A Young Woman's Heart

"Huh? I... I still believe it. I feel like we just can't see them. They definitely exist."

"Whatever." Mo Xueyao took out the homework to be handed in nonchalantly. The group leader of her group was Cha Li, who was responsible for collecting the homework and then handing it over to the class representatives of each subject.

Does Xiaoyao have a faith?

"No."

“I’m a Christian,” Wang Jiale said. “I sometimes go to church, but I’ve been getting busier and busier since high school, so I haven’t had time to go.”

"You're going to church...?" Mo Xueyao recalled how she used to sneak into church during church hours when she was a child to freeload. "You're not going there just to get snacks, are you?"

"Hey, I don't need to go there to get snacks!"

“Yes, that’s true…” Mo Xueyao hadn’t gotten used to her family’s gradually improving circumstances yet, and she still felt that her family was very poor, so she used her own past family situation to judge others.

Although, it was just a joke.

As they were chatting, Li Hongran walked in, covered in sweat, followed by the Mo sisters, Mo Zhuyou and Mo Xiaoxiao. The three of them seemed to have been chatting in the corridor just now.

"Ugh—what an unlucky day!" As soon as she entered the classroom, Mo Zhuyou sat down in her seat with her schoolbag, venting her frustrations about the day's misfortunes.

"What's wrong?" Mo Xueyao took out a cola candy and handed it to her.

Recently, she's had more money, and she, who almost never buys snacks, now keeps some small snacks in her pocket every day.

However, I mainly buy these cheap, delicious, and long-lasting cola candies.

One is about the size of a thumb, and costs one cent each. If you buy one dollar's worth of goods, you get one free.

She usually buys a dollar's worth of food every two or three days, keeps it in her pocket and eats it sparingly, and occasionally shares what she can't bear to eat with other friends.

After all, everyone shares some of their good food with her, so she can't be too stingy!

"Ah, me too!" Wang Jiale shouted without any hesitation.

Mo Xueyao naturally shared one with her as well.

While peeling the wrapper off a cola candy, Mo Zhuyou rambled on about what had happened that morning, and cursed the man several times with great dissatisfaction.

"So the bicycle is beyond saving?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"Yes, if it were just a broken tire, you could just replace it, but the entire front half of the car is almost completely deformed."

"That electric scooter only had a little plastic damage, it's really sturdy..."

"No, it's because when he crashed into us, my sister turned her bike to the side, and then the sturdy part of the bike hit the fragile part of our bicycle, which is why it broke so badly all of a sudden! That person was definitely speeding!"

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but want to laugh, but she also felt that this was actually a rather sad thing for the two sisters, after all, it meant an economic loss of at least a hundred yuan.

Just think about how hard they have to work after school every day to make a living, and you'll know how hard they work to earn that money.

Thinking this way, she couldn't laugh anymore.

"Well, my mom seems to often go to a bicycle repair shop to buy bikes. They sell used bikes there, and the prices are relatively cheap. Like the ones you had before, they might only cost sixty or eighty yuan."

"Won't it break after a few days of riding?"

"There shouldn't be any worry about that, but... we still need to choose carefully," Mo Xueyao muttered.

"Then Xiaoyao, why don't you take us there this afternoon?" Mo Xiao smiled, tossing her hair and placing her hand on Mo Xueyao's head. "It's a day off for us."

"Okay, then I'll finish my homework at school today to avoid trouble." Mo Xueyao nodded.

"When the scrap collector comes at noon, remember to sell him that broken car," Li Hongran interjected. "I wonder how much it'll fetch."

"Not bad, Li Hongran." Only then did Wang Jiale notice the 'protagonist' of the story. She was no longer as shy around boys as she had been when they first met, and with a hint of teasing, she reached out and poked Li Hongran's arm. "Was that considered a hero saving a damsel in distress?"

"Haha, that level certainly doesn't count."

“In a peaceful society, this is barely acceptable.” Wang Jiale looked Li Hongran up and down. “Looks like you’re quite useful, you big oaf.”

"What do you mean by 'big, dumb oaf'? These are muscles, okay? This is the symbol of manhood—strength!"

Mo Xueyao nodded enviously. She used to want to have muscles as strong as Li Hongran's.

But I've never been able to train it.

After a long period of inactivity, the little muscle a girl had diminished significantly. Now her arms look slender and smooth, lacking any sense of strength.

In the midst of ordinary life, there will always be some unexpected events, whether they are your own or someone else's. The relationships between friends are like bridges, preventing everyone from sinking into their own island of isolation and allowing them to share different and new things.

Share the happy moments together, and bear the sad moments together.

It is because of everyone's laughter that everyone gradually becomes stronger.

People mostly lean on each other like this.

Although many people may not realize it.

But it is indeed indispensable.

Mo Xueyao lowered her head and casually wrote down these words in her open Chinese textbook.

……

Chapter 118 Buying a Stolen Car (Part 2)

How much iron is in a bicycle?

The answer might be surprisingly light.

After all, most of the parts are hollow.

A solid bicycle would probably be too heavy for most people to ride.

Moreover, some parts are not made of iron, but of aluminum or other metals.

"Five yuan," the scrap collector said after carefully disassembling the bicycle into parts and weighing them.

"Only five yuan?" Mo Xiaoxiao said, somewhat unwilling. "This car cost a hundred yuan to buy..."

"But it's just scrap now. Giving you five yuan is only because you're a student. That's a fair price."

"Ten yuan then," Mo Xiaoxiao raised the price slightly.

"That's impossible." The uncle shook his head.

Mo Zhuyou watched quietly as her sister tried to sell the item at a higher price, and couldn't help but wonder if she herself would have the audacity to argue with someone over a few dollars for so long.

Ultimately, the price was set at seven yuan.

The uncle reluctantly handed two two-yuan bills and three one-yuan coins to Mo Xiaoxiao, who gave him a complicated smile, a smile that was both gratified and helpless—perhaps more bitter.

"At least you earned two extra dollars, you can use it to fix the tire or pump up the air or something," Mo Zhuyou said, seemingly noticing her sister's low spirits.

Although she knew that her sister's sadness was not due to the event itself.

"Well, at least we can sell them." Mo Xiao smiled and patted her sister's head. "Alright, let's go back to the classroom."

Wednesday's temperature was the highest in recent days, reportedly reaching 30 degrees Celsius.

Keep in mind that it's only March.

Mo Xueyao had already foreseen that this summer would definitely be quite hot.

She didn't wait for Li Wanyan after school today, firstly because she still had to help out, and secondly because she wanted to take the two sisters, Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Wanyan, to a shop that sells stolen cars to buy 'new' bicycles.

The "new" here doesn't mean it's brand new, but rather the kind of new that comes out again.

The afterglow of the setting sun still carried a great deal of heat. She took off her coat and casually draped it over her shoulder, just like a boy would, like a dockworker in a TV drama would drape a towel over his shoulder.

"Huh, why is Xiaoyao leaving so early today?" Ye Banxia asked curiously as she finished cleaning for the others.

"I took the two sisters to buy bicycles, otherwise it will be inconvenient for them to get home," Mo Xueyao explained. "I won't help today, see you tomorrow!"

"Okay, bye-bye..."

Mo Xueyao and the two Mo sisters walked out of the school gate and immediately smelled the aroma of fried food.

This is probably a favorite among students. Even when the weather is bad, someone will come to sell it from a tricycle—it's just a little troublesome, as they have to set up that big umbrella.

On such a nice day, there are even more vendors outside the school gate.

As if by prior agreement, each vendor sells snacks that no one else is selling.

There are vendors that specialize in fried stinky tofu, vendors that specialize in grilled tofu, and vendors that specialize in fried pork tenderloin...

The enticing aroma wafted through the air, causing Mo Xueyao and Mo Zhuyou to simultaneously wipe the drool from the corners of their mouths.

"I'll take you to KFC after I buy the bicycle." Mo Xiao smiled as she watched. "Xiao Yao, come along too."

"Oh? I don't need it. I'll go home for dinner later." Mo Xueyao knew that Mo Xiaoxiao didn't have much money, so she didn't want to take advantage of her. But she didn't have enough money to treat anyone, so she could only say that.

"No need, sis, let's eat at home," Mo Zhuyou advised. "Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy and cook ourselves?"

"But the taste is still different."

"Never mind that! Buying a bicycle is the priority; I don't even know how much it'll cost," Mo Zhuyou muttered softly. "How much money did my sister take with her today?"

"Just one hundred yuan for emergencies."

"One hundred? That should be enough." Mo Xueyao wasn't entirely sure, because her mother was able to buy the bicycle so cheaply by bargaining.

She was clearly not the type to haggle, so she could only hope that Mo Xiaoxiao's haggling skills were good enough.

Buying stolen cars is not unusual these days.

In fact, in this era when public security was not very good, bicycle theft was quite common.

A few years ago, bicycles required a registration certificate and license plate, but these requirements have been gradually phased out in recent years.

But this has only emboldened the industry to become more rampant with stolen cars.

Sometimes, you might even find yourself buying a stolen car, only to have it stolen again by the same person who sold stolen cars – a situation that's both ridiculous and frustrating.

However, generally speaking, stolen cars that have been bought will not be stolen again, since they have changed hands so many times that they are no longer worth much.

Stolen cars are much cheaper than new cars.

For example, a brand new Giant bicycle costs over 500 yuan, but if you buy a stolen one, it will only cost around 200 yuan.

If it's a bicycle from a well-established domestic brand, a new one costs around 300 yuan, while a stolen one only costs around 100 yuan.