A Young Woman's Heart

"What are you talking about?" The older sister gently shook the rabbit cage, smiling helplessly. "Okay, stop shaking it, you're making me throw up my dark chocolate."

"Tch, it wouldn't! Its physical abilities might even be better than yours!" Mo Zhuyou tilted her little face and snorted, then smiled mysteriously, "Hehe, it's a secret!"

Mo Xiaoxiao didn't press the matter. She had almost no curiosity. In society, being too curious is often not a good thing.

Although they are the same age, the older sister and younger sister seem to be quite different.

"Alright, we still have to go back to the shop. Why don't you two come with us? We'll treat you to dinner!" Duanmu Bi asked with a smile.

"I'll go if it's free!"

"Of course it's free."

“Okay!” Mo Zhuyou agreed without hesitation.

Mo Xiaoxiao shook her head helplessly: "Then take this box of earthworms to the uncle as well."

The telephone poles along the road cast long, slanted shadows in the setting sun. The uncle didn't go fishing today; instead, he was chopping firewood in his own yard.

"Uncle!" Mo Zhuyou waved vigorously, and the uncle turned around with his axe in hand. "I brought you a whole box of earthworms!"

"Hey? Not bad today."

"Hmph, there are lots of earthworms in that place." Mo Zhuyou handed the box to the uncle.

The latter opened the package as if inspecting goods, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction. "Do you have any firewood at home? I'll bring you some later. You don't need it now, but you can save it for New Year's Eve."

"Okay, we're going out. Uncle, you can just drop us off at the gate of my yard!"

"Okay." The uncle smiled, put the plastic box aside, and started chopping firewood again.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, people seem to be busier than ever.

……

Chapter Twenty-Four: Hua Yinyin's Pre-New Year Grave Visit

2001 1 Month 20 Day.

According to the 24 solar terms, today is the day of the Great Cold.

However, it didn't feel particularly cold.

The sky outside the window was clear and the sun was shining brightly. There were even a few blades of grass sprouting tender buds, giving the feeling that spring was just around the corner.

On the windowsill, the plum blossoms that Hua Yinyin had planted herself were in full bloom, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

She was huddled under the covers, reaching out to chase the sunlight. Before she could even finish yawning, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Yinyin—!" Her mother stood with her hands on her hips in front of her bed, looking down at her condescendingly, "Get up now!"

"What time is it?" Although the sun felt warm on her skin, she still wanted to stay in her warm bed.

No matter how bright the winter sun shines, it can never be warmer than a warm bed.

It's almost eight o'clock!

"It's early..." Hua Yinyin mumbled, shrinking her head down further. "There's no class, why would I get up so early—"

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast? What time are you going to sleep? You're as lazy as a pig!" Her mother reached her cold hand into the blankets and pinched her chubby little face hard.

"Ouch—I'm freezing! I'm freezing!" Hua Yinyin, however, wrapped herself up even more like a dumpling. "I'm not eating anymore! Eating less can help me lose weight!"

"No, we have to get up today, we need to go out."

"what?"

"Visiting graves."

"We attend every year, can we skip it this year?"

"No, no way—" The mother's eyes widened, and she yanked up the silvery blankets, revealing a white, tender lump like a rice cake underneath. "You're sleeping naked again!"

"Sleeping in clothes is so uncomfortable." Hua Yinyin curled up and covered her body, then sheepishly wrapped herself in the blankets her mother had put down. "It's so much more comfortable this way, hehe."

"It's such a hassle to wash them. Every time I wash the blankets, they're covered in sticky, dirty stuff."

"What? How could that be!"

"Last time I slept without clothes on, I got my period in the middle of the night, remember? The bloodstains on the blanket are still wet!"

"Hey, our family is so rich, let's just buy a new one."

"You spendthrift daughter." The mother shook her head in annoyance. "Get up quickly, we're leaving soon."

"Okay, okay, I know!" Hua Yinyin buried her face in the quilt and rubbed it like a hamster, as if she were washing her face with the quilt.

However, she stayed in bed a little longer until her mother urged her again, then she crawled out of bed and put on her clothes in the warm sunlight.

The curtains weren't even drawn. Luckily, there weren't any buildings across the street, otherwise, people might have seen what was happening.

"Dad, does our family start our holiday today?" Hua Yinyin sat at the dining table in her pajamas. She had just finished washing up and felt that her tongue had no taste—even the porridge tasted like toothpaste.

This porridge wasn't cooked at home; it was bought from downstairs, along with snacks like potstickers and steamed buns.

"Didn't you start your holiday a long time ago?" Hua Yinyin's father put down his newspaper and complained, "You're only just coming out to eat. Your breakfast got cold while I was waiting for you."

"I was talking about you guys. By the way, are you going back to your maternal grandma's house for Chinese New Year this year?"

"We're not going back this year." The father yawned and put the newspaper on the sofa next to him. "Going back all the time is too tiring. We'll spend the New Year at your grandfather's house this year."

Hua Yinyin's grandfather is a local of Hangzhou, which means that she won't have to travel around this year and can enjoy her time at home.

In fact, many people are more tired during the Chinese New Year than when they are working. What should be a day for rest becomes a torment, which is why many people grow up to hate the New Year more and more.

Visiting graves a week or two before the New Year has been a family tradition since Hua Yinyin was old enough to understand things.

However, this is not actually a custom from our ancestors.

Going to the grave on this day is only to commemorate one person.

That's Hua Yinyin's older sister.

Her older sister was only one year older than her, but she didn't have many memories of her.

In my memory, I only lived with her for a year—when I was five or six years old.

Although the two of them actually grew up together.

But for most people, their childhood memories start from around five or six years old.

Some people with good memories can recall things from when they were three years old. If they can still remember things from before that, then they are considered exceptionally gifted.

Therefore, Hua Yinyin didn't have much affection for her older sister. From her impression of her, she was like a distant relative who wasn't close to her family.

She died of a heart attack the year before she was about to start elementary school.

Unlike the healthy Hua Yinyin, her older sister was in poor health. She was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at birth and was not expected to live past the age of three. It was only thanks to the family's wealth that she was able to be raised to the age of six or seven.

Actually, if nothing unexpected happens, she can grow up well.

But that time, my sister was deliberately startled by some kindergarten children, and then... she was scared to death.

It sounds like something out of a comedy story, but in reality, it's not funny at all.

Later, Hua Yinyin's parents were still worried and took her to get checked several times, even going abroad for checkups. They were able to confirm that she, as the younger sister, really did not have any heart disease and was in very good health, which finally put their minds at ease.

I remember when she was little, her mother was still very worried about her and didn't dare to scold or beat her. However, as she grew older, once she was sure that she was in good health, her attitude became worse—or rather, she became more casual.

I no longer live in constant fear like before.

After finishing breakfast, Hua Yinyin went back to her room to change her clothes.

Girls don't all change clothes like Mo Xueyao, wearing whatever they have as long as it's comfortable.

She spent a long time browsing in her room before finally choosing a plain white, thick long dress—though this was actually the first dress she had considered…

Her father could never understand this.

If you usually choose the first piece of clothing you want to wear, why waste so much time only to end up back where you started?

After Hua Yinyin and her mother got dressed, her father had been waiting in the car downstairs for almost an hour.

"No wonder they're a mother and daughter." He yawned, fastened his seatbelt, and gestured for the mother and daughter to get in the car. "Alright, let's go, or it'll be noon!"

My father's new blue sedan, which he bought this year, is now running. In this day and age, this is a rare color scheme. Although it lacks the composure of a business person, it adds a touch of freshness and brightness.

The clean car paint had hardly any dust on it, and the nearby utility pole was clearly reflected on it.

The sound of the car starting made the sparrows on the telephone pole lower their heads and hop over to another telephone pole, seemingly more curious than afraid.

Hua Yinyin leaned against the car window, squinting as she felt the wind blowing in her face—neither cold nor hot, but rather refreshing.

The car, draped in the white clouds of the sky, moved leisurely through the city.

After passing through this steel forest, we arrived at the cemetery halfway up the mountain.

Today is not a special holiday, so there is not a single car in front of the large open space, only a few bicycles can be seen parked at the entrance.

I don't know if they were people visiting the grave or friends of the grave keeper.

The existence of graves is actually to provide a place of solace for the living.

Quietness is the norm here.

Because the living have their own lives, only the deceased can rest in peace.

Several more trees have been planted in the cemetery, and some of the small pine trees have grown quite a bit.

A few tender yellow flowers bloomed next to the plum blossoms. Compared to the plum blossoms that are thick and can stand proudly in the cold wind, they are small and fragile. Even though the sun is shining brightly today, they seem to be shivering.

However, they are still trying their best to survive.

"La, la la la~" Hua Yinyin didn't feel sad. She jumped around like a deer, humming a little tune.

That was one of the few memories her sister left her.

My sister used to like humming this little tune.

So every time Hua Yinyin comes to visit the grave, she hums this little tune.

It sounded like a nursery rhyme, but apart from her sister, she had never heard anyone else hum the same tune.

Sister Hua Yinyin's tombstone is quite old, but because the materials used at the time were very good, the words on it are still clearly visible, as if they were just carved.