A Young Woman's Heart

For a while, Tian Tingchan wanted to go to the beach to build sandcastles, and Zhou Yong followed her. However, in the end, it turned into her watching from the sidelines, while Zhou Yong was directed by her like a worker, building the sandcastles into the shapes she wanted...

"Hey, hey, this isn't right. How did I become a laborer?" Zhou Yong joked.

Tian Tingchan's slightly upturned phoenix eyes darted around, and she chuckled softly, "Who said that? We're clearly working together. I'm in charge of the design, and you're in charge of the construction."

"Damn, I want to be in charge of the design too!"

"Then, you do it?"

"Well, forget it, I'll help you pile them up." But Zhou Yong backed down again.

I spent the entire morning and half an afternoon at the beach.

Later, as the sunlight faded and the chilly sea breeze became unbearable, everyone returned to the seaside cafe.

After taking a shower, Zhou Yong sat in the warm, heated shop, feeling every cell in his body relax and unwind.

I have to say, it's really great to be rich.

Although he was just an ordinary person, he did benefit from Tian Tingchan's influence and also gained some of Zuo Ziya's fame.

He doubted he could afford even a single cup of coffee here with a week's allowance...

The setting sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and the light in the world seemed to dissipate.

Zuo Ziya, as elegant as her name suggests, picked up a cup of coffee with her beautifully delicate fingers, took a small sip, and broke the somewhat silent atmosphere: "Were you ever afraid of the dark when you were little?"

"It's dark? Why are you afraid?" Zhou Yong asked, puzzled. "The sun will rise again the next day anyway."

Zhou Yong has never been afraid of the dark since he was a child.

Perhaps it's because I grew up in the city, but everywhere I go there are people, even at night.

Children who live in mountainous areas are likely to be afraid of nightfall when they are young.

“When I was little, I was really worried that the sun would never rise again,” Zuo Ziya said with a light laugh. “So during that time, I would watch the sun set normally every day, and then wake up before dawn to watch the sun rise with worry before I could feel at ease.”

"Hahaha, Sister Zuo, you're such a coward!" Zhou Yong laughed exaggeratedly.

“However, I’m not afraid when I’m with people I’m close to.” Zuo Ziya changed the subject. “Because I feel that even if the sky never brightens again, they will be like the sun in the night, illuminating my world.”

This time, philosophy was even brought up.

However, Zhou Yong, being an ordinary person, probably had little interest in this, so he just chuckled along without thinking too deeply about it.

At that moment, a hoarse female voice suddenly began to hum lyrics to the music playing in the coffee shop:

"In the darkness, are you my only light...?"

"This coffee shop actually plays songs with lyrics. I thought coffee shops usually had pianists playing classical music."

“Because this is a modern coffee shop,” Zuo Ziya said with a light laugh as she took another sip of coffee.

What Zhou Yong didn't notice was that when the lyrics started playing, Tian Tingchan couldn't help but look at him, her almond-shaped eyes slightly lowered, her expression a mixture of sadness and joy.

The setting sun on the horizon will eventually sink completely.

This was Zhou Yong's first time watching the sunset at the beach.

It felt as if the seawater itself was boiling when it fell.

When it falls, all that remains is an empty night sky and the lonely, cold moon hanging high in the sky.

The stars certainly exist, but they seem as ethereal and unreal as if they were painted on.

……

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Twenty-Eighth Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month

The time to depart has come; it is the day before New Year's Eve.

January 22, 2001 (Gregorian calendar), the 28th day of the 12th lunar month.

The sun is shining brightly; it's a perfect day for an outing.

The fruit shop was empty. On the shelf, a lone orange rolled down and hit Su Tang right on the head.

Whether it was slow to react or too lazy to dodge, it simply tilted its head to glance at the orange that had rolled to its side before lazily lying back down.

The road was a little wet, actually because it had just rained that morning, but before the rain had even stopped, the sun couldn't wait to peek out again.

The rain didn't bring much chill.

It's always a bit warmer in the city during winter.

In this respect, the city is better than the countryside.

"Has Dad not come yet?" Mo Xueyao, who had gotten up early to wait, yawned sleepily.

The roller shutter door of the fruit shop was only half open, and the lights inside were off. Even with the outside light, it still seemed rather dark.

"It'll be ready soon, don't worry," the mother replied with a frown, placing the luggage that had been left in the shop yesterday, piece by piece, at the door.

Some of the gifts were to be taken back to my grandmother's house to give to others, including whole boxes of fruit and health products, as well as several bags of used clothes to be given away.

These are for children from impoverished families. Although they are old, at least they can keep them warm.

Mo Xueyao leaned against Li Wanyan listlessly while waiting, staring at the bag containing her old clothes next to her.

The bag was full of her son's childhood clothes and shoes, which her mother had packed away after his surgery.

Those are all memories of the past.

When her mother wanted to give it away, she was quite reluctant to part with it.

She tried her best to keep a few of the items that she particularly liked.

For example, a tracksuit with black and red stripes and a sci-fi hero style that her godfather gave her is still stored in a closet at home.

But that's just something to keep in mind; I probably won't actually wear it anymore...

She thought with a touch of melancholy, "I have less and less of what belongs to a man."

Her slightly furrowed brows made her look even more endearing.

Li Wanyan turned her head to look at her a few times, and moved her body slightly so that she could rest her head on her fleshy side instead of her bony side.

My father left home early this morning, not to buy goods, but to deliver them.

Flowers and fruits are both things with a short shelf life. It would be best to sell them all before the Chinese New Year, but generally speaking, it is unlikely that they will be sold all at once.

So he contacted many big customers and some regular customers in advance. He basically sold to the former at wholesale price and made a profit on postage, while selling to the latter was almost like giving it away for free.

This batch of goods will definitely result in a slight loss, but it's better than letting them rot in the store or become stale and unsellable.

Besides, when doing business, you can't just look at short-term profits. Occasionally giving others some "benefits" can earn you goodwill, which will make your future path brighter.

Business owners who are overly calculating with their customers are unlikely to have long-lasting businesses.

The sky grew brighter, and the golden light seemed to drive away the maiden of winter, so that the maiden of spring could arrive soon.

The clock had struck eight, and Father's van finally slowly drove up the hill in the distance.

The van was just washed yesterday, so it's shiny silver and can be used as a mirror.

However, this also made the scratches and dents on the car body more noticeable.

Inside the truck, because it had just been used for deliveries, there were cardboard and wood scraps everywhere. The scents of flowers and fruit mingled together, so it wasn't unpleasant.

Even though it smelled bad, Mo Xueyao, who had lived in the fruit shop for many years, had long been used to it.

"Get on the bus!"

"Wait a minute," his mother immediately stopped him. "Clean the car first; we'll be sitting here for several hours!"

"You're so particular," the father teased, but he still started cleaning the car—basically just sweeping up the crumbs with a small rag.

Li Wanyan wanted to get up and help, but Mo Xueyao held her down so she simply sat in the chair and slacked off with her.

—Actually, if you want to stand up, you can still stand up, right?

"Xiaoyao, are you being lazy? Sitting here doing nothing! Come and help move things!" Her father shouted, just like when she was a boy.

Mo Xueyao, however, shamelessly shook her head, glanced at him sideways, and said, "No way, I'm a girl, I don't have the strength!"

"Oh ho!" Her father looked at her in surprise. "Are you putting on airs like a young lady? Girls have to do chores too!"

"It's too heavy, I can't carry it~" Mo Xueyao imitated Wang Jiale's coquettish manner, deliberately using a high-pitched, delicate voice, "What if I twist my ankle or fall down~"

"Fine, fine, I don't want you to move it, okay? Just talk to me properly!"

"Hehe." Mo Xueyao laughed triumphantly, like a victorious general.

Li Wanyan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of her mouth.

All the New Year's goods that I wanted to take back to my grandmother's house were finally loaded into the van. That's when its advantages became apparent. Even with so much stuff, there was still plenty of room to spare, and it didn't take up any space on the seats.

All of these things were placed in the cargo hold at the back, and the third row of seats, which were in the way, had long been removed by my father.

So this van, if we only count the number of seats, should only have five seats.

Of course, it can actually hold more people.

Inexpensive and practical, it is the first choice for countless ordinary small business owners in this era, a truly efficient production tool.

As for choosing a car based on its appearance, that's something for later, more affluent times.

"Let's go, girls, get in the car!" The father waved his hand forcefully, gesturing for Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan to get in the car.

The two of them sat in the back seat, while their mother naturally sat in the front passenger seat.

"Remember to fasten your seatbelt!" Mo Xueyao reminded her, "Mom should fasten hers too!"

"Let your dad wear it, I'm not wearing it, it's too tight."

"Tsk." Mo Xueyao clicked her tongue, watching her father reluctantly fasten his seatbelt, then adjust his position for a while before finally inserting the key into the lock and starting the car.

"Thump thump thump... boom boom boom—" The van made a sound like a tractor, and the whole vehicle began to tremble slightly.

Mo Xueyao's still somewhat chubby face trembled slightly.

"Oh, right... Wanyan, could you grab that bag of snacks for me?" The weather was so nice, and there were hardly any people on the streets when we set off. How could we not have some snacks to liven things up?

After all, we bought them for this very moment!