A Young Woman's Heart

The reason why there are more girls at Yukong High School is that, as an ordinary high school, Yukong High School actually teaches some things that other high schools don't teach.

For example, it includes home economics classes such as cooking and needlework.

In September 1999, Yukong High School replaced its original principal with the son of the head of the Mo family group to serve as the new principal.

As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and a new principal is no exception.

It is said that because he had studied abroad and had enough power, he directly redesigned the school uniforms for all students at the beginning of the semester. The uniforms for the three grades were different colors, and the boys wore suits while the girls wore something with a sailor-like style, but overall they were still English-style skirt uniforms.

In addition, all teachers are required not to extend class time, and all grades must dismiss students on time according to the prescribed schedule, without any delays.

In addition, a psychologist's office has been set up in the school to provide counseling if any students have problems—although no one has used it yet.

"Yu Kong... Yu Kong... High School..." On October 1st, many people stayed at home watching the National Day parade or doing other things they wanted to do, but Mo Xueyao rode her bicycle for a whole morning looking for the way and finally found the location of Yu Kong High School.

She was there to scout out the location.

So that you won't be unable to find your school when the official start of the semester.

You can also try to find the shortest route to save time going to and from school.

Upon arriving at her destination, she picked up the somewhat worn black digital watch she had bought from a roadside stall for ten yuan, glanced at it, and muttered to herself, "Hmm... I've been looking for more than two hours... I'll time it again when I get back."

In her hand was a brochure for the new semester at Yukong High School, which contained some information about the school, including its location.

Mo Xueyao had never been to Muge Road before; she found her way here by following the surrounding roads shown on the map.

In this era without navigation, finding a place by figuring it out yourself or asking for directions was indeed a very difficult task.

However, when you finally find your destination, you also feel a strange sense of accomplishment.

The main gate of Yukong High School was tightly closed, but the small door next to it was ajar, and the security booth, which should have been staffed by security guards, was empty.

She slipped inside sideways, looking around curiously.

"Uh... wait a minute..." Just as she came in, she remembered that she hadn't locked her bicycle. She quickly ran out, parked it on the side, and locked it before finally crawling back in with peace of mind.

Yukong High School is located on the edge of Hangzhou's urban area. The last time the school was expanded was five years ago. Thanks to the abundance of open land in the surrounding area, the school's area is not small.

That track was definitely much longer than the one Mo Xueyao had in junior high.

"It should be about 400 meters, right?" Mo Xueyao stood on the red playground, jumped lightly, and muttered to herself.

The junior high school she used to attend had a track that was only 200 meters long, and the straight track that should have been 100 meters was reduced to 50 meters.

The middle of the track is made of artificial turf, with two soccer hoops, making it a standard-sized soccer field.

Along the side of the track, there were 10 basketball courts, separated by iron netting, and 4 volleyball or badminton courts, as well as a three-story building. The first floor had rows of table tennis rooms. When Mo Xueyao went up to the second floor, she saw a large indoor gymnasium. The door to the third floor was closed, but she could still see inside through the glass. It turned out to be a swimming pool!

Although it is a public school, the area of ​​its various facilities is surprisingly large.

You should know that Yukong High School is not a key high school in Hangzhou.

"Wow, it's huge..." Mo Xueyao walked around the area and was utterly amazed. "It can hold so many people together... It's truly incredible..."

Back in junior high, there were only two basketball courts. Some people would even get into fights with others just to play basketball.

There have even been instances where groups of boys from one class clashed with boys from another class.

The playground is behind the teaching building, and behind the playground fence are large tracts of farmland and low hills in the distance.

There are two five-story teaching buildings connected together on the front, which looks like a pair of big underpants.

Behind it is another five-story building. Although it is also five stories, it is much narrower than the teaching building and its architectural style is somewhat like that of a residential building.

...It's probably a student dormitory.

Yukong High School does not require students to live on campus, but if the school is too far from home and it is inconvenient to go to and from school, then accommodation will be provided for the students.

—This is what was written in the promotional brochure.

"Where is Class 2 of Grade 11?" Mo Xueyao went up to the teaching building with some anticipation and quickly found Class 2 of Grade 11 on the third floor.

Although it's a classroom that looks the same everywhere, it fills people with a sense of anticipation.

Perhaps only those who have experienced some major events can truly appreciate the happiness and joy of being a student.

“Sigh…” But Mo Xueyao sighed softly again.

If it were the old her, she might have been happy to integrate into the group.

But now she...

Even if you want to fit in, can you really do it?

She's only just started trying to be a girl, so she probably won't have any common topics with girls who have been girls for sixteen or seventeen years.

But if you join a group of boys, it will look strange.

She once again felt deep concern about her student life.

She both looked forward to starting school quickly and wished time would slow down so she could have some time to prepare.

As for how long she would need to prepare, she herself didn't know.

After a quick stroll, Mo Xueyao slipped out through the half-open door, hopped on her bicycle, and rode home.

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of another teaching building, in the principal's office with its window facing the road, a man with somewhat disheveled hair and a stubble beard was holding a cup of coffee, watching Mo Xueyao ride away on her bicycle with a pair of weathered eyes before turning his gaze away.

"This is that special student." A young woman with a beauty mark near her eye pushed up her elegant gold-rimmed glasses and stood next to the man holding a coffee, saying, "Principal Mo, should we give her special treatment?"

“No need.” Principal Mo took a sip of coffee, left the windowsill, and sat in the swivel chair. “Just treat her like any other girl.”

"Oh? You think that special treatment will actually create more problems?"

Principal Mo raised the corners of his mouth slightly and nodded: "However, although she doesn't need special treatment, we still need to pay close attention to her to prevent her from being bullied because of her own issues, which is absolutely unacceptable."

"I will make sure her homeroom teacher pays special attention to her."

Principal Mo gripped his pen, found Mo Xueyao's place on the list, and circled it after her name: "Reserve a scholarship spot for her."

"What if her grades aren't good enough to get her into the top ten in the whole school?" the woman next to her asked, frowning.

“Then let’s use it as a subsidy for students from impoverished families.” Principal Mo closed the list. “There’s always a way to help her, isn’t there?”

"Is this considered extra care?"

Principal Mo took a sip of coffee, smiled without saying a word, and asked, "How are the arrangements for the military training going?"

"October 18th, after the National Day holiday, the weather should be relatively sunny for the next seven days of classes."

"Then let's do it this way. We'll officially notify you after the students return from the National Day holiday that the military training will be held at the militia training base in Mo Town."

"Looks like I can save some money."

“Yes, money should be used where it is needed.” Principal Mo took a sip of coffee, only to find that the cup was empty.

"Let me pour it," said a woman with a beauty mark near her eye.

"No need, you're the dean of students, not the principal's secretary. I can do it myself." Principal Mo shook his head, took out a packet of instant coffee from the drawer, poured it into a cup, then picked up the thermos next to him, poured some hot water over it, and put the steaming coffee cup aside to wait for it to cool down.

"Then I'll be going now."

“Okay.” Principal Mo nodded, turned his chair, and looked out the window again.

He was looking at Mo Xueyao just now, but now... I don't know what he's looking at.

……

Mo Xueyao, who had cycled back to her apartment building, glanced at her watch: "About half an hour...not too far, not too close...hmm...that means I'll have to get up even earlier every morning..."

……

Chapter 5 Bicycle Maintenance

The date is May 7, 1999.

It is also the last day of the National Day holiday.

Tomorrow is the first day of school.

At this moment, the midday sun was shining brightly on the earth, and a refreshing breeze was blowing on Mo Xueyao's face, lifting a few strands of her black hair.

It was late autumn, and the weather was no longer so hot. Standing in the sun felt warm and comfortable—of course, if you stood for a long time, you would still break out in a sweat.

My father left early this morning and returned around noon.

He said he was tired today; he had finished hauling goods in his tricycle this morning and planned to rest for a bit.

But he grabbed a bunch of tools and called Mo Xueyao downstairs to take care of her bicycle.

"Dad, it's an old bicycle anyway, is it necessary to maintain it?" Mo Xueyao squatted in front of the bicycle, resting her chin on her hand, and asked lazily.

"Even old things should be taken good care of and cherished." The father smiled as he carefully wiped the car body with a damp cloth. "And if you take good care of them, they can last longer."

"But can simply wiping the car body really provide any maintenance?" Mo Xueyao expressed her doubts.

“Although it doesn’t make much difference, we can’t neglect it just because it’s a small thing.” The father said as he picked up the engine oil. “Xiaoyao, turn the pedal for me.”

"Oh...is that so?" Mo Xueyao pinched the foot pedal and started turning it.

"Yes, don't go too fast." The father nodded, then added oil to the chain, while using a small brush to carefully brush it with his other hand.

"Are you done?"

"Okay, let me check the brake pads." The father carefully examined the brake pads and said, "The wear is quite severe; they need to be replaced."

"Dad can fix cars? I never knew that before." Mo Xueyao looked like she was seeing her father for the first time.

"Yes, your old man assembled his first bicycle himself." The father said with a proud look. "It can still be ridden now."

Mo Xueyao's mind conjured up the image of that old, dusty black bicycle lying in the corner of the bike shed. She asked suspiciously, "It's still rideable...are you sure?"

“It can be fixed, but I don’t need it now, so I won’t ride it anymore—after all, I have a new blue bicycle. But I ride a tricycle every day now, and I rarely even ride that new bicycle anymore.”

Although it's described as new, it was actually bought two or three years ago.

After replacing the brake pads, my father checked the tires and handlebars, tightened the screws, and replaced the original wire mesh basket with a basket with a thicker iron frame.

This allows it to carry heavier items.

Finally, you need to wax the bicycle. If you don't look closely, you might think it's a brand new bicycle.