A Young Woman's Heart

"Xiaoyao, could you serve me some rice?"

“…Will you serve me some rice? Okay, okay.” Mo Xueyao wanted to refuse, but thinking that he was a guest after all, she still walked over to the rice cooker.

"Is business good at your place today?" Shen Kelin asked Mo Xueyao, who was getting her food. "—A little more, a little more."

"You can eat so much!"

"Well, it's alright. Anyway, I won't gain weight even if I eat a lot."

"Wow—what an enviable constitution." Mo Xueyao muttered, pressing the rice down with her rice spoon and then adding another layer on top. "Is this enough?"

"Okay, that's enough, thank you Xiaoyao!" Shen Kelin quickly took the rice bowl, then without eating any vegetables, she shoveled a big mouthful into her mouth, as if she had never eaten before.

"Are you that hungry?" Mo Xueyao asked helplessly.

"I didn't eat breakfast when I came out today, and memorizing lines is really tiring... that's why I'm so hungry," Shen Kelin mumbled, before picking up some food and eating it quickly.

I remember back in junior high, Shen Kelin was the kind of person who could eat as fast as the boys, so it's no wonder she always got along well with them.

Mo Xueyao then served Yu Shu some rice before sitting down and slowly eating.

Like Mo Xueyao, Mr. Xue also took a steamed bun, but he used chopsticks to pick it up, took a bite and put it back in the bowl, and then picked up a bite of vegetables to eat.

Mo Xueyao was different. To make it easier, she ate the steamed bun with one hand and held the chopsticks with the other. It seemed more enjoyable that way, although it might get her hands dirty.

"Xiaoyao, can I get a discount if I buy fruit from your store?" Shen Kelin asked casually.

"...They should be able to give you a discount, right?"

"At least a 50% discount, right?"

“Some of those fruits probably wouldn’t even cover the cost…” Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. “What do you want to eat? If you just want something light, you can just help yourself later.”

She inherited one of her father's strengths, or rather, weaknesses—that is, she was exceptionally generous.

"Well, I want to buy some fruit for my parents. It's almost the end of the year, and I've turned 18 this year, so it's time to show them some filial piety!"

"You could buy a fruit basket, but fruit baskets aren't very practical; they're just pretty to look at."

Is it expensive?

"If it's cheap... there should be some for thirty or forty."

"Then let's buy the cheaper one later."

"Mmm." Mo Xueyao took another big bite of the steamed bun, her mouth was already full, and she couldn't speak for a moment.

Apart from Shen Kelin, everyone ate very slowly.

Although Mo Xueyao also took large bites, she didn't swallow without chewing; she simply enjoyed the feeling of her mouth being full of food.

Speaking of which, she sometimes eats like this at home, but when she's out, she makes a conscious effort to chew her food slowly and carefully.

"Auntie's cooking is still as delicious as before..." Yu Shu said softly, picking up another piece of stir-fried eel. She seemed to particularly like this dish, as there were eel bones all over the side of her bowl.

The husky seemed to have caught a whiff of something, standing across the street with its tongue lolling out and tail wagging. If it weren't leashed, it probably would have already charged over.

After everyone finished eating, the fruit shop gradually emptied out. The list of people who had pre-ordered fruit baskets or New Year's Day flowers was already a full page long. Most of these people had paid in advance, while a few regular customers had only paid a deposit.

"How is it? Is it not very tasty?" The mother asked with a smile, though she was a little tired.

"It's delicious!" Shen Kelin nodded and said loudly, "The taste is just as good as a restaurant's!"

"Mmm, Auntie's cooking is still as delicious as before..." Yu Shu took a napkin and gently wiped her mouth.

Mo Xueyao tried to imitate her, but found that she couldn't wipe her mouth clean at all, or rather, it would take a lot more time to wipe it clean. So in the end, she just wiped it a couple of times and that was it.

The mother glanced at Yu Shu, then turned and glared at Mo Xueyao before her gaze shifted to Mr. Xue.

He stood up, smiled, and said "Thank you for the treat" in a very polite manner.

Mo Xueyao patted his shoulder hard: "Xiao Xue, don't be so polite, just relax!"

"okay."

"Do you think everyone is as casual as you?" The mother glared at Mo Xueyao, annoyed. "Are these all your classmates?"

"Except for Shen Kelin, who wasn't, but she was my junior high school classmate..."

"Junior high school?" The mother thought for a moment, then nodded gently. She didn't ask any further questions. She stared at Mr. Xue, looking him up and down. "Young man, what's your name?"

"My name is Mr. Xue."

Mo Xueyao, fearing her mother would misunderstand, quickly explained, "His name is 'Sir'."

"It's a very unique name, but it suits your personality very well. Not bad at all."

"Hehe, thank you."

"By the way, Shen Kelin, didn't you want to buy a fruit basket? Why don't you ask my dad?"

"Yes, Uncle!" Shen Kelin immediately exclaimed, even the usually oblivious Mo Xueyao was worried for her.

"Oh? What's wrong, girl?" the father asked with a hint of teasing.

"I want to buy a fruit basket! Are there any cheap ones?"

"Look, it's laid out on the ground over there."

"how much is it?"

"Money?" The father was taken aback. "Take one, and I'll give it to you if you like it."

"That's not a good idea, we still have to pay!"

"No need." The father wasn't just being polite; he genuinely didn't want to make money off Mo Xueyao's friend. "Don't bother me with this. Just take it. Xiaoyao's friend is my friend too, isn't she?"

"Then we'd call this a friendship despite the age gap?" Shen Kelin said with a smile, not bothering to insist on paying, and readily picked up one. "This one, is that alright?"

The father didn't say anything, but just made an 'OK' gesture.

"Xiaoyao, Li Wanyan, I should go now, I have things to do. Yu Shu..." Mr. Xue said goodbye to everyone one by one before turning and leaving.

The mother's gaze remained fixed on Mr. Xue until he disappeared from sight, at which point she snapped back to reality.

Mo Xueyao, who was standing next to her, seemed to sense that something was wrong with her and couldn't help but ask, "Mom, you don't actually have a crush on Xiaoxue, do you? There's quite a big age gap between you two, isn't there?"

"Go away, you brat! You're so young, yet your thoughts are so dark!"

……

Chapter 244 The Lively Rehearsal

The lake reflected the bare branches of the trees, and the wind rippled the surface of the lake. However, no fish could be seen in the water. Perhaps in winter, they all hid in deeper places.

A bright breeze was blowing in our faces, making it hard to believe that today was a day when it was going to snow lightly.

The weather forecast said yesterday that today would be sunny, but this morning the forecast was changed again, saying that it would rain lightly, then turn to light snow, with a low of only minus three degrees Celsius.

"I hope today's weather forecast didn't change the original prediction to be wrong?" Mo Xueyao stood with one foot on the pebble beach by the lake, her fair face slightly flushed from walking a long way.

"It's not normal for weather forecasts to be wrong, is it? There was a time when they said it would rain for the next three days, but it turned out to be sunny for three days straight!" Hua Yinyin squatted by the lake, stretching out her arms but still couldn't touch the water.

Although she was right on the shore, the lake surface was still quite a distance from the ground.

Today is the last day of 2000, and also the last day of this week.

Tomorrow, New Year's Day, marks both the start of a new week and the beginning of a new year.

Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin came out to buy fast food, but the latter insisted on dragging her around here.

There are more people having lunch this time, otherwise I would have taken my classmates to my house to eat like I did yesterday.

As for the money, of course it's all split equally. And when it comes to fast food, if there are a lot of people, just let the owner serve whatever you like, either one meat dish and two vegetable dishes or two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes.

"So what are we doing here?" Mo Xueyao propped one foot on a willow tree, using her knee to support her elbow, which in turn rested on her chin. "Was it any wonder you wasted your time coming all this way?"

If someone didn't know her well, they would probably think she was angry, but in reality, her tone was somewhat playful.

"Hmm—because I wanted to buy fast food by the lake. Little Yaoyao really has no patience."

“…Then let’s go.”

"Since we're already here, we should definitely enjoy the scenery!" Hua Yinyin said illogically, making Mo Xueyao roll her eyes.

Perhaps, deep down, Hua Yinyin is even more sentimental than Mo Xueyao.

Standing by the lake, facing this scene, perhaps she was already moved, and might even want to paint this landscape immediately.

Sometimes it's really hard to describe the beauty in front of you with words. Luckily, Hua Yinyin is an artist, so she's not worried about not being able to express it.

However, sometimes, images cannot express the feelings in one's heart, and then one has to rely on language to describe them.

Visuals and language are complementary, which is probably why comics are so popular.

Mo Xueyao's thoughts immediately drifted off again.

"Okay, okay, I'll take you there! It's a hidden fast food restaurant, you know, most people don't know about it!"

"It's like something's really strange..."

"Yes, go further back, next to the village. Usually, it's where villagers or migrant workers from the surrounding area eat."

"How did you know that?"

"I sometimes go out alone to take photos!"

Mo Xueyao looked at her with droopy eyelids: "You still come out alone? I thought you could stay at home forever when no one was with you."

"Don't you understand the saying 'Stillness breeds restlessness'?"

"Let's go! Everyone else will starve to death."

"Tsk, impatient little Yaoyao." Hua Yinyin complained softly, but still led her inside.

Right at the entrance of the village, there is a small temple-like building, with people coming and going from time to time.

Business is neither good nor bad, and the fast food isn't particularly appealing in color, but everything is clean and tidy.

There were about twenty kinds of vegetarian dishes and about ten kinds of meat dishes. It was getting late, almost one o'clock, so the remaining dishes looked scattered, with bits and pieces left here and there.

"Boss, can you still make enough fast food for fifteen people?"

"Sure, two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes are fine." The owner was a woman in her fifties. Calling her "Grandma" didn't seem that old, but calling her "Auntie" seemed a bit odd.