A Young Woman's Heart

"Dong dong."

"Please come in," came Ye Wen's voice from inside the door.

The office was heated, and at first glance, it seemed that only Ye Wen was there. But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Qiu Yi was also there, though he was lying down, as if taking an afternoon nap.

Mo Xueyao took a deep breath of the warm air, and her face lit up with joy.

"Awen!"

"Oh, Mo Xueyao, what brings you here? Don't you have class today?" Ye Wen was looking down, scribbling with a red pen as if she were grading homework. When Yi approached, she looked up and smiled, "Is something the matter?"

“Hmm, we want to know…” Yi glanced at Li Wanyan beside her, took her fingers and gently squeezed them, “Wanyan’s mother is right now?”

……

Chapter 222 Sharing Scarves

The snowflakes outside were still falling, and a few landed on the window. They were quickly melted by the indoor heating, turning into clear water that slowly flowed down the glass.

Like glistening tears.

Ye Wen paused, her pen stilling. She slowly raised her head, her gaze somewhat unfocused: "Why did you suddenly want to ask that?"

"In prison...is that right?" Li Wanyan gripped the edge of the desk tightly with one hand, leaning forward slightly, and couldn't help but ask.

The ballpoint pen on the table rolled away and landed under the desk. The yellow and white cat, Milk Candy, who had been sleeping on the desk, half-opened one eye and its ears twitched slightly.

Ye Wen's mouth opened and closed, and all that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

She licked her back teeth with her tongue, gave a wry smile, and looked into Li Wanyan's eyes, saying, "Yes."

"The death penalty...?" Li Wanyan's body tensed as she pressed for the answer, her fingers gripping the desk almost deformed from the excessive force.

"Death penalty?" Ye Wen was stunned for a moment, then smiled easily and said, "Of course not. With the help of our principal, we hired a lawyer for your mother. So the final verdict is that she can be released after serving three years. That means she will be able to get out of prison around the time you graduate from high school."

"Really."

"of course."

"I want to see her." Li Wanyan's right hand trembled uncontrollably from the exertion, but she concealed it behind her back without making a sound. "Is that alright, Wen..."

This was the first time Li Wanyan had used such an intimate term to call Ye Wen.

Mo Xueyao gently patted her back, as if to help her regulate the disordered breathing within her body.

“Well, since you already know, then of course you can.” Ye Wen bent down and picked up the red pen from the ground. “However, this needs to be prepared in advance… the day after tomorrow, no… tomorrow, come to school tomorrow morning and I’ll drive you there.”

"Thank you, teacher."

"You're welcome. Actually, it's your mother who doesn't want you to know that she's in prison, because she's afraid you'll feel inferior or unable to hold your head up in front of your classmates."

"will not."

"Well, anyway, don't worry too much. She really only needs to stay in jail for three years before she can come out. The final sentence wasn't for intentional injury, but for excessive self-defense. Considering the domestic violence issue, that's why her sentence was reduced to this extent. If she behaves well in jail, she should be able to come out a few months earlier, right?" Ye Wen stood up, gently patted Li Wanyan's shoulder, and comforted her with a smile.

Milk Candy yawned widely, jumped off the desk and onto Qiu Yi's face. Qiu Yi, who was sleeping in his chair, suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. He patted the fluffy cat on his face and mumbled indistinctly, "Hmm? What, uh...? Ah...? Uh—"

"Phew!" He sat up abruptly, and Naitang nimbly jumped into his arms, lying down comfortably cross-legged. "Naitang, what are you doing... uh...? Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan? What are you doing here?"

"There are some things." Mo Xueyao shyly put her hands behind her back and swayed her body slightly.

Would you like some tea?

"No need...?" Yi looked at Li Wanyan, who nodded slightly.

"Thank you, teacher. I'll come again tomorrow."

"Ah, wait!" Mo Xueyao had just reached the door when she ran back. "Awen, can I have the classroom key?"

"what happened?"

"Grab something."

"Go ahead."

The keychain made a crisp sound as it was tossed into Yi's hand.

After spending time in the warm office, the outside world seems even colder.

Mo Xueyao hunched her shoulders and ran all the way to the classroom door, eagerly pushing it open and rushing inside.

Li Wanyan followed at a leisurely pace, even having the leisure to appreciate the snow falling on the railing handrail.

Yi squatted down in front of her desk, pulled out a fluffy scarf, and also took out several books, scattering them on the ground.

She watched as Yi draped the scarf over her shoulders and then stuffed the books that had fallen to the floor back into the drawer one by one.

"This way I won't be cold!" Yi smiled, wrinkling her delicate nose, and wrapped the scarf around her neck, exhaling a satisfied breath of warm air. "Whoosh...so warm, so warm—the wind just sneaks in through the collar, and as long as it's blocked, it won't be so cold!"

She glanced at the blackboard in the classroom, which had been wiped clean, put her hands in her pockets, and tapped the ground with her toe: "Let's go to the fruit shop."

"Yeah, I can walk there, but it might be a bit cold on the way!" Mo Xueyao awkwardly twisted her neck, ran out of the classroom and bumped into her, then locked the door with a grin.

This time when she went to the office, she didn't knock; she just pushed the door open.

"Tap tap tap—" Mo Xueyao cheerfully added sound effects to her footsteps as she ran to Ye Wen's desk, slamming the keys on the table with a 'clatter,' "Wen, let's go!"

"Okay, be careful on the road in this snowy weather."

"Don't worry, no problem! I have excellent balance!" Yi patted her chest proudly, then turned around and wobbled to the door. But her foot slipped, and she almost fell flat on her face if she hadn't grabbed the doorknob in time.

"Isn't it supposed to be super balanced?" Ye Wen said with a lilting laugh.

"It was an accident, just an accident!"

The two went downstairs and then out of the school gate.

The convenience stores next to the school were all closed, seemingly because it was too cold and they planned to take a day off along with the students.

"It's freezing! We should have brought an umbrella. The snow is so heavy..." Mo Xueyao put her hand on Li Wanyan's shoulder, then thought for a moment and took her arm. "I just realized you're not wearing a scarf. Aren't you cold?"

In this cold season, Li Wanyan usually wears a scarf when she goes out. In fact, Mo Xueyao does the same, but she left her scarf at school when she went home yesterday.

"...I forgot."

"Oh, Wanyan forgot to bring something? Hmm, sure enough, that's why you didn't bring an umbrella!" Mo Xueyao teased, pulling her closer to her. "Hey, come closer to me."

"Mmm." She moved closer to Yi, and the two walked side by side on the snow.

She suddenly turned to look at Yi, because Yi had suddenly stopped.

“The scarf is very long—” Mo Xueyao said, clumsily untying the scarf that she had just tied so neatly, then holding it over her head and slowly wrapping it around her neck—round and round.

Mo Xueyao held her hands together, breathed out warm air, and then put them back in her pocket: "How is it, Wanyan? It's much warmer now, isn't it? Hmm, but we need to get closer, otherwise the scarf will come undone."

"Hmm." Li Wanyan wanted to say something, but the pause here, which was originally a comma, turned into a period because of her long thinking.

The warm scarf conveys the warmth between two people.

The snow-covered roads are not easy to walk on, but fortunately this is in the south, so the snow is not thick. If you are careful, you can still move forward slowly.

The tactile paving intended for the blind has become the most suitable pedestrian walkway for snowy days because it increases friction and makes it less slippery.

However, not every place has tactile paving for the visually impaired. Some roads are in particularly poor condition, with no asphalt paving at all. The snow on the roads has been run over by car wheels and trampled by others, and has become mixed with mud, making them dirty and disgusting.

"Ugh!" Mo Xueyao slipped, but was suddenly pulled by the scarf. Li Wanyan, who was next to her, quickly came to her aid, grabbing her arm and helping her regain her balance in the chaos.

"Ugh, this lousy road...!" Yi grumbled, her little leather shoes already getting muddy.

Li Wanyan tilted her head slightly towards Yi, her long hair tickling Yi's cheek: "Your balance is very good."

"cough!"

"Hello, Yaoyao has a great balance."

"Hey! Hey!"

She smiled, her lips pursed, like the warm winter sun that could melt away snow.

An old woman rode by on a small tricycle, her legs trembling: "Sharpening knives, sharpening scissors, haircuts..."

She walked with her back bent and head down, seemingly unable to see the road clearly, so much so that she didn't even know there wasn't a single apartment building or shop nearby.

As the fruit shop drew closer, the road ahead widened, and more shops and residential areas appeared in the surrounding area.

The vocational school didn't give them a holiday today. When Mo Xueyao looked into the alley, she clearly saw several boys leaning against the wall smoking. Snowflakes were falling on them, but they didn't feel cold. They even felt quite cool.

"Hey, the girls are here? You still came all this way in this heavy snow?" The father squatted in front of a large, obviously newly bought brazier while smoking, while the mother sat on a strangely shaped high stool. The lower half of the stool was hollow, and inside was an iron basin filled with ashes from the fire.

"Oh my, you two are enjoying yourselves so much? Wanyan and I are freezing at home!" Mo Xueyao glanced at them sideways, then hopped up the steps in three quick steps, almost causing Li Wanyan to fall to the ground.

"What's wrong, Yaoyao? Can't you be more careful?" her mother said irritably. "I was just about to say that you at least knew to share a scarf with Wanyan today, and you almost knocked her to the ground."

"Hahaha, if he really falls, that would be murder, wouldn't it?" The father threw the cigarette butt into the brazier, stretched out his hands and brought them close to the burning flames, so close that Mo Xueyao was even worried that if the wind blew, the fire would burn his hands directly.

"I'm fine." Li Wanyan smiled helplessly, took off the scarf around her neck, and draped it over Mo Xueyao's shoulder.

"Come on, come on, warm up here! It's so warm in here! I even threw two sweet potatoes in, so we'll have something to eat later, hey!" The father waved to the two girls, laughed heartily, and patted the empty seats on either side of him. "One on each side, let me experience what it's like to have one on each side, haha!"

……

Chapter Twenty-Three: Meeting in Silence

Thin clouds hung in the sky, and sunlight tore through these curtain-like clouds, casting beams of faint golden light onto the earth.

A black sedan drove along the winding road and onto a lonely bridge.

The deep green river reflected the snow-capped mountains beside it.

The snow in the city had already melted, but the snow in the suburbs melted very slowly, even on a clear day.

The sunlight that finally pierced through the clouds didn't feel particularly warm.

Li Wanyan leaned listlessly against the window, feeling the cold wind blowing on her. The journey was too long and the road was too bumpy, making her, who hadn't taken a long-distance bus ride in a long time, feel a bit carsick.

Of course, this might also be related to the overly strong perfume smell in the car.

The destination was a women's prison located near Hangzhou.

Although it is said to be located near Hangzhou, it is actually closer to a small city next door.