in the noodle shop, right? We can convert it up and we can sleep there. Xiaoyao and Wanyan can still sleep in the fruit shop. That should do it. If we can’t fit our things in the shop, we can go to Lao Xiong. He’s in charge of the warehouses. Besides the cold storage, he also manages several regular warehouses. These warehouses are all very big. It’s definitely no problem for him to make room for us.”

"Have you thought it all through?"

“Of course,” Mo Wenli said smugly, finally daring to say what he was going to say next, “Ahem, honey, get me a pack of cigarettes.”

"Smoking, smoking, all you do is smoke. I'll smoke you to death!" Yang Xiaoyu said irritably, tossing him a bag of Baisha cigarettes.

"Tsk, Liqun."

"We're out of money again, so be careful with your cigarettes."

"Alright, alright, it's a pack of cigarettes after all. You're such a nosy woman."

"Without my supervision, with your extravagant spending habits, the family would have been broke long ago." Yang Xiaoyu glared at him. "When do you plan to start?"

“I was thinking, how about after the New Year? It'll be springtime, and I'll have saved up some money. We can buy materials and do the renovation at the same time. We'll just do a simple renovation, which won't take too much time. I estimate it will be done in three months.”

"Can you handle this by yourself in three months?"

"Absolutely! There's no need to build walls or anything. I'm not exaggerating. If you ask me, it'll be done in a month!"

"Just blow it."

"Tsk tsk, you'll see when the time comes."

"Then you can start looking at the prices of those renovation materials now, so you'll have a better idea of ​​what to expect later."

"What's the rush? Prices are changing so fast these days, things will be different next year. Let's talk about it next year."

"You never prepare in advance at all."

"What do you mean, 'no'? Didn't I prepare a plan?" Mo Wenli took a deep drag of his Baisha cigarette. "Tsk, this cigarette is much milder than Liqun."

"Don't complain about whether it's good or bad. We need to make a plan first. Besides, Yaoyao will be a senior in high school next fall. We might have to enroll her in some tutoring classes then. At least she should be able to attend classes during the summer vacation, right?"

"Alright, alright, just let her off the hook. Stop talking about classes all the time. How can a person be in class all day long? Summer vacation is summer vacation, she can rest well. Wanyan is here, it's not like she can't do her homework. Don't make things worse." Mo Wenli flicked his cigarette ash to the side, and his whole body trembled along with it.

"By the way, how about we let Yaoyao study finance? I think it's lucrative. Other people's kids went abroad to study finance and come back earning hundreds of thousands a month!"

"Nonsense, there's no such thing as everyone being that rich. They're the minority."

"Then why can't Yaoyao be one of the few?" Yang Xiaoyu was very unhappy. "Yaoyao is no less capable. She's so smart. Can't she be someone superior? Are we supposed to spend our whole lives doing small business?"

"Other people can afford to send their kids to study abroad, can you?" Mo Wenli said irritably.

Yang Xiaoyu retorted, "It's the same in China; as long as you work hard, you'll be fine."

"Well, that depends on her own opinion."

"Why don't you study medicine? Studying medicine is a good idea. You can treat both of us when you get a chance."

"...Studying medicine is an option, but is she willing to do it?"

"Hey, why do you always spoil her? What does she know? We're the ones who have to plan for her future!" Yang Xiaoyu punched Mo Wenli on the shoulder.

"What do you mean by planning for the future? You'd have to ask for her opinion first, right? What if she doesn't like it?"

"What can kids like? They all just like to play and relax, that won't do."

"Going to university isn't exactly easy or difficult..."

"Then why don't we let her study a major related to civil service? With Ah Liang around, it will be easier for her to get in."

"That works too..."

The discussion was temporarily interrupted by the arrival of guests.

After that, the two stopped talking about the matter because of the constant stream of customers.

Firstly, we're not in a rush yet, and secondly, we have other things to plan, such as home renovations.

In the afternoon, Yang Xiaoyu went to the bank and transferred the money to Yu Liang's private account, specifically asking the staff to note that it was a debt.

Then, in the evening, Yu Liang called.

"Ali, what's wrong with you? Why are you returning the money so quickly?"

"Oh my, this is the first time in my life I've ever heard someone complain that I'm paying back money too quickly."

"We're brothers, why are you in such a hurry to pay me back? Can your family manage the cash flow right now?"

"It's alright, don't worry. The noodle shop is already open, so money won't be a problem. Besides, your family has many other expenses, don't we?"

"Forget it, if you need it again, just borrow it from me." Yu Liang clicked his tongue. "Want to come to my house for dinner tonight?"

"Haha, then I'm afraid it'll be up to you. How about we grab some late-night snacks tonight?"

"No way, I have to go to work tomorrow. A new boss came recently and he's been checking my attendance every day, so I have to arrive early."

"Haha, of course."

"Let's drink again on Friday."

"Okay, I've got it."

Without any hesitation, the call ended abruptly. Since becoming the section chief, Yu Liang has become increasingly decisive and efficient—this guy used to be so slow and deliberate.

Mo Wenli shook his head and went to greet the guests again.

……

Chapter 177 What junior high school did you attend before?

Friday, July 24, 2000.

The school day pauses slightly on Fridays, allowing students who have been busy studying all week to finally slow down.

Moreover, after the main classes in the morning, the two afternoon classes were all physical education classes, giving people the illusion that we only had half a day of classes on Fridays.

Because there is no physical education component in the college entrance examination, the physical education teachers are very lenient with them. The two consecutive physical education classes on Fridays are basically free time. Those who don't want to go down can stay in the classroom, or even go to their clubs to play beforehand.

Mo Xueyao and her friends often go to the band room early to practice—although in reality, this time is often wasted on drinking tea and chatting.

Of course, no matter how happy you are in the afternoon, time still has to start from the first class in the morning.

Wang Jiale lay on the table with her arms outstretched, one arm resting on Mo Xueyao's desk.

"Lele—I don't have a seat left."

"Ugh... I don't want to get up..."

Mo Xueyao licked her palate with her tongue: "You do this every morning, what's wrong? Did Youyou infect you?"

"No... It's mainly because of the band... Hah... Every day... Hah... Hah..." Wang Jiale said while yawning, "Getting up so early, I used to arrive at school right on time, but now I'm at least an hour early."

"Indeed, it's really not easy for you."

"After all, this is so as not to embarrass yourself during the performance..."

"The school's selection competition should be held around New Year's Day, which coincides with the New Year's Day cultural performance," Mo Xueyao said, sharing a rumor she had heard from Li Wanyan. "Then, after the final exams, there should be a city-wide competition, right? Well, I'm not too sure about the specifics."

"Go and ask the class monitor carefully."

"She's not sure either. This is just hearsay. We'll probably get notified when it's officially confirmed." Mo Xueyao shifted her body and saw the PE teacher, Ye Ran, walk into the classroom.

"Teacher, is this our first PE class?" a student asked excitedly.

Math class is probably the common 'enemy' of liberal arts students.

The reason why there are math classes in humanities classes is to cultivate students' logical thinking—words without logic are meaningless.

"Xiao Yao! It's our first PE class!" Wang Jiale excitedly nudged Mo Xueyao.