A Young Woman's Heart

"Who said that? People who aren't good-looking still have to work hard."

"Yes, we're all in the same boat... I wish I were a beautiful woman."

"Hahaha—what are you thinking, kid!"

The two best friends walked away arm in arm.

The happiness of ordinary people seems to be universal, but their sorrows are all different...

……

Chapter 239 Being absent-minded always means something is on one's mind.

Wednesday, November 2000, 12.

The Year of the Dragon is almost over, and next year will be the Year of the Snake.

The fact that the snake is listed after the dragon makes one feel as if the dragon has degenerated into a snake, carrying a somewhat ominous connotation.

The old marble floor gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting slightly blurry images.

The band room was as noisy as ever at noon. People would practice for ten minutes or so, then chat for another ten minutes or so, appearing quite relaxed and showing no sense of urgency that the band competition was about to begin.

"Whoosh—" Yu Shu was learning to play the harmonica under Hua Yinyin's guidance, but she hadn't mastered the playing method yet, and she blew out several notes at once, and it sounded a bit like there was air leaking out.

Hua Yinyin brushed aside the bangs that were blocking Yu Shu's forehead, puffed out her left cheek, and muttered, "That's not how you blow air. Close your mouth a little tighter and blow out slowly... breathe through your nose..."

Mo Xueyao didn't practice the piano; instead, she lay on the table basking in the sun. Su Tang had secretly slipped into her schoolbag again and followed her to school. In the morning, she had placed it in the band room, though she was actually a little worried that it might scratch other people's instruments.

So I would rush over to take a look almost every time get out of class ended.

Fortunately, Su Tang seemed to have long passed the age of being full of energy. She just lay on her desk basking in the sun all morning without moving an inch.

"What are you doing here? There's nothing for you to eat. You'll have to suffer at noon. You'll only get food when you go home after school." Mo Xueyao poked Su Tang's round body, and the latter let out a lazy whimper, its fluffy tail swaying back and forth.

Wang Jiale took the bass guitar off his back and put it aside, then pulled a piece of cream bread from under the table: "Is Sutang hungry? Do you want some bread?"

"Tch, don't spoil it, or it will always want to come to school with you."

"What does it matter? Isn't it fun to have it here? Actually, I'd like to get a cat too, but my parents won't let me. They say it'll make a mess of the house." Wang Jiale pouted, and the sound of her tearing open the plastic wrapping of the bread caught Su Tang's attention.

"Tsk, what a glutton."

"Hey, it really eats?"

“Isn’t this normal?” Mo Xueyao yawned, squinting her eyes. “This guy is so greedy; he’ll eat anything that’s edible.”

"Hey, so cute." Wang Jiale broke off a small piece of bread and brought it to its mouth.

Su Tang, too lazy to even get out of bed, simply lay there enjoying the food delivered to her door.

The clouds that had been blocking the sunlight were blown away a little by the wind, and brighter golden light shone through the window.

Mo Xueyao felt warm all over and wished she could lie there like a piece of candy and bask in the sun all day long.

The sudden burst of sunlight made Su Tang squint, and the cat rolled over and lay sprawled on the table, looking quite lazy.

Mo Zhuyou tapped Mr. Xue with her drumstick: "It looks like it's going to rain again tomorrow, isn't it?"

"That's what the weather forecast said." Mr. Xue put his feet up on the chair's crossbar and nodded gently. "Shouldn't we practice a few more times during the last few days of New Year's Day?"

"Have mercy on me—let me rest for a while. It feels like I've been practicing non-stop since I arrived at the band studio these past few days, and I haven't had any time to rest at all..." Mo Xueyao put her hands on Su Tang's body and rubbed her forehead against its soft belly. "I feel like my enthusiasm is almost completely exhausted. I might not even feel like playing when I go on stage!"

Although what she said was completely absurd, Mr. Xue still grinned and nodded: "Haha, okay, okay, then let's take a break."

"On such a beautiful afternoon, we should be drinking tea and chatting!"

"I agree!" Wang Jiale was the first to raise both hands.

Yu Shu played "Two Tigers" in a crooked and uneven manner. Although it was almost entirely off-key, it was still recognizable as the song...

Time never waits for anyone. Even if you do nothing but stare blankly at the blue sky, noon will pass in the blink of an eye.

Wednesday is probably a day that many people look forward to, because—if Wednesday comes, can Friday be far behind?

Noise is a constant theme in schools, representing the students' inexhaustible energy.

In a beam of golden light, tiny dust particles drifted down, like snow falling on a sunny day.

During the last PE class, Wang Jiale picked a wild plum blossom that was standing proudly in the flower bed and was showing it off by wearing it on her head.

But wearing plum blossoms like that feels like the aesthetic of the older generation.

The plum blossoms are pinkish-purple, with long white stamens, and a few yellow dots at the very top.

The people were arguing about what color the flower actually was.

Some say it's pink, some say it's purple, and others, like Mo Xueyao, think it's pinkish-purple—as for whether pinkish-purple actually exists, that's another topic of much debate.

The argument, of course, came to no avail, until the Chinese teacher came in, and everyone returned to their seats and quieted down.

It was the last class of the day for Chinese. While listening to the lesson, Mo Xueyao casually copied down the classical Chinese texts she had learned in class.

Classical Chinese is a subject that requires copying texts several times after learning them. She copied them all at once now, which not only reinforces her learning but also makes things easier when she gets home later.

After this Chinese class, there will be no new material to learn this semester; the next step is the review phase.

With final exams approaching, she felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.

To alleviate this sense of urgency, she thought less about the exam itself and more about the vacation that would follow, much like how people with many important things to do often want to stop and play games or tidy up their rooms.

"Xiaoyao!"

"Well!"

Mo Xueyao was startled and trembled. She looked up and saw Ye Wen standing in front of her desk. Ye Wen was leaning on the desk with one hand and had the other hand behind her back, seemingly holding a Chinese textbook. Her body was leaning forward so that her face was very close, and even the fine pores on her face were clearly visible.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Ye Wen was also wearing makeup, though it was very light and not easily noticeable.

Mo Xueyao stared at her light foundation and drifted off into thought again.

"You've been really distracted in class lately, what's wrong?"

"Huh? No...right?"

“You were spacing out just now. Is it because you’ve been under too much pressure lately? Hmm… you do have a lot to do.” Ye Wen nodded understandingly, her lips, which were covered in lip gloss, pouting slightly. “Don’t worry so much. Relax. If you really can’t handle it, ask someone else to help you out.”

"Ah...cough."

"Alright, stand up and read this passage of classical Chinese aloud."

“Okay…” Mo Xueyao licked her lips and stood up somewhat embarrassedly.

Throughout the year, there are always times when a person can't get into the flow, and that was the case for her today. Even though she had read it several times last night, she still stumbled over it and couldn't read it fluently at all.

“Give me… I have enough for three basins… three hundred basins, all for the sick, none of them are fully recovered, not one is completely recovered, that is… already! After three days, coughing… after three days of weeping…”

She felt like her tongue was about to curl up, and for a moment she thought the classical Chinese text was so convoluted and difficult to understand.

"Mo Xueyao," Ye Wen said seriously, "You didn't study last night, and you're still stuttering when you read it."

"I...I've already reviewed it..." Mo Xueyao felt utterly speechless.

"How could this happen if you previewed the material? It's okay if you didn't preview it, but you can't lie." Ye Wen sighed and gently patted her head with her Chinese textbook. "Okay, sit down. You have to pay attention in class from now on."

However, despite trying to concentrate for the rest of the time, Mo Xueyao inevitably drifted off into her own thoughts. It wasn't until the bell rang that she suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering that she had just been in class and that it was over...

"Have you been under too much pressure lately? Go back and get some rest." Ye Wen walked to Mo Xueyao's side as the bell rang, gently patting her head. "Don't push yourself too hard. You don't have to do your homework today. Go back and go to bed early."

"N-nothing..."

"Well, that's for the best." Ye Wen walked out the door, turned her head slightly, winked at her, and then walked towards the office without looking back.

"Xiaoyao, what's wrong today? You seem even more distracted than I am. Is something on your mind? Could it be that you have someone you like?" Wang Jiale rested her face on her arm and asked curiously.

"What are you thinking about!" Mo Xueyao poked her cheek. "Do you think you're the one who's always thinking about dating, only to break up with someone after you've started dating them?"

"I'm not that kind of person..." Wang Jiale muttered weakly.

"Alright, alright, let's go to the band room!"

"I don't believe it. Xiaoyao is definitely troubled by something!"

“Not everyone who seems absent-minded is preoccupied; maybe they’re just occasionally lacking energy,” Mo Xueyao retorted. “Perhaps it’s because the cafeteria food at lunchtime wasn’t good enough?”

"What kind of excuse is that! Besides, didn't we have a burger and fries for lunch? It's KFC, which is only served once a month!"

"Ah, I understand!"

"what?"

"In the end, I didn't get a turn!"

"Huh? Xiaoyao insisted on joining the longest line, but even after we finished eating, you were still in line, so we left. In the end, you still didn't get to join?"

"Yeah, when I got there, they were sold out, so I had to get food from the window next door." Mo Xueyao covered her face. "So the reason I was daydreaming was because I missed the school cafeteria's once-a-month hamburger and fried chicken...!"

"I knew you had something on your mind! See, it's all sorted out now, right? Come on~" Wang Jiale took Mo Xueyao's hand. "How about I take you to get some hamburgers~"

Where can I buy hamburgers around here?

"The milk tea shop near the entrance sells it."

"That store really has a complete selection..." Mo Xueyao couldn't help but tease, "Is it trying to make all the students' money? Tsk."

……

Chapter 240 What Adults Nostalgically Remember

As soon as the winter sky darkens, it feels like eight or nine o'clock in summer. The dim, yellow sunset seems to have no lingering affection for the world, setting as soon as it does. If it weren't for the myriad lights of the city, the whole world would probably be shrouded in darkness—because tonight the starry sky is obscured by clouds, and the moon, after trying so hard to peek out, is once again hidden by the inconsiderate clouds.

When Mo Xueyao got home, she casually tossed her schoolbag aside and tossed the sugar candy onto the ground.

Her father stared at her and asked, "Why did you bring the cat to school again?"

“It came by itself!” Mo Xueyao replied irritably.

She wasn't hungry today because Wang Jiale treated her to a hamburger when she got home from school.

This imported snack is actually not complicated. It's just two slices of bread sandwiching a fried meat patty, not much different from a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and even less elaborate in terms of ingredients!