A Young Woman's Heart

"Buy Hongmei, the kind that costs three yuan and fifty cents."

"Okay." Mo Xueyao gladly accepted the five yuan, mainly because of the one yuan and fifty cents delivery fee.

This means she can buy three packs of instant noodles, and if she's careful with her spending, she'll have snacks for three days.

Of course, you can also buy candy.

For example, Coca-Cola candies cost two for a dime, and you can buy thirty for one dollar and fifty cents, which is definitely enough to satisfy your cravings.

So, she happily planned how to spend the money as she carried the candy downstairs.

Su Tang, who was quite quiet at home, seemed to become a little uneasy downstairs.

When Mo Xueyao put it on the ground, its legs trembled and it didn't dare to move at all.

"Su Tang? Su Tang? What's wrong? Are you afraid to move?" Mo Xueyao reached out to comfort it, but the latter turned around and grabbed Mo Xueyao's sleeve, then suddenly jumped up and climbed onto her shoulder.

It seems that only by curling up here can it feel at ease.

"Is it really that timid?" Mo Xueyao turned her head to look at Sutang and gently smoothed its slightly bristling fur with her soft little hand. "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm here."

There are many people walking their dogs, but not many people walking with a cat perched on their shoulder.

In addition, Mo Xueyao's beautiful face naturally attracted the attention of many passersby.

A golden maple leaf drifted down and landed on Su Tang. The latter stretched out its paw to shake the leaf off, but it got stuck in its paw and was difficult to get rid of.

Su Tang, clinging to Mo Xueyao, dared not exert too much force, and could only stretch out her paws in front of Mo Xueyao, pleading for her help.

In Mo Xueyao's eyes, it was as if Su Tang had given her the maple leaf as a gift, which made her pause for a second before she realized what was happening and helplessly smiled as she took the maple leaf off its paw.

There was a small hole on the maple leaf, which had been hooked out by a claw. It was just an ordinary maple leaf, but it gave Mo Xueyao a strange and unique feeling.

"Hmm...it seems there's still quite a bit of moisture inside, not that dry. Maybe I should keep it as a bookmark?" Mo Xueyao thought to herself, stuffing the maple leaf back into her pocket, wondering which book she should put it in when she got back.

It was around 3 p.m., still a long way from the start of the night market, but some people had already set up their tricycles on the sidewalk, taking advantage of the weekend when most people were off to start selling their goods early.

In business, of course, you should try to make as much money as possible.

Because it was still early and there wasn't enough open space to set up stalls, the items set up in advance were all sold from tricycles, mostly everyday trinkets.

For example, nail clippers, planes, scissors, etc.

There were also toys for sale, but they all looked rather rough.

Mo Xueyao slowed down her pace, walking and looking around.

However, even if you find something you like, you basically can't afford it.

Finally, she arrived at a grocery store on the street.

Selling cigarettes is just a side business for this store, but although the variety is limited, it's enough to meet the needs of most ordinary people.

"I'd like to buy a pack of Hongmei cigarettes for three yuan and fifty cents," said Mo Xueyao, dressed casually, as she stood in front of the store, gently smoothing her single ponytail.

The proprietress looked at Mo Xueyao with a suspicious gaze, then cautiously asked, "You want to buy cigarettes?"

"Yes."

"You smoke?"

“…My dad smokes.” Mo Xueyao said helplessly.

“Generally speaking, we can’t sell cigarettes to minors.” The seemingly law-abiding proprietress said, but still took out a pack of Hongmei cigarettes for 3.5 yuan from the cabinet. “But you don’t look like a smoker, and you’re a girl, so I’ll sell it to you this time. Remember to have your dad buy it himself next time.”

"Oh, okay." Mo Xueyao nodded, but instead of thinking about having her father buy it himself next time, she was thinking about buying it from a different store next time.

In her mind, the proprietress was too cunning (Note ①). When she went to other places to buy things, people didn't say so much nonsense.

Besides, does she look like a minor?

She's already sixteen, which is only two years away from eighteen.

She originally wanted to buy something else here, but seeing how much trouble the proprietress was causing, she bought cigarettes and left.

She used the last dollar and fifty cents to buy fifteen planet cups at another store. The owner probably thought Mo Xueyao was cute and well-behaved, so he gave her two extra cups and three extra small plastic spoons.

The so-called "planet cup" is a small snack packaged like jelly, containing solidified chocolate syrup and biscuit crumbs, offering both the sweetness of chocolate and the crunchiness of biscuits.

Moreover, because of the packaging, it's perfect for eating slowly with a small spoon, and one can last quite a while.

They are also very cheap, costing only one cent each, making them a favorite among many students.

Even so, Mo Xueyao rarely buys such cheap snacks to eat on a regular basis.

It's not because I don't like it, or because I want to maintain my figure and not gain weight.

It's just simple poverty.

Unlike most students, she has never had a fixed allowance since she was a child.

Whether or not you get pocket money depends entirely on your parents' mood, or you can save the change you get when you run errands for your parents.

Mo Xueyao ate the Planet Cup as she walked.

The sugar cubes were perched on her shoulders, making her feel a little unbalanced and making it more difficult for her to walk.

The latter also came over to sniff when she was eating snacks, but perhaps because she didn't like sweets, she wasn't interested in chocolate or anything like that, and quickly turned her fluffy little head to the other side.

Mo Xueyao ate the entire Planet Cup clean, even licking up the remaining chocolate with her tiny tongue.

However, this chocolate didn't seem to be authentic—it was too sweet, making her feel a bit cloying.

In the end, Mo Xueyao only bought a pack of cigarettes for her father, then wandered around downstairs for a bit before returning home to get a drink of water.

"So fast?" The father looked surprised as he opened the door.

Mo Xueyao glanced at the television as usual and found that a beauty pageant was being broadcast.

Beautiful women in bikinis walked the runway...

My father was watching Animal World before he left home, wasn't he?

"Ahem, haha..." The father pretended nothing had happened, switched back to the animal world channel, and then stood up and said, "I'll make you a few of my signature dishes today."

"Making dinner so early?"

"Your mom will be back after you're done."

"She's up so early today? Speaking of which, what are you planning to do tonight?"

"Hey, this is absolutely delicious." The father put on the pink apron that the mother often wore, picked up the kitchen knife and skillfully twirled it, making Mo Xueyao always worry that he might cut his hand. "Today we have fried chicken legs, stir-fried pork intestines, Mapo tofu, Longjing shrimp, sweet and sour sea bass, and finally, a loofah and egg soup."

Mo Xueyao counted on her fingers and asked in surprise, "Five dishes and a soup? Can we finish them? It would be such a waste to throw them away."

"How could we not finish it? We can save the cold dishes to make porridge the next day!"

"Hey, we haven't even made much money yet, and you're already living the life of 'getting rich' ahead of time?" Mo Xueyao muttered, her eyelids drooping.

"Haha...of course not," the father laughed loudly. "Because today is your mother's birthday, didn't you know?"

"Huh?"

……

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Note ①: In dialect, "花头" means fancy or trick; "透" means many or troublesome. Together, they are generally used to describe someone who does things in a troublesome way or has many requirements.

Chapter Forty-Six: Mother's Birthday

October 16th is Mo Xueyao's mother's birthday every year.

The reason Mo Xueyao had no recollection of it was because, in her memory, she seemed to have never celebrated her mother's birthday.

My mother rarely talks about it, as if whether or not it's a birthday is just an unimportant thing.

My father is busy all year round and has no time to celebrate my mother's birthday.

Mo Xueyao always thought that her father did not know what her mother's birthday was, and that her mother probably did not care whether or not she celebrated her birthday.

Today she learned that her mother wasn't indifferent; she just felt her birthday wasn't that important and not worth wasting money on.

Now, she saw a table full of dishes in front of her, and then she saw the rather rough greeting card that Mo Xueyao had handed her, hastily made from a cigarette box.

And then there was the father and daughter saying "Happy Birthday".

The sight before her eyes brought a slight moisture to her eyes.

Although she was touched, she pretended to scold him, saying, "What's wrong with you? It's just a birthday. Why cook so many dishes? Are you rich? That's such a waste."

“Our family doesn’t really have a big meal all year round,” the father said with a smile, grabbing the mother’s arm. “We have to treat ourselves once in a while.”

"We'll treat ourselves when we have the money. Why are you holding my hand?"

"I'm asking you to sit down and have dinner."

"I won't sit."

"Oh dear, what's wrong? You cooked so many dishes, and it's a rare birthday celebration, why are you angry?" the father asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

The mother, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, alright, what's wrong? I'm going to the bathroom, are you going to stop me?"

"Ahem, go on, go on." The father awkwardly let go of her hand and looked at Mo Xueyao. "What are you standing there for? Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"Tch, I already washed up." Mo Xueyao couldn't wait to sit down. Such a sumptuous dinner was probably only once a month, especially after her parents borrowed money for her surgery, which made the family even more strapped for cash.

Even when my parents cook dinner, they use inexpensive ingredients.

Most of the dishes are vegetarian because they are relatively cheap. Sometimes it's normal to go a whole week without any meat.

Even if you prepare vegetarian meals with great care and ritual, they can't compare to real meat.

Just smelling the aroma of fried chicken legs made Mo Xueyao feel incredibly hungry.

But since the birthday girl is my mother, we can't start eating until she sits down.

But Su Tang had already started eating. In its special little bowl was a pile of fish entrails that it had taken out of the fish, which it was enjoying immensely.

In this day and age, there aren't as many rules and regulations for keeping cats.

Cats eat whatever people eat, and occasionally giving them some animal offal is considered a reward.