A Young Woman's Heart

"Xiao Yao," Li Wanyan pinched her cheek, "It's time for dinner."

"Hmm?" Mo Xueyao opened her eyes groggily, and the first thing she saw was the black-rimmed glasses she was wearing.

Is your fever any better?

"I'm all right now, I just feel a little cold." As she spoke, she sneezed loudly, and snot, saliva, and tears all flowed out at once, making her flustered and embarrassed.

Li Wanyan handed her a napkin: "Did you study on your own today? Do you want me to teach you the lessons you've taken later?"

"Just tell me what the homework is." Mo Xueyao stretched and stood up from her chair. "I'll ask you if I don't understand."

“Okay.” Li Wanyan pushed up her glasses, picked up her schoolbag from the cardboard box, and walked into the fruit shop.

A day passed, and she seemed to have already forgotten about yesterday's events.

Mo Xueyao was also hesitating, wondering whether she should explain again—she had already prepared what lie to tell.

After careful consideration, I decided to speak up first, just in case something unexpected happens and I'm caught off guard.

"A tactful response."

"Ok?"

"Actually, what happened yesterday..."

What happened yesterday?

"Well, it's about him calling me 'Mo Xueyao's little sister'."

"Oh, that? I've been thinking about it carefully. It's because he added the word 'younger sister' after your name, so he's a distant relative of yours?"

"Uh..." For a moment, Mo Xueyao thought that it would be fine to let Li Wanyan misunderstand. Actually, when she thought about it carefully, it wasn't a particularly big flaw.

But if we don't clarify things now, it will be even harder to explain if we encounter Li Gutao again in the future and hear what he has to say.

"Actually, I was always raised as a boy because a fortune teller said that if I wasn't raised as a boy, I wouldn't live past sixteen," Mo Xueyao lied, inspired by the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. "So when I was in junior high school, I dressed as a boy."

"Isn't it written on the list?" Li Wanyan keenly seized on the loophole.

However, Mo Xueyao had already thought of this: "Back then, my household registration book listed me as 'male,' which was done through connections. So I was also listed as 'male' at school. In order not to be exposed, when I went to the toilet with the boys, I would... fake it, pretend to be a real boy."

She coughed a few times, somewhat embarrassed, wondering if Li Wanyan would believe her slightly lame excuse: "But I still try not to go to the bathroom with them outside, so I didn't give myself away during my three years of junior high. My friend always thought I was a boy."

"Hmm..." Li Wanyan was skeptical.

"Haha, I didn't expect you to tell me all this yourself, Xiaoyao." Her father laughed and covered for her, adding some details as he went along. "After she turned sixteen, she was still alive, so we changed her gender on her household registration. She went to high school as a girl. To be honest, it's superstition, but it's what the older generation wanted. There's nothing we can do about it. I'm not sexist!"

"So that's how it is." Even Mo Xueyao's father said so, so Li Wanyan no longer had any doubts. Considering Mo Xueyao's previous masculine behavior, it was quite possible.

As for the superstitions of the older generation, it's not impossible that they might occur.

If raising boys as girls can help people avoid their fate, then why can't we raise girls as boys?

"So, when you met him later, you had long hair and didn't know how to explain it, so you said you were his sister?" Li Wanyan asked softly.

"Well, that's about it!" Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "This is my 'secret'."

"So, are you still not used to being a girl again?" Li Wanyan joked. "But I've changed a lot. At least I don't wipe my hands with my skirt all the time anymore."

"Eh? Hehehe..." Mo Xueyao chuckled dryly and scratched her head, secretly giving her father a thumbs up.

Her father winked at her smugly, then turned and went to attend to the customers.

This is an old-fashioned, but effective lie.

After all, no one in reality would expect such a complicated story to happen.

While dinner was still being prepared, Li Wanyan took out her homework book, turned to the latest page, and neatly wrote down today's assignments.

You can do the copying homework later when you're tired in the evening; it's better to do the ones that require thinking first.

Mo Xueyao muttered to herself as she pulled out her math homework and started writing.

There weren't too many things they didn't understand. In fact, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan's preparation was at least three class periods ahead of the teacher's pace, and they had already discussed some of the more difficult points.

There may be some things that are not quite clear, but as long as the teacher points them out, they will understand instantly.

"So, is there anything you don't understand?"

"It's the same place as last time. I can do it, but I always feel like I'm just following the formula. It's like I don't understand the exact principles. If the question changes, it won't be easy to solve it."

"Here? Hmm, I'll teach you." Li Wanyan cleared her throat and began to teach patiently and meticulously.

If she were teaching math, she might be even more effective than Teacher Jingdie.

It's not about the teaching quality, but the psychological pressure of teaching math is just too great.

Couldn't she just smile a little?

Every time, the classroom atmosphere becomes very serious...

After finishing her math homework, dinner was almost done. Mo Xueyao cleared the table, while Li Wanyan brought out the dishes.

It was the same as always: three dishes and a soup.

The dishes are stir-fried bok choy, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and pan-fried chicken cutlet.

As for the soup, it's basically tofu and tomato soup.

They're all cheap dishes.

Even chicken breast, which is considered meat, is one of the cheaper types of meat.

There was no oil in the soup, and the dishes were relatively bland—that's my mother's cooking style.

She's recently been reading some nutrition books and her cooking has become increasingly bland, claiming it's healthier to eat this way.

"Why isn't there any oil in the soup? And it's so bland, how can we eat it?" the father complained. "Are we so poor we can't even afford salt?"

"Soup is supposed to be light. If there's oil in the vegetables, what kind of oil should you put in the soup? Eating light food will prevent your stomach from feeling uncomfortable at night."

"Then at least make a dish that tastes a bit better."

"You should change your taste; eating so much salt isn't good for your health."

The father shook his head helplessly, afraid that continuing would anger the mother, so he sighed and began to eat.

"It's good enough that there's food at all." Mo Xueyao glanced at him sideways. "We never had such a lavish dinner in the past."

Yes, in the past, dinner was basically just one dish and one soup.

The soup is just regular soup; it doesn't contain much food. It's just something to eat a few more bites of rice to fill your stomach when there aren't enough vegetables.

The dishes are usually purely vegetarian, with at most a little minced meat added.

Mo Xueyao suddenly remembered that when her family was poor, her mother would often buy cheap meat, chop it into minced meat, and sprinkle a little into the cooking so that everyone could eat meat regularly.

Moreover, in the past, we didn't eat many meals at home. Most of the time, it was just noodles or rice cakes that could be cooked in one pot. Even if there was only a little bit of minced meat, it would still whet our appetite.

So, are most mothers in the world really the same?

She thought to herself with a touch of emotion.

Crispy Sugar's dinner consisted of rice with soup and finely chopped chicken breast mixed in.

While everyone else was eating, it would squat in front of its little iron basin and enjoy its lunch.

Su Tang isn't a picky eater, and I don't know if it's because the food has become lighter lately, but it seems to prefer my mother's cooking.

Even simple vegetables like greens and shredded potatoes, like today's dish, will be eaten completely.

If it really wants to eat meat, it can just catch some mice to supplement its meal...

When it comes to raising cats, my parents still adhere to the traditional rural approach—they feed the cats whatever the people eat, and they certainly don't pamper them.

After all, when the father bought the cat, he was essentially using it as a 'tool'.

Besides, domestic cats are very resilient and don't need much care; they're not that delicate.

It's a bit too wild, but it's perfect for keeping in the store. Since the store is open, it can sneak out for a walk whenever it wants, so there's no need to worry.

After finishing her meal, Mo Xueyao sat down by the door like a young lady, completely free from housework and enjoying a leisurely life.

“也不知道阿涛他今天怎么样了，回到学校后肯定还要被揍一顿吧？不过，学校里她们应该不敢太嚣张，那么……放学他能跑得掉吗？”莫雪遥托着腮帮，有些担忧地想道，“小说里总是写，这种小太妹被强吻了之后，就会爱上强吻她的那个人了，要不阿涛也试试看这种办法？”

"No, no, if we really try, he'll probably get beaten up even worse. Things in novels shouldn't be taken seriously." Mo Xueyao shook her head, mentally trying to think of a solution for Li Gutao. "Reporting to the teacher? Not only would it be embarrassing, but it probably wouldn't even be effective. It seems the only option is to fight back, or maybe he'll have to transfer schools..."

……

Chapter 103 Disciplinary Action

very annoying.

It's so annoying.

Li Gutao was sitting in his office writing a self-criticism, listening to the teachers in the disciplinary office discussing his past actions with disdain.

"A boy who's almost an adult is still hitting girls."

"When he grows up, he'll beat his wife too."

"Sigh, life is so hard for us women."

Difficult my foot!

Li Gutao really wanted to flip the table over.

However, he ultimately didn't dare to do it.

The incident started around noon when he had tried his best to avoid the girls and ate his lunch on the rooftop, but they still came to his door.

This vocational school does not provide cheap student lunches. The canteen is outsourced, just like in a fast food restaurant. Not only are the prices not cheap, but the quality of the food is also poor.

Therefore, many people choose to bring their own lunch to school—just like Li Gutao.

My mother makes the bento boxes early in the morning, afraid that eating leftovers would be bad for her health.

Packed in an insulated lunchbox, it was still warm even at noon.

But they were defeated by those damned women.

Li Gutao just couldn't understand how idle these people were.