```
The house was empty, equipped only with two small wooden beds, a table, a wardrobe, a few stools, and cleaning supplies provided by the landlord. There were no blankets or quilts.
The one advantage, perhaps, was that although it seemed like a few streets away, taking the bus to school every morning only took about ten minutes.
After a busy morning, Mo Yao and Musheng had moved into their new place and started to clean up the house.
The house had been unoccupied for a while and had a musty smell. Musheng, unaccustomed to the odor, couldn't just stand idly by and, despite the discomfort, tried to help. Mo Yao saw her sweeping but without any technique and immediately knew she wasn't used to doing house chores, so she pushed her out.
Musheng touched her nose, borrowed an air freshener from the landlord, and sprayed it around the door, which made the entrance a bit more presentable. Once Mo Yao had finished cleaning the house until it looked like new again, they sprayed the air freshener, closed the door, and both prepared to go to the supermarket to buy some essentials.
"First, we need to get food, and we need to buy pots, spatulas, and other cooking utensils, as well as condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar…"
On the bus, Mo Yao was making a list of shopping items on her phone. Musheng really admired Mo Yao. She hadn't expected her to be so capable in life. Now she thought, having such a roommate wasn't too bad, but the long list of things to buy was overwhelming for Musheng.
"It's fine to buy essentials like pots, but do we really need things like a fridge right now?" Musheng lamented for her wallet once again. Truly, one never knows the value of money until they start a household. Musheng had never imagined that she would hesitate over having enough money even for buying daily necessities…
"How can that be?" Mo Yao clearly disagreed, "It's hot weather now, how can we manage without a fridge! We need it for fruits that spoil quickly in the heat. Sometimes I want to eat ice cream too... I haven't even mentioned buying an air conditioner yet... Don't worry, it's okay if I pay."
Mo Yao slapped her chest with a somewhat heroic air. Musheng kept quiet, seeing that her fantasy of spending very little money in Capital City was just that, a fantasy.
Once at the supermarket, which was crowded, Mo Yao took Musheng straight to the home essentials section. She said it was her first time in Capital City, but she seemed quite familiar with the supermarket setup.
Buying things like pots and rice cookers was a bit of a hassle because they were bulky, so Mo Yao and Musheng split the list, with Mo Yao going for the electrical appliances, and Musheng... going for the food.
Musheng wasn't sure what to buy, so she just followed the aunties in the supermarket and picked up some fruits along the way.
Eventually, they found one of those small freight trucks outside to take their goods home, then returned to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities like toothbrushes, cups, laundry detergent, shower gel, and so on. She wasn't completely ignorant; she could still manage to buy these items. After thinking it over, she also bought two bamboo mats, two light quilts, and some pillows. All in all, they spent less than a thousand yuan, which Musheng found quite satisfying.
She didn't just look for the cheapest items either; in fact, the prices seemed to be in the mid to upper range. Expensive does not always mean better, but given the choice between similar items, Musheng would opt for the more expensive one, which had to be worth its price.
Waiting for Mo Yao to finish her shopping, they left the store with Mo Yao only carrying some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, while happily saying, "I bought a lot of things, so the supermarket will deliver them to our doorstep."
Being a large supermarket, delivery service was a given for purchases like a fridge.
Back at home, they arranged all the items in the room. Watching the empty space slowly fill up gave Musheng a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
By the time everything was in order, it was already eight or nine in the evening. Despite having worked all day, Mo Yao still had the energy to dash out and buy a heap of snacks, cold drinks, and ice cream that filled up the entire fridge, leaving Musheng sweating figuratively.
Musheng wasn't that tired; ever since her soul had merged with this body, her physical strength wasn't as great as in her previous life, but it was clearly becoming healthier and stronger. She hadn't made any special effort to exercise – having been reborn, such trifles were of little concern to her.
Mo Yao, on the other hand, was completely exhausted. She didn't even eat dinner because Musheng wasn't hungry, so she just took a quick shower and went to bed.
```
Mo Yao actually moved another bed into Musheng's room because the ventilation was better there, and Mo Yao simply turned it into a kitchen.
...
The next morning, Musheng woke up to a fragrance. As she opened her eyes, sounds of a bubbling frying pan came from the kitchen. By the time Musheng got out of bed and washed up, Mo Yao was just bringing two bowls of noodles to the living room.
"I was about to call you, and here you are awake!"
Today, Mo Yao had carelessly tied up her long hair, revealing the overflowing youthfulness of a young girl. Her unpowdered face was white and tender, with such fine skin that her bare face alone could defeat countless self-proclaimed beauties. Now, in the morning when the air was freshest, everything about her looked even more refreshing.
"It's the first day, and a lot of things aren't set up yet, so let's make do with a bowl of noodles for now." Mo Yao pushed the bowl intended for Musheng across the table, "I haven't fried any chili oil yet, so if you find it bland, spice it up with some Lao Gan Ma."
Musheng looked closely and saw two bowls of noodles on the table. The noodles seemed smooth yet resilient, each topped with a golden fried egg, and surrounded by a broth adorned with vibrant green onions, making the combination quite appealing.
Musheng felt her appetite surge just by looking. With a pick of the chopsticks and a taste, she found the noodles delicious. The broth seemed to be made from some kind of bone, rich and delectable, and the flavor of the noodles was perfect.
Musheng thought it wise of herself not to claim she could cook, as even she, who had tasted so many delicacies, regarded her own culinary skills as decent. Yet, compared to Mo Yao, she realized there were mountains beyond mountains.
So beautiful, good at housework, with excellent culinary skills and hardworking to boot, Musheng felt that if she were a man, she simply couldn't reject such a girl.
Musheng finished her bowl of noodles thoroughly, and Mo Yao, seeing how content she was, accepted Musheng's initiative to take the empty bowls, "I'll wash them."
Mo Yao didn't stop her. While Musheng did the dishes, she cleaned the table and tidied up the living room. After the hustle and hard work, Musheng emerged from doing the dishes and slouched in a chair while Mo Yao played with her phone next to her. Suddenly, Musheng said, "I need to go out and find a job."
"Why work on such a hot day?"
Capital City was indeed much hotter than Huai City. Thinking of her own finances and her inability to be frugal, Musheng said, "It's fine, most places have air conditioning now. I just need to find an indoor job with air conditioning."
After hearing this, Mo Yao blinked her eyes, her tone soft, tinged with a bit of coquetry, "I don't want to go, I really can't stand the heat... Are you looking for a job to support me?"
Musheng's expression unchanged, she casually responded, "Yeah, to support you."
Mo Yao giggled, her eyes creasing into crescents, seemingly very happy, "Then go find one, I'll stay home and cook for you." She paused, then laughed, "Are you going this afternoon?"
Musheng nodded.
"Alright, I'll make you something delicious for lunch. Come on, let's go buy some fish."
She went to change her shoes with joyous excitement. Watching her, Musheng found it hard to associate her with the person who had looked so desperate the other morning; indeed, she was someone who didn't dwell on things, her moods changing too rapidly.
Turning around, Mo Yao caught Musheng leaning her head on her hand, watching her. The outdoor sunlight cast upon her face, making her seem illuminated with a divine glow. Her cool and gentle gaze, free-spirited yet laced with a touch of wildness as she raised an eyebrow, was a look Mo Yao had remembered for many years, never once forgotten.