A Young Woman's Heart

After a shaky bus ride, the two finally arrived at Yinshan Square.

This place is usually very lively, but it becomes even more crowded during the Lantern Festival.

Because the largest lantern festival in Hangzhou is held here every year.

Although it was only morning, you could feel from afar that the closer you got to the crowd, the higher the temperature became. So many people gathered together were like a giant, natural heater.

"Are there so many people this early?" Mo Xueyao leaned on Li Wanyan's shoulder, standing on tiptoe, but could only see the backs of most people's heads. "How are we going to find Chen Cheng and Lianlian?"

"Chen Cheng is over there."

"Huh? Oh right, it's him. Looks like being tall has its advantages, at least it's easy to spot someone in a crowd..."

In the South during that era, people who were 1.8 meters tall were not common, and standing in a crowd, they certainly stood out.

Of course, it's not so easy to spot if you don't look closely.

"Hey, Lianlian, Chen Cheng!" Mo Xueyao waved her hand vigorously and called out several times before the two of them finally turned their attention to her, somewhat belatedly.

"Xiao Yao is here! There were already so many people this morning." Zhuang Lianlian held Chen Cheng's arm with one hand. Apart from her right leg being slightly unnatural, she looked no different from an ordinary person.

"Yes, there are so many people. I wonder if the lanterns are all set up yet. Should we go for a stroll on Hefang Street during the day?"

"I'm fine with anything."

"It's too crowded." Chen Cheng was somewhat reluctant. "It's inconvenient for Lianlian."

"Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder you're an old married couple, you're already thinking about each other." Mo Xueyao clicked her tongue teasingly, "Actually, it's just that there are a lot of people in the square, look, Hefang Street is still quite empty."

"Let's go, this is a rare occasion..." Zhuang Lianlian smiled shyly and gently tugged at Chen Cheng's arm.

"Okay, tell me if you're tired." It was a very gentle sentence, but he made a face like someone owed him millions, which just made him look like he deserved a beating.

Does this guy have absolutely no control over his facial expressions?

Otherwise, shouldn't they at least show some smile?

"Let's go, let's go! I'll lead the way!" Mo Xueyao took the lead and squeezed into the crowd, heading towards Hefang Street.

Although there were many people, it wasn't to the point of being shoulder to shoulder; there were still many gaps between people.

The variety of goods sold on Hefang Street is much greater than usual, and many stalls are only set up for the Chinese New Year. They not only sell goods but also provide services.

For example, the shop at the entrance is a cotton-fluffing shop. Old cotton that has been used for a long time is compressed into a large block like a pancake, so it needs to be fluffed to make a new cotton quilt.

It will usually be much smaller than before it was redone, and you can add some new cotton if needed.

It's somewhat similar to melting down iron and then recasting it into a new piece of iron.

The bowstring used for fluffing cotton makes a 'duang' sound, and with its rhythmic quality, it can even be heard to have a certain melody.

"Selling glutinous rice balls! Big glutinous rice balls!" someone shouted loudly from another stall not far away.

Most other shops have pre-recorded messages that are broadcast through loudspeakers, but only a few have individuals standing at the entrance shouting to attract customers.

"Big glutinous rice balls! We should eat glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival, Wanyan, shall we buy some?"

"it is good."

"I want to eat too~" Zhuang Lianlian hugged Chen Cheng's arm and shook it vigorously in a coquettish manner.

"Boss, are these glutinous rice balls delicious?"

"It's delicious, it's definitely delicious! We have meat filling and vegetable filling, which one do you want?" Because the surroundings were too noisy, the owner had to shout to ask the question.

"Huh, it's salty?"

"Yes, of course it's salty!"

"I like salty food, I've had it before..." Zhuang Lianlian gently wiped the corner of her mouth, as if drool was already flowing out.

"How much is one?" Chen Cheng didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Five cents each!"

"That's so expensive! A big meat bun is only 50 cents!" Mo Xueyao pouted. Having run a business at home for a long time, she had learned to bargain to some extent.

"My filling is very generous, with bamboo shoots, pork, beef, and shrimp—and look, this glutinous rice ball is so big!"

"Ten of them, to be served in two bowls," Chen Cheng said magnanimously.

"Hey? You can't finish all of that... Cheng, buy less, we need to eat other things..."

"Then give us six, and divide them into two bowls."

Meat or vegetable?

"Meaty."

"okay!"

"Then, shall we have two...?" Mo Xueyao glanced tentatively at Li Wanyan, and seeing the latter nod, her tone immediately became cheerful, "Two meat ones! Just use those paper cups, two separate paper cups!"

"Okay!" The shopkeeper didn't mind at all and quickly packed the glutinous rice balls for the group, and even added extra soup as Mo Xueyao had requested.

The meat dumplings at this shop are exceptionally well-filled, just as the owner said, with plenty of meat and whole shrimp.

With one bite, the juices burst in your mouth, giving you a feeling of pure bliss.

Next to the meat-filled glutinous rice balls was a stall selling sweet glutinous rice balls, but they claimed to be selling 'Yuanxiao' (glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival).

There are two kinds of fillings: red bean paste and sesame. Mo Xueyao also bought two to try with Li Wanyan.

Before she had even finished the glutinous rice balls in the bowl, Mo Xueyao was drawn to a miniature lantern for the Lantern Festival.

It's not made of paper, but of plastic and glass; it can be held in one hand and looks exceptionally delicate.

What is this?

"Oh, this is a night light. Just plug it into the switch by your bedside, and it will light up at night. The light is dim, so it won't affect your sleep."

"Huh, what's the point if it's not lit up?"

"At least when you get up to go to the toilet, it won't be completely dark. Besides, some kids are afraid of the dark when they sleep alone at night, right? With this, they won't be so scared."

“Oh, this... um…” Mo Xueyao’s big eyes darted around, and she thought of Yu Shu, who was always very timid. She was probably afraid of the dark at night, so buying this for her would be a good idea. “Wanyan, how about this? Let’s buy one for Yu Shu as a gift.”

"Whatever," Li Wanyan said sullenly, turning her gaze elsewhere.

"By the way, since we have lucky money anyway, why don't we buy some gifts for everyone? Something inexpensive, so it won't be too wasteful of money, and it'll still be a surprise for everyone. What do you think, Wanyan?"

Li Wanyan hesitated for a moment, then took out her wallet from her small shoulder bag: "Then I'll contribute some money too."

"Well, it's a New Year's gift! Sharing the joy with everyone is a good thing, isn't it!"

Mo Xueyao's innocent kindness always infects those around her, making people genuinely feel that the world is still a beautiful place...

……

Chapter Fifty-Two: A Light Rain on the Heavenly Street, as Gentle as Butter

Along the way, she bought a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Although she didn't seem to buy much, she still ate until she was stuffed.

She touched her slightly protruding belly and let out a burp that smelled of various things—most notably cumin and cilantro.

She covered her mouth and took a sniff, but the smell made her quickly fan herself.

Fortunately, I had some chewing gum from the fruit shop in my pocket. I popped one in, and the smell in my mouth was somewhat neutralized.

"Clap."

A drop of cool, wet liquid landed on her head, and then on her brow.

"Clap clap clap."

The sound was not very clear in the noisy crowd, until it gradually became denser, and then the crowd suddenly began to move rapidly.

"It's raining?" Mo Xueyao touched her slightly damp forehead and turned to look at Li Wanyan beside her.

"Ah."

"Oh no... I forgot my umbrella..."

"The weather forecast didn't say it would rain today." Chen Cheng frowned, took off his coat, and draped it over Zhuang Lianlian's head. "Let's go, let's get out of the rain, or you'll catch a cold!"

"Mmm..." Zhuang Lianlian looked like a little bird nestled against him as he pulled her towards the eaves of the nearby newsstand.

Mo Xueyao also found a suitable place to take shelter from the rain immediately.

—That's the telephone booth set up on the edge of the square.

"Over there!" Mo Xueyao grabbed Li Wanyan and ran, finally getting ahead of everyone else and squeezing into the empty phone booth.

This phone booth is located in an inconspicuous spot, with a ginkgo tree blocking its view. If you weren't very familiar with the area, you probably wouldn't notice it at first glance.

"Haha, thank goodness there's a phone booth..." Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief, vigorously shaking her already damp hair. Li Wanyan, who was next to her, handed her a tissue, indicating that she should dry her hair.

Except for the side with the telephone, the other three sides of the phone booth are made of transparent glass. Because of the trees blocking the view, only a few raindrops drifted onto the glass.

Mo Xueyao lay on the glass, breathing on it like a child, and then scribbled randomly on it.

"Wanyan, I've heard that many people who have just arrived in big cities and have nowhere to stay will use phone booths as their sleeping place at night, barely managing to spend the night in one of them."

"Ah."

"How about we try spending the night in a phone booth sometime?"

Li Wanyan glanced at her sideways: "Why aren't you sleeping at home? Why are you spending the night here?"

"Because it's novel, as long as it's not illegal, you should try anything, right?" Mo Xueyao wiped away her doodle with her palm, then breathed white vapor on it again and started drawing again. This time she seemed to be planning to draw a tiger—however, apart from the character 'king', the rest looked like a fat cat.

Public phone booths are perhaps one of the few acts of kindness the city offers to ordinary people who come here to make a living.

The drizzle is still falling, and I don't know when it will stop.

Waiting idly at the newsstand is definitely not a solution.

Just as Mo Xueyao was hesitating whether to brave the rain to go to the station to take the bus home, she saw a middle-aged woman carrying a red bucket slowly strolling over, knocking on the glass doors of one phone booth after another, and selling long-handled umbrellas in the red bucket to the people inside.

If you think the long-handled umbrellas are too expensive, you can also buy the short-handled umbrellas that are in her large cloth bag from her.

Of course, the prices will be higher than usual.

But no matter what, it's still much cheaper than the shops on Hefang Street—after all, the shops there have to add rent to their costs.