A Young Woman's Heart

"You can sit higher; I've seen that."

"So you can only sit there?"

"Well, taking a bath while sitting is better than nothing."

"Huh...? You're really obsessed." Wang Jiale had a habit of leaving her socks for last. She couldn't quite make out the direction in the fog, and after looking for a while, she finally threw her stockings into her own dirty laundry basket.

"It feels like it's been ages since I took a bath." Sanhua Tongjue opened the shower gel and let the hot water, which had been set to the right temperature, wash over her body.

Wang Jiale stood next to her, close to her, sharing a showerhead.

"I'm going to call my father later." Sanhua Tongjue squinted her eyes. Since she couldn't take a bath, she liked to enjoy the hot water from the showerhead for a little longer.

"Oh right, speaking of which, you haven't called home yet since you got here?"

"Yes, I usually call my father's company in China and ask them to tell him that the company recently sent him a satellite phone, which makes it easier to talk to him."

"Wow, a satellite phone?" Wang Jiale exclaimed with great curiosity. "You can't get one even if you have money. Hmm, but what about a telephone?"

"It should be delivered soon..."

Just then, Wang Jiale's mother's hurried footsteps came from outside the bathroom: "Coming, coming!"

Although the two girls didn't hear the knocking, the adults outside certainly did.

Upon reaching the door, Wang Jiale's mother's voice trailed off again, unsure of what the entrance looked like.

"Did you bring it by yourself?" Wang Jiale asked curiously, poking her side, which tickled her and made her laugh.

"Well, according to my father's habits, it should be delivered by five or six people together, right? They'll probably be dressed quite formally, like in suits or something..."

"I hope my mom won't mistake them for gangsters..."

"Huh? Hmm... No way, they don't have tattoos, they're all just ordinary employees."

"...I think my mom must have been terrified."

"No way, right?"

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." The mother's voice, noticeably louder, came from the doorway again. Then she walked to the door, sighed slightly with a trembling voice, and said, "Tongjue? It was sent by people from your father's company."

"Okay, please put it in my room for me, Auntie!" Sanhua Tongjue shouted as she rinsed herself with hot water.

"Mom, you can just leave it in my room!"

Because the weather turned cold, the two of them went back to sleeping in the second bedroom instead of the hard and cold tatami mat.

Taking a hot bath in winter is a common occurrence for Wang Jiale, but she still feels very happy every time she takes one.

Although there is no central heating in the south, there is another way to keep warm.

It wasn't a heating air conditioner—back when her house was renovated, many window air conditioners didn't even have a heating function!

It was a product purchased later, consisting of several light tubes, which would light up a dark red light when the switch was turned on.

Most people call it a home heater.

It heats up faster than a central heater, but its effective range is smaller, making it more suitable for sitting next to a fire to warm yourself.

And there is a major drawback: if flammable materials are nearby, they could very well catch fire...

Therefore, it is best to place it in a high place, far away from surrounding items.

When Wang Jiale was in junior high school, she tried to pull it very close to her bed and almost set the sheets on fire—luckily she wasn't asleep at the time, otherwise she probably wouldn't be alive now.

But just like electric kettles, their low price and lack of special installation make them popular with many families with a little money for winter heating.

During long, rainy winter days, at least you can dry your socks...

"Isn't Tongjue going to bed?" Wang Jiale moved the small heater that had been warming the bedding for a while further away and turned it to the highest setting. Then she quickly darted into the warm quilt, feeling so cozy that she wanted to roll around on the bed like a worm.

"Okay, I'll go in after I finish the call." Sanhua Tongjue nodded, found a flat spot on the bed, and then knelt down very solemnly, as if her father were right in front of her.

Then, she took deep breaths as she dialed the number.

To be so serious on the phone with one's own father, it's like reporting a task to one's boss...

After ringing many times, the phone was finally answered.

This satellite phone has a special design; when it's held close to Sanhua Tongjue's ear, not a single sound leaks out.

Therefore, Wang Jiale could only hear Sanhua Tongjue speaking in Japanese, but could not hear what her father was saying.

Fortunately, her speaking speed wasn't too fast, which allowed her to translate about 50% of the content in her mind simultaneously.

"Dear Father... I am deeply apprehensive about not being able to contact you for so long..."

"My daughter is doing well, so please don't worry."

"Thank you for your concern, Father. I'm quite used to the customs here... and I haven't caused any trouble for anyone..."

"How has Father been lately? Please don't overwork yourself..."

"My mother has caught a cold? I'm so sorry I can't be there to take care of her. I feel so guilty and ashamed that I haven't been able to do my duty..."

The conversation was filled with all sorts of honorifics, to the point that Wang Jiale wondered if he had misheard.

Is this really a conversation with her father?

They're basically just subordinates and superiors...

It even gave her the illusion of traveling back to the Qing Dynasty.

The People's Republic of China has been established for so many years, why is Japan still so feudal?

Even if there are families with strict rules, it shouldn't be this extreme, right?

The expression on Sanhua Tongjue's face was as if she were afraid of uttering a single wrong word and being sentenced to death by her father the next day...

This scene is more like a princess meeting an emperor in ancient times.

Sanhua Tongjue finally ended the call. She said goodbye to her father in polite language and only breathed a sigh of relief after the other end hung up.

"Is this how it is in Japan?" Wang Jiale asked, puzzled.

"No, not really. It's just that if the family is large, it's like that... it feels like there's a very strict hierarchy, right?"

"Yes, it's strange, they don't look like father and daughter at all."

“That’s why I want to stay here a little longer.” Sanhua Tongjue sighed. “Life at home is not happy at all, it’s very depressing. I only feel a little relaxed when I talk to my mother.”

"I just can't stand it." Wang Jiale shrank back. "It's modern society now, why is it still like this? It's like being in prison..."

"So, I'm very tired, and I don't feel relaxed even when I get home. I really hate that kind of society. It's so much better here."

"Of course, my parents and I can talk freely—though not as freely as Xiaoyao's family."

“Xiaoyao’s family is too casual. There should be some rules in a family.” Sanhua Tongjue shook her head. “They seem more like a group of friends…”

"Isn't it great? I feel happy and relaxed."

"But... well, maybe it's because I'm used to that, so being too casual doesn't feel right?"

"Pfft, Tong Jue has so many demands~" Wang Jiale chuckled and patted the spot next to her. "Come in quickly, come in quickly, it's super warm in the blankets!"

"Here I am! I'll sleep with Lele tonight!"

"You can hug me however you want, just don't take my blanket away..."

……

Chapter 217 Rehearsing the Play

The desolation of winter is different from the bleakness of autumn; it carries a kind of cold indifference of utter silence.

It seems even sorrow has been frozen to death.

—In that sense, sorrow seems to be of the same species as pathetic insects.

It was Wednesday morning, and the clouds had completely blocked out the sunlight, with only a few rays filtering through to illuminate the city and remind people that it was daytime, not night.

On the rooftop of the school building, the north wind blew through the gaps in the barbed wire fence, blowing Mo Xueyao's long, black hair.

A few strands of hair were stuck to the collar due to static electricity, and were not blown away by the wind, showing their remarkable tenacity.

Her ten fingers pierced through the circular holes in the barbed wire, gripping it tightly, her body slightly tilted, as if she were lying directly on it.

Her nails, which were originally as lustrous as pink jade, were now somewhat bluish, and her knuckles were particularly noticeable when she clenched her fist, with her slender finger bones looking as if they were about to pierce through her skin.

"Hoo..." She exhaled a cloud of white mist, trying to loosen her grip, but found her fingers stiff as if frozen. She pulled them out halfway, and felt her skin being scraped painfully by the barbed wire.

"Hiss—" Mo Xueyao brought her face close to her fingers and breathed hot air on them a few times before they finally softened a little and she was able to pull them out of the hole in the barbed wire.

It was very cold on the terrace, but she stood there for a long time without any particular reason. She had just been looking into the distance when she felt something stirring in her heart, which was why she was lost in thought.

It was cloudy all day, which meant that the sky would be gloomy both in the morning and at noon.

"Little Yao Yao?" Hua Yinyin, with her braided pigtails, pushed open the somewhat heavy safety door with a creak. The green light on the safety passage sign behind the door flickered slightly, and the dust on the ground swirled in the air again because of her footsteps.

For a fleeting moment, Mo Xueyao felt as if it were snow falling indoors.

"Hmm, good morning." Mo Xueyao waved her frozen right hand, then immediately pulled it back into her coat pocket.

The weather forecast says that temperatures will drop sharply starting tomorrow, and there is even a possibility of snow. The lowest temperature will plummet to around minus two degrees Celsius.

Today's overcast sky seems to have been brewing for a while.

This is not bad either. It's better than today's sunny day, which is so hot it feels like autumn, and then the temperature drops below zero the next day, catching everyone off guard.

"Has the cold air arrived?" Hua Yinyin shivered. Instead of rushing over as usual, she put her hands in her pockets and leaned casually against the door frame.

"Has everyone else arrived?"

Hua Yinyin lowered her head and gently shook it. Strands of hair hanging from her ears fell down and swayed gently in the wind.

"Is something on your mind?" Mo Xueyao bent her knees, trying to peek at the expression on her face from below.

However, the falling black hair blocked Mo Xueyao's view, preventing her from seeing Hua Yinyin's expression.

"No...it's just brewing."

"Brewing?"

"Yes, try to put yourself in the shoes of the main character in the script; that will make your performance better."