A Young Woman's Heart

Mo Xueyao ignored her words and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

I just helped Hua Yinyin take a bath, and she got foam all over her body. Now she can't stop taking a bath even if she doesn't want to.

I already took a shower last night, so taking another shower now just means I have to wash a few more pieces of clothing.

"Forget it, I'll just leave it to Mom to wash tomorrow..." Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, rubbing her head.

Although she wasn't drunk, the dizziness made her sleepy, and all Mo Xueyao wanted to do right now was go to bed.

After washing up, she didn't even bother to find clothes, so she just wrapped herself in a bath towel and went to the bedside.

The playing cards were scattered everywhere, and she didn't bother to tidy them up; she'd deal with it tomorrow.

"I said I'd stay up all night, but I still couldn't stay awake..." She glanced at the hour hand pointing to the number '3', yawned widely, and then pulled back the covers.

The room was heated, so it wasn't too cold, but Hua Yinyin couldn't continue causing trouble in bed.

Because Li Wanyan, who was already asleep, had somehow managed to hug her tightly.

No, rather than hugging, it was more like forcefully locking Hua Yinyin in place with her arms and legs.

It was as terrifying as some kind of joint lock.

Locked up, Hua Yinyin was unable to move and could only lie there obediently.

In addition, she was already extremely drunk, so of course she fell asleep very quickly.

"Hoo, time to sleep..." Mo Xueyao yawned again, crawled into the quilt, stretched out a small, white hand to turn off the light, and then drifted off to sleep.

However, even in my dream, the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers outside never stopped...

A>>>>>>>>B (Tape flipping)

For the two sisters, this was their seventeenth Spring Festival. Since their parents passed away, they had spent every Spring Festival together, snuggling close together.

This year is slightly different because the house is much bigger; it's no longer that cramped rental room, but a spacious and cozy big house.

Although it was still just the two of them at home, they could feel a sense of peaceful happiness.

"After all these years, you should be used to it by now." Mo Xiaoxiao sat at the table, which was filled with leftover New Year's Eve dinner. Fireworks continued to bloom in the sky, making it a lively scene even at three in the morning.

However, the place where the fireworks were set off was already some distance away from the Silver Star Hut at the foot of the tea mountain.

It gives people the illusion of being isolated.

"I'm used to it now. It's fine as long as my sister is with me. It's fun during the New Year too, just the two of us can make it lively." Mo Zhuyou stretched. "Should we put away the vegetables today?"

"No need. Since there's a place to put it, just leave it there. This is called 'having abundance every year'."

"It's so nice to have a big place to live~" The younger sister snuggled into her older sister's arms, lying quietly and watching the stars in the bright night sky, which were beautifully complemented by the fireworks.

Because this place is some distance from the densely populated fireworks display areas, the sky was not shrouded in smoke and dust from the flames, and the sky was still clearly visible.

"Sister," the younger sister asked shyly in a low voice, swinging her legs, "um... will we still be able to go to university together?"

"Hmm, maybe, but it would require part-time work, which would be very tiring."

"Hmm... then, can you not find a boyfriend, sister?"

"Huh?"

"I just want to stay with my sister for the rest of my life. I don't want to marry anyone else. Let's just live like this for the rest of our lives."

"Pfft, who knows what the future holds? What if you meet a boy you like?"

"No way! I only love you, sister, and I only want to be with you!" the younger sister said firmly. "If you want a child, you can just adopt one later, right?"

"Well, let's talk about the future later," Mo Xiaoxiao replied somewhat vaguely.

"Hmph, no way, unless my sister kisses me."

"Okay, okay~ I'll give you a kiss." The older sister shook her head helplessly, then leaned down and pecked her younger sister on the cheek. "Is that okay?"

"Mmm—I want a kiss."

"Stop fooling around~" The older sister pinched and squeezed her younger sister's cheek. "Are you sleepy?"

"I'm not sleepy." My sister shook her head vigorously. "We agreed to watch the sunrise today, how could I possibly be sleepy?"

"Go to sleep if you're tired, don't force yourself."

"It's alright! Speaking of which, sunrise should still be about two hours away, right?"

"more or less."

"Should we climb up the mountain to see better? Otherwise, we won't be able to see clearly."

“It’s okay to watch from below, right? Climbing mountains at night is dangerous,” the older sister said. “There’s a river here, and there’s not much to hide behind. We can just watch from the riverbank in front of our house.”

"Okay then, I'm going to take a nap. Make sure to wake me up when it's time, okay?"

"Okay, go ahead and rest for a while."

Although Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Zhuyou are twins and should theoretically be the same age, the older sister is far more mature than her younger sister.

For the younger sister, her older sister was like a mother, taking care of her as she grew up.

Actually, the older sister who carries so many burdens must be the most tired.

But she never voiced her hardships and bitterness; instead, it was her younger sister who often complained about the hardships of life.

Lost in thought, time passed, and the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

"Youyou, wake up, the sun is about to rise!"

"Mmm!" Mo Zhuyou jumped up with a start. Seeing the sky outside faintly glowing with white light, she excitedly grabbed Mo Xiaoxiao's hand. "Let's go, sister, let's go see the sunrise!"

"Ah."

Watching the sunrise is not unique to this year.

Since the two sisters' parents passed away, they have made it a tradition to stay up all night during the Lunar New Year until sunrise, and only go back to sleep after the sun has risen.

Before long, the two sisters sat on a large rock by the river, watching the golden light slowly shine across the world, and watching the clouds in the sky being dyed into a splendid sunrise.

The entire riverbank looked as if it had been boiled with a large amount of chili oil, with waves pushing forward layer by layer.

"Youyou, do you still remember the first time you watched the sunrise?"

"Well... that year, our parents had just passed away. We were both very uneasy and couldn't sleep. We had nowhere to live and were wandering the streets. We sat under the pier of that overpass and watched the sun slowly rise."

"And it's also the New Year."

"Yes, the morning sun shining on those cold, desolate high-rise buildings cast long shadows, which left a deep impression on me."

"The first ray of sunshine in the morning, the first ray of sunshine in the new year," my sister said with a smile, "can bring us good luck."

“Yes, it was after we watched the sunrise that we found new jobs and a place to live, even though it was a very dilapidated little dormitory.” The younger sister rested her head on her older sister’s shoulder. “That’s why we watch the sunrise every year, hoping that things will get better and better—maybe it really works.”

"Well, life is pretty good now, but it's only temporary. After we graduate from high school, we'll have to rely on ourselves again."

"Ah~ I really wish I could live here forever."

"Well, the purpose of building this house is to give it to those who need it more, right?" The older sister stroked her younger sister's soft, long hair. "Don't be so selfish, Youyou."

"I know now!"

……

Chapter Fifty-Five: Duanmu Ji's New Year

Different people, different Spring Festivals. Some people are surrounded by crowds but feel empty inside, while others spend the Spring Festival in solitude but feel fulfilled inside.

Children love Chinese New Year because they get a holiday, receive lucky money, and can eat lots of delicious food.

Snacks that you wouldn't normally buy are now available to you as if they were free.

But most adults don't like the Spring Festival.

One reason is that it's celebrated once a year, and after decades, it gets a bit tiresome.

Secondly, the Spring Festival means spending a lot of money.

Red envelopes, buying New Year's goods, and visiting relatives.

These are all places where money will be spent.

The savings that I worked so hard to accumulate throughout the year were mostly spent during the Spring Festival.

They call it a time to relax, but can you really relax during holidays like this?

But no matter what, traditional festivals still need to be celebrated. We can only hope that the money spent will be earned back many times over next year.

There is another peculiar price increase pattern in my country: every year during the Spring Festival, the prices of all food-related items rise, and after the festival, they can only drop to a certain extent, which is equivalent to a permanent price increase.

Prices rise a little every new year, which makes adults even less inclined to celebrate the New Year.

Beneath the dazzling fireworks, for most people, the real worry was probably about the coming year.

In a village within the city of Hangzhou, in a cluster of farmers' houses.

Most of the tenants in the houses have already gone back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year. The landlords, who receive rent every month without lifting a finger, are the most relaxed group of people at this time. They gather with relatives and friends, laughing heartily, clinking glasses, and their conversations can be heard from afar.

Duanmu Ji was one of the few tenants who did not return to his hometown.

He and his sister lived in the attic on the rooftop. A pile of burnt-out fireworks sat on the rooftop. The sounds of the landlord and his relatives playing cards downstairs gradually subsided, and a ray of dawn peeked out.

For Duanmu Ji and his sister, it seemed like just an ordinary day, the only difference being that they had stocked up on more food in the refrigerator.

The small attic on the roof has the advantages of being independent and quiet, and the room is relatively larger than other small cubicles, but it will be particularly cold in winter.

Although it's a larger house, it only has one bedroom.

However, it has a small living room, a small kitchen, and a small bathroom—small but complete.

There was a bunk bed in the bedroom; the older sister slept on the top bunk, while Duanmu Ji slept on the bottom bunk.

They didn't even stay up all night yesterday, let alone keep watch; in fact, they went to bed earlier than usual—they were in bed by 8:30 p.m.

She slept and it was the next day.

"Ugh—" Duanmu Bi, Duanmu Ji's older sister, stretched out her arms on the bed. As soon as she reached out her hand, she touched the cold air and immediately shrank back under the covers.