A Young Woman's Heart

However, Mo Xueyao finally called out "Auntie," and said, "Then, Auntie, please give us fifteen servings. How much is one serving?"

"A serving of one meat dish and two vegetable dishes costs 1.5 yuan, and a serving of two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes costs 2.8 yuan! If you just order two vegetable dishes, it's 0.6 yuan."

"It's so cheap..." Mo Xueyao couldn't help but blurt out. She quickly cleared her throat. "Well, then give me ten servings of one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, or five servings of two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes."

"That'll be twenty-nine yuan in total. Would you like a few more boxes of rice?"

"Hmm...how do I calculate it?"

"I can give you ten extra boxes of rice."

"That's too much..."

Hua Yinyin shook her head and pressed Mo Xueyao down: "No need, no need, let's make five more tea eggs, they're two cents each, right?"

"Yes, two cents each."

"That makes exactly thirty yuan." Hua Yinyin took out three ten-yuan bills and placed them on the table. "Here, put them all. Please pack them carefully, or they will spill."

"Okay, okay, I'll tie it up with a rubber band for you."

This was the first time in the past two years that Mo Xueyao had bought such cheap fast food. The key was that the portions were also generous. For example, the lion's head meatballs were served two at a time, which looked particularly tempting. Moreover, because no soy sauce or other seasonings were used for coloring, the meat on top was clearly visible at a glance. Obviously, not much flour was used, and the entire lion's head meatball was almost entirely meat.

Buying fast food doesn't require a long wait because the food is already prepared; you just need to put it in a container.

Soon, the two of them left, each carrying two large bags of fast food.

The rice and dishes were separated; Mo Xueyao was carrying all the dishes, while Hua Yinyin was carrying all the rice.

The styrofoam box rubbed against the plastic bag, making a sound that was a bit teeth-grinding, but when you're hungry, it's like a dinner bell. As soon as the two of them entered the auditorium, they were surrounded by students whose stomachs were practically flat from hunger.

"Don't rush, don't rush, don't rush—" Mo Xueyao shouted as she placed two plastic bags on the makeshift desk next to her. "Hey, hey, are you all starving ghosts reincarnated? Come one by one! The one on the left is one meat and two vegetable dishes. If you have a big appetite, take the one on the right, which is two meat and three vegetable dishes. But there are only five servings. Don't take any if you can't finish them, or it will be a waste!"

Everyone gathered around, and the fast food was quickly divided up.

On the other hand, the two sisters, Mo Zhuyou and Mo Xiaoxiao, were quite relaxed. They had already finished eating the lunch boxes they brought from home and were rinsing their mouths with tea.

"How did your rehearsals go?" Mo Xueyao asked, sitting down next to Mo Xiaoxiao while holding two styrofoam lunchboxes.

"Although Yin Yin, the main character, isn't here, we've had no problems after rehearsing. We'll just go through it on stage again this afternoon."

"What about the other classes..." Among the lunch boxes that Mo Xueyao helped bring were students from other classes, some of whom were band members from other classes, and others who came to rehearse a play.

Not all the students from Class 2 of Grade 11 who will participate in the drama performance will be eating boxed lunches. There will also be some extras who will come and perform once and then leave, such as Chen Cheng and his friends, who will probably go off to play video games again.

Others went home to eat and came back in the afternoon.

"There's also a rehearsal for the band's performance, three songs..." Mo Xueyao put the food on her lap, then opened the styrofoam box containing the rice. Just as she picked up some food, Hua Yinyin slapped her hard on the back.

The greens on her chopsticks fell onto her skirt, and even though she quickly picked them up, they still left an oily stain on it.

"Damn it, Yinyin, what are you doing?"

"Hehehe, look! I have some fried yellow croaker in my plate! Shall we share it?"

"You just don't like eating yellow croaker, right?" she said irritably. "Look, my meat dish is sweet and sour pork, so give me the yellow croaker."

"What? I just wanted to share with you. If we exchange dishes, we'll have more variety!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes and unceremoniously picked up a small yellow croaker from Hua Yinyin's side, crunching it loudly and swallowing it whole, bones and all.

"Hey? Little Yaoyao, hey, are you choking or something?"

"What? No."

Why don't you spit out the bones and thorns?

"The yellow croaker is fried so crispy, why bother spitting it out? Besides, isn't it a hassle to spit it out?" Mo Xueyao placed a piece of sweet and sour pork into her bowl. "It tastes pretty good. Here, take it, it's an equal exchange."

"Am I losing out by making this exchange?"

"Take it or leave it!" Mo Xueyao bumped her head against Hua Yinyin's forehead. "You're such a fussman!"

"Hey, um, shall I put my food on Yaoyao's lap too?"

"I—reject—!"

Even during mealtimes, the auditorium is noisy. However, compared to the vast space, the dozens of students here are not many, and the noise echoes, adding a touch of ethereal beauty.

After dinner, those who needed to rehearse continued rehearsing, and those who needed to practice continued practicing, while Li Wanyan went to the teacher's office to write the outstanding student comments for the end of the semester.

Yes, this year, not only will each student's report card have teacher comments, but also comments for outstanding students. Since Mr. Xue has to practice with everyone, this task has been handed over to Li Wanyan.

Although it's just a few short paragraphs, it's not easy to write well because you have to describe each student's strengths, weaknesses, and personality, use tactful language, and comment from the students' perspective, not the teacher's.

It is said that this was requested by the head of the teaching department, and Mo Kong doesn't seem to care about these 'trivial matters'.

As the principal, he is only responsible for the overall development of the school.

People who had gone home for meals or out to eat returned, instantly making the auditorium even more lively.

"Wait, put this over there!"

"Jia Qixue, don't laugh! Be serious. When he 'dies' on stage, don't laugh out loud!"

"Pfft, hahahaha—"

"Youyou! You were too fast just now. Don't rush, take it slow!"

New Year's Day is finally coming.

……

Chapters 245: The 2001 New Year's Day Cultural Performance (Part 1)

"Happy New Year!" As soon as the door opened, Hua Yinyin's voice came from afar. With a 'bang', the classroom door was shut off, shutting out the whistling wind.

"New Year? Oh, it's the new year." Mo Xueyao hadn't even realized it yet.

"It's already 2001!"

Chinese people have always liked to celebrate the lunar calendar, so even before the Lunar New Year is over, there is still a feeling that the year is not over yet.

Sitting opposite Mo Xueyao, Mo Zhuyou was filling out a reply form.

This document lists the arrangements for the upcoming winter break.

January has arrived, and there's really not much time left in this semester.

The reply slips were sent out yesterday and need to be returned by Friday. Usually, parents need to sign them, but the two Mo sisters are special cases, so they filled out all these reply slips themselves.

"January 1, 2000..." Mo Zhuyou read it softly while writing the date of filling out the reply slip in the lower right corner.

"No, today is 2001!" Mo Xueyao corrected.

"Oh, right..." Mo Zhuyou quickly changed the '0' to a thicker '1', "I'm still not used to it..."

This happens every year at the beginning of the new year.

"I'm going to perform on stage today, phew..." Hua Yinyin nervously rubbed her little hands together, her face flushed from the cold wind outside. "What should I do, Yaoyao, I think I'm a little nervous..."

"You're still nervous? Haven't you always wanted to play the lead role?" Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways. "Among all of us, you're definitely the one who won't get nervous on stage!"

"Hmph, can't I be nervous? This is a one-woman show!" She cupped Mo Xueyao's cheeks in her cool little hands and complained, "What if I forget my lines?"

"Tch, if you really forget your lines, just improvise. You're the screenwriter, so just treat it as an impromptu performance on stage."

"Little Yaoyao doesn't care about me at all, waah waah waah waah—!" Hua Yinyin stomped her feet like a sulking child.

Mo Xueyao watched her performance with droopy eyelids, her expression unchanged, because she was already used to it.

"Everyone's in the band room? So diligent! Still practicing?" Wang Jiale pushed open the door while drinking soy milk. The doll hanging on her bass bag swayed back and forth as she walked.

"It's quiet here," Mo Xueyao yawned widely. "Is the New Year's Day cultural performance about to start?"

"No, we were supposed to start at 8:30, it's still early." Because there was no heating in the band room, Wang Jiale liked to squeeze into crowded places—and right now she was squeezed between Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin, enjoying the warmth emanating from them.

School started a little later than usual today, so even though it was already 7:30, many students were still not at school. There were students leisurely walking in from the school gate, some with backpacks and some without...

Actually, there are no classes today, so theoretically, you don't need to bring your schoolbag.

However, some people might feel that going to school without a backpack is a bit strange, as if it lacks a sense of ceremony, so even if it's unnecessary, they still bring their backpacks.

This year's New Year's Day performance was not arranged by grade level, but rather by the type of program, with the programs interspersed throughout.

For example, after a dance performance, there won't be another dance performance immediately following. Instead, there might be a singing performance, a drama, or a skit.

The play by Class 2 of Grade 11 was scheduled for the morning performance, which made people feel that there wasn't enough time to prepare. But that's okay, at least it can be finished early, so that they don't have to wait until the afternoon with heavy hearts.

Since we've already rehearsed so many times, whether it's earlier or later won't make much difference, so of course the sooner we finish the performance, the better.

The daytime activities consist entirely of New Year's Day cultural performances, while the evenings feature band competitions, which can also be viewed as performances.

Today, the school will not only provide lunch, but also snacks and dinner, which makes Mo Xueyao even more excited.

"I think the Spring Festival is in January this year?" Mo Zhuyou asked suddenly as she folded the receipt and put it into her pencil case.

"Yeah, otherwise why would they be preparing for the holiday so soon?" Mo Xueyao tilted her head, avoiding Wang Jiale's somewhat cold face. "If I remember correctly, it should be the 24th?"

"The 24th is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and New Year's Eve is the 23rd! Today is already the 1st, and the holiday is just around the corner!"

Although Lunar New Year's Eve is on the 23rd, winter vacation has always started relatively early.

The Spring Festival came early this year, so final exams started on January 8th and ended on January 9th, after which the holiday began.

After that, all you need to do is go and pick up your report card.

"Winter break is only about a week away, but it feels like time is passing even slower," Hua Yinyin muttered, tilting her head. "I really hope time goes by faster..."

"The closer it gets to that time, the harder it feels to get through. Then, when winter break comes, the time just flies by," Mo Xueyao said, resting her chin on her hand. "I really wish time would slow down during winter break..."

"Unless Doraemon is involved, it's impossible!"

"By the way, does everyone have any plans for winter break?"

"Where's Yinyin?"

"As for me, well... I'll probably go back to my grandma's house."

"Beijing?"

"Hmm, is Xiaoyao going again this year?"

"I probably won't be going this year." In fact, Mo Xueyao's hometown is not in Beijing at all. If we're talking about her great-grandfather's hometown, it's far away in Russia. And if we're talking about her great-grandfather's later home, it's in J City.