A Young Woman's Heart

With less than two extra hours compared to usual, students have more places to go. And thinking about the upcoming weekend and the possibility of sleeping in tomorrow, it's hard not to be happy.

Even Mo Xueyao smiled slightly, thinking that she would visit her godfather's house on the weekend. Maybe he had already borrowed the entire Ultraman Gaia series?

The cleaning was completed in the second half of the class meeting. Now all we need to do is flip all the chairs up and close all the windows.

On Friday, the students on duty excitedly chased after the other students as they ran out of the classroom, while Li Wanyan, who didn't waste much time, was the last to leave the classroom and lock the door.

"Let's go~" Mo Xiaoxiao, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, kicked the shoulder strap of her backpack and said with a smile.

"Wait, do you want to ride a bicycle?" Mo Xueyao suddenly asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Hey... neither Wanyan nor I rode our bikes here." Because the fruit shop is so close to the school, they usually don't ride their bikes here except on Mondays when they leave from home.

Walking is enough, and you can leisurely enjoy the scenery along the way, isn't that better?

"Go back and get it?" Mo Zhuyou asked uncertainly.

"That's the only way. Oh, and I'll also tell Mom and Dad that I won't be coming home for dinner." Mo Xueyao stroked her chin.

Mo Xiaoxiao gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack, which was so old that it was a bit frayed and might break if she didn't hold on to it.

No, it seems to have broken before. Mo Xueyao noticed a faint black patch on the shoulder strap.

"Sister, wait for me here. I'm going to get the bike." Mo Zhuyou said, and darted into the underground bicycle garage. A short while later, she came out pushing a pink women's bicycle.

There was no dust on the bicycle, only some grime that was difficult to remove from the rain guard.

It's clear that it's been well-maintained and is wiped down frequently.

Otherwise, even the bicycle you ride every day will have a lot of dust and dirt on it.

Because they had to walk back to the fruit shop, Mo Xiaoxiao didn't ride her bike. Instead, she took the handlebars and pushed it out of the school gate with Mo Xueyao and the others.

The rainy weather has passed, and today there are many more people setting up temporary stalls at the school gate.

An old man had set up a stall just outside the school gate, selling plants that looked like they were dried.

This was the first time Mo Xueyao had ever seen anyone selling this kind of bouquet.

They don't look very clean; they look like they were picked directly after drying. And the way they're arranged doesn't suggest they're meant to be used for making tea.

"What is this?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously.

"Dried flowers, flowers that can survive in the desert." The old man spoke with a strange accent and rather non-standard Mandarin, which Mo Xueyao had to ponder several times before she could barely understand him.

"So, what's the use?" she asked curiously, squatting down and fiddling with the dried flowers on the stall.

"It can live if you put it in water... It's a flower that's very easy to grow."

As the old man spoke, he pointed to a small glass jar next to him, which showed the dried flower in water.

It seems to have no meaning.

Mo Xueyao chose to stand up and leave.

Otherwise, she felt she might not be able to stand the old man's eager gaze, hoping she would buy a flower.

There are also some small stalls around.

They also sell a special kind of ruler.

By simply attaching the pen tip and rotating it, you can easily draw all sorts of patterns with a ruler, mostly flowers or beautiful textures.

However... this is no longer very appealing to high school students.

They should be selling their wares outside elementary schools, right?

Besides these and various snacks, there are also people selling all kinds of cute little animals next to the flower beds.

This is something even high school students can't resist.

This is especially true for girls.

On a small tricycle, rabbits of different colors are placed in simple cages, and there are also some hamsters in acrylic boxes.

"It's so fluffy..." Mo Zhuyou couldn't help but reach out and touch the rabbit's butt next to Longzi. The rabbit turned its head away alertly, but then continued to eat grass as if nothing had happened.

"Youyou wants to raise rabbits?" Mo Xueyao glanced at a large basket on the ground, which was filled with many chirping yellow chicks.

"No... We can barely support ourselves, why would we raise rabbits?" Mo Zhuyou said before her sister could speak.

Mo Xiaoxiao, who was holding the pink bicycle, chuckled softly, "If you want to buy one, you should go to the flower and bird market. It's more reliable to buy from there."

The rabbit seller overheard this and, who was trying to sell to a passing girl, immediately turned around and said, "Hey, that's not right. What I sell at the flower and bird market is actually the same as what I sell. Mine are raised in my own yard, and they're healthier than what they sell, plus they're cheaper. How about buying one? The cage and the rabbit are only five yuan, plus some hay. Pretty cheap, right?"

"No need, thank you," Mo Xiaoxiao said with a smile, declining the offer.

After the four people had walked away, Mo Xueyao whispered, "They only sell for five yuan at the flower and bird market..."

“The owners of these small stalls are the most unscrupulous,” Li Wanyan nodded.

"Hey, sister, then... um..." Mo Zhuyou was thinking about what Mo Xiaoxiao had said earlier, and hesitated for a long time but couldn't say it.

"Let's buy them next time we have a break," Mo Xiaoxiao said with a helpless smile. "We have a yard, so we can let them roam freely."

"That's great!" Mo Zhuyou hugged her sister's arm tightly and rubbed against her. For a moment, Mo Xueyao felt as if she were possessed by Hua Yinyin.

The journey back to the fruit shop from school wasn't far, and the four of them had endless topics to talk about. Mo Xueyao felt like she got back here even faster than usual.

"Dad, where's Mom?" Mo Xueyao shouted.

"Going to buy groceries."

"Oh, then I'm going out to play with my classmates and won't be back for dinner!"

"Going out with classmates?" The father, who had been arranging flowers with his head down, looked up and glanced at the twin sisters standing next to her and Li Wanyan. "Oh, okay, be careful on the way."

"I know, Dad. You say that every time. Don't you get tired of it?"

"That's because I care about you, you're really asking for it. Talking to your old man like that every day, do you believe I'll give you a beating?"

"Come on if you dare!" Mo Xueyao darted into the fruit shop, slapped her father's butt hard, picked up four bananas, and then darted out again.

"Don't run away if you dare!" The father took several steps in one go, caught Mo Xueyao, grabbed her shoulder, and also slapped her bottom hard, laughing triumphantly, "Hahaha, now we're even!"

"Ouch—Dad! Does it hurt that much when I hit you?!" Mo Xueyao handed the banana to Li Wanyan and shouted through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I have."

"You're kidding me!" Mo Xueyao turned around and started wrestling with her father. After a while, she was lying on his back, biting his shoulder hard.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around, business is here." The father's smile faded, and he pulled Mo Xueyao, who was sticking to him like glue, away to greet the customers who walked into the store.

"You and your daughter seem to have a good relationship?" The customer seemed to be a regular, and he said with a relaxed smile.

"Hey, not bad, we've known each other since we were kids."

"Ha ha--"

Amidst the laughter of the guests and her father, Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan mounted their bicycles and followed Mo Xiaoxiao, who was carrying Mo Zhuyou, away from the fruit shop.

"You and your dad have such a good relationship," Mo Xiaoxiao said with envy.

“Yeah! Actually, our relationship with Dad used to be just as good as this.” Mo Zhuyou took a bite of her banana.

Her words caused Mo Xueyao to fall silent for a moment.

But perhaps this is something the two sisters have already gotten used to?

“Yes, Dad often jokes with us.” Mo Xiao smiled, recalling some things from the past, “just like Xiao Yao and her father.”

Li Wanyan silently looked ahead, riding her bicycle as if she were just a passerby traveling with them.

"Back then, Youyou often used her dad as a punching bag."

"It's not a punching bag, it's for practicing fighting skills!" Mo Zhuyou swung her legs and grumbled unhappily, "Dad can't beat me."

Mo Xiaoxiao's lips curved into a wider smile, but she remained silent and didn't say anything.

After about forty minutes, the three bicycles finally came to a slow stop in front of a shop.

The sign prominently displays the words "Silver Girl Burger," while the fried chicken section appears as a smaller subtitle.

The logo is a silver 'H' placed in the center above the store entrance.

There are also colorful lights on the side, which should twinkle with colorful lights at night, right?

"Xiaoxiao and Youyou are here...?" Pushing open the door, I heard a lazy female voice. I didn't see anyone, but I saw a pair of long, fair legs on a desk in the corner, which was different from the dining table.

Then, a woman pulled her legs back and sat up straight.

She possesses a Western classical beauty, making her seem like a woman who stepped out of an oil painting.

"Huh? Is this your classmate?"

"Yes, he's my classmate. He also knows Duanmu Ji. We're all in the same club as him," Mo Xiaoxiao introduced.

"They're all from art clubs~" The woman stood up with a smile. "Hello~ I'm Duanmu Bi, Duanmu Ji's older sister. Are you here for fun or to have a meal?"

"I came to check it out and grab something to eat," Mo Xueyao said, adding, "The kind where you pay."

"Well, well, since it's your first time here, it's my treat."

“That won’t do… There’s hardly any business here, I can’t let you lose money,” Mo Xueyao refused righteously.

"It's alright, business is still pretty good in the evenings, just enough to cover costs. It'll get busier in a while." Duanmu Bi walked behind the cashier. "Okay, come over here and see what you want to eat~ Don't be shy, it's on me!"

"No, no, we have to pay at least the employee rate." Mo Xueyao shook her head vigorously. "Otherwise, I'd feel too embarrassed."

"Hmm—whatever you want~ if you feel more at ease this way."

"What would you like to eat, Xiaoyao?" Li Wanyan asked, before picking up the menu with pictures of the dishes.

……

Chapter 175 Duanmu Ji's Girlish Heart?

Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Zhuyou came to work, so of course they couldn't play with Mo Xueyao and the others. They went to the kitchen to prepare food.

Meanwhile, Duanmu Bi stood in front of the cashier, waiting for potential customers.