A Young Woman's Heart

"Yaoyao, take a rest if you're tired." Li Wanyan gently hugged Mo Xueyao's legs to help her stand up more steadily—she was currently standing on tiptoe, trembling, using a feather duster to brush away the spider webs on the ceiling.

"It's alright, it's actually quite fun working together... It's like—um—" Mo Xueyao wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead and said with a smile, "Just like back in junior high!"

"Didn't you often skip cleaning when you were in junior high?" Shi Haiming blinked curiously with his almond-shaped eyes.

"Bullshit." Mo Xueyao grinned. "You're the one who always skips out, aren't you? How many times have you gone on dates with girls from the next class, and wasn't it me and Atao who covered for you?"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Nonsense," Li Gutao replied succinctly with just two words.

By the time the cleaning was finished, it was already evening.

The house is tidy and organized everywhere, and it's a pleasure to look at.

A large piece of animal hide was laid on the ground, along with several smaller ones, like blankets, which were quite soft and warm to sit on.

This is a 'local specialty' that Nora brought from home. Although her family doesn't hunt much anymore, some of her relatives still make a living from it.

The large piece of animal hide in the middle is a bear skin, while the smaller pieces next to it are wolf skins.

Even in that sparsely populated country, this is considered a rare item that is very difficult to buy.

The brazier in the middle had been lit, and the firelight shone on everyone's faces, filling the room with warmth.

A metal bucket-shaped stew pot sits atop the brazier, the broth bubbling and the beef jerky inside bobbing up and down.

This beef jerky can be eaten directly or used in soups, and it's much more authentic than the kind Mo Xueyao usually buys in supermarkets.

Nora had laid out all the liquors she brought from Russia on the shelf, so you could choose whatever you wanted to drink—it was even more complete than what you'd find in a bar.

The falling night was the perfect catalyst for the atmosphere. Lin Huihui, who had already woken up, was holding a bottle of vodka and looking at it curiously. She muttered somewhat petulantly, "I don't think it's anything special. Maybe I can drink a lot without getting drunk."

"Come on, drink!" Nora opened a bottle with gusto and poured it straight from the bottle opening. A little wine dripped from the corner of her mouth, adding to her boldness.

Shi Haiming stared in disbelief, and after a long while, he said blankly, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone drink baijiu like it's soda... but that stuff doesn't quench your thirst at all..."

"Are you convinced now?" Mo Xueyao teased. "Your alcohol tolerance is nothing at all."

Li Wanyan moved to the side, opened a bottle of cola to dilute the strong smell of alcohol, and also relaxed her slightly furrowed brows a lot.

You should know that she rarely drinks soda on her own initiative—even if someone else offers it to her.

"I want to drink too!"

"Uh, you should drink less..."

"No, I have to drink it! Let's see how much I can drink!" Lin Huihui imitated Nora, opening a bottle as well. She took a big gulp, then her whole face scrunched up like a toothless old woman's. "It... tastes awful..."

What she drank was clearly alcohol, but it tasted more like asphalt to her, as if it had stuck her tongue and throat together, making even speaking incredibly difficult.

"Hahaha—it tastes good once you get used to it!" Nora laughed, picked up the beef jerky and took a big bite, urging everyone to start eating. "Eat up, eat up, these are all edible, help yourselves!"

Besides the stew in the pot, there were also piles of various snacks and breads from Russia on the side.

Mo Xueyao tore open a candy the size of a glass bead, stroked its rough, Russian-like surface, and popped it into her mouth.

The sour and sweet flavors were almost at their peak, stimulating her tongue to the point of numbness.

Shi Haiming picked up a large, rock-like loaf of rye bread, took a bite, and immediately his teeth ached from the impact.

"This is fucking just a rock, isn't it?"

"That's an exaggeration." Li Gutao, not believing it, picked up a piece as well—and then he and his best friend started howling in pain, clutching their cheeks.

Li Wanyan tilted her head slightly and glanced at Mo Xueyao, then popped a candy of the same kind that Mo Xueyao was eating into her mouth.

You couldn't tell from her expression how the candy tasted.

"Phew, it's really sour, but once you get used to it, it's quite satisfying." Mo Xueyao put the candy under her tongue, then stuck out her pink little tongue and said with a light laugh.

"Ah."

"Wanyan, does your hand hurt?"

"It's alright," Li Wanyan replied calmly, gently rubbing her right wrist.

Her wrist has healed, but since she had surgery, it hurts if she uses it for too long, and she can't exert any strength if she works continuously.

Sometimes, if I accidentally bump into something, it feels like I've hit a nerve, and my entire right hand becomes immobile, taking a while to recover.

"Whoosh." Mo Xueyao grabbed her right hand, blew hot air onto her wrist, and then gently pressed it with her thumb.

Li Wanyan's brows furrowed at first, then relaxed considerably.

When getting a massage, I always hesitate to use too much force because people are afraid of pain, and this instinctive reaction is hard to control.

Whenever this happens, Mo Xueyao would come over to help, giving a little massage, and the sore wrist would quickly recover.

However, if you do too much that day, no amount of massage will be of much use, and you'll need to rest for the night.

When Mo Xueyao came to her senses, she found that Li Gutao and the others were sitting around Nora, seemingly having a drinking contest.

Nora was fighting three people by herself, but she was not afraid at all.

"Xiaoyao, come on over! If we all team up, we can definitely drink her under the table!"

"Don't even think about it... even if you add them all up, you still can't drink as much, okay?"

"How is that possible? That's too exaggerated!"

However, Li Gutao, Shi Haiming, and Lin Huihui fell before Nora.

Mo Xueyao, who was forced to participate, had drunk even more than the others, but she was still quite lucid. Looking at the three people who were already dazed and 'writhing' on the ground, she couldn't help but smirk and curse, "Pfft, what idiots..."

……

Chapter Sixteen: Attending My Godfather's Annual Party (Part 1)

Monday, August 2001, 1.

The light rain falling from the night sky cast a hazy filter over the city that was shimmering with neon lights.

In the bustling city center, there were fewer pedestrians than usual today—perhaps because of the rain.

The traffic flowed at a moderate pace, with the traffic lights at each intersection acting like the conductor's baton of an orchestra, directing traffic in an orderly manner.

"Click".

The headlights of the black Santana sedan suddenly lit up, the orange-yellow light illuminating the license plate of the car in front, where a few specks of mud and dust could be vaguely seen.

The green light came on again, and the Santana started to vibrate with a 'thump-thump' sound, but quickly returned to normal.

But after driving for a short while, the van in front suddenly stopped with a shudder. Mo Xueyao heard several 'boom boom boom' sounds as it started up again, like a seventy or eighty-year-old old man.

Several tall buildings under construction nearby have been completed, and lights are sparsely lit on them, suggesting that people are already working inside.

Several dusty-looking construction workers carried paint buckets and tools out of the gate. As they crossed the street at the zebra crossing, they couldn't help but look back a few more times, as if imagining what it would be like to actually work inside—but they probably wouldn't have that opportunity, so they placed their hopes on their descendants.

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, may not be as bustling as neighboring Shanghai, but it is still a sizable modern metropolis.

She remembered seeing a news report that Hangzhou's permanent population was over 8.4 million. When she saw it on TV, it was just a cold, hard number. But as she drove through this concrete jungle, she felt that they had come alive.

Everyone has their own life, and they are all the protagonists in their own stories. However, sitting in the car, you can't hear their conversations.

Some people frowned, some looked relaxed, and some were sometimes happy and sometimes worried.

She also saw someone sitting in front of the flower bed, watching the passing cars. The fast food in the bowl had gone cold, but he hadn't taken a bite. Suddenly, he sniffled and tears streamed down his rough face.

Mo Xueyao mostly stayed in the vicinity of her home and the fruit shop. Even in this city, she had never really explored it properly, nor did she realize how big it was.

The Santana slowly stopped in front of a building that was a dozen or perhaps twenty stories high, and drove into the brand-new underground parking garage.

"Get out of the car, you two little beauties!" The godfather smiled as he turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. His body, which had become quite plump, looked rather cramped in the small sedan.

"Hmm—are we going up already?"

"Of course, Xiaoyao, watch your image, okay?" her godfather reminded her with a smile, which made Mo Xueyao roll her eyes.

This was her godfather's annual party, which originally had nothing to do with the two of them. However, as the section chief, he was allowed to bring his family or friends to the party.

His godmother was worried about letting him attend such a gathering full of young women alone, and since she and her daughter were too busy to come, she 'sent' Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan to supervise him.

She could almost hear the joking words echoing in her ears: "Keep an eye on your godfather, don't let him get bewitched by those so-called socialites."

However, those were mostly colleagues of the godfather. Although they might not see each other often because they were not in the same department, they would eventually run into each other.

If we have to keep a close eye on him at these kinds of 'gatherings,' then we won't be able to let him go to work with peace of mind on ordinary days.

Mo Xueyao, whose 'emotional intelligence' seems to have improved recently, seems to understand what her godmother meant. Perhaps she was just using this joking excuse to let the two of them see the world!

"Phew, it's still a bit cold outside..." Mo Xueyao was wearing the Hanfu that her godfather had bought for her last time. As soon as she came down, she shivered and shook her body, feeling as if she had stepped into a refrigerator.

The car was still filled with the warmth of the air conditioner, and Li Wanyan seemed somewhat reluctant to leave.

"It's alright, there's air conditioning inside! Let's go, take the elevator!" The godfather straightened his tie, picked up the black briefcase that he didn't know if it was even useful, and walked ahead skillfully.

This was Mo Xueyao's first time in such a large underground parking garage. It was so complicated that it was like a maze. After wandering around for only a couple of times, she couldn't find the entrance she came from—it was really impressive that her godfather could find the elevator so accurately.

The elevator had a mirror that reflected Mo Xueyao's figure. She couldn't help but look at herself in the mirror, while Li Wanyan gently combed her hair and adjusted her clothes. Although she didn't feel any difference, she felt that she looked more 'dignified' this way.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, there was a long red carpet. Not far away at the entrance, a female receptionist stood at the door, smiling and asking them to show their admission credentials.

Mo Xueyao could clearly see a hint of weariness and melancholy in her smile—which made her smile seem somewhat hollow.

"Okay, welcome, all three of you. Please come in." She stepped aside to let the three of them in—actually, they could have entered regardless, but this gesture made her seem more polite and courteous.

When she looked at Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan, a hint of genuine envy appeared in her empty smile.

But it quickly subsided and transformed back into a 'doll' used for welcoming guests.

The room was very spacious, with many tables set up like at a wedding; at a glance, it was impossible to count how many there were.

An acquaintance waved to his godfather, gesturing for him to sit over there.

"Section Chief Yu is here? And who are these two? Tsk tsk, you know that's illegal, right?" someone teased, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Haha, Section Chief Zhang, something's not right with your thinking. This is my... goddaughter."

"Both of them?"

“And there’s also my niece,” Yu Liang said, pointing to Li Wanyan.

"Hello, Uncle." Li Wanyan bowed slightly, appearing very polite.