Volume 1 / Chapter 35: Going Home Together

There was always something sweet in the air after school,

especially on sunny days like this.

When Mò Xuěyáo finished packing her bag and stepped out of the classroom, she found the Mo sisters—Mo Xiǎoxiào and Mo Zhúyōu—already waiting for her at the door.

“Ready to go~?” Mo Xiǎoxiào asked with a grin.

“Ah, yeah. Let’s go.”

The ten minutes right after school let out were always the most chaotic around the school gate.

But once that window passed, the whole place turned quiet again.

Some people just didn’t like leaving when it was the most crowded—people like Mò Xuěyáo.

She’d always take her time packing up. Partly to make sure she didn’t forget anything, but also to dodge the after-school stampede.

Compared to the crowd charging out like pigs being herded out of a pen, she preferred to take things slow and leisurely.

Mò Xuěyáo had expected the Mo sisters to each roll out of the underground garage on their own bikes—but to her surprise, there was only one.

Mo Zhúyōu was perched on the back seat, lazily hugging her sister’s waist, looking completely at ease.

“Come on, Xuěyáo,” Mo Xiǎoxiào waved, wobbling slightly.

“Oh—are you sure it’s okay to carry someone?” Mò Xuěyáo asked.

It wasn’t rare to see boys giving each other rides on bikes, but she’d rarely seen girls do the same.

Maybe it was because girls didn’t have as much strength? Balancing a bike with another person on it wasn’t exactly easy.

But that didn’t seem to be an issue for Mo Xiǎoxiào. Aside from a slight wobble at the start, she’d clearly mastered the technique—effortlessly pedaling with her sister in tow.

“Why don’t you just buy another bike?” Mo Xuěyáo asked on the way home, slowing her pace so she could ride alongside the sisters.

This road wasn’t busy at the moment, so there was no need to worry about blocking anyone.

“Two would be wasteful—one’s enough,” Mo Xiǎoxiào said with a smile, her eyes crescenting like little moons, and her dimples were deep and sweet.

But Mò Xuěyáo had a suspicion—if she kept asking, she might hit a nerve.

The message was already clear enough: money was tight, and saving wherever they could was just a way of life.

Sure, it made things a little harder, but one bike was all they needed.

Back then, a brand-new bicycle could easily cost 300 to 500 yuan—and that was 1990s yuan. A significant chunk of money.

Of course, there was always the option of buying a stolen bike from certain shady shops.

Those bikes would be fitted with fake plates. Not that anyone really checked bike registrations anymore, anyway.

So yeah—you could get one for cheaper than even a secondhand bike.

But there were risks, of course…

Most people with any conscience or fear of trouble would still prefer secondhand.

Like Mò Xuěyáo’s bike—bought secondhand from an ordinary family. Not exactly cheap, though. It had cost her over 150 yuan.

Her mother’s bike? Bought hot—straight-up stolen goods.

It was in decent condition too, and only cost 80.

When money’s tight, people find ways to make it work.

Whether buying a stolen bike is “moral” or whether it fuels the problem of theft—those aren’t questions poor folks have the luxury to worry about.

That old saying wasn’t just for show: When poor, one's aspirations are shortened.

There are things better left unexamined—just do what you need to survive.

“Xiǎoxiào, have you finished your homework?” Mò Xuěyáo changed the subject.

“Just got physics left.”

“Whoa, you’re almost done? Let me copy it when we get home,” Mo Zhúyōu chimed in, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You always copy. What are you gonna do during exams—copy from who then? Don’t you wanna go to the same university as me?”

“You go ahead and ace college, sis. Me? A high school diploma’s enough. After graduation, I’ll go get a job and help pay your tuition.”

“…” Mo Xiǎoxiào’s smile this time was strained.

A strange thought crossed Mò Xuěyáo’s mind.

Maybe Mo Xiǎoxiào wasn’t really all that cheerful. Maybe her smiles were just… habit.

Even her joy felt a little superficial.

Like she was carrying some invisible weight that wouldn’t let her fully relax.

But… that didn’t make sense.

If her parents were still around, no matter how tough things got, the burden shouldn’t fall on the kids, right?

Unless… maybe their family favored boys over girls?

Maybe they had a younger brother at home?

If that was the case, it would make sense—they were lucky enough just to be allowed to attend high school. College tuition? Probably out of the question.

That would also explain what Mo Zhúyōu had said.

While she was deep in thought, the usually quiet Mo Zhúyōu suddenly asked, “Mò Xuěyáo… are your parents usually home when you get back?”

“Dad might be. Not sure about Mom…”

“You all live together?” Mo Xiǎoxiào took over.

“Of course,” Mò Xuěyáo replied as if it were obvious.

She was too focused on the road ahead to notice the look in the sisters’ eyes—an unmistakable flash of envy.

“I can tell—your family seems really close,” said Mo Xiǎoxiào.

“Mm… I guess so,” Mò Xuěyáo nodded. Sure, her parents argued sometimes, but they always made up.

Things hadn’t been easy, but they’d always worked through it together.

And from what she’d heard, her dad used to be a heavy gambler when she was little—but these days, he’d mostly turned things around. Maybe there was such a thing as redemption.

“That’s nice~” Mo Xiǎoxiào let out a long sigh.

Even Mo Zhúyōu nodded, plucking a maple leaf drifting gently through the air. “Hey, Sis—this one’s a keeper. Could press it into a bookmark. It’s dry, but not brittle. Still got moisture and flexibility.”

“Nice, take it home and dry it.”

“But if I dry it, won’t it get brittle?”

“Then just press it in a book.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s easier.”

With people to talk to, the usually-long 30-minute ride seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

By the time they had to part ways, Mò Xuěyáo actually felt a little reluctant.

“See you tomorrow~” Mo Xiǎoxiào waved as they rode off.

“Mm, bye… Honestly, I envy you two. Having a sister. Always going home together.”

“Pfft, what’s there to envy? We’re jealous of you,” Mo Xiǎoxiào said, shaking her head.

“Byeeee~” Mo Zhúyōu added from the back seat, waving as the bike disappeared down the street.

The sun was heavy and low, painting the city in warm, wistful hues.

“I envy them… and they envy me. Maybe people are just never satisfied, huh?” Mò Xuěyáo chuckled to herself and pressed her foot to the pedal again.

Although there wasn't much road left from here to home.

But because she'd had companions all the way, now that she was suddenly alone, this final stretch seemed somewhat long.

When she got home, the apartment was empty.

Her dad would be working late again, and her mom—ever since she’d taken that new dinner-cooking job—probably wouldn’t be back until much later.

Good thing she still had Sūtáng.

At the moment, the little cat was in the sand-filled basin Dad had prepared, busily burying… something… with its back legs.

When Mò Xuěyáo took a closer look, she discovered several mysterious little piles already inside.

Hmm, cats were clearly very clean, but their poop was really smelly...

I mean—of course it does. No one expects poop to smell like flowers.

Holding her nose, she picked up the basin and hauled it downstairs to dump the contents into the garbage bin.

Then she refilled it with fresh sand from a bag on the balcony, and placed it back where it was.

“Meow~” Sūtáng rubbed affectionately against her ankle.

Although she felt somewhat resistant after just dealt with its poop, the little fluffball was still irresistibly cute—she squatted down and stroked it gently.

Having pets meant you'd always have to deal with these things... This was part of life too.

Her stomach was starting to growl.

Clearly, she wouldn’t be waiting for her parents to cook dinner tonight.

Time to fend for herself.

There was leftover rice from yesterday in the fridge—enough for one person.

Eggs? Check. Meat? Nope.

But she did have green onions.

A simple egg fried rice would do.

The scallions were chopped into scallion flowers- Mò Xuěyáo could easily handle such simple tasks.

To avoid overcooking the eggs, she decided to toss the rice in first, and pour the beaten egg over it after it loosened up…

Unfortunately, her timing was off. The eggs clumped with the rice into a sticky, gluey mess. Not exactly appetizing.

Meanwhile, Sūtáng kept meowing at her feet, making her movements very inconvenient as she was afraid of accidentally stepping on him.

“Okay, okay, what’s with the meowing? What do you want?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.

She set the fried rice down on the table and made a quick soup—well, Calling it soup was generous-it was more like salt water with just a few pieces of pickled mustard

The scent of food drew Sūtáng in—he pawed at her leg.

“Hey, hey—no claws! You’ll snag my socks!” Frugal as ever, Mò Xuěyáo quickly scooped him up and plopped him on her lap. “What is it? Hmm? Are you… hungry?”

“Meow~ meow~” Sūtáng licked her palm with his tiny tongue.

“You are hungry? Wait… oh no—you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday!” She smacked her forehead. Of course.

Everyone in the family had been so busy, they’d forgotten to feed the cat.

Honestly, if it hadn’t kept meowing, they might’ve forgotten it was even there.

She found a little dish, scooped some of her rice into it, and poured some water into another bowl.

Sūtáng devoured the water, slurped down the rice, and then looked up at her again, big eyes pleading.

“Eh…You want more?”