A Young Woman's Heart

"Since Chen Cheng is here, you can stay with Lianlian for a while. I'll just take a walk around and then go back for a nap."

"Grandma Jin, the delivery person came this morning. Here is the invoice. Please check if there are any problems. I have already paid the money, and it's all in the account."

"Okay, sure." Grandma Jin didn't refuse. She walked over, glanced at them a few times, and then put them down. "It's fine, no problem. I trust you to handle things. I'm even thinking of having you inherit my grocery store in the future."

"Huh?"

"But young people certainly wouldn't want to retire in such a boring place, right? Whenever you want to do something else, you can tell me anytime, don't worry."

"Hmm... I still prefer working here for now."

"That's good." Grandma Jin smiled even more happily.

……

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Secret Base (Part 1)

2000 7 Month 16 Day.

The phone rang at Mo Xueyao's house from Hua Yinyin.

The main reason is that ever since she found out Mo Xueyao's home landline number, she has been calling frequently. The number is short and easy to remember, and after a while, she can recognize it at a glance.

"Hey? What's up? It's only been a day since we last met, right?" Mo Xueyao took the initiative this time.

"Little Yaoyao~! I've found a great place!"

"What good place?"

"It's right next to the school, on the mountain behind it."

"Huh? Halfway up the mountain?"

"No, no, it's Tiger Mountain next door."

"Oh...and then?"

"There's a small wooden cabin on the mountaintop that no one uses anymore. I think it could be our secret base!"

"Seriously? Climbing all the way to the top of the mountain just to see a small wooden cabin? That mountain seems to be even higher than halfway up the mountain."

"Perfect for some exercise! Want to come? I'll wait for you at the school gate."

"That was so sudden..."

"Come on, come on~" Hua Yinyin said coquettishly.

Mo Xueyao helplessly covered her forehead and glanced at Li Wanyan: "Yinyin asked us to go hiking, shall we go?"

It must be said that her ability to summarize is quite good.

“Go ahead, get some exercise.” Li Wanyan nodded, looking quite interested.

However, Mo Xueyao wanted to sleep all day today.

Reluctantly, I agreed, then took a good shower and changed into casual clothes suitable for hiking.

That is, short-sleeved tops and light trousers.

The reason the pants are longer is to prevent injury while hiking, and at the very least, to reduce mosquito bites.

Li Wanyan was also dressed casually, but it looked like her junior high school uniform.

Well... it works anyway, so it's not that complicated.

Just as the two were about to leave, Hua Yinyin called again.

"Shall we spend the night there?"

"Huh? Do you want to be bitten to death by mosquitoes? I don't want to."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I have plenty of equipment!" Hua Yinyin replied confidently.

"Uh... would you consider this a wilderness adventure?"

"More or less!"

The call was on speakerphone, and since Li Wanyan had no objections, Mo Xueyao didn't have any major objections either.

However, compared to hiking, spending the night in the wild was more appealing to her.

Men, after all, always love adventure, and the mysterious mountain nights are obviously quite thrilling...

Although she is a girl now, she still habitually thinks like a boy in many ways.

"So what should I bring if I'm staying overnight?"

"Water cup, blanket, and a change of clothes if needed." Li Wanyan obviously didn't finish her sentence, because she turned around and started packing.

It's unbelievable that she would be interested in something like this.

Mo Xueyao also thought about what to bring, emptied her backpack, and stuffed in some things that might be useful.

It's just for one night anyway, so there's no need to be too particular.

Otherwise, carrying a heavy backpack up the mountain would be a headache enough.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to call her father who runs the fruit shop.

"Hello? Dad?"

"What is it?" The father on the other end of the phone sounded a little impatient.

"Tsk, I'm going to a classmate's house tonight and I'll be staying overnight. I won't be back."

"Where are you going? Are you male or female? How far is it?"

"Not far, a woman."

"Oh... a girl, uh." The father suddenly didn't know what to say, but it seemed that it was fine for a boy or a girl to stay overnight at a girl's house. He chuckled and said, "Okay, be careful on the road."

"Okay!"

Mo Xueyao hung up the phone, relieved that her father answered.

If it were my mother, she might agree, but she would definitely have to nag me a lot before she would let it go.

To save energy, the two took the bus to school, where Hua Yinyin was already waiting, looking around anxiously.

Upon closer inspection, it seems this guy's equipment is actually quite complete.

The bag was packed full, and I had no idea what it contained.

But what's rolled up and tied to the top of the backpack is probably a sleeping bag, a professional-looking water bottle is on the side, and a small knife is hanging on the backpack.

She was also holding a trekking pole in her hand—the only problem was that her outfit looked too out of place.

She was going hiking, and she was wearing a short skirt... Although it was a sporty style, it looked like it was for running, not hiking.

Mo Xueyao already foresaw that this guy's legs would be covered in mosquito bites later.

"What's in the bag?" she asked curiously.

"Compasses, wood-burning stoves... and other combinations of survival supplies!"

"Where did it come from?"

“My dad bought it, but he hadn’t used it for a year, so I secretly took it out and used it.”

"Ugh—" Mo Xueyao smirked, "Aren't you afraid your dad will beat you up?"

"Tch, he wouldn't dare!" Hua Yinyin raised her little face. "Let's go, let's go!"

"By the way, how did you find out about that place?"

"Because I went hiking again after getting off the bus yesterday."

"You really have a lot of energy..." Mo Xueyao was speechless.

"Let's go," Li Wanyan gave the order to depart.

I always felt that no matter where she was, she acted like everyone else's boss.

Hua Yinyin led the way, with Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan following behind.

"How far?" Mo Xueyao asked.

"It takes about twenty minutes to walk to the foot of the mountain."

"It's so far." Mo Xueyao frowned, feeling that she would already be exhausted before even reaching the top of the mountain.

"There's a lake there, but it's not very big." Hua Yinyin took a chocolate lollipop out of her pocket and handed it to Mo Xueyao. "Want one? Want to replenish your energy beforehand?"

"Let's talk about it when we're hungry..."

The gentle road didn't actually require too much physical exertion, and after about twenty minutes, the three of them arrived at the lake at the foot of the mountain.

The lake water was very clear. There was only one factory nearby that looked rather deserted, and a pebbly path leading down to the foot of the mountain.

This place is actually not far from Mo Xueyao's fruit shop—if you only consider the straight-line distance.

It's located in the alley behind the fruit shop. At the very end, there's a vocational school. You can get here by climbing over the school's wall.

But just as if it were located on the edge of the city, the place seemed abandoned and deserted.

The road to the top of the mountain is not easy to walk.

But at least there's a winding path with steps leading up to it.

It's much better than walking on a dirt road.

Although the steps are covered with moss, you won't slip if you're careful, or at least you won't be startled by snakes in the grass.

"What was this place used to be?" Mo Xueyao asked the 'tour guide', Hua Yinyin.

"I don't know, but I saw a 'revolutionary base' halfway up the mountain."

"Hmm, it might have been a military base before?"

"Probably, but it's been abandoned. There's only a small path to get there, and after you walk past it there's a very high wall—the ground behind the wall should be fairly flat, but I can't see it very clearly."

Climbing mountains is a tiring activity.