A Young Woman's Heart

It wasn't too late yet, and there were still quite a few passersby on the street. When they saw Chen Cheng carrying such a large umbrella, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him.

"This umbrella is good."

"Yes, it's big enough that the rain won't blow in."

"The young man is quite creative."

Several elderly men and women had just come out of the card room when they saw this scene, and they couldn't help but laugh and talk about it with the people around them.

Chen Cheng didn't feel embarrassed at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleased with himself. Perhaps that was his purpose.

He couldn't possibly be so foolish as to not know that this umbrella wasn't the kind of 'big umbrella' his mother wanted, but responding to her with such a surprise was simply the most delightful thing imaginable.

The newly opened barbershop isn't too far away; it's just around the corner at the end of this street.

The main reason is that the two rows of flower baskets, each more than half a person tall, placed at the entrance are so eye-catching that they can be spotted at a glance, even at night.

He stopped in front of the barbershop and peered inside through the clean glass door.

The store is very large, and there are many obstructions in the middle, dividing it into a maze-like space.

It's impossible to take in everything in the store at a glance.

"Hello, are you here to get your hair done?" The waiter standing by the door opened the door with a professional smile on his face.

Seeing a grown man smiling at him like that made Chen Cheng feel a little strange. He shrugged, as if trying to shake off the goosebumps that had risen all over his body: "I'm here to find someone."

"Please come in." He glanced at the large umbrella in Chen Cheng's hand, racking his brains for words to describe it, but in the end he used simple and unadorned words, "You can leave the umbrella at the door."

Chen Cheng nodded and was about to go in when he saw Zhuang Lianlian come out from around the corner.

Her long, dark golden hair cascaded down to her waist.

She had no hair accessories, yet possessed an exceptionally pure beauty.

Chen's mother also dyed her hair blonde, a color even brighter than Zhuang Lianlian's. From a distance, they looked like a mother and daughter.

"You're here? Why did you bring such a big umbrella?" Chen's mother asked, somewhat amused.

"Didn't you say you wanted a bigger one?" Chen Cheng said, pretending to be serious. "So I brought a 'bigger' one."

"Pfft." Zhuang Lianlian couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Her slightly lowered head and her eyes, full of alluring charm, captivated Chen Cheng for a moment.

It was as if he had discovered a new continent, discovering another kind of beauty in Zhuang Lianlian.

"The dark gold color suits you very well." He reached out to touch her hair, but then remembered that it had just been dyed and he didn't know what he might do if he touched it and messed it up. So he lowered his hand and gently touched her cheek instead.

Zhuang Lianlian instinctively tilted her face against his palm, the tenderness in her eyes enough to melt even an iceberg.

"Alright, you two love each other, go back and talk about it. Don't block other people's way outside." Chen's mother had lived in Shanghai for many years, and her Mandarin had a slight Shanghai accent.

Zhuang Lianlian then realized what was happening, blushed, and walked behind Chen Cheng, asking softly, "Is this a sun umbrella from the fruit shop?"

"Yes, I borrowed it. So, you don't have to worry about it getting wet in the rain."

"Hmm!" She put her right hand into his pocket. "Is it heavy?"

"It's alright, it's a bit cold outside. Why are you dressed so lightly today?"

"It wasn't that cold before it rained..."

"Let's go, Chen Cheng." Chen's mother also slipped under the large parasol. "Is there a place for me here?"

"No," Chen Cheng said deliberately, but a smile was hidden at the corner of his mouth. "Mom, why did you get such bright red hair?"

"Isn't it good to be a little more vibrant? It brings back some youthful energy." Chen's mother smiled. "Come here, Lianlian, come to my side. Don't get so close to this brat."

Zhuang Lianlian gave a shy laugh and ran back to her "mother-in-law".

Chen Cheng was not happy. He snorted and held the umbrella high.

"Aren't you tired?" Chen's mother asked, glancing at him sideways.

"Heh, not bad." To prove he still had energy left, Chen Cheng even twirled the umbrella.

"Don't turn it, the rain is going to fall on other people."

Chen Cheng ignored him and spun the wheel even more vigorously.

The aroma of food wafting through the streets at night seemed even more enticing, but what I longed for even more wasn't dinner, but that bright and warm home...

"Ah, Chen Cheng!" As he was walking, a girl's clear voice suddenly came from behind him, and then a petite figure darted to his side. "Hello, Auntie!"

"Mo Xueyao?" Chen Cheng glanced at her and noticed that even on the night street, her blue eyes were still bright and clear.

"Hmm, why are you carrying such a big umbrella?" Under the dim streetlights, her hair was a little wet, and her shoulders were also covered with water droplets. "I went to the supermarket and stayed inside for a while. I didn't expect it to start raining when I came out..."

"A supermarket?" Chen Cheng glanced at the supermarket across the street. "Did you run all the way from over there?"

"Yeah, I was just looking over there seeing who was holding such a big umbrella, and then I realized it was you!" She patted his shoulder. "Yeah, not bad, you're in luck today!"

"You didn't practice in the band room today?"

"how do you know?"

"If you had practiced there, you would have known it was raining when you came out, not just now."

"Oh, you don't seem so stupid after all?" Mo Xueyao said with a teasing smile.

Li Wanyan stood behind her and glanced at Chen Cheng: "Are there any empty seats?"

"Yes." Chen Cheng didn't get along with her, but for Mo Xueyao's sake, he nodded.

The main reason they don't get along is probably that Li Wanyan likes to 'meddle' in other people's business...

In fact, even when she was off-campus, she would use the school rules to restrain others, which sometimes gave Mo Xueyao a headache, let alone others.

It's understandable that Chen Cheng, who was already somewhat rebellious, didn't like her.

You know, sometimes Li Wanyan would stop him from smoking in front of the noodle shop, but his parents didn't care about it at all.

"Hehe." Mo Xueyao leaned against Zhuang Lianlian's side, and Chen's mother smiled and naturally walked to the other side, blocking Chen Cheng and Li Wanyan.

"Lianlian, did you dye your hair?"

"Hmm."

"I was wondering why my hair color was different. I thought it was just the streetlights shining on it." Mo Xueyao curiously leaned closer to take a look and smelled the faint fragrance of shampoo. "Golden?"

"Hmm, I should say...dark gold." Zhuang Lianlian gently twirled a strand of her hair with one finger, asking shyly, "Does it look good?"

"It looks really good..." Mo Xueyao suddenly wanted to dye her hair too, "Uh, it's a pity our school doesn't allow hair dyeing..."

"Xiaoyao has blue eyes, which are already very pretty. Black and blue are a perfect match."

"Really... cough." Mo Xueyao's hidden masculine instincts gave her a jolt, making her a little embarrassed about her earlier smugness. "Why did you suddenly decide to dye your hair?"

"Yes, it was my aunt who took me there..."

"Oh……"

"Xiaoyao, how do I look? Doesn't this hairstyle look good on me?" Chen's mother confidently tossed her hair. "I even got it permed. Now it's golden wavy curls."

"Yes, the hair looks especially beautiful." Mo Xueyao nodded vigorously. Of course, she didn't mention that the wrinkles and rough skin on Chen's mother's face didn't actually match the exquisite hairstyle very well...

"Can't you guys walk properly?" Chen Cheng said impatiently. "You keep looking at each other and switching places. I can't take it anymore."

"What's wrong, Chen Cheng? Why are you talking so rudely lately?" Mo Xueyao glared at him. "Do you want me to beat you up again?"

Chen Cheng looked somewhat embarrassed, mainly because he had indeed been punched by Mo Xueyao—although it was because he hadn't dodged.

Moreover, he was in the wrong in the previous incident. Although he always complained that his family was annoying, he actually loved his warm and harmonious family and was very grateful for the help Mo Xueyao had given him. How could he possibly be angry with his 'benefactor'?

Although he has a strange temper, he is not a bad person at heart; it's just that most people find him difficult to get along with.

Even those "brothers" who often hung out with him weren't actually that close; they were more like drinking buddies than "brothers."

—That's how he sees it, anyway.

All five people were under this large parasol. The raindrops fell on the umbrella, making a 'pattering' sound. Everyone felt particularly at ease because even with five people under the umbrella, it was still more than enough. There was no need to worry about half of their bodies getting wet in the rain.

Walking along the wet asphalt road, the group returned to the entrance of the noodle shop.

Finally, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan returned together, holding a large parasol.

Because it was raining, she was too lazy to put the umbrella back in its original place, so she just casually placed it against the wall, letting it drip water droplets continuously.

"You're back? What did you buy? You were at the supermarket for so long." The mother pointed to the cold dishes and rice on the small table. "We've already eaten. Do you want me to heat up the cold dishes?"

Are you cold?

"Of course it's cold. Don't you even look at the weather?" The mother said, arms crossed, sounding annoyed. "These fried meatballs were delicious when they were freshly cooked, but now that they're cold, they're not crispy anymore."

"It's okay... Mom, can you heat it up for us?"

"I'm your nanny for life, and you're just a pampered princess, tsk." Although the mother immediately went to heat up the food, she couldn't help but complain.

Mo Xueyao looked at her father, shrugged, and the two of them smiled knowingly.

"So what did you buy?" the father asked.

"I didn't buy anything, I just went for a look around..."

"Nonsense, you haven't bought anything for so long, have you been going to read books? If so, wouldn't the library be more convenient?"

"Uh... the library doesn't stay open that late..." Mo Xueyao coughed a little awkwardly, "Wanyan and I went to see Ultraman..."

Without even asking, it was clear that Li Wanyan was accompanying her; she herself had no interest in it whatsoever.

……

Chapter 188 An Ordinary Night

The fruit shop isn't very busy at night, but at this time, there are always many customers who aren't seen during the day.

They are not some mysterious creatures; most of them are actually just people from the bottom of society.

They don't appear much during the day, perhaps for the same reason why migrant workers don't often appear on buses.

Even though they are from the lower class, they try their best not to cause trouble for others.

"Boss." A migrant worker dressed in black, but with most of his clothes stained white with specks of paint, stood at the side door of the fruit shop, holding a helmet in his hand. He glanced at some low-priced fruits displayed at the side door and asked, "Are these fruits edible?"

“Why can’t we eat them?” Mo Wenli glanced at him. He was a young man who probably hadn’t been working on the construction site for long. “There aren’t many rotten ones. Just cut off the rotten parts. Some, like bananas and apples, are just overripe. They’re fine to eat directly—at most, they’ll taste a little off.”