A Young Woman's Heart

If you want to compare West Lake to Xi Shi, she is beautiful whether she is lightly or heavily made up.

West Lake is gentle and graceful, so when people personify it, they often imagine it as a traditional woman with an antique charm.

Imagine a woman named Xizi on West Lake, with beautiful phoenix eyes. She leans lazily against the bow of a boat, gently scooping up some lake water with her delicate hands. A light rain is falling, making the sky appear somewhat hazy...

"So, Su Shi was actually a fetishist?" Mo Xueyao concluded.

"Cough." Even the usually calm Li Wanyan choked on her saliva.

"What? My logic is fine. Look, he likes West Lake and even compares it to a beautiful woman named Xi Zi. Isn't that just like someone who hugs a pillow and says it's his wife?"

West Lake was open to the public for a limited time during the Chinese New Year, so a large number of people squeezed in.

There were locals and tourists from other places.

Today is the Lantern Festival. Although it is only afternoon, we can already see many large lanterns being transported to West Lake and Yinshan Square by small trucks. Many beautiful lanterns have also been placed along the roadside. It will be even more beautiful when the lights are turned on at night.

However, to be honest, West Lake is beautiful.

Mo Xueyao didn't notice.

There were probably just too many people; the bridge and the riverbank were packed with people everywhere.

At first glance, all you see are throngs of people, so it doesn't feel beautiful at all.

The gentle shores of Silver Lake are best enjoyed in quiet solitude when no one is around.

Unfortunately, when there was no one around, Mo Xueyao couldn't bear to spend the money to buy a ticket to come in.

When admission is free during the New Year period, you can't appreciate its true beauty.

What I remember most vividly are the paper umbrellas and Hanfu sold in the antique-style shops along the shore of Yinzi Lake, and the ancient costume stalls filled with all kinds of clothing set up by the lake.

Every now and then you can see people walking by wearing dragon robes, which, in a sense, is also a characteristic of the new era.

Because only in China during this era could one freely walk around the streets wearing clothes that would have been taboo in the past.

Dragon robes and official uniforms have all become props for entertainment.

Feudal society has been abolished, and the air is filled with the spirit of freedom.

Of course, society cannot be absolutely free, otherwise everything would be in chaos, but compared to feudal society, the people are already much freer.

This applies to both the mind and the body.

"Achoo!" Mo Xueyao sneezed loudly, rubbing her slightly red nose. "It feels a bit cold."

“After all, it’s sleet today.” Li Wanyan tilted the umbrella she was sharing slightly toward Mo Xueyao. “Why don’t we sit in the pavilion over there?”

"Okay, let's sit for a while before we leave~"

The two had a good idea, but when they actually got to the pavilion, they found that there wasn't a single empty seat.

It's not that there aren't any, but the problem is that some people are lying sideways on the benches, making it impossible for others to sit.

It was mostly elderly people, and since others were too embarrassed to criticize them, they had to look for another place.

After much difficulty, the two finally found a bench by the lake.

Behind me stood a willow tree with tender buds, but it couldn't block out too much rain.

There were no other seats available, so the two of them wiped the seats clean with napkins and then sat down while holding up their umbrellas.

To avoid getting wet in the rain, the two could only huddle together, slightly curled up.

Even so, raindrops were still blown by the wind and drifted obliquely onto the two of them.

Mo Xueyao opened the plastic bag and placed it on her lap.

Inside the plastic bag was another plastic bag containing some loose roasted nuts and seeds, such as peanuts, pistachios, and sunflower seeds.

The dried fruit shells are placed in the outer plastic bag to avoid making a mess when eating them.

The gentle spring breeze of February caressed their faces, making Mo Xueyao suddenly feel sleepy.

This is the transition between spring and winter. The stern-faced maiden of winter is finally off work, and the gentle maiden of spring arrives with a smile.

—Sentences like these popped into Mo Xueyao's mind at this moment, and they always had the feel of a primary school student's composition.

“Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen met at West Lake, right? It seems like the weather in the book was like this too, isn’t it?” Mo Xueyao peeled a pistachio and popped it into her mouth. “Speaking of which, why did Bai Suzhen like Xu Xian? He was so weak and indecisive.”

"Maybe it's just because he's handsome," Li Wanyan replied.

"If Wanyan were Xu Xian, would you fall in love with Bai Suzhen?"

"What man doesn't like a pretty girl?"

Li Wanyan's words left Mo Xueyao speechless for a long time before she finally asked, "Then what kind of female demon do you like?"

I like people who don't harm others.

"I was just saying how it looks."

What kind of female demon does Xiaoyao like?

“I…I like fox spirits.” Mo Xueyao said, stroking her chin. “Yeah, I always feel that their furry ears and fluffy tails would feel really nice to touch.”

"Yes...that's right..."

Li Wanyan gave a somewhat perfunctory answer, and while Mo Xueyao was talking animatedly and spitting as she secretly grabbed a handful of pistachios and put them in her hand, there weren't many left.

When Mo Xueyao mentioned that she was a little hungry, she realized that there were only a few pistachios left.

Where's my pistachio?

"Finished."

"Hey—Wanyan ate it all!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed. "Leave some for me!"

"Here." Li Wanyan slipped the remaining two into her hand as a gesture of comfort.

Mo Xueyao was speechless for a moment, then grabbed a handful of peanuts and started eating them.

She doesn't know how to eat sunflower seeds, mainly because she can't crack them open as easily as others. She has to peel them by hand, which is too troublesome. Besides, there's very little kernel inside the seeds. After peeling for a long time, she doesn't get a single bite, so she completely loses interest in eating them.

The two of us came out today because West Lake is open to the public for free, so we thought we'd take a stroll and then see the lanterns in the evening.

It's the Lantern Festival, how can we not look at the lanterns?

Night fell quickly, and lanterns lit up one by one along the shore of Silver Lake, while many small lotus lanterns floated on the water.

There are lanterns of all shapes and sizes, some depicting ancient generals, others ancient mythological figures, and even lanterns shaped like ships, rockets, and television sets. As long as you don't look at them up close, the effect is quite impressive.

However, the square with the most lanterns is Yinshan Square.

The lanterns here are displayed in rows, and many people gather here to stroll and admire them.

Some people also set up a small stall on the side, selling Kongming lanterns that can only be released near West Lake.

Before Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan could even buy anything, they saw the city management officers rush over and overturn their stall.

"What are you doing releasing sky lanterns?! Don't you know how dangerous they are when they fly? They can even cause fires?!" the city management captain yelled. "It's the New Year, so I'm not taking away your stall. Pack your bags and get out of here! If I find you again, I won't be so polite!"

Other people's newly purchased Kongming lanterns were also confiscated, and the merchants were required to refund the money to the customers.

Mo Xueyao smiled sheepishly, thankful that she hadn't bought it.

"This is a traditional festival, we should release sky lanterns..." a passerby muttered discontentedly.

"So what if it's a traditional festival? Just because it's always been this way doesn't mean it's right. You know bad habits need to be corrected, right?" the city management team leader lectured with a displeased look. "The lanterns we put in this big square all use safe light bulbs, just in case they catch fire!"

"Alas, the world is not what it used to be," an old man sighed, shaking his head as he walked away.

“I think the city management officers are right.” Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan left the area. “We really shouldn’t be releasing such dangerous things anymore. They can fly and are easy to cause fires.”

"Ah."

"Did you hear what that old man said just now? Tsk tsk, I really don't know why some people are so stubborn."

“Old people have their own principles,” Li Wanyan said, offering no comment. “Perhaps you’ll be a stubborn old man when you’re old?”

"Hmph, I won't." Mo Xueyao stopped in her tracks. "Huh, why is this shop selling Kongming lanterns again?"

"Haha, you two little girls, would you like to buy a Kongming lantern?"

"Isn't it dangerous not to buy? Aren't they saying we can't sell them anymore?"

"Oh, our Kongming lanterns are different." The shopkeeper pointed to a stack of unassembled Kongming lanterns next to him. "These are actually hydrogen balloons, just shaped like Kongming lanterns, and they only contain a small light bulb powered by a button battery."

"Don't these urban management officers care?"

"Of course, this is legal."

Mo Xueyao was somewhat tempted.

After all, it feels like something's missing if you don't release sky lanterns during the Lantern Festival.

In the end, she still bought one.

Originally, Li Wanyan was going to buy two, but she felt it would be too wasteful, so in the end she only bought one.

"Here you are, young ladies, here's some paper and a pen." The shopkeeper handed them some fine stationery and a pen. "Write down your wishes on these, and I'll tie them to your balloons for you."

The wishes were nothing more than New Year's blessings, hoping for a better year to come. After writing them down, the two small pieces of paper were tied together.

Mo Xueyao held onto the string of the Kongming lantern to prevent it from flying away, and then she and Li Wanyan climbed up the Silver Mountain behind it.

Silver Mountain is not high; you can reach the top by walking a few steps.

The two released a helium balloon shaped like a Kongming lantern atop the low-lying Silver Mountain.

Many Kongming lanterns are already floating and drifting in the sky.

They were all slowly rising until they passed through the clouds and disappeared from sight.

"Phew, all done." As if completing a task, Mo Xueyao let out a comfortable sigh of relief. "Shall we go home?"

"Yes, it's getting late."

"Seven o'clock, I should get home around eight o'clock. I guess we'll be cooking glutinous rice balls today." Mo Xueyao threw a bag of fruit peels and other trash into the trash can next to her.

"should be."

"Speaking of which, what's the difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"Perhaps it's a difference in size?" Li Wanyan didn't know much about this, so her answer was vague.

"It is said that Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) are savory."