A Young Woman's Heart

“The heating is broken, and he’s checking where it is,” Li Wanyan answered for Mr. Xue. “The tools were brought from the gatehouse.”

"Shouldn't this kind of thing be left to the professionals to fix?" Mo Xueyao squatted down, hugging her arms. "But it's so cold. I wish it could be fixed..."

"If we were to get a professional to repair it, it would take until the afternoon at the earliest," Mr. Xue smiled. "I'll try to see if I can fix it; I won't break it."

"Xiaoxue knows these things too."

"I often tinker with circuit-related things, so I know a little bit about them," Mr. Xue replied modestly, as he unscrewed the screw in front of him.

Crispy Candy jumped off Mr. Snow's shoulder and leaned closer to look at the disassembled heater switch.

Yes, this is not a radiator that can provide heat, but a device that controls all the heating in the classroom.

"Since it can't be turned on at all, do you suspect that the switch is broken?" Mo Xueyao asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, I see. The wire has melted. Just reconnect it with insulating tape."

It seems like a very simple thing.

But if you asked Mo Xueyao to do it, she probably wouldn't know how.

Although these are all basic concepts learned in physics class.

But practice and theory are different.

Before long, Mr. Xue fixed the switch, and warmth once again filled the classroom.

"Phew—so comfortable—" Mo Xueyao hugged the sugar candy and lay on the table, using it as a pillow.

"Meow." Su Tang stretched and yawned, enjoying the warm feeling.

"Why did Xiaoyao bring the brittle candy?" Li Wanyan asked in surprise. "Have you been to the fruit shop?"

"No, it was in my bag first thing this morning. I guess it must have made a 'long journey' to get home." Mo Xueyao gently tugged at its whiskers. "It was quite restless at night."

“No wonder I couldn’t find it this morning.” Li Wanyan nodded. “It really likes to sneak into my backpack.”

"Yes, it seems to really enjoy coming to school with us. Is it bored being alone in the shop?" Mo Xueyao stuffed the candy into the drawer. "Doesn't it interact with the other cats?"

"Perhaps he doesn't like dealing with his own kind." Mr. Xue smiled, put the tools back into the toolbox, and then walked out of the classroom to return the toolbox.

Are there humans who don't like interacting with their own kind? Are there also cats who don't like interacting with their own kind?

Mo Xueyao fell into some strange philosophical contemplation.

When she woke up, the classroom was already quite lively.

Mondays see the most students copying homework, probably because there's much more homework assigned during holidays than usual.

Even Wang Jiale, who always arrives at school on time, came early just to try and copy Mo Xueyao's chemistry homework.

The class monitor's homework is absolutely not something that can be lent to others to copy.

Students who diligently complete their homework usually don't arrive that early.

So every morning, the best homework assignments were those of Mo Xueyao and Mr. Xue.

If you arrive early, you can grab the best deals and copy them all; if you arrive late, you'll probably only be able to copy someone else's version.

However, everyone would slightly modify the answers while copying, so in the end, almost all the copied answers were wrong...

The difference between this and random writing seems minimal.

Even so, most people still choose the easier option—copying.

"Don't take it! Don't take it! The math is mine!"

"I've finished copying Xiaoxue's math, does anyone have her chemistry?"

"I have Xiaoyao's chemistry!" Wang Jiale immediately raised his hand. "I'll trade with you!"

It was as chaotic as a wet market.

The hard currency here is the homework of students with good grades.

Of course, those who copy homework sometimes get copied themselves, usually students who are weak in certain subjects.

"Hua Yinyin, let me copy your Chinese test paper!" Zhang Yumeng, whose face was covered in acne, shouted.

"I can lend it to you~ but, hehehe~"

"Okay, okay, I'll let you touch my thigh, alright?"

"That's right!"

For Hua Yinyin, the reward for copying homework was touching her thigh.

Therefore, she doesn't let boys copy her work.

Because she had no interest in boys' thighs.

Oh, of course, An Ruosu might be an exception.

That is, when he is wearing women's clothing.

"Lele, let me quickly copy your English test paper, I forgot to do it!" Mo Xiaoxiao rushed into the classroom and immediately shouted to Wang Jiale.

The reason I didn't look for Mo Xueyao was because her homework had definitely already been borrowed by someone else.

Therefore, as a second-best option, asking the English class representative for the answers to the English homework is perfectly fine.

As the semester draws to a close, even the first-year high school students are starting to feel nervous.

Everyone wants to get good grades and have a good New Year.

However, when it comes to copying homework, they still copy it. So, some people always talk about working hard, but how can they improve like that?

Mo Xueyao, on the other hand, wasn't too worried. She was already looking forward to spending the New Year in Moscow after the exams.

However, the transcript won't be available for at least three or four days after the exam, so I must have left around the end of January.

Furthermore, the fruit shop will definitely try to keep the business running for as many days as possible, since it's about making money every day it operates. This way, they won't feel embarrassed about being broke in front of others during the Chinese New Year.

I wonder how my great-grandfather is doing now.

Mo Xueyao hadn't seen him for a long time, or rather, Mo Xueyao's family hadn't returned to their hometown or contacted their relatives for many years.

I vaguely remember the last time, it seemed to be before she started elementary school.

—If I remember correctly.

……

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Van on the Site to be Demolished

An abandoned urban village, sewage overflowing from the ditches, garbage strewn everywhere in the corners, stray dogs rummaging for food, scattered shards of glass...

And the large 'demolish' signs painted on those houses.

This is a corner of the city.

Contrary to its glamorous appearance, this place always appears dirty, messy, and dark.

Fortunately, it was winter, so most of the garbage didn't smell bad.

This also allowed Zhuang Lianlian to stay here temporarily.

The place where the van is located is a relatively clean small square, which has now become her home.

As for why the original owner abandoned it, and whether he will come back, those are not things she cares about.

To be honest, this car is in terrible condition. Although the interior is okay, many of the internal components must be worn out.

The cost of repairing it would probably be less cost-effective than buying a new car.

No one else lives here anymore. Even the last holdouts have either received satisfactory compensation or been 'legally' moved to a new resettlement location.

The small internet cafe that Zhou Yong and Mo Xueyao had mentioned had also moved away.

In fact, there was no other way but to move, because the electricity and water in the entire urban village had been cut off, and even the streetlights wouldn't turn on at night.

It was early morning.

These are the days when most people go to school or work.

Zhuang Lianlian, who had a new job, was no exception.

However, Grandma Jin gave her a very flexible schedule; she only needed to arrive at the grocery store before nine o'clock, and she would finish get off work around eight o'clock.

Breakfast and lunch can be eaten together at 10 o'clock, dinner is at 6 o'clock, and there is also a snack in the afternoon.

A monthly salary of 500 is already quite good; for most people, it's an enviable job.

Zhuang Lianlian washed herself with water she had gotten from the sink in the nearby public restroom the night before, and also scooped some water and poured it onto the soil next to her.

This used to be a small flower bed, but because no one took care of it, it has become overgrown with weeds.

After pulling out all the weeds, she planted potatoes in the soil.

I water it every day before I go out.

She wanted to grow some food, even though the grocery store provided meals and she would get paid after working for a month, she still did it this way.

Perhaps the harvest isn't the most important thing; I just want to plant some seeds of hope here.

Moreover, grocery stores close during the Spring Festival, so these potatoes might come in handy then.

It's been about a month, and I don't know how much it will grow.

Even if it grows, it will probably be very small, right?

She wiped her face, turned up her collar to block the cold wind, and turned to walk towards the street outside.

After the Chinese New Year, construction will officially begin here.

It is said that this urban village will be demolished and replaced with towering office buildings, becoming part of the city's prosperity.

Old things are always erased with the passage of time, and new things replace them, occupying people's original memories of this place.

Will people who leave here and move to new places feel nostalgic and reluctant to leave?

Perhaps it still will.