A Young Woman's Heart

"No artistic talent," her father glanced at her sideways, "no culture at all."

"You're so educated, how come we haven't gotten rich yet?"

"Tch, being cultured doesn't mean you can get rich, okay? Alright, alright, I won't argue with you. How about we buy one for Xiaoyao?"

"Shouldn't we go to a more professional place to buy an electronic keyboard? Is it really a good idea to buy it in a supermarket?" The mother hesitated slightly.

"Sigh, only professional places slaughter pigs. Supermarkets are much better; prices are clearly marked, saving you the hassle of haggling." The father glanced at the price of the electronic keyboard:

The most expensive one costs over two thousand, and there's a 'Do Not Touch' sign next to it.

Even the cheapest ones cost over 500 yuan, and the sound quality is noticeably worse.

"How about we buy this one? It was originally 1,200 yuan, but it's on sale now, so it's 50 yuan cheaper," her father suggested to Mo Xueyao.

"Huh? Hey, are we really going to waste money?" Mo Xueyao was a little puzzled. Her father was one thing, but her mother had always been frugal. Why was she suddenly being so generous today?

“How can you say that art is a waste of money?” the father said disapprovingly. “Actually, when I was young, I also played some musical instruments, you know.”

"Really?" Mo Xueyao couldn't tell at all.

“It’s true. We weren’t married back then, and your dad could play the guitar and erhu.” When her mother said this, her voice was unusually flushed with shyness. “It’s good for girls to learn some musical instruments.”

"If we really have to buy one, let's just get the cheap one. I'm not even sure if I can learn it yet." Mo Xueyao shrank her neck, still feeling it wasn't really necessary. "Let's just buy this one that costs a little over 500."

“No, we can’t afford the expensive ones. We should at least buy a normal one. If it’s too cheap, it will break down soon. Wouldn’t that be a waste of money?” The father shook his head. “Let’s buy this one.”

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her father, Mo Xueyao stopped insisting. Although she really wanted an electronic keyboard, she didn't know how to play it, and there were other places in the family that needed the money more, so she always felt that it was a waste of money.

I'm a little worried about the money.

Fortunately, the money came from a large red envelope given by her great-grandfather; otherwise, Mo Xueyao would never have allowed her father to buy it.

After all, her family had already spent too much money on her surgery.

And the medications used during this period also cost money.

Although she was able to stop taking supplementary medications starting this month.

"Hey, waiter." The father, unsure how to address the supermarket employee, waved to a staff member in a red uniform and asked, "Do you have a brand new piano in the warehouse? I don't want the one on the shelf."

"Yes, please wait a moment." Then, another person in charge of this area came to serve Mo Xueyao and her group.

The electronic keyboard is paid for at the cashier in the high-end goods section. Things like mobile phones, televisions, and even electronic keyboards are all paid for here.

The father almost paid right away, but the mother stopped him.

Then came another long conversation and bargaining.

In this respect, Mo Xueyao had to admire her mother's bargaining skills.

While others haggle like they're arguing, she builds rapport while negotiating, always managing to buy things at a lower price without making a sound.

When she goes shopping for clothes, she can bargain down a 100-yuan garment to 30 yuan, or even 20 yuan.

Mo Xueyao once witnessed her mother remove the "one" from the front of a dress that cost 110.

Yes, it's not about rounding down the odd amount, but about rounding down the large number.

I bought it for ten yuan.

Whether the merchant was too greedy or her bargaining skills were too good, Mo Xueyao still remembers it vividly to this day.

Although you can't bargain in supermarkets, the prices are clearly marked.

But in the end, that employee still used his own employee card to swipe it for him, giving him an employee discount.

It also came with a whole bunch of free gifts.

For example, a piano stand, sheet music for self-study, a simple but better-than-nothing folding piano stool, and a pair of low-end brand headphones that are slightly better than those from street vendors—the kind with earcups.

The advantage of an electronic keyboard is that as long as you plug in headphones to play, you won't disturb others.

In addition, there were some small gifts, some useful and some not, some relevant and some not. In short, it satisfied my mother.

If it were Mo Xueyao who made the purchase, there would be no way she would have received so many free gifts.

Even fathers are the same.

Mingming's father even has a junior high school education!

It seems that speaking skills are not necessarily related to education level.

"Wanyan, let's learn together." Mo Xueyao stroked the electronic keyboard case in the shopping cart, feeling a little uneasy. "If we learn on our own, can we really master it?"

"It's alright, Yaoyao is very talented."

"Is there...?"

“Of course,” Li Wanyan said firmly, giving her an encouraging look.

"Hmm... well, let's give it a try then."

After returning home, my mother prepared the ingredients while watching TV.

It doesn't necessarily have to be for dinner; it could also be for food reserves.

For example, you can wrap some dumplings in dumpling wrappers and freeze them in the lower part of the refrigerator. That way, if she's not home sometimes, or if she gets up late in the morning, you can cook dumplings without worrying about not having enough time to make them.

My impatient mother has a habit of planning ahead, and perhaps it is because of this habit that she has so much to prepare that she is so impatient.

My father is a slow-paced person.

How can two people with completely different personalities come together? Is it really true that only complementary personalities can lead to love?

Thinking about it carefully, it does seem to be true.

However, although he was a slow-paced person, he still knew what he should do. When he returned in the afternoon, he went out alone.

I guess I should go to the market to order fruit for tomorrow and clean up the fruit shop.

After all these days, although the remaining fruits are not easily spoiled, quite a few should have rotted or become stale, and these need to be dealt with in advance.

After returning, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan placed the electronic keyboard in her bedroom.

Mo Xueyao's bedroom wasn't big to begin with, and after putting in an electronic keyboard, it was completely full, as if there wasn't even a place to stand.

"Let's try the simplest one, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, first. Let me look at the sheet music." Li Wanyan picked up her self-taught electronic keyboard tutorial and started reading.

"Does Wanyan know how to play the piano?"

"No, but I have studied musical notation."

"Cough... I basically slept through music class in elementary and middle school, and didn't listen much at all..." Mo Xueyao scratched her head awkwardly, "As a result, music class stopped in high school."

"It's okay, it's not difficult at all. I don't know much either, but I should be able to teach you some basics. Let's start by learning this sheet music..."

And so, the two of them studied and researched at the same time.

An afternoon passed by quietly.

In the beginning, it was Li Wanyan who taught Mo Xueyao.

Later on, Mo Xueyao's comprehension speed increased so much that she ended up teaching Li Wanyan instead.

In just one afternoon, Mo Xueyao was already able to play "Two Tigers" very skillfully.

Although it's a very simple introductory piece, it feels really great when you can play it without making any mistakes.

It's very fulfilling.

Perhaps, those who pursue art are pursuing this sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction?

"Dinner's ready." Mother knocked on the door. "Oh, is someone playing the piano in there?"

"Yes."

"Did you play that by yourself just now?" The mother pushed open the door in confusion and saw Mo Xueyao's hands pressing the piano keys. Although her playing wasn't perfect, her heartfelt joy was still palpable.

“Of course,” Mo Xueyao replied smugly.

"It seems you really have a talent for this," her mother smiled. "Alright, alright, play again later. Keep it down tonight so you don't disturb others."

"Know it."

"Come and eat, Yan Yan, come and eat too."

“Okay.” Li Wanyan stood up.

Mo Xueyao's father was drinking a bowl of warm yellow wine, holding his chopsticks and pointing to the dishes on the table: "Come on, eat. Tired of fast food? Dinner is quite sumptuous tonight."

"Here it is! Wow, there's Coke today too!"

Although it's a small bottle.

“Yes, you and Wanyan can share the drink,” the father laughed.

"Wash your hands first," the mother nagged from behind.

"Okay, okay—"

"This girl is always so impatient." The mother shook her head helplessly, then looked at Li Wanyan, "Yanyan, why don't you sleep with Yaoyao from now on? It's too small here, and it's not safe for a girl to stay in the shop alone at night."

"fine……"

"Don't say it's okay, it's settled then."

"……OK."

……

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So much has happened lately, so many feelings and emotions, that I can't help but want to pick up a pen and write something down.

If you're interested, you can find it in the "Short Stories" volume of "Silver Girl's Short Stories Collection"—the volume containing my newly written short stories.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Bringing Su Tang Home

Today is the official opening day of the fruit store.

It rained for a while this morning, and it has only just stopped now, and the sun is already peeking out from behind the clouds.