A Young Woman's Heart

"Just squeeze in, I'll hold Xiaoxi."

"Alas……"

No matter what, Hua Yinyin insisted on going together, and if Mo Xueyao didn't go, she would probably give up again.

This guy is really pushing his luck lately...

"One more? It's okay... We can squeeze in, since they're all girls and quite petite." Qiu Yi chuckled, touching his nose.

So, after waiting for the people who were going out together to finish breakfast, Mo Xueyao finally followed Qiu Yi to the spare garage and saw the car that he had mentioned with some embarrassment.

To be honest, for an ordinary person like Mo Xueyao, owning a car is already a remarkable achievement. As for the price of the car...

Anyway, I can't afford it...

The car is painted red, but unlike Wang Qianyu's sports car, although both are red, this one is clearly of much lower quality.

If I had to describe it, the former is like the red paint used to paint letters on the walls of a factory, while the latter's red is like a gemstone.

The front of the car is a long trapezoid, and the body looks somewhat narrow and cramped. It does not have a separate trunk like the Santana; it only leaves a small space behind the two rows of seats for storing things.

The space isn't very large, but if the rear seats can be folded down, then it's not small at all.

Although this car is not big, it makes excellent use of space.

"Where do we go in?" Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek in confusion. "Four seats, why are there only two doors...?"

"Haha, just go in from the passenger side." Qiu Yi turned the car key in the latch, opened the car door, and pushed the passenger seat forward to make a passage for people to enter and exit.

However, it was still very narrow and crowded, barely enough to get in and out.

"Why design it to be so extreme..." Mo Xueyao was speechless.

"This is to save costs. This is one of the cheapest family cars available." Qiu Yi touched his nose, still a little proud as he said this. "I bought it with my own money. I didn't spend a penny of anyone else's money."

"Great!"

"Where should I sit?" Hua Yinyin peeked inside.

"Go to the back seat and carry Xiaoxi..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, no problem. The three of you can sit side by side in the back, it's just a bit cramped." Qiu Yi estimated the size of the four people and made a positive judgment.

"I'll sit in the passenger seat!" Mo Xueyao reserved the seat she wanted directly.

"Mm." Li Wanyan nodded in understanding.

So, amidst Hua Yinyin's complaints, the four of them got into the car.

Qiu Yi took out the key and turned it. A slight engine roar sounded, and then it fell silent. It wasn't as noisy as he had imagined.

"Although it's a cheap car, I saved up for a long time to buy it... It's quite quiet to sit in."

"Hmm, not bad." Mo Xueyao leaned back comfortably in her seat. "Teacher Qiu, remember to fasten your seatbelt."

"of course."

“You’re much better than my godfather. I told him to tie it, but he wouldn’t even bother.”

"Haha—it won't deduct points anyway, so why bother? Actually, according to traffic regulations, you should be wearing a seatbelt."

"Of course!" Mo Xueyao patted her fastened seatbelt. "Let's go, Teacher Qiu!"

"Okay, let's go!"

……

Chapter Thirty-Four: Ear Piercing

The car drove out of the villa and onto the asphalt road that spanned the entire forest.

Sitting in such a small car, you suddenly realize that the road isn't so narrow after all.

When I arrived, it felt cramped, probably because the RV was too big.

“This car, tsk, it’s a used car.” Qiu Yi held the steering wheel with one hand and casually patted the window sill with the other. “I couldn’t afford a brand new one either. It’s been thirteen years since the first owner bought it.”

Mo Xueyao slowly rolled down the manual car window and listened attentively as Qiu Yi talked about the past.

The stories written in history books feel too distant, but these things that happened a few years or even a decade ago are truly happening around us.

However, she was just a child at that time and didn't know much about the world.

But that's precisely why I'm curious.

"This is an Alto CA71, which is a right-hand drive vehicle in Japan. However, it must be converted to left-hand drive to be driven in mainland China. This car belongs to the owner who drives it in Japan and wanted to bring it back to continue driving it, so it was converted to left-hand drive. It can only be driven on the road after passing the approval process."

"It does look very old." Mo Xueyao touched the car body. Although it was well maintained, there were still obvious signs of use, and some parts were even damaged.

Huang Yuxi sat in the middle of what could barely be called the back seat, looking around with great curiosity.

Hua Yinyin lazily turned the hand crank of the car window, lowering it completely to let the forest breeze outside blow into the car.

"How much would a brand new one cost back then?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously.

"If it were RMB, it would probably cost over ten thousand, right? Back in 1984," Qiu Yi said uncertainly, his memory clearly a bit hazy. "It was newly released in 1992..."

"Is 1992 considered new?" Mo Xueyao subconsciously interrupted him.

"Haha, right, it's already 2000, eight years have passed, but I still feel like it's a new product." Qiu Yi scratched his head and laughed. "It's the Alto CA72 that our country released in 1992, which cost 80,000 yuan. That price was already considered very cheap, but I still couldn't afford it."

"So you bought this used one?"

"Well, the agreed price for this car was over 20,000, but after all the paperwork, it came to around 30,000." Qiu Yi patted the steering wheel with satisfaction. "No matter what, it's my first car. Even though it's secondhand, I still really like it."

“Mmm!” Mo Xueyao understood this feeling perfectly. “After all, the car belongs to a man…”

"A lover, of course!" Qiu Yi replied.

Actually, what Mo Xueyao wanted to say was 'romantic'.

But saying it this way doesn't seem to be a problem.

This small and 'cheap' Alto slowly made its way through the forest.

When she arrived, she was so focused on getting there that she didn't pay much attention to the scenery along the last stretch of the road. Now, however, it was indeed quite picturesque.

It felt somewhat like entering a paradise.

As we drove out, we saw several men carrying longbows on their backs leading several large yellow dogs into the forest.

"What are they going to do?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"Them?" Qiu Yi eased off the accelerator slightly and glanced to the side. "Ha, those are hunters from the nearby villages."

"Go hunting?"

"Correct."

Is hunting permitted now?

"It depends on the time; the regulations vary from place to place." Qiu Yi paused for a moment, and the car seemed to slow down a bit as well. "Here, every hunter family has to report what they catch when they go into the forest to hunt. They can only hunt a certain amount of weight per year, and each type of animal is counted separately. For example, you can catch more rabbits, which reproduce quickly. If there are wild deer, you can't hunt more than one per year. Animals like bears are even more restricted from being harmed."

"This is so wonderful..." Mo Xueyao cupped her cheeks, looking on with envy, feeling that this was the life she longed for.

"Haha—! You won't like it." Qiu Yi laughed loudly. "Hunting is tiring and dangerous. It would be terrible if you encountered a pack of wolves, so hunters usually go out in groups of five or more."

The car drove along a country lane, bumping a little, before turning onto a long highway.

This is still the suburbs, but you can drive much faster here.

Hua Yinyin, who isn't very good at riding in cars, is feeling carsick again. She's leaning against the window, enjoying the breeze, and has drifted into a half-asleep state.

We soon entered the city. Although the small town was not bustling, the roads were narrow, and people obviously did not have the habit of using sidewalks, or rather, there were no sidewalks in many places.

Pedestrians, bicycles, and cars all travel on the same road.

Cars are often blocked by pedestrians who do not follow traffic rules, and in such cases, you can only slow down to pass.

"What brings Teacher Qiu to the city?"

"Buying some groceries." Qiu Yi honked the horn. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't walk right into the middle, the car can't pass."

"The traffic here is so chaotic..."

"Yes, when I was in Hangzhou, I always complained that there were too many traffic lights. But when I returned to my small city, I felt that there were too few traffic lights—and there weren't even pedestrian crossings or zebra crossings. Even if pedestrians wanted to follow the traffic rules, they couldn't."

"How much longer until we arrive?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"Almost there. I'll park the car next to the pedestrian street in a bit. You guys go and stroll around the pedestrian street while I go buy groceries."

"Don't you need any help?"

"No need, no need, I'll take care of it quickly."

The car finally passed the section with more pedestrians. There were significantly more traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, and zebra crossings here.

Unlike big cities, driving in the city center is actually more comfortable in smaller cities.

“Pedestrian street.” Li Wanyan rested her chin on her hand, looking at the rather lively street not far away.

"Yes, this is the place."

"Get out of the car!" As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Mo Xueyao jumped out and took the opportunity to pinch Hua Yinyin's cheek. "Yinyin, get out of the car!"

"Mmm mmm..." Hua Yinyin smacked her lips, opened her eyes groggily, and subconsciously tried to push open the car door, but couldn't find the handle.

"Pfft, you idiot, Yin Yin, get out from the passenger seat!" Mo Xueyao laughed, unaware that Li Wanyan, who was sitting on the other side and about to open the door, blushed slightly.

"If you get tired, just wait for me by the car. See you in an hour!" Qiu Yi swung the keys and walked towards the market in the opposite direction.

"Isn't Teacher Qiu coming?" Hua Yinyin asked, leaning on Mo Xueyao's shoulder.

“He’s going to buy groceries, let’s shop by ourselves.” Mo Xueyao touched her pocket, where her wallet was tucked inside.

The pedestrian street is as bustling as big cities, and it doesn't look dilapidated at all. The shops here are also very diverse, including both traditional and modern ones. Mo Xueyao even saw a specialty store selling all kinds of anime models.

She couldn't resist going inside, but before anyone else could follow, she went out again.

The exorbitant price made her too embarrassed to continue browsing—because she simply couldn't afford it anyway…

"What are you doing, Yaoyao? You went in and came out again," Hua Yinyin complained.