A Young Woman's Heart

"Burn them all at once?"

"Of course not! The charcoal is wrapped in newspaper, so you can put in as much as you need!" Mo Zhuyou placed several packets of charcoal in the drawer of the desk next to her. "Let's warm ourselves by the fire!"

"So, if that's the case, wouldn't we be able to cook hot pot in our room...?"

"Yes, of course!"

Mo Xueyao swallowed, and suddenly felt that the mille-feuille in her hand didn't smell so good anymore.

"Remember to open the windows when you're starting the fire," she quickly reminded him.

"Of course, I know this well~" Mo Zhuyou placed the fire pit next to the foam mat and looked curiously at the bouquet of flowers on Mo Xueyao's table, "What's this?"

"Hmm...flowers."

"I know they're flowers, but what are they used for?"

"Ahem, this is for Yinyin."

"Huh—?" Mo Zhuyou looked Mo Xueyao up and down as if she were seeing her for the first time. "Could it be that Xiaoyao has finally come to her senses and decided to confess to Yinyin?"

"Pfft, what are you talking about...! This is for apologies!"

"Huh? An apology?"

"Well, Yinyin got angry yesterday..." Before she could finish speaking, Mo Zhuyou interrupted her.

"She can get angry?!"

"...Although I also find it unbelievable, it really is true."

"You didn't do anything too outrageous, did you?" Mo Zhuyou sat down in front of her, resting her chin on her hand as she asked.

"It's...okay...not too bad." Mo Xueyao scratched her head and recounted everything that had happened yesterday.

"This isn't going too far! It's clearly going too far! Even though everyone's used to it, you can't bully her like this!"

"Really……"

"Well, at least you should reply to her with a word or two, even if it's just saying something that shows your dislike for her, it's better than ignoring her."

"Ah..." Mo Xueyao pounded her head. She originally thought she had completely integrated into the life of a girl, but she didn't expect that she was still far from it.

Being a real girl isn't easy; at the very least, the way girls think is far beyond what she can learn now.

That's to be expected, isn't it? Others have been girls for sixteen or seventeen years, but she started halfway through her life and has only been a little over a year.

Gradually, one may develop girlish habits, but that doesn't mean one has developed a girlish way of thinking.

It's like knowing how to do something, but not knowing why you should do it.

Moreover, Mo Xueyao was actually very conflicted. She always told herself that there was no other way to choose and that she had to be a good girl, but subconsciously she would still resist. Sometimes when she tried to think about problems in a girl's way, she would subconsciously deny this way of thinking and continue to think in a boy's way.

For example, sometimes she would speak softly, and then suddenly, for some reason, she would raise her voice and say a few words or laugh loudly.

This subconscious resistance made her transformation very slow, and when she asked herself honestly, she was conflicted—she felt that staying the same was fine, but she also felt that she still had to change.

Humans are such complex creatures, and Mo Xueyao, with this kind of experience, is even more complex. She always feels that other girls are hard to understand, but perhaps she is actually the most hard to understand—because sometimes she doesn't even understand herself.

Mo Zhuyou opened the window facing the corridor a little, then placed the iron bucket next to the window facing the playground and skillfully threw in firewood and charcoal.

A warm fire quickly ignited inside the iron bucket.

The highest point of the flame is only two-thirds of the way up the barrel, so it's safe and you don't have to worry about sparks flying out and setting other things on fire.

Mo Xueyao moved a chair and sat next to the fire bucket, and casually put the slightly cooled layered pancake on it to bake it again—and to be honest, after the outside was baked crispy, it tasted pretty good.

"Phew, that feels so good."

"Right? This is much more comfortable than a radiator, but it's not as convenient." Mo Zhuyou also took out her breakfast—it was packed in two aluminum boxes, containing porridge and shumai.

Mo Xiaoxiao doesn't have to work now, so she has a lot of time to research food every day, which also allows her to take better care of her younger sister—Mo Xueyao even thinks her face has gotten a little fatter.

"Does Youyou eat at home every day now?"

"Yes, it's all homemade. We don't buy it outside. Homemade is cheaper and more affordable." Mo Zhuyou took a sip of the preserved egg porridge, making Mo Xueyao drool.

While burning a fire in an iron bucket won't warm the entire room, it can at least warm the area around the bucket.

Just as Mo Xueyao was enjoying the warmth of the fire, the classroom door was gently pushed open once again.

Hua Yinyin, with her hair in two braids, walked in with a calm expression. She glanced at Mo Xueyao, then silently sat down at the desk where everyone usually drank tea.

"Cough... Yin Yin?"

"What—?" Hua Yinyin puffed out her cheeks in a coquettish manner, which Mo Xueyao found rather cute. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if she just kept sulking like this?

Of course, this idea only flashed through my mind for a moment.

"Um... yesterday, yes, yes..." It was just three simple words, but Mo Xueyao struggled to say them. "I'm sorry!"

"..." Hua Yinyin looked at her with droopy eyelids, her cheeks puffed out, without saying a word.

"Here, this is for you, as an apology... uh, yellow tulips are flowers specifically for apologizing to ladies, and baby's breath also symbolizes an apology..."

"Hmm, baby's breath is usually used to apologize to a lover, right?" Hua Yinyin actually knew more than Mo Xueyao.

"Huh? Is that what you mean?"

"Hmph, but I won't forgive Yao Yao!"

"Huh? Why..." Mo Xueyao asked anxiously, "Are you still really angry?"

"Yes, I'm extremely, extremely, extremely angry!" Hua Yinyin turned her head away. "Unless—"

"what?"

"Unless Xiaoyao lets me touch her as I please!"

Mo Xueyao instinctively wanted to refuse, but the words stuck in her throat.

No one knows whether this is a joke or if it really has to be done this way.

After all, I was in the wrong first...

"Okay, alright..."

"Really?"

"Ah."

"So I can touch it freely from now on?"

"Um……"

"Really?"

"right……"

"Hey! Then I forgive Xiaoyaoyao!" Hua Yinyin pounced over, hanging on her like a sloth, rubbing her little face against her neck, and then hugging her thigh and rubbing against it.

What's even more outrageous is that she even extended her groping hands to other places, touching Mo Xueyao all over her body.

"Hey, that's enough!" Mo Xueyao finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Waaah, Yao Yao bullied me again—"

"Hey!"

"Hehe, just kidding~" Hua Yinyin said, but suddenly stuck out her soft, pink tongue and licked her thigh, giving Mo Xueyao goosebumps.

"hey-hey--!"

"You weren't pretending like that yesterday, were you?"

"What? How could I be that kind of person! Little Yaoyao, really, you don't trust me at all!"

In any case, the matter was put behind them. It was just a small thing in life. But if she didn't apologize, Hua Yinyin and she might continue their "cold war," and their relationship would fade. She would lose a friend like that.

In reality, solving a problem is often very simple, but many people like to make things big and complicated, or they are unwilling to do the right thing because of face-saving concerns.

Hua Yinyin picked up the flowers Mo Xueyao had given her and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Pfft, these flowers are wrapped so poorly!"

"I'm so sorry I don't know how to wrap flowers!"

"Well, it's okay, I like anything Xiaoyao gives me!" She held the flowers and took a deep breath. "Mmm, they smell so good... Shall we find a Coke bottle to keep them in water? That way they can live a little longer."

"what ever……"

"I love Yao Yao the most!"

"Yinyin is really easy to handle," Mo Zhuyou couldn't help but chuckle and tease.

……

Chapter 199 Fighting a Dog

Liu Xiaowei rides his bicycle to school.

His mother bought the car from a scrap metal recycling station; it only cost five yuan.

Of course, you can't buy anything good at such a cheap price.

This bicycle is barely rideable.

The bell is broken, the chain keeps falling off, only the front brake works and the brake pads are almost worn out, the back seat is broken and unusable, and the seat springs have lost their elasticity...

But these are not problems.

Liu Xiaowei can shout to replace the bell; he's used to fixing the chain and it's quick, sometimes he can put it back in just half a minute; he can use the foot brake, since this old bike can't go very fast anyway; he doesn't carry anyone on the back seat, so it doesn't matter if it's broken or not, he can just put his backpack in the basket; the seat has lost its shock absorption function, but he can just put up with it, since most of the time the road is flat and there won't be too many bumps.

China's slums are not called slums, but urban villages. In reality, they are just places with chaotic management. Although they are being gradually improved, it will take at least 20 years before they are completely resolved.

He rode his bike wobblingly out of the dirty alley, almost falling over from the vegetable leaves scattered on the road.

Fortunately, he had plenty of experience with losing his balance and managed to brace himself with one leg, preventing him from falling flat on his face.

After leaving the dirty and chaotic urban village, Liu Xiaowei finally entered a wide road.

The time is just right—not too early, not too late—perfect for copying homework from school.

However, he didn't actually need to copy homework today. The reason he still left at this time was probably because he didn't want to stay at home and listen to his mother's nagging.

Although he didn't dislike his mother, he simply couldn't stand her incessant nagging at that moment.