A Young Woman's Heart

"That's all for buying a car! Most of the money is still with my wife. I've been scrimping and saving lately. Tsk, I've already driven this car, so I can't put it down."

"Wouldn't it be better to drive a company car? Everything can be reimbursed."

“That’s not good either. Government vehicles have to be inspected, which is troublesome. It’s easier to do things with your own car, and the fuel costs can be reimbursed anyway.” Yu Liang finished his warm tea in one gulp. “Alright, find some time another day, and I’ll take Xiao Yao to the hospital with you. We need to resolve this matter as soon as possible so that everyone can have peace of mind. Otherwise, we’ll be left hanging here and unable to sleep.”

"Are the hospitals in Hangzhou really okay?" Yang Xiaoyu became worried again.

“If that doesn’t work, we can go to a hospital in Shanghai. The medical equipment there is definitely not a problem. We can just contact the doctors then. Maybe those experts were originally coming from Shanghai,” Yu Liang said with a smile. “However, the medical equipment needed for this surgery shouldn’t be too high-end, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

"Hmm..." Yang Xiaoyu left the study with Yu Liang, her heart heavy.

The dining table in the living room is already set with food; it's time to enjoy dinner.

After having dinner with her mother, Mo Xueyao reluctantly said goodbye to her godfather.

"I'll give you a ride; it's easier if you're driving."

"No need, no need, we can still catch the last bus," Mo Xueyao's mother said, shaking her head. "Anyway, the bus terminal is nearby."

"Uh." Yu Liang glanced at his wife and said with a smile, "That's fine then, be careful on the road."

"Goodbye, godfather and godmother! Goodbye, little sister!"

"Goodbye, brother! Come play again next time!" Yu Liang's daughter waved her hand vigorously, her little face beaming with a smile.

So the two left and hurriedly ran into the bus terminal.

There were hardly any people on this last bus; including the driver and the two of them, there were only five people.

Moreover, the car was dark inside, with no lights on, which was very different from usual.

Mo Xueyao felt a little excited as he swung his legs and looked out the window. He really liked this feeling, which was different from usual.

"Xiao Yao".

"Ok?"

"Do you... want to be a girl?"

"Pfft! Mom, what are you saying?!"

……

Chapter Five Sorrow

"Mom... what are you suddenly joking about...?"

"Hmm, it's nothing." Yang Xiaoyu shook her head. "It's just that you have such fair and delicate skin, and you're so petite. I wonder if I made a mistake in giving birth to you; I should have made you a girl."

"Is it my fault I'm short? It's because of poor nutrition at home, and besides, Mom, you're short too!" Mo Xueyao complained. "Your skin is so fair, no problem. After the first year of high school military training, you'll have a really manly tan, hahaha~"

Maybe they'll grow even taller by then!

Mo Xueyao thought to herself with delight, and the image of a sunny young man with a wheat-colored complexion had already appeared in her mind. He didn't need to be too tall, 1.72 meters would be fine—she was never a greedy person.

The mother smiled but didn't say anything.

The bus, which didn't even have air conditioning, swayed along. Fortunately, the windows were open at night, and the breeze was quite cool, which Mo Xueyao liked.

He was looking forward to getting a job so he could buy a motorcycle and go for a spin.

Ideally, a pretty girl would sit behind me and hug me, so I could rub my back against two soft mounds...

Ah, just thinking about it is wonderful!

Unaware of what had happened, Mo Xueyao returned home with her mother, Yang Xiaoyu.

My father came home early and was sitting there with the air conditioner fan on, watching the evening news.

It was the kind of news reported in a dialect, and compared to regular news, it was full of complaints—to use a popular term from many years later.

"Are you sleeping in the living room tonight?" her father asked Mo Xueyao.

"No way, I'd rather sleep in my own room and have my own fan. At least it'll be cooler by the window..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes, took a shower, and then went back to her own room.

The day was so fulfilling that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed. In his hazy state, he heard his father and mother talking about something. Their voices grew louder and louder, eventually turning into an argument, before gradually fading away until they disappeared completely.

"Phew!" Mo Xueyao slept quite well that night, waking up naturally at five o'clock.

At five o'clock in the summer, it's neither cold nor hot, and a refreshing morning breeze is blowing on my face. I feel that this is what is called 'happiness' in life.

"It's so early, Mom probably hasn't woken up yet, right?" Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, pushed open the door and went out, only to hear a 'swish swish' sound of a scrubbing brush.

Early in the morning, my mother was already washing clothes. Hot water was boiling on the stove in the kitchen, and the boiling water was lifting the kettle lid.

Hearing the kettle's sharp cry, the mother quickly put down her clothes, turned off the gas stove, washed the soap off her hands, and poured the water into the thermos.

She opened the pot and saw that the vegetable porridge inside was cooked, but it still needed to simmer for a while longer, so she turned the heat down to low.

Immediately afterwards, she went into the bathroom again.

"Swish, swish." That sound came again.

"So busy..." Mo Xueyao muttered softly. Although she felt she should help out, she instinctively didn't want to move around much.

He pushed open the door, slipped on his sandals, and went outside. He stood by the window in the corridor and took a deep breath.

"Ah—what a refreshing morning, um...so leisurely...hmm...it seems like I'm the only one who's leisurely..." Mo Xueyao muttered to herself, then saw a bicycle parked at the gate downstairs. She then took out several glass-bottled milk cans from the wooden box on the back of the bicycle and put them into the milk box downstairs.

This task was completed in just half a minute, and more than ten seconds of that time were spent confirming that there were no errors in the delivery.

Then he jumped on his bicycle, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and rode with all his might toward the next building.

"You're up so early today." Mo Xueyao heard his father's voice behind him. He turned around and saw his father, with dark circles under his eyes, walk up to him and gently pat his shoulder. "What's wrong? Did you wake up because it was hot?"

"No, I slept quite well last night." Mo Xueyao stretched lazily and pointed downstairs, saying, "Dad, when can we order milk for ourselves?"

"Well, there will be," Mo Xueyao's father replied ambiguously, though he was smiling, he looked very tired.

"What's wrong with Dad? He looks very tired."

"Yes, it's nothing, it's nothing."

"Anyway, today should be a day off, right?"

"Hmm...it's definitely a rest."

"Then go back to sleep. Why not sleep in when you have the chance?"

"And you, aren't you the same?" Her father smiled and patted Mo Xueyao's head. "Xiaoyao, what are your dreams?"

"A dream..." Mo Xueyao stroked her chin, hesitated for a long time, and then answered, "To become... a scientist?"

"You brat, I'm not asking you to lie to me." Dad flicked Mo Xueyao's forehead and said irritably, "Just tell the truth, and I might even be able to give you some advice."

"Oh... there are too many kinds of dreams. Do you mean the profession you want to have, the things you want to obtain, or the things you want to accomplish?"

"It will be all right."

"Hmm... I think when I grow up and have money, I'll travel around the world!"

"Oh, not a bad dream. Anything else?"

"Um... if it's something I want recently... cough um." Mo Xueyao looked at her father somewhat embarrassedly, "I want... a cell phone?"

"Dream on, it's that expensive."

"Cough, I knew it..." Mo Xueyao shrugged. "Well, I'll definitely be able to afford it in the future."

"Let's talk about it later."

"If I had to choose a profession... I... I want to be a professional basketball player!"

"cough……"

“I know I probably can’t do it!” Mo Xueyao pouted and answered before her father could speak, “But, it’s a dream anyway, what’s wrong with thinking about it?”

"Can you play basketball?" The father looked Mo Xueyao up and down.

"I've never mentioned this at home, have I? Well, I also play basketball at school! I'm really good at three-pointers!"

"Oh, three-pointers take a lot of strength."

"So I'm only accurate in the first few shots; I can't make them after that because I'm tired." Mo Xueyao compared her height to her father's. "Dad, how tall are you again?"

"1.7 meters tall."

"Hmm... I might grow that tall too." Mo Xueyao's tone wasn't entirely certain.

"Haha...maybe, um, speaking of which, if you really can't become a basketball player, what would you like to be? Any other profession you're capable of?"

"As for other options... how about novelists?"

"No way, no way. Writing novels will bankrupt three generations. You can do anything else, but never be a writer."

Mo Xueyao looked at her father with droopy eyelids: "Who said that? Maybe writing novels will make a lot of money in the future."

"There are people who make money in every industry, but they are only a small percentage of people. Are you sure you can be one of those people?"

"Okay... how about drawing? I quite like that too."

"Oh... drawing is good. A painting, unless it's a huge masterpiece, should be completed quickly, and it's definitely faster than writing a novel." The father nodded, seemingly satisfied with the choice. "If you're really interested, then strive to become a painter!"

"Hmm... but being a painter is too much trouble, how about I become a photographer instead!"

"You're always trying to slack off." The father gave Mo Xueyao a look that said, "I knew it."

"Who says being a photographer is lazy? It's actually quite tiring!"

"Alright, alright, you're so bored out here, why don't you go home and do some housework? It'll help your mom out a bit."

Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek: "Oh, speaking of which, it seems she was going to work at someone else's house today too."

"Yes, nannies don't really get any rest."

The father's tone fell again, seemingly filled with an overwhelming sorrow: "Alas... life is hard."

"Dad, you're being sentimental again. Is this a lingering effect of your unsuccessful attempt to become a novelist when you were young?"

"You little brat."

"Hehehe~" Mo Xueyao made a big face and ran back home in a flash.