A Young Woman's Heart

Although he was poor, Li Wanyan always paid him cash every time she sold him cigarette butts, which allowed him to earn some pocket money to buy stationery, which was not bad.

As soon as the door opened, a gust of cold wind carrying the smell of sweat blew in, and standing in the doorway was an exhausted mother.

It was still early spring, but her face was covered in sweat, her tattered jacket was unzipped, her belly was heaving, and her pants were wet and dirty, as if she had just rolled around in the mud.

"Mom, are you done with your work?" Li Wanyan grabbed her arm with some surprise, because she had returned home much earlier than in previous years.

"Sigh, all done with work. Let's have breakfast today. Where's your dad?"

“He’s not home.” When she mentioned him, the smile on Li Wanyan’s face vanished instantly—as if she hadn’t smiled at all.

He hasn't called back since yesterday; the only thing missing is the New Year's money that was hidden away.

"Did he take it again?"

"Ah."

"Luckily, I took a fifty-yuan note with me when I went out." Mother wiped her face, wearily walked into the house, and closed the door behind her. "I bought you some braised beef..."

"Braised beef? That's such a waste, Mom." Li Wanyan said this, though her face lit up with joy.

"No waste, no waste. Look at you, you're so happy but you're being sarcastic. You only get to eat this once a year."

"This could buy so much minced meat!" Li Wanyan happily squatted down and carefully took the bag from her mother's hand. Even before opening it, she could already smell its aroma. However, she didn't rush to eat it. Instead, she asked in confusion, "Why are you so early today? Usually, you don't get back until after 10 o'clock on the Lantern Festival. It's only 7 o'clock now. Also... Mom, why are your pants dirty?"

"I was mopping the floor when a child accidentally knocked over the bucket, getting half of me wet. The family felt bad, so after I cleaned it up a bit, they let me come home early. Hmm, this family is quite understanding this year."

"Do you want to go take a shower?"

"No, I'll just boil some hot water and wash in the toilet."

"Hmm." Li Wanyan didn't say much more. After all, her family was poor, and they wanted to save as much as they could. This was true not only for her mother but also for her.

But no matter how much they tried to save money, the mother and daughter couldn't stop their spendthrift father.

The beef smelled exceptionally good. Li Wanyan swallowed several times and quietly opened the package to take a peek.

Wow, the dark brown braised beef inside was sliced ​​into thin pieces and mixed with cilantro and peanuts. The aroma filled the small room as soon as it was opened.

She wiped her mouth, then ran to scoop out a cup of rice, cooked a pot of rice in the small rice cooker, and even made a small tofu dish with scallions using the half block of tofu.

After my mother finished her bath, shivering as she got dressed, she came out, and dinner was almost ready.

"Mom." She called out at first, but there was no response. Then, with a hint of coquettishness, she called out again, "Mom, dinner's ready."

"Okay, you eat, I'm not very hungry."

"This is rare beef..."

"I ate something at someone else's house, you eat first, I'm not very hungry," the mother said again, sniffing hard as she walked past the dining table, and then started tidying up in front of the bed—it was unclear what she was tidying up, but she always seemed to have a lot to do.

In the past, let alone beef, even minced meat was a luxury in her family. Li Wanyan looked at the dining table, then at her mother, walked to her side, and forcibly pulled her over to sit down.

"Mom, we've never really celebrated the Lantern Festival properly before. Today, at least we can have a proper family reunion, right?"

The mother blushed with a hint of guilt: "Alright, alright, eat... It's a pity your father isn't here..."

"We're already a family without him; he's superfluous."

"Ha, no, he's still your dad no matter what..."

Li Wanyan fell silent, and her mother stopped awkwardly after saying half a sentence.

So the two of them ate in silence, savoring the taste of beef that they didn't usually get to experience.

Finally, they even finished the cilantro and peanuts.

Li Wanyan even felt that she had never eaten so heartily in her life.

That's why it left a deep impression on me.

I think of it every Lantern Festival.

That day, my father still did not return.

That day, she truly felt that the home she shared with her mother was quite nice.

However, not all fathers in the world are like that.

At least the one in front of me isn't.

He also loved to smoke, but the smell of his cigarettes didn't annoy people; instead, it carried a touch of masculine care.

"Come on, come on, it's a big family reunion today, Lao Chen, we have to have a good drink later, haha, look, you even have a fiancée now, tsk tsk, your life is almost complete!"

"Not at all..." Old Chen blushed and humbly held his wine glass with a smile.

Mo Wenli put the braised food on the table, deftly opened the bag, and then opened the box.

"Haha, your lives are getting better and better, aren't they?" Yu Liang, with a belly that looked like she was three or four months pregnant, sat down next to him. Before Mo Wenli could even make a move, she opened a bottle of beer and called out to Li Wanyan, who was still standing, "Come on, don't just stand there, have a seat. Where's Xiaoyao?"

"Here! Dinner's ready?" Mo Xueyao rushed over excitedly, but before she could even get to her seat, Yu Jinyu, who had grown quite a bit taller, grabbed her around the waist.

"Sister Yao Yao!"

"Wow, Xiaoyu, it's been so long! You've grown so much!"

"I'm taller than the boys in my class now," she said boastfully, but still wanted Mo Xueyao to pick her up.

How about you sit next to me?

"Ok!"

"Wanyan, sit here!" Mo Xueyao patted the stool next to her again.

All three families sat down together, making it more lively than any New Year's Eve dinner Li Wanyan had ever had.

Lanterns for the Lantern Festival have already been hung under the roof beams, and glutinous rice balls rolled in sesame seeds have been served as a pre-meal snack.

Zhuang Lianlian insisted on lighting the fireworks herself. She struck a match and lit the fuse, but before the fireworks even shot out, she screamed with joy.

Chen Cheng then carried her backward in his arms until they sat down at the table.

The fireworks shot into the sky with a "whoosh" and then exploded brilliantly.

Perhaps this is the last fireworks display of the year?

The Spring Festival is finally over.

However, there are still a few days before school starts.

Li Wanyan, who used to wish she could be at school every day, suddenly felt that this year's winter vacation seemed a little short.

……

Chapter Fifty-Four: My Name is An Ruosu

Boys, girls, men, women.

In universal values, gender is binary.

Just like positive and negative, yin and yang.

Similarly, the same applies to sexual orientation.

However, just like right and wrong, good and evil, it is never absolute.

Gender and sexual orientation are not always so simple and clear.

An Ruosu lives in a healthy and happy family.

I grew up without experiencing any major upheavals or hardships.

But he does have something that sets him apart from others.

As a child, he loved the smell of his father—even though his mother thought it was just the smell of tobacco.

Being by one's father's side always brings a sense of security.

He later learned that it was a strong smell of male hormones mixed with body odor.

Those who dislike it think it's body odor, while those who like it think it's manly.

At first, he also wanted to become a man like his father, a man who could make people feel safe.

However, he could not be as unhygienic and uncivilized as his father.

He was always clean and gentle, and in the eyes of outsiders, he must have even a touch of sunshine in him.

He had tried to find a girlfriend before, but he could never find someone whose scent he liked.

Yes, An Ruosu's first impression of people is basically based on their scent.

Later he probably realized that perhaps he hadn't encountered a scent that made him feel safe.

This scent had only ever been detected on Li Hongran.

The kind of security he wants isn't necessarily someone strong enough to physically protect him, but rather someone gentle enough to accept all his flaws and someone he can confide in—perhaps someone like a soulmate.

However, perhaps he was too reserved, or perhaps he simply didn't recognize the kind of attraction that appealed to him, so he never had a true confidant.

Li Hongran was certainly not his confidante, since she did not know his true thoughts.

But on the surface, the two still seemed to be on very good terms.

To others, even if they aren't best buddies, they're definitely good brothers.

He was always confused.

Does he actually like men, or is he only attracted to Li Hongran?

Since there is no other person I can like, there is no control group to refer to.

For a long time, he desperately hoped that he could fall in love with a girl—no need to confess, even just a crush would give him a sense of relief.

However, no second person like that appeared.

Whether it's the charming and adorable Wang Jiale; the seemingly innocent yet alluring Hua Yinyin; or the serious and meticulous Li Wanyan who makes everyone feel safe...

It was all just to make him feel that the 'smell' was pleasant.

The only difference is Mo Xueyao.

She seems to possess both masculine and feminine qualities, giving her a unique charm.