A Young Woman's Heart

He discovered that the note he wrote the night before had been moved; it had originally been on the table but was now on the windowsill, and his father and mother had no reason not to look at it.

"Eat more, Xiaoyao." Her mother handed the white porridge to Mo Xueyao and sat down with a bowl of porridge herself.

My father, who usually likes to eat in front of the TV, was unusually serious as he sat down at this somewhat old wooden round table.

The three of them looked at each other, feeling a bit out of place at such a formal breakfast.

"Xiaoyao..."

"Um……"

"The meaning of this note... is..." The mother seemed hesitant to speak.

"Uh... well... um... um..." Mo Xueyao stammered, lowering her head and using her chopsticks to dip small amounts of rice from the porridge into her mouth.

However, if we keep eating like this, I don't know how long it will take to finish this bowl of porridge.

"You've decided to be a girl, haven't you?" It was the father who finally broke the silence by saying those words.

"Ah, I... I don't want to be a girl, it's just... after thinking about it... I think it's better for you guys to make the decision..."

"Okay, then." The father nodded. "Let's contact the doctor and schedule a time for the surgery."

“Yes,” the mother agreed briefly.

Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

This was probably the first time in her life that she had made such a difficult decision.

Actually, if you face the problem head-on, you won't feel conflicted.

As if she knew she was a warrior going to her death—Mo Xueyao's feelings were probably similar to this.

The conversation that followed seemed to become much more natural all of a sudden.

Despite having raised their son for sixteen years, the father and mother unexpectedly started talking about Mo Xueyao's future life as a girl.

The speed at which the switch happened left him speechless.

Most importantly, the mother seemed to be looking forward to it.

Do you really want a daughter that badly...?

"Honey, do you think Xiaoyao looks better with a single ponytail or with her hair down?"

"Hmm... I think a single ponytail looks better."

"We'll need to prepare girls' clothes for Xiaoyao then."

"Haha, I can buy a dress now! Xiaoyao, do you remember when you were little, your mom dressed you in a dress?"

"When did this happen..." Mo Xueyao asked helplessly.

"Haha, back in kindergarten, back then, hey, you were really something else (Note ①)." The father laughed loudly, "I don't know what suddenly happened to you that day, you saw your mom using lipstick and you kept saying you wanted to use it, and when you saw your mom wearing a skirt, you wanted to wear it too, so that day I bought you one, and the next day you wore it to kindergarten, hahaha... When you came back, you even asked us, 'Why are you different from the other girls...'"

"Hey! Hey!" Mo Xueyao's face flushed red. "How could such a thing happen! I don't remember anything like it!"

"It's okay, it's okay, you can wear it openly from now on, right?"

"..." Mo Xueyao sighed deeply, "To be honest, I really don't want to be a girl..."

……

That same day, Mo Xueyao's parents contacted the doctor and learned that she would need to stay in the hospital for about a month after the surgery.

After all, this involves surgery, so it can't be taken lightly.

Patients can be discharged only after their condition has healed well.

Because she has the constitution of a girl, she can live like a girl after being discharged from the hospital, except for paying attention to a few things.

However, this month-long hospital stay has caused them some trouble.

I called No. 14 Middle School to ask for leave, but I was told that I couldn't take leave for such a long period of time.

It's almost the end of summer vacation now. If I need to rest for a month, I won't be able to go back to school until around October.

As a key high school, No. 14 Middle School does not allow this to happen, no matter what the reason.

Even after the parents explained the whole story to the other party, the other party still refused in an almost heartless manner.

Of course, there are reasons for that.

The pace of learning in top-tier high schools is very fast, and there is a lot of content to learn. If you miss a month of school, you will not be able to keep up. Even if you have time to study on your own, it is difficult to keep up with the school's curriculum and pace.

If you can't keep up with the pace, you'll always be at the bottom and become a laggard. This will make you feel frustrated, which will actually hinder your progress.

In that case, it would be better to go to an ordinary high school.

At least the academic pressure isn't that great. If you study on your own for a month and then go back to school, you can catch up if you work hard.

But after all, No. 14 Middle School is one of the top five high schools in Hangzhou, and it was a school that Mo Xueyao worked hard to get into.

If I were to attend a regular high school, wouldn't all my efforts be wasted?

That afternoon, they went to the principal's house with gifts, but were still refused. In the end, the principal only promised to transfer Mo Xueyao to a regular high school and to arrange a month's leave in advance.

"Xiaoyao, I'm sorry, Dad is useless. I can only send you to a regular high school..." That evening, the father said dejectedly when he returned home.

"It's alright, it doesn't matter where you go. It's all the same, it's all high school in Hangzhou, so it won't be much worse," Mo Xueyao comforted her with a smile.

In fact, he himself was also very regretful.

But you can't show it.

"Speaking of which, which high school did you go to?" Mo Xueyao asked again.

“It’s Yukong High School,” the mother replied.

"Uh... I heard that the college entrance rate there hasn't been very high lately."

"Yes, and they'll be changing principals in the second half of this year. They're using you guys as guinea pigs." The father took a bottle of beer from the refrigerator, bit it open, and gulped it down. "Luckily, we managed to get you a spot in the honors class. And I heard that although the school is only average, it's very safe and there's no bullying."

This is probably the key reason for choosing Yukong High School.

Compared to her studies, her parents were more worried that Mo Xueyao, who was not used to living as a girl, would be isolated or even bullied by other students.

Corrective surgery isn't something that can be done all at once. You need to be able to book an appointment with the hospital, and you also need to submit the necessary documents in advance for various applications for medical fee reductions or exemptions to facilitate the review process.

The surgery fee should be prepared in advance.

So after discussing it for a night, my mother and father went to my godfather's house the next day.

Of course, Mo Xueyao was also brought along.

"Haha, I know why you've come today." At the dinner table, the godfather laughed heartily. Although he was a rather chubby middle-aged man, his voice was still like that of a young man.

"What are you saying? You call yourself a section chief? You have no class at all." His godfather's wife rolled her eyes at him from the side.

"Uh, don't get me wrong, that's not what I meant."

“We’ve known each other for so many years, of course I know that’s just your personality.” The father picked up his beer. “Come on, Liang, let me toast you!”

"Clang." The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Yu Liang's daughter was clinging to Mo Xueyao, sitting directly on his lap, appearing very affectionate.

Actually, Mo Xueyao really wanted a younger sister...

"Have you made a decision?"

"Yes, it's decided. We'll have it done at Changzheng Hospital in Shanghai."

"Okay, have the medical expenses been determined?"

"Not yet, but it should be around 50,000 yuan."

“Alright, let’s not stand on ceremony. Here.” The godfather took out a check from his pocket. “Take the check and go to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to withdraw the money. The PIN for the check is the last few digits of my phone number.”

"Hey, don't move around, what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you..." The adults were chatting about important matters, while the children were talking about trivial things. Over here, Mo Xueyao was holding down Yu Liang's restless daughter and said softly.

"Brother, I want to eat that, the hairy crab!"

"Crab claws?"

"Ok!"

"it is good……"

Yu Liang took a sip of his drink, looking at Mo Xueyao and his daughter with a smile, and said, "I'm lending you the money. You can pay it back in installments or all at once, it's up to you. There's no rush to pay it back. You can pay it back when you have the money. I won't give you an IOU..."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, his wife smiled and placed her hand on his thigh.

This left him speechless, as if he had choked.

It seemed a little awkward.

“Ah, this IOU definitely needs to be written. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts,” the father quickly said, trying to smooth things over. “Do you have paper and pen? Let’s write it now.”

"Actually, you don't need to borrow that much..." the mother whispered from the side.

"It's alright, there's plenty. If you need anything else, just take it and use it yourself. If you don't need anything else, just bring it back to me and pay me back the rest." Yu Liang waved his hand. "Haha, I'm a section chief, so don't worry about me running out of money."

"Hurry up and thank your godfather!" The mother gently nudged Mo Xueyao's arm and whispered a reminder.

"Mmm... Thank you, Godfather..."

"Come on, everyone, let's toast to Xiaoyao's upcoming new life!"

"Bang~"

It was the crisp sound of glasses clinking together.

The atmosphere at this dinner seemed positive and uplifting.

This gave Mo Xueyao the illusion that she had been admitted to a prestigious university...

……

Chapter Ten Coca-Cola

The date was Friday, August 27, 1999.