A Young Woman's Heart

"Where am I being lazy! I just put all my energy into studying so I don't want to do anything else!" Mo Xueyao shouted in dissatisfaction, placing her hand on her mother's head and rubbing it hard as if venting her frustration.

"Tsk, what are you doing, you little brat? You dare touch my head?"

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of?" Mo Xueyao became even more audacious and started fooling around.

"Let me tell you, if my hair falls into the food later, you'll have to eat it all."

"Tch." Mo Xueyao immediately withdrew her hand, but like someone who had suddenly let loose, she couldn't quite pull herself back. So, like a naughty child, she darted behind her father, who was wiping fruit, and gave him two hard slaps on the bottom.

"Looking for a beating, huh?" the father said with a smile. "What's wrong with you today? Acting crazy, are you itching for a beating?"

"Roar!" Mo Xueyao touched her father's chin with the back of her hand. "Tsk, Dad, did you not shave properly again? It's prickly."

"Go away, what are you touching?"

"It's not like I haven't touched it before," Mo Xueyao replied nonchalantly.

Actually, she was often this mischievous when she was a boy.

The atmosphere at home has always been harmonious. Her parents and she are like friends, which is why they can make these jokes that seem 'disrespectful' to outsiders.

For a long time after the surgery, her original personality was suppressed.

Only now am I gradually returning to myself.

Of course, they've grown up a lot now, so they certainly can't be as mischievous as they were when they were boys.

"You...daughter, weren't you always so mischievous? You only toned it down a bit recently, but now you're back to your old ways." The mother said with a laugh and a scolding tone, "In the summer, I was cooking in the kitchen, and the range hood was so ineffective. Guess what this little rascal did?"

"What's wrong?" the father asked curiously.

"She brought the electric fan over and blew it into the kitchen!"

"Hahahaha—" The father burst into laughter, and even Li Wanyan, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but chuckle.

"I almost choked to death! Do you think I'm going to die?"

"Thank goodness you didn't choke to death. Looks like you're still my own flesh and blood." The father couldn't stop smiling. He put the shiny red apple back on the shelf, turned around, and pinched her cheek with one hand. "Haha, this funny face is pretty good."

Mo Xueyao opened her mouth to bite her father's tiger's mouth, but the latter nimbly pulled his hand back and dodged it.

"Oh dear, a customer has arrived. Stop fooling around, stop fooling around." The father sent Mo Xueyao away and greeted the customer who came to buy fruit.

Li Wanyan watched from the side with a faint smile, feeling as if she were enveloped in an invisible happiness.

"Hey, Wanyan, what are you laughing at?" Mo Xueyao took a banana, broke it in half, and handed the other half to Li Wanyan.

"Did you laugh?" Li Wanyan asked in surprise.

"Although it's not obvious, you could tell that he was smiling."

"They probably felt that a family like Yaoyao's was one in a million."

"Huh? We're just an ordinary family, nothing special."

"But it's rare to find a family where the adults get along so well and the children are friends with each other without putting on airs."

“That’s right, Xiaoyao, look how clear-headed Yanyan is. You should cherish her!” The mother turned around and added.

"Hey, when did I stop treasuring it?" Mo Xueyao shook her head. "It's not that rare, is it? My godfather's family has about the same."

"Perhaps, birds of a feather flock together." Li Wanyan finally smiled noticeably.

Dinner was quickly finished, and the tempting aroma made Mo Xueyao's stomach rumble. She had come home late today, so dinner was also quite late.

Hunger always makes people want to eat more. Mo Xueyao ate two bowls of rice in a flash, and soon she was clutching her stomach and complaining, "I'm so full, I'm so full."

"I told you not to eat so much," the mother said irritably. "Come wash the dishes and get some exercise."

"I'm too full, I can't move." Mo Xueyao rubbed Su Tang's tail and muttered weakly, "Su Tang is still the best to eat..."

"It's going to turn into a ball, just like you."

"I'm not that fat!" Mo Xueyao pinched her thigh guiltily, her eyes darting around. "I only weighed 92 pounds at the last physical exam!"

“You’re definitely over a hundred now,” the mother said confidently.

"Absolutely not!" Mo Xueyao protested loudly, "How could I gain weight so quickly!"

Li Wanyan could tell that Mo Xueyao's mother was actually teasing her on purpose.

But Mo Xueyao was still so angry that she stood up and ran to Grandma Jin to measure her height and weight on the coin-operated scale at the entrance of the grocery store.

My height and weight haven't changed.

"See? I told you I hadn't gained weight." Mo Xueyao showed her mother the small piece of paper that had just been printed out after the test.

"Okay, okay, you haven't gained weight."

Mo Xueyao, like a victorious general, triumphantly picked up a carton of milk and started drinking it.

You just said you were full?

Li Wanyan looked at her helplessly and thought to herself.

Seemingly noticing Li Wanyan's gaze, Mo Xueyao quickly explained, "Yes! Main meals and desserts are not put in the same stomach!"

"..."

……

Chapter 120 Musical Instrument Rogue

After spring begins, I take a bath every day.

Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan also just returned from Grandma Jin's house today.

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, reaching her shoulder blades. Although she had dried herself several times with a towel, it wasn't completely dry yet, and her body still emitted a slight warmth from her recent shower.

My mother has finished washing the dishes and is now carefully cleaning the house.

It was getting late, and the fruit shops near the hospital weren't doing as well as they were during the day; sometimes, they wouldn't have any customers for quite a while.

Her father stood at the door, holding a musical instrument that looked like a trumpet, but much smaller. Mo Xueyao felt it looked familiar, but couldn't remember what it was for a moment.

"You're back after washing up?" the father greeted him, his legs slightly apart, as if he were making a breathing exercise.

What are they trying to do? Are they going to perform a few sets of Baguaquan?

Mo Xueyao looked at him strangely and put the candy she had taken to take a bath with her into the cardboard box lined with old clothes.

Then a very powerful and penetrating musical sound rang out.

At first, it sounded awful, like a cat's claws scraping on a blackboard, but it gradually got better.

But it still doesn't sound very good.

"Dad—what are you blowing?! It's so noisy!" Mo Xueyao shouted, covering her ears.

"Ugh, is it really that bad?" The father put down the instrument.

"What is this? It sounds so jarring."

"Suona, your dad learned to play this when he was young. I even played it at a wedding back then! It's just that I've gotten a little rusty over time."

Mo Xueyao shook her head helplessly: "Aren't you afraid of disturbing the neighbors?"

"It's alright, most people are still awake, and besides, this place is quite a distance from the residential area."

"Be careful, you might scare away all your customers."

“I play so well, how could the guests be scared away?” The father said confidently as he played again.

“Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.” Li Wanyan had some knowledge of classical music, so she recognized it immediately.

"Is this Moonlight?" Mo Xueyao looked surprised. She had heard her teacher play this piece in music class when she was in junior high school, but something just didn't feel right to her.

The moonlight played on the suona horn somehow gave off the feeling of a wedding being held in the middle of the night...

Or rather, it has a bit of the illusion of holding a funeral in the middle of the night, bathed in moonlight.

"Can Yaoyao play Moonlight Sonata? I remember it being in that classical music score."

"I think I've seen the sheet music, but I haven't practiced it much."

"How about we try playing an accompaniment?" Li Wanyan suggested.

“Accompaniment? You’re kidding, it’s more like my dad is the one providing accompaniment!” Mo Xueyao said, taking out the electronic keyboard from the small room.

Since I spend most of my time, even on weekends, at the fruit shop, the electronic keyboard was moved here to avoid it gathering dust in the room.

She placed the electronic keyboard on the piano stand, and Li Wanyan took out the sheet music, turning to the "Moonlight" section.

"Huh? How does it go from here to there?" The father stopped, leaned closer to Mo Xueyao, and took a look. "Oh, that's how it goes."

"Dad, let's play a duet! No, I should say you accompany me!"

"Haha? I'll accompany you, are you sure?"

“Of course!” Mo Xueyao proudly tilted her head back. “The piano is the king of instruments, and the electronic keyboard is basically a modern ‘piano,’ not that different. Of course, the other instruments have to accompany me!”

"Hahahaha—" The father couldn't help but burst into laughter, almost laughing himself to death. "Alright, alright, king of instruments, do you even know what a suona is?"

"Isn't it just a traditional musical instrument played at weddings and funerals?" Mo Xueyao looked down on the simple-looking suona.

"Tsk, don't look down on folk music. It's something passed down from our ancestors. Doesn't it have more historical significance than your electronic keyboard or something?"

"I just think the suona is a bit old-fashioned... If it were the guzheng or the flute, I wouldn't say that."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you little girl, you're still too naive. Today I'll show you what a musical instrument hooligan is!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Xueyao gave a rather arrogant snort and began to play.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, a classic piece that has been passed down for hundreds of years, is not difficult for Mo Xueyao, who is already familiar with playing it, to pick up, but to master it is not easy.

However, the father was no better; he was the type who needed to look at the sheet music after playing for a while.

The music started softly and gradually grew louder, but not very loudly. The emotions seemed to be suppressed, gradually leading to depression. After accumulating enough power, the third movement was reached.

Emotions erupted all at once, and the mournful suona that had been playing a funeral tune suddenly drowned out the sound of the electronic keyboard.

That's right, it overshadowed everything. The so-called king of instruments was suddenly relegated to a supporting role and could only be led by the nose.