A Young Woman's Heart

"Ah...it's okay, I won't go in if it's inconvenient." Zhou Yong smiled understandingly, "Everyone has inconvenient times."

"Come in." Tian Tingchan left the door open and walked back inside on her own.

Zhou Yong hesitated for a moment, then took off his shoes and went into the room, closing the door behind him.

"I was just about to make dinner," Tian Tingchan said to Zhou Yong, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile.

"Oh, do you need any help?"

"it is good."

"I don't know how to do much. By the way, your hand is injured, so why don't I cook? Do you have any leftover rice? How about fried rice with egg?"

"Have."

“Then leave it to me!” Zhou Yong volunteered and went into the kitchen. Tian Tingchan picked up a pineapple that had already been skewered and stood at the door watching him cook quietly.

The air seemed to freeze, and the two remained silent for a long time.

Zhou Yong focused on making dinner, while Tian Tingchan ate small bites of pineapple while watching from the doorway.

Watching him carefully chop the scallions into scallion flowers, but because his technique was not good, the chop was not very even.

I watched as he turned on the range hood, hesitated for a moment, and then put down the rice instead of pouring in the oil.

Then I watched him clumsily pour the salad oil into the rice, then move the rice aside to make room for the beaten eggs.

I even saw him so terrified by the splattered hot oil that he seemed to be dancing around in the kitchen...

Finally, the fried rice was done.

This is probably a dish that every family's children know how to make.

Because it is the simplest and most filling food.

The eggs were a little burnt, which made Tian Tingchan want to laugh. She was biting into a bamboo skewer of pineapple but didn't say much, as if watching him make a fool of himself was a very interesting thing.

"Cough, it's been a while since I've fried rice myself, I'm a bit rusty... haha..." Zhou Yong saw the seaweed on the counter, "How about we make some seaweed soup?"

"Either is fine." Tian Tingchan nodded and left the kitchen doorway. "Let's eat upstairs and watch TV while we eat."

"Won't it get dirty?"

"Just be careful."

So Zhou Yong carried the two bowls of fried rice up to the third floor with some effort, and handed her one of the bowls and two chopsticks of slightly different lengths.

"How about we make do? Or we can eat it with pineapple, like pineapple fried rice," Zhou Yong said with a dry laugh.

"it is good."

As he spoke, the television was turned on with the remote control.

Right now, a local sitcom is playing. Tian Tingchan switched to a different channel, which was a Hangzhou channel, and they were showing news spoken in the local dialect.

"What, kick..."

Tian Tingchan ignored the news and switched channels again.

This is CCTV, and it's currently showing a documentary.

It tells the story of the lives of animals on the grasslands.

Tian Tingchan hesitated for a moment before putting down the remote control.

The two ate their dinner in silence, watching the television in silence.

"Spring has arrived, and it's mating season for animals again." When such a voice came out, Tian Tingchan's pretty face turned slightly red, while Zhou Yong next to her was comfortably rubbing his belly.

"Ha... I'm full. Although it was a bit burnt, the taste was still pretty good. The rice was a bit like crispy rice crust, quite crunchy."

"Ah."

Tian Tingchan quietly put her rice bowl aside and leaned back on the soft sofa.

Zhou Yong sat to one side, glancing at the sky outside every now and then. When he saw that it was completely dark, he felt that it was about time for him to leave.

But just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly realized that Tian Tingchan had fallen asleep on his shoulder at some point.

Moreover, her body seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, or rather, she was finding it increasingly difficult to support her own body.

Zhou Yong dared not move and could only watch helplessly as she, who had been sleeping on his shoulder, slowly slid into his arms.

This made him a little embarrassed.

He could only place his right hand behind his back and his left hand on his shoulder, then softly called out, "Brother Chan, Brother Chan, wake up?"

"Brother Chan!!"

"..." Tian Tingchan didn't react. Although she moved slightly, she didn't seem to intend to open her eyes.

Zhou Yong was at a loss for what to do.

He could only slowly and carefully move Tian Tingchan from his arms and lay her flat on the ground. Then he found a pillow and blankets and covered her with them.

"Did something sad come to mind?" Zhou Yong muttered to himself as he watched a few tears slide down Tian Tingchan's cheeks. He then tiptoed out of her house and into the elevator outside.

When she heard Zhou Yong close the door, Tian Tingchan slowly opened her eyes.

She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long, long time.

Until the moon had risen, until the bright moonlight shone upon her.

She murmured to herself, "A woman's heart... a man's body... but... do I really have... a girl's heart?"

"Perhaps, it's just... wanting someone to keep me company."

"I want to rest in your arms..."

The "you" in this context may not refer to Zhou Yong.

Instead, it's the person Tian Tingchan imagines she can feel safe with—yes, not necessarily a man, nor necessarily a woman.

Under the quiet moonlight, Tian Tingchan closed her eyes again.

Time will be fast-forwarded at this point.

When I open my eyes again, it will be the next day.

But that only works if you're asleep.

Although Tian Tingchan lay quietly with her eyes closed, she was not sleepy at all.

Even with the flickering fluorescent light of the television and the dazzling lights outside the window.

But she still felt enveloped in darkness.

Unable to fall asleep, and unable to wake up.

……

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Exploring the Forest

2000 7 Month 9 Day.

(Time synchronized again)

……

In fact, this was the first time Mo Xueyao had ever seen such a peculiar terrain.

The beach is bordered by a forest, and on either side of the forest are small mountain ranges.

To get to this beach, the only options besides going through the forest are to cross the mountains.

So relatively speaking, crossing the forest is definitely much simpler.

It's 6 a.m. now.

This is way too early for a holiday.

Almost everyone was still asleep, except for Shui Zhishi, who got up early to make breakfast. It was the first time Mo Xueyao had breakfast with her. After breakfast, she went for a walk alone and walked to the edge of the forest.

In any case, this forest is not entirely uninhabited; hunters still occasionally venture in.

But when Mo Xue looked into the distance, she felt as if she were about to be swallowed up.

However, the thing that interests someone with a youthful mindset the most is adventure.

Exploring the unknown is always exciting.

Mo Xueyao hesitated for a moment, then picked up a branch from the ground that was suitable as a walking stick and slowly walked into the forest.

When she was a child, the park was her playground. In one corner of the park, there was a small bamboo grove, which she considered like a forest.

The trees in the forest were lush and close together, with hardly any gaps between them.

The dense foliage blocked the already weak morning sunlight.

A chilling, eerie breeze blew in from an unknown corner.

Looking back, the villa was obscured by trees and could no longer be seen clearly.

After thinking about it, she decided to return to the asphalt road and then walk along it.

That way, at least you won't get lost.

Moreover, the asphalt road was much wider, and the morning sunlight slanted down on her, illuminating her path.

Although walking on asphalt roads may lack some of the adventurous feeling, at least it's safe enough.

"What kind of flower is this?" Mo Xueyao suddenly saw a red wildflower, as bright as a rose. It was growing on a vine, which was tightly wrapped around the tree trunk.

Look closer, and you'll see a path here, clearly formed by frequent footsteps.

This also means that this road is relatively safe.

As long as you follow the road, you won't get lost.

Mo Xueyao leaned on a tree branch and walked along the path.

"Shh." Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the grass, but there was no wind at the moment.