A Young Woman's Heart

"Next time, I'll get it repainted," the father said, examining the bicycle.

"Isn't pale yellow good?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"It's just that it gets dirty easily, and the wear and tear is quite severe. If we repaint it next time, what color would Xiaoyao like?" The father stroked his stubble and, before Mo Xueyao could answer, continued, "How about pure white?"

"Hey, isn't that even less resistant to getting dirty? You're contradicting yourself!" She looked at her father with droopy eyelids. "If I had to choose, I'd definitely choose black, wouldn't I?"

"Black...? Hmm... that seems too somber."

"As long as it doesn't get dirty, that's fine." Mo Xueyao didn't care.

"How about black and red?"

"That's also possible... I guess." Mo Xueyao imagined the black and red bicycle and nodded.

"Well, that's enough for today." The father yawned widely. "I haven't had a good night's sleep in days. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

"Then you go up first, I'll park my bike in the bike shed," Mo Xueyao said, pushing her bicycle away.

Since it was just waxed, it's best not to touch it for now.

Otherwise, your hands and clothes would definitely be covered in oil.

After parking her bicycle and returning home, Mo Xueyao walked through the living room and glanced at the master bedroom.

The midday sun shone through the gap in the tightly drawn curtains. My father's hair was still wet and not dry, but he was already snoring rhythmically, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

A few strands of white hair were mixed in with my father's wet hair.

Mo Xueyao remembers that on the day she went to Shanghai for surgery, her father's hair was still jet black and shiny. Now, not only does his hair look like dry straw, but it has also been stained with some white by the years and life.

However, he seemed oblivious to it, still sleeping soundly, sprawled out on the bed in a starfish position.

Mo Xueyao entered the room and pulled the curtains up a little more, covering all the gaps to prevent sunlight from shining in.

Then he quietly left the room and slowly closed the door.

This is how most ordinary people's lives are.

Of the many flavors of life, sweetness, bitterness, and spiciness, sweetness is the least, while sourness and bitterness are the most prevalent.

But it is precisely because of this that we feel that those little bit of sweetness makes us even happier.

Similarly, we will cherish it even more.

Mo Xueyao returned to her small room, where the two sets of school uniforms, which had already been washed, lay quietly in her wardrobe.

Apart from these two school uniforms, all the other clothes were her clothes from when she was a boy.

Her parents have been very busy lately, and Mo Xueyao has no plans to buy any new clothes for girls, so her wardrobe is still full of memories from her childhood as a boy.

Mo Xueyao stared at the girls' school uniform for a long time, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of the skirt.

"Anyway... I'll have to wear it tomorrow, and there's no way to avoid it. Why don't I just try it on today?" Mo Xueyao muttered to herself as she took off the blue and white school uniform dress.

The dress was soft and comfortable, which made Mo Xueyao's face blush slightly.

The feeling... is like there's a girl standing in front of you, wearing a skirt, and you boldly reach out and touch her.

This left her somewhat dazed.

After regaining my senses, I felt a sense of loss.

Because this dress... is what she wore.

Mo Xueyao took off her men's shirt and looked at herself in the mirror.

With fair skin and a petite figure, she looks somewhat delicate and docile.

His chest was still flat, no different from when he was a boy.

Mo Xueyao calmly looked at her body, then took a deep breath and put on her short-sleeved school uniform shirt.

"Hmm...? Here...?" Mo Xueyao squinted at her chest in the mirror. Although it wasn't very obvious, she could vaguely see her nipples...

I don't think I was like this when I was a boy.

Perhaps this is a sign of physical development.

She pressed it lightly, and a strange sensation flashed through her mind, startling her so much that she hurriedly let go.

Skirts are much easier to wear than pants; you can just slip them on.

But when she actually put it on, Mo Xueyao's ears were already incredibly red.

The outfit I'm wearing is a genuine girl's clothing.

This is the first time I've worn girls' clothes since I can remember.

A cool breeze drifted in from the window, slightly lifting the hem of her skirt.

More wind was blowing in from below, making the lower body feel cool.

This is a completely different experience from wearing pants.

Mo Xueyao's heart started racing.

She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself with her long hair down.

She was looking in the mirror, but it seemed she wasn't seeing herself—she was seeing another girl.

Who is the person you know best?

is himself.

Who is the most unfamiliar person?

It's still myself.

Mo Xueyao was stunned for a full three minutes before she came to her senses. She took a deep breath, took off her dress, and changed back into her boy's clothes.

Long pants definitely make her feel safer.

Because it would give her the illusion that she was still a boy.

Perhaps it can be considered a psychological self-protection mechanism.

She folded the clothes again and put them back in the closet before sitting down at her desk to organize the things she would need for class the next day.

She plans to bring all her textbooks with her tomorrow and put them directly in her desk drawer, so that she only needs to bring her workbooks and the textbooks she needs each day – which will reduce a lot of weight.

It felt like only a short time had passed, but when I came to my senses, I realized that the sun outside the window was almost sinking below the horizon.

"Click, creak—" That's the sound of the door being pushed open after the lock was turned.

Mo Xueyao ran to the door with some confusion and saw her mother taking off her shoes.

"Hey Mom, why are you up so early today?"

"The family we were working with last night doesn't need a nanny anymore," the mother replied. "Has your father come back yet?"

"I went home at noon."

"Oh..." Her mother nodded, then suddenly remembered something and handed her the paper bag that was at her feet. "These are clothes I bought for you. You'll definitely wear them regularly."

"Don't we have school uniforms..." Mo Xueyao muttered, opening the paper bag, her face instantly turning bright red.

Because inside were all girls' underwear and palm-sized panties.

“You probably aren’t used to wearing those bra-style bras.” Her mother said this very directly, making Mo Xueyao so shy that she only dared to look at her toes. “So I bought this kind of tank top. It has a strap in the back that you can tie around your neck. If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you later.”

"Um... um..."

"I also bought hair ties and hair clips. I'll teach you how to tie a ponytail later. I guess we're not allowed to have our hair down at school, right?" her mother said, looking at Mo Xueyao. "But come over here now and help me make dinner."

"Hmm...don't you usually not ask me for help?"

"Of course girls need to learn these things. How can you not know how to cook?" The mother reached out and pinched Mo Xueyao's little face. "Come and help me."

"Why do girls have to be this way..." Mo Xueyao muttered softly, "It's better to be a boy..."

But the mother had already gone into the kitchen, and the sound of running water could be heard.

"Come quickly and help!" the mother raised her voice again.

"Coming, coming..." Mo Xueyao walked in helplessly. Although it was her own kitchen, it felt a little unfamiliar. She had only cooked two kinds of food here: noodles and fried rice.

It seems like it's been a week since I last cooked noodles here.

……

Chapter Six: The Start of School After National Day

"Ring ring—!!" The alarm clock was naturally noisy.

Otherwise, there's no way to wake someone from a beautiful dream.

If possible, nobody wants to get up early to go to school or work.

However, in order to make a living, most people have to follow the established routine.

"Smack!" Mo Xueyao slammed her hand on the alarm clock with a hint of morning grumpiness.

This alarm clock, bought from a street stall but surprisingly sturdy and durable, has been with her for five years.

Almost the instant it rang, Mo Xueyao instinctively slapped it down.

The alarm stopped abruptly.

"Hmm..." Reason told her it was time to get up.

I was so nervous yesterday, and I was looking forward to starting school.

But this morning, that thought from last night had long been forgotten.

"Xue'er~ Wake up!" Mo Xueyao heard her mother shout from outside the door.

She turned over without any reaction and continued sleeping.

Until her mother rushed into the room and yanked off her quilt.

"Get up! The alarm clock is ringing, can't you hear it?" As always, her mother was in a great hurry, still holding a spatula in her hand when she called Mo Xueyao to get up.