A Young Woman's Heart

Mo Xueyao picked up a spoon and secretly tasted a spoonful of caviar. One bite, and the aroma of caviar filled the air.

"Mmm, it's so delicious!" Mo Xueyao mumbled. "Wanyan should try this too, it's super tasty!"

"Hmm, let's make some sauces then."

Besides bread, there were all sorts of cakes and jams, but they were all too sweet, sickeningly sweet, and Mo Xueyao simply couldn't eat them.

"I suddenly noticed that there are dried fruits next to the porridge. What are they for?" Mo Xueyao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It should be sprinkled on the porridge." Li Wanyan looked at how others did it.

"Sprinkle dried fruit on porridge? It feels like such a luxurious way to eat it..." Mo Xueyao scratched her head, "Then let's make some porridge too."

The variety of breakfast options may seem extensive, but they are essentially just different types of bread and cakes.

In the end, Mo Xueyao took some toast and cream cake, then sprinkled some foie gras and caviar on top. It was not bad to eat it occasionally.

But if you eat like this all the time, it feels like it's even more greasy than plain porridge and pickled vegetables.

"Foie gras is so delicious, I'll take some back with me." Mo Xueyao licked her lips. "I wonder if they sell it there."

"Go check the market, they should have it," Li Wanyan nodded.

"Yaoyao and Yanyan are down here." At this moment, the mother also walked into the restaurant and greeted the two of them.

My mother, who is usually plain and unsophisticated, looked quite elegant after dressing up a little, but her unadorned face still betrayed her.

In Mo Xueyao's memory, her mother seemed to have never worn makeup. At most, she would apply face oil, and she had never even bought a face mask.

"Yeah, Mom, you just woke up?"

"I've been awake for a while."

Where's Dad?

"I went to play cards with some people."

"No way, you went gambling again?" Mo Xueyao muttered.

“It’s okay, I’ve brought all his money. By the way, Yaoyao, give me the red envelope that your great-grandfather gave you yesterday.”

"I knew it." Mo Xueyao had an expression that said she had expected it all along, and handed the red envelope she had stuffed in her coat pocket to her mother. "There's 1,500 in there."

"RMB?"

"Ah."

Wanyan, who was standing to the side, glanced at Mo Xueyao, hesitated for a moment, and then handed over her own red envelope.

"Huh? Yan Yan, you can keep it yourself, you don't need to give it to me." The mother was a little surprised.

"They're all the same," Li Wanyan replied.

"Oh, Wanyan, you can keep this for yourself. Yours is only two hundred. I have to hand it over because it was given to me by my great-grandfather." Mo Xueyao spread her hands. "After all, Mom definitely won't let me take that much money."

"Alright, alright, stop complaining so sarcastically. Here, this is your New Year's money. Your dad's and my money are all in here."

"How many?"

"three hundred."

"Tch! Stingy." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes.

"This is for Yan Yan."

"I don't need it," Li Wanyan declined.

"Why be so formal? Look, I've already given Xiaoyao a red envelope, so of course you should too." The mother smiled and stuffed the red envelope into Li Wanyan's arms. "Three hundred for both of you."

"Then I'm at a loss," Mo Xueyao protested, dissatisfied.

“Then I’ll share it with you,” Li Wanyan said earnestly.

This made Mo Xueyao a little embarrassed: "It's okay, it's okay, I was just joking."

"And here's this for you two." The mother pulled out two more banknotes, which looked like Russian money. "One hundred rubles each. Buy whatever little things you like in town."

"How much is this equivalent to?" Mo Xueyao shook the banknotes.

"About... a few dozen yuan?" Obviously, this money wasn't what her mother had exchanged, so she wasn't quite sure.

"Forget it, there aren't any shops in town. Wanyan, let's go buy some firecrackers!" Mo Xueyao said excitedly. "How can we celebrate the New Year without setting off firecrackers!"

"Playing with firecrackers again, how old are you?" The mother shook her head helplessly.

Mo Xueyao didn't hear it because she had already pulled Li Wanyan away.

There's still a general store open in town, and it's welcoming many customers today.

Many children gathered at the entrance of the grocery store, buying all sorts of Russian-style trinkets.

The Russian nesting dolls at the entrance are cheap and have souvenir value, but not many children buy them. Instead, older teenagers buy them as keepsakes.

Li Wanyan also bought this. Mo Xueyao already had one, so she didn't buy it. She bought several boxes of firecrackers in one go, and with the remaining money, she bought a box of matches with a very Soviet style. Then she ran off to play with a group of little boys.

Although Li Wanyan didn't understand at all what was so interesting about putting firecrackers in a wooden bucket or throwing them into water to make them explode.

……

Chapter Fifty-One: In the quietude of leisure, the heart is filled with warmth; the dancing skirt still evokes memories of the red branches of the mulberry tree.

During the day, the children run around and play like huskies that have been let loose, but by evening, everyone must gather in the main hall in the center of town.

The adults spent the whole day preparing the dinner dishes, and although some of them were cold, it didn't diminish their abundance.

There was a small stage in the hall, which was originally used to house a piano. Now the piano has been moved elsewhere, and the stage has been cleared out and decorated, giving it a very Chinese feel.

Not only great-grandfather's relatives, but also other people in the town were invited.

The entire hall was packed with people.

"Twelve people sit at one table." Mo Xueyao stood on tiptoe, counting the tables around her. "One, two..."

“There are twenty-four tables in total.” Mr. Xue interrupted Mo Xueyao’s counting. “If each table has twelve people, that’s two hundred and eighty-eight people.”

"So many people!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed in surprise. It was the first time she had ever eaten with so many people at the same time.

“But that’s not much for a small town. However, this place is probably just a village planned like a small town.” Mr. Xue looked at Mo Xueyao’s small, dark hands and couldn’t help but ask, “But, Xiaoyao, aren’t you really going to wash your hands?”

"Ah? Oh, I forgot, I played with firecrackers all day..." Mo Xueyao explained awkwardly, about to scratch her head, when Li Wanyan stopped her.

"Don't get your hair dirty later," Li Wanyan said, grabbing Mo Xueyao's wrist. "Does Xiaoyao know where the bathroom is?"

"Hmm... I don't know."

"Fine, I'll take you there."

Li Wanyan stood up and led Mo Xueyao toward the bathroom.

As the sun set and night fell completely, the dining table was full of guests. The great-grandfather, who was the birthday celebrant, sat at the first table, which was filled with his children.

That is, Mo Xueyao's grandparents.

Direct descendants like Mo Xueyao, born to her grandfather, are placed right after them, according to the order of seniority.

For example, Mo Xueyao's father is the third son of her grandfather, and her grandfather is the eldest son of her great-grandfather, so their family would sit at the fourth table.

That's what they say, but it's not actually that strict. In the end, it's still people who know each other who get together.

For example, at this table, Hua Yinyin's family is sitting. According to the order of seating, they should have been seated at the table further back.

Besides, there were some relatives that Mo Xueyao was not familiar with, or rather, she was not familiar with any of her relatives in her hometown, since she had almost never been back.

—If we don't count those childhood memories that have long been forgotten.

"Eat slowly, it'll take all night." The father picked up a glass full of brandy and clinked glasses with the father next to him who was spending money. "Come on, brother, drink up."

"Let's drink until we drop to our hearts' content!"

The mother wanted to say something, but considering that today was New Year's Eve, which only came once a year, she decided not to disturb his mood.

"I'm very happy that our big family can be reunited here today. Let me give you an announcement first." A middle-aged man stood on the stage. He was probably one of Mo Xueyao's father's brothers. "Tomorrow afternoon, everyone should wear your beautiful New Year's clothes. We're going to take a family photo in this small town."

"Phew, has it already started?" Mo Xueyao asked softly as she sat down after washing her hands.

"Okay, eat first, and listen while you eat." The father pointed to the dishes on the table. "Eat as much as you want, there's plenty for you today."

"Hmm, little Yaoyao, can you reach the foie gras with your chopsticks?" Hua Yinyin stretched out her hand, but the chopsticks still couldn't reach it.

Mo Xueyao glanced at the foie gras, which was a bit far away, and shook her head: "I don't think I can reach it either. Wanyan, could you help me? I want some too."

"Ok."

Several pieces of foie gras were picked up and placed on the table. Hua Yinyin quickly reached out her chopsticks to catch them, but whether it was because her chopstick skills were too poor or the foie gras was too slippery, she couldn't pick them up and they slipped onto the table.

"Damn it!" Hua Yinyin swiftly grabbed the foie gras with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth. "Hands are definitely the best!"

"Are you Indian?" Mo Xueyao asked sarcastically, her eyelids drooping. "Look at me, I can't..."

"Clap."

That was the sound of foie gras falling onto the table.

Moreover, Mo Xueyao tried to pick it up with chopsticks for quite a while but still couldn't manage it.

"Tch, you're laughing at me? Little Yaoyao is the same!" Hua Yinyin laughed gleefully.

"Never mind, I won't eat this." Mo Xueyao coughed twice, pretending nothing had happened, and reached out to grab the fried chicken leg from the plate in front of her and started gnawing on it.

So, it's definitely more satisfying to grab it with your hands?

However, many Russian dishes can be eaten directly with your hands.

While steak is theoretically meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, it's perfectly fine to eat it with your hands, and it even has a certain unrestrained pleasure.

"Next up is a professional theater troupe we've invited, who will present a variety of performances for everyone." The host said, then stepped down.

"It's really tough, not even a holiday for the New Year," Mo Xueyao said with a sigh, taking a big gulp of a Russian specialty soda.

The taste is actually similar to cola, only the color is different.

Mo Xueyao wasn't interested in the elaborate dishes on the table; she preferred the large, roughly arranged cuts of meat and various kinds of meat skewers.