A Young Woman's Heart

"Okay." Mo Xueyao licked her lips, and the aroma of fried noodles seemed to fill her mouth.

The streets were deserted, with hardly any pedestrians, even though it was not yet 4:30 a.m.

Occasionally, a few passersby would yawn and leisurely ride by on their bicycles.

The sanitation workers had already arrived at their posts, but it was still early, so they didn't seem to be in a hurry. They slowly put on their sanitation worker uniforms by the roadside and then sat down to eat breakfast.

An elderly man, bare-chested and lean, with white hair but still looking very strong, rode past Mo Xueyao on a tricycle loaded with goods.

"Hey—!" His father seemed to recognize him and greeted him loudly, "Why are you up so early today?"

"Give me five more dollars!" the old man shouted back, letting sweat pour down his body. The towel hanging around his neck seemed to be just for show, because he didn't have time to use it at all.

"It must be tough," the father sighed, watching the old man speed away on his tricycle before stopping in front of a roadside snack shop.

There aren't many snack shops that open this early, but this is one of them.

Around 4:30 a.m., a few people were already sitting scattered in front of the shop, eating breakfast heartily.

Some of them had dirty clothes covered in paint and mud, and looked like workers going to work on a construction site.

Some are dressed in suits and ties, looking very respectable, but their overly greasy hair and unkempt stubble give them away.

There are all sorts of people, but without exception, they are all workers at the lower end of society.

They all do repetitive and arduous work.

"Boss—" The father pulled the handbrake of the tricycle, jumped off, and had only shouted two words when he heard the boss's reply.

"Fried noodles for 1.5 yuan, right?"

"No, no." The father shook his head. "Let's have some fried noodles today, um... just one yuan's worth."

Is there enough to eat?

"Haha, that's enough, give it to my daughter."

"Oh ho, you brought your daughter today?" The boss raised his eyelids and glanced at Mo Xueyao. "She's quite pretty."

"Right, haha." The father laughed happily, then called out to Mo Xueyao, "Xiaoyao, what do you want to add? Come and see for yourself!"

"Add toppings?" Mo Xueyao had never known before that fried noodles could have toppings added.

She always thought that fried noodles were made with fixed ingredients, and that you could just choose the amount.

In 1999, a serving of fried noodles costing one yuan was quite a lot, enough for people with small appetites.

Actually, smelling the aroma of the fried noodles, she felt she could easily eat a portion that cost 1.5 yuan.

But I was worried that it would be wasted if we ate it later, so I didn't say anything.

The fried noodles for breakfast weren't freshly fried; they were already cooked.

In front of the owner were three large frying pans, one for fried noodles, one for fried rice noodles, and one for fried rice.

After the noodles, rice noodles, and fried rice are cooked, they are kept being stir-fried over low heat. If a lot of them have been sold, the owner will add more ingredients and continue to stir-fry.

For a normal appetite, a serving costs one dollar; for a good appetite, it costs one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars. For elementary school children, fifty cents is usually enough.

Mo Xueyao, who rarely goes out for breakfast, noticed the seven or eight small dishes placed next to the frying pan.

The ingredients inside look like they can be added.

It contains pork tenderloin, ham sausage, cured sausage, pork floss, shredded potatoes...

Mo Xueyao felt a lot of saliva being secreted in her mouth.

She wanted to try adding a little of everything here.

But that would definitely make the price much more expensive than one dollar.

In the end, she simply swallowed her saliva and said softly, "Then... tenderloin and... sausage, please."

"Okay." The owner replied, set aside a portion of fried noodles worth one yuan, then moved the rest of the fried noodles aside, leaving half a frying pan empty. He put the already cooked pork tenderloin in the pan to fry and heat it up, then used a small spatula similar to a shovel to cut the ham into slices and mixed them into the fried noodles.

After a few stirs, it's done.

Then the boss skillfully poured Mo Xueyao's portion of fried noodles into a styrofoam box, put it in a plastic bag, tied the bag shut, and that was it.

"How much?" the father asked.

"I added pork tenderloin and ham sausage, and it cost two yuan in total."

"Here you go." The father placed two round coins on the small table beside him, then helped Mo Xueyao take the bag containing the fried noodles. After thinking for a moment, he said to the shopkeeper, "Boss, could you also give me a plastic bag?"

"Row."

After her father put the fried noodles in another plastic bag, there was no oil left. Then he unzipped Mo Xueyao's schoolbag and put the fried noodles in.

"This way it shouldn't be cold when I get to school."

"Mmm!" Mo Xueyao nodded vigorously, already eager to go to school and enjoy her delicious meal.

"Shall we buy a cup of tofu pudding later?"

"Okay."

"That shop up ahead specializes in tofu pudding; their tofu pudding is delicious."

"Okay!" Mo Xueyao's little face was filled with happiness.

For her, happiness is actually very simple.

On the way, my father also bought a glutinous rice ball from a roadside snack stall.

He didn't ask for anything, just asked the shopkeeper to add more sugar.

This caused Mo Xueyao's heart to tremble slightly.

It seems that something has touched them.

"Xiaoyao, do you want savory tofu pudding or sweet tofu pudding?"

“Of course it’s salty,” Mo Xueyao replied matter-of-factly as she stopped the car.

The price of savory and sweet tofu pudding is the same.

They're all 50 cents each.

However, savory tofu pudding contains half a fried dough stick, some pickled vegetables, and chopped green onions. From an economic point of view, it is definitely a better choice than sweet tofu pudding that only contains sugar.

"Okay, boss—" the father shouted, "Two cups of savory tofu pudding, separately! And don't forget the straws!"

"understood!"

The owner agreed and, with his years of experience making tofu pudding, quickly filled two cups with savory tofu pudding and handed them to my father.

The father's one yuan also bounced and fell into the money box next to him.

It's called a money box, but it's really just a metal biscuit tin that I just grabbed to put money in.

"Dad, what time is it?"

"4:40," the father replied after glancing at his phone.

"Oh...it's still early."

"Yes, but the sun is about to rise," the father replied, squinting. "Alright, I'll have to take the other way at the next intersection. Be careful riding your bike so early by yourself."

"Don't worry." Mo Xueyao waved goodbye to her father, then hesitated for a moment before saying shyly, "...You should be careful too."

"Haha, don't worry!" This was the same answer as Mo Xueyao's.

In fact, as a child, Mo Xueyao rarely cared about her parents.

It's not that I don't care, it's just that I feel it would seem pretentious to say such things.

But after actually saying it out loud, I realized it wasn't so difficult after all.

It feels great to look after each other with my father; it's like two good buddies patting each other on the shoulder and saying goodbye before parting ways.

—Even though it was just a morning farewell, Mo Xueyao's mind was already playing out a grand drama of 'a separation that will last for many years'.

As Mo Xueyao watched her father ride away on his tricycle, eating breakfast, she suddenly wanted to etch his image into her heart forever.

His back wasn't particularly tall, but it was steady and solid, like a giant rock that sheltered her from the wind and rain...

For a moment, Mo Xueyao's vision became inexplicably blurry.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, shook her head, and came to her senses.

I started riding my bike towards Yukong High School.

The street in the early morning was the same one as it was during the day, but it felt very different.

Mo Xueyao, riding her bicycle, had a different feeling than usual.

It seemed like I was more relaxed and leisurely than usual.

Some dark cities seem to be shrouded in a veil of mystery that has not yet been lifted.

A glimmer of light appeared in the distance, followed by more light shining in from the horizon.

Mo Xueyao saw the light slowly rise and then spread across the entire earth.

When she came to her senses, she had already ridden to the gate of Yukong High School.

The school security guard may have gone to buy breakfast, or he may have fallen asleep in the small room behind the guard booth and was not sitting in the guard booth.

Mo Xueyao tried to push the small door, but found that it couldn't be opened; it seemed to be locked.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that only a latch is in place; the device is not actually locked.

Taking advantage of her slender arms, she reached her hand into the gap of the small iron gate and then hooked it open.

She pushed the cart inside, closed the small door again, and her spirits soared once more.

However, after she parked her car, another serious question came to mind.

That is……

It's so early, who would open the door for her?

Although the exact time is unknown, it's probably around 5:30 at most, and more likely it's only around 5:10.

It's impossible for Li Wanyan to open the door so early.

This also means that she has to wait at the door for at least an hour.