A Young Woman's Heart

The usually quiet beach was unusually lively today.

Taiyin and Shuizhishi were picking up the empty fireworks boxes left over from yesterday's fireworks display and piling them onto a small pickup truck.

"Phew, put me down..." Su Yuqing watched the fireworks while being carried horizontally, and suddenly realized something. Her face turned red, and she said softly in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Mo Kong nodded and put her back on the beach. She seemed shy and hopped around like a rabbit to sit down next to Aishuer.

"Aishue".

"What's wrong, Sister Qing?"

"This is your first time actually spending the Lunar New Year here."

“Hmm…” Aishuer hugged her knees and tilted her head slightly. “I like this kind of New Year.”

"Is that so? Don't you think it can be too noisy at times?"

“I’m used to it, and… at least it’s all harmless.” She rested her chin on her knees, letting the salty sea breeze tousle her long hair. “Living here is good…”

"That's good." Su Yuqing smiled and ruffled Aixiu'er's hair, then looked at Mo Kong, who had sat down beside her, and whispered, "So live a good life, there will be many more New Years like this to celebrate in the future~"

"Sister Qing too, hmm, your health seems much better than before."

“Yes! Because I’m in a good mood, I’m in good health, and because I’m in good health, I’m in even better mood. It’s a positive cycle.” Su Yuqing nodded gently and leaned on Mo Kong’s shoulder. “By the way, let’s go together later… We’ve also erected cenotaphs for your parents.”

"Mmm."

Visiting graves on the first day of the Lunar New Year is not a local custom in the small city, but a custom in Su Yuqing's hometown.

Interestingly, this custom requires people to set off firecrackers and fireworks at home before going to the graves today.

When you arrive at the grave, you should not set off firecrackers or fireworks, nor should you burn paper money. You only need to bring two incense sticks and one of the deceased's favorite foods.

"Aishier, what did your parents like to eat in the past?" Su Yuqing gently tossed her short hair, which barely reached her chin, and asked softly.

"In the past? Hmm... what did you like to eat? It would definitely be meat... because we didn't always get to eat it."

"Meat? Hmm... then I'll bring a piece of salted meat."

She gazed for a while longer at the azure sky veiled by thin, white clouds on the beach, before finally getting up to go out.

—Before that, firecrackers were set off again, this time a thousand-shot firecracker, which scared her so much that she covered her ears and squatted down again, and was picked up by Mo Kong again.

Despite being so scared, she insisted on putting it on herself.

Last night when the fireworks were going off, she watched from a distance and didn't get close.

"Are we going?" Qiu Yi asked, resting his head on Tian Yin's lap. Wang Qianyu, who was next to him, also turned her head to look at them.

"Yes, I have to go there, and I won't be back."

"Leaving so soon? Why not stay a few more days?"

"No, thank you." Mo Kong shook his head.

Qiu Yi watched them drive away until even the taillights of the car were out of sight before turning back and saying, "Tsk, going to the grave on the first day of the Lunar New Year, what a strange custom..."

“That’s right, that’s right. In our area, visiting graves on the first day of the Lunar New Year is considered unlucky.” Wang Qianyu nodded in agreement, then quietly placed a crab at Qiu Yi’s feet.

A few seconds later, he let out a scream. Looking down, he saw that the crab claws had clamped tightly onto his toes...

Wang Qianyu laughed gleefully, and took the opportunity to throw another one at Qiu Yi, causing a chaotic scene.

……

Small cities do have cemeteries, but not many people buy them these days.

After all, this is a 'small city'. There are many open spaces in the surrounding countryside, and no one cares about the mountains. People like to bury their dead in these places.

Not only because they don't have to spend money to buy a burial plot, but also because they can choose an auspicious burial site themselves.

With so many mountains, there must be one that's suitable.

Aishu's parents were buried on the mountain behind Hundred Streams.

It is slightly shorter than Bailiu Mountain, but it doesn't have a name. When it is described, it is always referred to as "the one behind Bailiu Mountain".

Beside a blue stone halfway up the mountain, there is a relatively new tombstone with the names of Aishuer's parents written on it.

Under the raised mound, only a coffin was buried, and inside, there was nothing but clothes.

"Sister Qing, you go up first." Ai Xiu'er gently licked her lips, standing in front of her parents' graves, her legs feeling as heavy as lead.

"Okay, I'll come down to find you later." Su Yuqing handed her two incense sticks, while Mo Kong gently placed a piece of fresh meat in front of the tombstone.

They continued walking upwards until they were almost at the top of the mountain before stopping.

The open space was covered with cement, but a few weeds still stubbornly grew out of the cracks.

The tombstone is made of a single piece of dark-colored jade. If you don't look closely, you might mistake it for just a smooth, large stone.

A bouquet of flowers was placed in front of the grave, indicating that someone had already visited.

The bamboo broom next to it was obviously newly bought; someone had used it to sweep the dust in front of the grave before.

Su Yuqing was not surprised or strange about this. She held her breath, slowly walked to the tombstone, squatted down, and placed two incense sticks in glass cups in front of her.

She turned her head and looked at Mo Kong, who was smoking a cigarette.

The latter, understanding the situation, handed her the still-burning cigarette butt to light the two candles.

After lighting it, Mo Kong took the cigarette back and took another drag; the swirling smoke seemed to carry a hint of incense and candlelight.

Next, Su Yuqing placed a plate in front of the grave, on which was a hazelnut chocolate about the size of a Chinese textbook.

In fact, she didn't have any particular favorite foods during her lifetime; these were just foods that Su Yuqing herself liked to eat.

However, I imagine she wouldn't mind.

Because whatever Su Yuqing likes, she will likely like too.

The smoke from the incense and candles slowly rose into the air, where an invisible wind caused them to intertwine, playfully blowing up a few withered leaves that twirled as if dancing along with them.

The sun quietly hid behind the clouds, and the pale blue sky suddenly darkened considerably.

Su Yuqing remained squatting without standing up. Mo Kong, standing behind her, could only see drops of water falling with a 'plop plop' sound, leaving one dark, solid circle after another on the dry cement floor.

"Whoosh—" The wind seemed to want to say something, but in the end it could only make a 'whoosh' sound, gently blowing her short hair and lifting her skirt slightly...

Mo Kong squinted and gently placed a rough hand on her head, rubbing it lightly.

The latter sniffed hard, then, wiping her eyes with her hand, gently raised her head to look directly at the tombstone: "Happy New Year, Yuuko-neechan..."

……

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nurse Sister

For most people, the first day of the Lunar New Year should be a day for family reunion.

Most of the time, I would be lying in bed sleeping in, listening to my father snoring as he slept in, and hearing my mother making breakfast while watching TV.

Everything should be so languid and beautiful.

But for the children in the orphanage, that was a life that could only exist in their imagination.

In fact, this is also true for Tian Tingchan.

She didn't want to stay alone in her cold and lonely home, so she signed up in advance to be a volunteer and came to be a volunteer nurse for a day on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

What I do is check the children's health, such as checking if their teeth are growing crooked, which may require orthodontic treatment if it's serious; checking if their bones are growing crooked, which can sometimes be corrected in time; checking if their eyes, nasal cavity, and mouth are normal; and I can also do some simple checks for skin diseases...

Besides her, some of her classmates who were also studying nursing, as well as students from other schools, also signed up to participate.

There are even some kind-hearted people in the community. Of course, they are not professionals, so they are only responsible for checking some simple items.

For example, checking for color blindness or color weakness, or checking whether logical thinking ability is normal, etc.

Originally, Tian Tingchan was assigned to draw blood from the children, but she was later reassigned to the classroom where she would examine the children's bones.

Some volunteers participated simply out of boredom; others to satisfy their need for social recognition; still others to take the opportunity to add a few nice words to their resumes; some wanted to gain experience; and some had all of these motivations.

But the cicadas in the sky are different.

She wanted more to prove her own existence and value.

Only those who are empty inside, feel lost about the future, and have no family to rely on, always want to find a reason to live, or at least do something to make themselves feel more fulfilled.

Actually, the physical examination isn't really urgent; it's entirely possible to skip it at the beginning of the year. Doing so is also for the welfare home's publicity purposes.

Taking advantage of the fact that many people are at home celebrating the Lunar New Year, we called in reporters to cover this good news.

Firstly, to promote Kongqing Welfare Home so as to attract more donations from kind-hearted people and gain more social attention; secondly, to promote some positive and uplifting energy that the country needs.

Moreover, the latter would also benefit the welfare home, as this report could help it secure more government sponsorship.

These are not for personal gain, but to help more children.

That's at least what they say on the surface.

But things can't always be so ideal...

Even if the director of the welfare home genuinely wants to benefit the children, it's hard to prevent those below from having selfish motives, right?

Many mixed thoughts drifted through Tian Tingchan's mind as she pushed open the door and entered the classroom.

Only one nurse was assigned to each classroom, and the children lined up outside, with one child allowed to enter at a time.

Because there are still not enough staff, each nurse has a lot of work to do.

For example, the Heavenly Cicada is responsible for checking the mouth, nose, and eyes, as well as feeling the bones and checking the development.

She sat down in the chair, feeling a slight, barely suppressed excitement.

A hopeful smile couldn't help but appear on her cool, aloof face.

Some people like to work with colleagues, but she's different. She prefers to do her own thing and doesn't need anyone else's cooperation unless necessary.

As soon as she sat down, she felt the ground tremble slightly, heard the sound of children running in the corridor, and then the classroom door was gently pushed open.

"Hello." The volunteer in charge of the dozen or so children smiled and nodded at her. "Can we begin now?"

"Well, it's alright."

"Okay—" He then turned around, put his hands on his hips, and shouted to the children, "Listen up, one by one. After someone goes in, no one else is allowed to go in and disturb the nurses' examination work until they come out, understand?"