A Young Woman's Heart

It was as if we had just been acting out a play.

But in reality, it's because the emotions inside are too complex. When you relax and try to explore your inner self, you instinctively use a blank face as a disguise to protect yourself.

"Sister... no, what am I thinking..." Tian Tingchan bit her lip tightly and pulled out a few strands of her hair.

Sitting in the elevator, Zhou Yong stared blankly at the numbers dropping downwards, thinking to himself, "Chan-ge... she wouldn't like me, would she? How could that be... she probably just sees me as a brother, or a very good friend. Don't overthink it, don't mistake someone's kindness for affection..."

"But... well, no buts, it's just impossible."

Zhou Yong smiled at his reflection in the elevator mirror and gently tapped his head: "Zhou Yong, you need to know your place."

……

Chapter 335 Yu Shu

Desheng East Village, Hangzhou.

The thunderstorm outside had just stopped when a small truck drove into the residential area and parked downstairs.

Three men in short-sleeved shirts jumped out of the truck, lifted the tarpaulin on the truck bed, and carried the well-packed furniture and cardboard boxes upstairs.

Then another taxi stopped here, and a middle-aged couple and a young girl with her hair in a bun got out.

"Ah—the world changes, and human nature is fickle." The middle-aged man with a mustache stroked his beard, looked up at the building, and sighed softly. "I never thought that after so many years, I would be back here again... We were the ones who sold that house back then, but now we're renting it ourselves... Ha..."

"Stop lamenting here. If you work hard, you'll still have a chance to buy another house," the middle-aged woman behind him said with a smile.

"Hey, housing prices back then are nothing compared to housing prices now."

"Then you need to work even harder, because it might get even more expensive in the future."

"It costs more than 200,000 yuan a set now, and it might cost more than 600,000 yuan a set in the future."

"It might cost six million."

"Hahaha—that's impossible. How could a small apartment of about 50 square meters cost six million? By then, salaries would be dozens of times higher than they are now."

"Dad..." The girl with her hair in a bun looked up at the sixth floor of the building with some trepidation. "Is this where we used to live?"

"Yes, Shu'er, do you still remember?"

“There are some, I remember, that, the one who lives across the hall from us, um... a boy.” The girl’s face flushed slightly as she spoke of him.

"Haha, you even told me back then that you wanted to be Xiaoyao's bride next door!"

"Dad—!" The girl blushed and twisted her body as if she were being coquettish.

"Your daughter is so cute!" a worker who was busy moving furniture said with a smile. "What's her name?"

"What? You still want to woo my daughter? You're too old, you're already thirty, you've missed your chance," the girl's father joked. "Her name is Yu Shu."

"Yu Shu? Oh, she doesn't have your surname?"

"Yes, she took her mother's surname."

"Are you a son-in-law who married into the family?"

"Yes, he married into the family."

"That's terrible."

"What? It's just a surname. She's still my daughter." The man shook his head with a smile. "So, how about the three of you? Need any help?"

"No need, no need. You've already paid, so we'll definitely get it done for you. Don't rush, we're taking our time so we don't damage the furniture."

"Okay, thank you all for your hard work."

Although her childhood memories were somewhat hazy, those faded memories still flooded back to Yu Shu's mind when she returned here.

Each floor has only two households facing each other. Across from her house is a boy her age. They've known each other since they were little, and their relationship goes beyond just going out to play often; they're practically inseparable, always together.

We always eat together, and even when we're not going out, we still get together to play...

They even slept together quite often.

But those were all things from when we were kids. For adults, memories from ten years ago might still be clear, but for children, ten years feels like a whole cycle.

It was as if that was something from a past life.

Under Yu Shu's father's direction, all the furniture was arranged in the designated places, and the cardboard boxes were piled up at the door, waiting for them to take out their contents and put them away themselves.

The house had been completely emptied out; apart from items that couldn't be dismantled, there was nothing else. It was truly deserted.

However, this also means the rent is slightly cheaper.

This is the house that Yu Shu's father found by chance through an intermediary.

In fact, before actually viewing the house in person, he never imagined that he would end up renting the house he had previously sold...

The current homeowner is facing some difficulties in life and has moved the whole family to the countryside. They don't want to sell the house because they still want to use it in the future, so after moving their own furniture, they put it up for rent.

This coincidence is truly quite subtle.

So even though the rent wasn't cheaper than other houses, and there wasn't even any furniture, Yu Shu's father still decided to rent it.

Then I went to the flea market and bought some furniture. As for the furniture I had in another city before, I sold it all except for a few expensive ones, since the shipping costs for those large old items exceeded their original value.

The subsequent owners clearly did not renovate the place; the walls were already yellowed and the ceiling had some cracks.

Traces of Yu Shu and Mo Xueyao's scribbling remain on the walls, along with some new graffiti—those were probably drawn by the homeowner's children later.

Standing here, those memories come flooding back like a tide. Yu Shu once thought she had forgotten them, but she never expected that when she thought of them again, she would still remember so many details.

I think I was in kindergarten at that time. I remember that Mo Xueyao from next door was always playing house with me. We got so engrossed in the game that we forgot to go to the toilet and ended up wetting our pants. For a long time, the adults would make fun of us about it.

The inside wasn't ready yet, so Yu Shu just took a quick look around before coming out again.

My father is chatting with the moving company people, confirming the exact placement of each piece of furniture. After all, there are still people who can help now. Once they leave after we pay, he will have to do the work himself if there are any changes he wants to make.

"Oh, what?!" The uncle from the fifth floor was carrying a bowl of stinky tofu as he walked out of his room. He looked down and saw Yu Shu's mother coming up from downstairs. "Oh, aren't you that 'Yu Meiren'?"

"Hey? Oh my, uncle, after all these years, you still remember me?"

"Yes, you haven't changed at all."

"No, no, I'm old."

"I'm not old at all, I still look like I'm thirty."

"Are you still selling fried skewers at your stall?"

"Yes, we've always sold this. What's going on? Did you move it back?"

"Yes, I guess it's fate."

The uncle selling fried skewers on the fifth floor looked up and laughed loudly, "You guys didn't buy the house back, did you?"

"No, this time it was rented."

"Oh—um…that’s…that, your daughter?"

"Correct."

"It's healed."

"They almost died." Yu Shu's mother sighed, her eyes slightly glazed over, as if she were thinking of the most difficult period of those years.

"congratulations."

"It's been many years."

"Believings belatedly! Oh well, I have to get back to the chat, I need to hurry and get the stinky tofu over there, they're all sold out!"

"Okay, take care." Yu Shu's mother nodded with a smile, then looked up at her, "Shu'er, do you remember the uncle who used to treat you and Xiao Yao to fried skewers?"

“…Hmm.” Yu Shu touched the 'bun' on the right side of her head and nodded gently. “I remember a little bit.”

"I didn't ask just now, so I don't know if the neighbors next door are still them."

"Did they move away?"

"Probably not. They bought the house, they didn't rent it. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll probably stay here," the mother joked. "Shu'er, why don't you try knocking on the door? Maybe someone's inside!"

"Huh?!"

"That little boy from back then is about your age now. I wonder if he's grown into a handsome young man? I also wonder how tall he is now, maybe around 1.7 meters tall."

"Too, too tall..." Yu Shu, who was less than 1.5 meters tall, muttered softly, biting her lip.

She suffered from a serious illness when she was very young, which caused her to have poor development. To this day, her height has only reached 1.48 meters and has not increased by an inch.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Xiaoyao is a... Sino-Russian mixed-race person. Maybe she'll grow up to be a handsome mixed-race guy by now?"

"Ugh!" Yu Shu's ears turned red. "I... I can't quite remember what he looked like..."

"So why not give it a try? We'll be neighbors eventually anyway."

"No, no..."

But Yu Shu's mother came over and knocked on the door for her.

This made Yu Shu's heart beat faster, but to her relief and slight disappointment, the door did not open.

"Isn't she home even on weekends?" Yu Shu's mother muttered to herself. "Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet her later."

"Let's talk about it later..." Yu Shu shrank her neck.

By this time, the father had already paid the money, and the furniture had been placed in satisfactory locations. Once they got home, they would take their things out, clean the house, and then they could officially move in.

"Shu'er, there's no bed in your room. How about you make do for now this month? We'll buy you a cot next month when your parents find new jobs, okay?" Yu Shu's father asked from the doorway.

"Um... no, no need," Yu Shu said cautiously with a smile. "I think sleeping on the floor is fine."

"Then you'll have to make the bedding every day."

"Yes, I'll take care of it myself."

In Yu Shu's room, there was only an old desk and chair, the legs of which were uneven and wobbly when you sat on them.

In addition, there is a folding fabric wardrobe.

It's lying on the ground right now, not opened yet.