A Young Woman's Heart

The father was arranging the shelves by himself, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, occasionally moving his lips to shake off the ash.

"Dad, what's up? Want to change the style of the store?"

"Hmm, I'm considering whether to move the shelves here."

"But that means we've cut off one more path to take, right?"

"Yes, so I'm considering it. Have you two had breakfast yet?" The father threw his empty cigarette butt on the ground and skillfully stomped it out with the sole of his shoe. "What do you think about putting the flowers over there?"

"The other side? Hmm... but there's a small room over here, wouldn't it be difficult to open the door if it's placed this way?"

"That's true." The father nodded, but in the end he didn't do anything. He asked again, "Have you had breakfast? There are fried dumplings and soy milk on the counter. You two can eat whatever you want. If you're not full, go next door and ask your Uncle Chen to cook you two bowls of noodles."

"Didn't Mom cook porridge at home this morning?"

"I was just worried you wouldn't be able to eat that little bit of porridge and pickled vegetables."

"We've already cooked them, we can't just waste them, right? Besides, that's what we used to eat at home." Mo Xueyao sat down at the counter nonchalantly, hesitated for a few seconds, and then picked up a few fried dumplings and ate them.

It's not that I wasn't full, it's just that I was craving something sweet.

Such a leisurely day made Mo Xueyao, who was leaning back in her chair, yawn several times.

Unlike other students, she and Li Wanyan had already finished their winter vacation homework before going to their grandmother's house.

Li Wanyan was still reviewing her books, while Mo Xueyao was listless and unmotivated, wanting to do nothing and let time slip away meaninglessly.

It's not entirely meaningless; at the very least, doing it makes people feel exceptionally relaxed.

As we get older, days like these, when we can just waste time daydreaming, become fewer and fewer, and thus become more precious and valuable.

But people's joys and sorrows are never shared.

Just then, a noisy suona and drum sound came from afar. A group of people dressed in white walked slowly forward, scattering pieces of paper money behind them. A few pieces were blown by the wind and flew into the fruit shop, where they were disdainfully swept out by the father: "Tsk, bad luck!"

Crying could be heard from the crowd; it was unclear whether it was just a few people crying or a whole group of people crying.

The wailing cries and the howling wind mingled together, making it impossible to distinguish which was a human voice and which was a sound from nature.

The fruit shop is located right below the hospital, and it's common for people to attend funerals there.

It just feels a bit novel during this New Year period – Mo Xueyao believes that as long as the Lantern Festival hasn't passed, the Spring Festival isn't really over.

"Why hold a funeral on Chinese New Year?" Mo Xueyao rested her chin on her hand, pulled a pack of chewing gum from the rotating shelf, unwrapped it, and chewed it. "Is today a particularly auspicious day for a funeral?"

“No.” Li Wanyan turned to today’s almanac hanging on the wall, which read in small red characters: “Avoid: Opening a business, starting construction, burial, starting construction, opening a market.”

"Huh?" Mo Xueyao raised her voice, "Dad, the almanac says today isn't a good day to open a business!"

"Go away, it's just superstition. If you believe in it, then all the shops in the city should just close today!"

"What's beneficial to you is custom, what's detrimental to you is superstition..." Mo Xueyao said sarcastically, her eyelids drooping. "Dad, you're really mercenary."

"What do you mean by mercenary? This is called being realistic, okay!"

"Dad, you actually know what 'mercenary' means!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed in surprise, as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Your dad is at least a junior high school graduate, don't you know that?"

"Tsk, a middle school student is so arrogant..." She rolled her eyes and handed Li Wanyan a piece of chewing gum. "Wanyan, stop memorizing. Why work so hard? You need to rest sometimes."

"You think everyone is like you? Lazy and stupid, haha."

Li Wanyan pursed her lips and nodded, taking the chewing gum Mo Xueyao offered—it was unclear whether she was indicating her intention to rest or agreeing with what her father had said.

"Oh, by the way, Grandma Jin brought you some New Year's gifts, they're under the counter."

"Where?" Mo Xueyao immediately bent down excitedly.

"In the red bag!"

Mo Xueyao opened the bag, which contained pencils and pens. They looked very plain and nothing special—just like the pens that cost five cents each in stationery stores.

"Is it just ordinary stationery...?"

"Those are stationery items that Grandma Jin took to the Confucius Temple to have blessed. Using them will help you study better!"

"Pfft, the Confucius Temple can be consecrated? Even if it's consecrated by a temple, it won't work for studying this stuff. Buddha doesn't understand modern knowledge. Oh well, it's fine to use it as a consumable... Ah, there are notebooks too, perfect for using as drafts..." Mo Xueyao paused for a moment, then pulled out four more teaching materials from inside.

The book is called "Learn with Me," and it's a second-year high school textbook. It only has two versions: Chinese and Math. It seems like each student should have their own copy.

"Wanyan, this, umm... I think Lele bought this." She excitedly opened the Chinese textbook "Learn with Me," which not only contained the textbook content but also teaching materials, somewhat like the slides teachers use in class. If you have strong self-study abilities, you can even learn the entire textbook content through this supplementary material.

"Hmm." Li Wanyan took it and started flipping through it. Subconsciously, she took out a new notebook and started taking notes in it. She had actually started preparing for the next lesson.

This made Mo Xueyao feel inferior. Although she was quite self-disciplined in her studies, she was still far behind Li Wanyan.

If her studying is about suppressing her desire to play, treating it like a necessary task, then perhaps Li Wanyan treats studying as a hobby.

The amount of energy invested in hobbies and work is completely different.

On this rare day off, with nothing to do at home, Mo Xueyao couldn't possibly study all day. In fact, most people who could fully immerse themselves in their studies at school would generally achieve excellent grades.

With nothing to do, she got up and walked to the entrance of Grandma Jin's convenience store.

The bright and clean convenience store has swept away its previous gloom, and many more young people are coming in to buy things. Of course, the prices of goods are also slightly higher than before.

"Ding-dong~" As soon as I stepped through the automatic sliding door, a welcoming notification sound rang out in the convenience store.

Grandma Jin and Zhuang Lianlian looked over and saw Mo Xueyao's clean and fair face.

"Xiao Yao, come over and play? Want some oden? We just got some today, it's super fresh." Grandma Jin stood up enthusiastically. The husky lying next to her legs wagged its tail listlessly. She wondered where it had gone to play today, as it seemed so listless.

"No need, no need—" Mo Xueyao hurriedly waved her hand, but Grandma Jin didn't care whether she wanted it or not, and insisted on giving her several strings in disposable cardboard boxes.

"Spicy soup or clear soup?"

"Clear soup is fine, cough cough..." Mo Xueyao smiled a little embarrassedly and sat down next to Zhuang Lianlian. Zhuang Lianlian's dyed blonde hair was well-maintained, smooth and shiny, as if it had absorbed nutrients very well. "Hmm, have you gained weight?"

"Just...just a little bit..." Zhuang Lianlian covered her cheeks shyly, "I spent the New Year with Cheng and the others here, so I ate a little bit more..."

"Ah, right, just a little bit. It's the New Year, after all, it's normal to gain a little weight." Mo Xueyao smiled mischievously and gently nudged her arm. "Hey, how are things between you and Chen Cheng? You need to take precautions, you're probably not old enough to get a marriage certificate, right?"

"Xiaoyao wasn't like this before..."

"Cough, really?" Mo Xueyao's mind immediately conjured up an image of Hua Yinyin. "It must be because of that guy's influence... By the way, do you want to go see the lanterns for the Lantern Festival this year? Let's go together!"

"Is it the Lantern Festival? The shop will probably be very busy..."

"It's a rare occasion, let's go together! You should invite Chen Cheng too!"

"Then... I'll ask later?"

"Okay, let's go have some fun!" Mo Xueyao took a bite of the oden that was served, and a happy smile immediately appeared on her face. Then, the smile quickly froze. "Uh... I'll start going for a morning run tomorrow..."

"I...I want to too..."

"Lianlian can't exercise, can she?"

"Hmm...hiking...walking? How else can I lose weight..."

"Well, you'll have to eat less!" Mo Xueyao laughed gleefully, then realized it wasn't right to joke about someone's physical defects, so she quickly handed her a skewer she hadn't tried before, "Ah, sorry, sorry, would you like one too?"

Zhuang Lianlian immediately shook her head like a rattle drum.

……

Chapter 51 Meat Dumplings

February 7, 2001, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

In Mo Xueyao's memory, the winter vacation seemed to have just begun, but she never expected it to be coming to an end so soon.

The two days following the Lantern Festival are Thursday and Friday. Schools usually start tomorrow, then have two days off before going on holiday again.

Yukong High School, on the other hand, simply puts its students on Sunday afternoons for registration, with Monday being the official start of the semester.

In other words, including today, there are only five days left of winter vacation.

The closer the start of the school year gets, the more precious it feels.

"Yaoyao, didn't you say you were going out today?" The morning air was no longer cold, but carried the gentle warmth of blooming flowers.

Mo Xueyao stretched one of her fair and chubby thighs out of the blanket, her whole body tilted to the side, her head gently resting on the small pointed corner of the bedside table.

"Oh, did you say you were coming? What time is it?"

"8:30."

"It's alright, it's alright, no rush..." Mo Xueyao turned over while hugging the quilt, exposing her disheveled back to the air.

"Breakfast is almost cold." Li Wanyan pinched her ear and gently tugged it, saying calmly, "Get up."

"Ah... get up—I'll get up right away—" Mo Xueyao supported herself on the bed with one hand, but after a few seconds, she collapsed back onto the bed as if all her strength had been exhausted.

She struggled several times before finally getting out of bed. Li Wanyan, standing beside her, frowned slightly and asked, "What will you do when you go to school?"

“I’ll definitely be able to get up early when I start school! I’ll adjust to the new habits.” Mo Xueyao jumped out of bed and then washed up and ate breakfast.

After the New Year, the family seems to be a little poorer again. After all, there is no income and so much money has been spent. So breakfast has gone back to what it was before we opened the fruit shop – plain porridge and dried plum vegetables, which seems a bit meager.

I think next year should be much better. I didn't save any money this year mainly because I spent it all on paying off debts and buying a car.

The weather forecast said it would rain today, but the sky outside the window is clear and blue, and there's no sign of rain at all.

A sparrow landed on the windowsill of the small room, but before it could even tilt its head to look inside, it was startled and flew away by the blanket that was suddenly lifted and then fell back down.

"Huff—huff—" Mo Xueyao shook the quilt vigorously, smoothed it out, and then jumped off the bed. She grabbed the clothes her mother had prepared for her the night before. "Wanyan! Let's change and go!"

This is a long dress for spring, a new outfit her mother bought. She never forgets to buy the same one for Li Wanyan as well.

“Mine is purple, and Wanyan’s is pink…” Mo Xueyao clicked her tongue, put on the breathable and warm cotton long dress, and also put on the same purple, but slightly lighter, tights. “Where does Mom buy so many fancy clothes… and purple tights too? Could this be from that pile of elementary school style clothes she bought last time…?”

"Isn't it perfect for spring?"

"It suits me... but the color... don't you think it's a bit childish?" Mo Xueyao turned around shyly. "Isn't there a bit too much lace on it?"

"It suits Yaoyao very well."

"Huh, do you think I'm that childish in Wanyan's eyes? Like a primary school student?"

"I guess so." Li Wanyan gently bit her lip and lowered her head as if to hide something, but Mo Xueyao still instinctively felt that she must be secretly laughing.

Once outside, the two beautiful young girls overshadowed the vibrant colors of the flowers, attracting the attention of many passersby. Some little girls even begged their mothers to buy them such pretty dresses to wear...