Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 11

“Langlang?”

 

Xia Wanshuang didn’t even take off her shoes, peering inside and calling Zhou Qinglang’s name.

 

[System]: Host, she’s not here.

 

“That’s strange. Where could she have gone? Maybe she woke up late and went out to get something to eat?”

 

Xia Wanshuang mumbled to herself. The system couldn’t pinpoint Zhou Qinglang’s location, so it didn’t know where she was.

 

Xia Wanshuang closed the door and went outside to look for her.

 

There weren’t many people walking around the residential area at noon. Xia Wanshuang asked the owners of the breakfast shops at the entrance, but they all shook their heads and said they hadn’t seen her.

 

“Where did she run off to?”

 

Xia Wanshuang was worried, wiping the sweat from her forehead as her mind conjured up many terrifying scenarios.

 

What if she was kidnapped by traffickers? Or what if the people from the orphanage found her? Her anxiety grew.

 

After searching for a long time and not finding her, Xia Wanshuang, wiping away sweat, went home, thinking that maybe Zhou Qinglang was already there. With her personality, she wouldn’t just run off.

 

Xia Wanshuang panted as she climbed the stairs to the third floor. The little girl’s body was weak, and her head felt a little dizzy.

 

Just as she was about to take out her key to open the door, Xia Wanshuang heard the system’s voice in her head.

 

[System]: The female lead! She’s behind you!

 

Xia Wanshuang immediately turned around and saw a slightly dirty Zhou Qinglang. She let out a long sigh of relief.

 

“Where did you go? Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

Xia Wanshuang was already out of breath, and her rapid, anxious pace made her voice sound like a reprimand.

 

“I went to pick up bottles.”

 

Zhou Qinglang flinched, looking timidly at Xia Wanshuang, and said in a small voice.

 

She was wearing the same clothes she had washed yesterday and was holding a large plastic bag. Her hair was a little messy.

 

“I’m sorry, Sister Shuangshuang. I didn’t mean to not tell you. I… I know you’re not very rich. You even went out to earn money and gave me money to eat. I wanted to help you.”

 

Zhou Qinglang twisted the corner of her clothes, looking very uneasy.

 

“But I don’t know how to do anything. All I know how to do is pick up trash. I… please don’t be mad at me. I won’t do it again.”

 

“I didn’t go out in clean clothes, and I’ll wash these clothes myself later. Look, what’s this!”

 

Zhou Qinglang held out what was in her hand like a treasure. It was two crumpled bills: one for one yuan and one for two yuan.

 

“Sister Shuangshuang, are you not mad at me anymore?”

 

Zhou Qinglang held the money out to Xia Wanshuang, trying to please her.

 

“I’m not mad. What happened to your face and hair?”

 

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t angry; she was just worried. Seeing Zhou Qinglang’s state made her heart soften even more. She looked closely and saw a scratch on Zhou Qinglang’s face that she hadn’t noticed before.

 

“Someone tried to take them, but I scared him away.”

 

Zhou Qinglang stated this in a calm tone and then changed the subject.

 

“Sister Shuangshuang, I’m so hot. I’m going in to take a bath. Take the money.”

 

Zhou Qinglang didn’t want Xia Wanshuang to know the details of what happened, so she put on a sweet smile.

 

Since she was little, Zhou Qinglang had known that she had to keep a close eye on her things. What was hers was hers.

 

“Okay.”

 

Xia Wanshuang opened the door and told Zhou Qinglang to go inside quickly to take a bath and change.

 

After closing the door, Xia Wanshuang looked at the bills in her hand and smoothed out the wrinkles.

 

What a sweet child. Her character is so good.

 

Xia Wanshuang went back to the bedroom, planning to put the money away, but found that one yuan was still on the dressing table where she had left the two yuan that morning.

 

“Langlang, did you only take one yuan this morning?”

 

Xia Wanshuang called out to the bathroom and heard a reply.

 

“Yeah, Sister. One yuan is enough for me to eat!”

 

“No, that’s not enough. You need to eat more. You’re too skinny.”

 

“I know!”

 

Zhou Qinglang turned off the water and lathered herself up with soap, secretly happy. Sister Shuangshuang is so good to her.

 

After Zhou Qinglang finished her bath, Xia Wanshuang put some ointment on her face.

 

“It’s a good thing it’s not serious, just a small scratch. It would be a shame if it left a scar.”

 

Zhou Qinglang didn’t care about getting a scar and stood still as Xia Wanshuang applied the ointment.

 

“Shuangshuang, Langlang, my mom told me to come get you for lunch.”

 

Zhao Tianhang knocked on the door, reminding them it was time for lunch.

 

Xia Wanshuang replied and took Zhou Qinglang to eat.

 

For lunch, they had scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried mushrooms with meat slices, and the leftovers from last night, including the rib soup.

 

After a satisfying meal, Jiang Wan urged the children to take a nap so they would be energetic for their afternoon classes.

 

Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang said goodbye to Jiang Wan and went home.

 

But Xia Wanshuang didn’t plan on napping. She was going to buy more fruit to juice and sell in the evening.

 

Even though she had one hundred thousand yuan in the bank, how long would it last? It seemed like a lot, but for two people, it wouldn’t last very long. Moreover, the economy would develop rapidly, and inflation would devalue the currency, making the money worthless.

 

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t the type to sit back and do nothing. She preferred to be proactive, like a hoarder in a video game.

 

The ten yuan she made yesterday didn’t seem like much, but with Aunt Jiang feeding them, it was enough to cover her and Zhou Qinglang’s daily expenses.

 

Xia Wanshuang had initially planned to cook for herself, as she had told the system, and not rely on Aunt Jiang, but that would be inappropriate right now.

 

Aunt Jiang wasn’t trying to get rid of her and would definitely not allow a ten-year-old child to cook for herself. And given their relationship, being too polite in a country that values human connection would seem distant and cold.

 

Xia Wanshuang organized her thoughts, took twenty yuan from her wallet, and planned to go out to the fruit market.

 

She had five yuan left from the ten she took in the morning, and she hadn’t touched the three yuan Zhou Qinglang brought back or the one yuan on the dressing table. She left with twenty-five yuan.

 

Zhou Qinglang followed her, and the two of them walked out, holding hands.

 

The strawberries and oranges were the same price as yesterday, but Xia Wanshuang’s eyes lingered on some fruits in the corner. She picked them up and put them in a plastic bag.

 

“Little sister, you can’t eat these directly. Are you sure you want to buy them?”

 

The owner asked, not weighing them immediately.

 

“Yes. My family knows how to prepare them.”

 

“Alright then.”

 

The total came out to fifteen yuan. There were six of those fruits, and they were not expensive at three yuan.

 

“Sister, what are those?”

 

Zhou Qinglang looked curiously at the plain fruits in the bag.

 

“They’re a good thing.”

 

Xia Wanshuang blinked, and then she went and bought a bag of slaked lime powder, which was sold by weight and cost two yuan.

 

After getting home, Xia Wanshuang got to work.

 

After washing the fruit and putting them on a plate in the fridge, she remembered that she hadn’t bought any cups.

 

But that wasn’t a rush. Xia Wanshuang thought she could buy some cups at the convenience store after school and get a large quantity.

 

Xia Wanshuang took the fruits out of the bag. They weren’t a mystery; they were just ice jelly fruits. Xia Wanshuang didn’t know their proper name. When she was little, her grandfather would take her to the mountains to pick them, and her grandmother would make ice jelly for her to eat.

 

It was a distant memory, but it felt as vivid as yesterday.

 

Zhou Qinglang watched curiously as Xia Wanshuang washed and cut them open, revealing something that looked like seeds. She looked confused. Is this really a good thing? But since Sister Shuangshuang said it was, it must be something delicious.

 

Xia Wanshuang got a bowl, poured in a suitable amount of cold water, and added the edible lime powder. She stirred it and then set it aside to rest, covering it with a plate to prevent dust from getting in.

 

After the lime water was ready, Xia Wanshuang took out a white muslin bag from the house. She cut open two of the fruits, washed the seeds inside, and put the clean ice jelly seeds into the muslin bag. She took out the biggest container, put water in it, and began to rub the seeds through the bag.

 

This step was quite a workout. You had to rub your hands continuously. Xia Wanshuang’s fingers started to ache after a short while, but she kept going.

 

She only stopped after the water in the container had become thick and cloudy. Her hands were shaking.

 

By this time, the lime water had settled, with the lime powder at the bottom and clear water on top.

 

Xia Wanshuang took a small spoon and poured the lime water into the container in a clockwise motion, stirring it. The clear water was all that was needed; the sediment at the bottom didn’t need to be added.

 

Once everything was done, Xia Wanshuang put the container in the fridge. The fridge was empty except for the fruit she had just put in, and the fried noodles and water from yesterday.

 

“This needs to chill for a while. It’ll be ready for you to eat tonight.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Zhou Qinglang nodded, her eyes fixed on Xia Wanshuang’s hands.

 

Xia Wanshuang’s hands were red from the continuous rubbing.

 

Xia Wanshuang took out the mineral water and the fried noodles. After checking that the noodles weren’t spoiled, she planned to heat them up for dinner.

 

“Don’t drink this until it’s not so cold, or you’ll get a stomach ache.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Xia Wanshuang looked at the clock. It was already 1:30, and she had an hour until class started.

 

Children’s bodies tire easily. Xia Wanshuang yawned, feeling a little sleepy.

 

“Langlang, I’m going to take a nap. Do you want to nap too? If not, you can watch TV or read. I can also turn on the computer for you.”

 

“I’ll sleep.”

 

Compared to sleeping with Sister Shuangshuang, nothing else seemed appealing.

 

Xia Wanshuang set her alarm and fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.

 

The system saw that its host was in a dormant state and that there were no threats around, so it dove into the database to organize data and continued to try to contact its superiors.

 

Zhou Qinglang wasn’t sleepy. She lay next to Xia Wanshuang and watched her, gently touching the reddened parts of Xia Wanshuang’s hands.

 

The scorching midday sun streamed in through the window, but it couldn’t compare to the warmth in her chest.

 

To Zhou Qinglang, Xia Wanshuang was her dream come true.