Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 12

Xia Wanshuang had a very short dream. She was back in the cabin at the foot of the mountain, eating with her grandparents. Then the house was suddenly engulfed in flames, which made her wake up with a jolt.

 

She was still a bit sleepy when she opened her eyes, and her head felt groggy. Zhou Qinglang was sound asleep beside her, holding her hand tightly.

 

Xia Wanshuang turned her head to look at the alarm clock and saw that it was only 1:50 p.m. She could still sleep for another twenty minutes before going back to school, so she closed her eyes again in peace.

 

Waking up before the alarm goes off and realizing you can still go back to sleep is always a happy feeling.

 

Xia Wanshuang drifted off again but didn’t sleep deeply. She opened her eyes a few minutes before the alarm went off, carefully pulled her hand away, turned off the alarm, and got out of bed to put on her shoes.

 

She stretched towards the sun and turned the fan to the lowest setting, so it would gently blow on Zhou Qinglang. Then she went to the bathroom, put Zhou Qinglang’s clothes in to soak, and left for school.

 

Some kids in the classroom were eating snacks. When Xia Wanshuang walked in, the air was filled with the smell of food. The unique summer heat mixed with those smells, making Xia Wanshuang wrinkle her nose. She sat down at her desk.

 

The first class in the afternoon was math. Teacher Xia was forced to listen to primary school arithmetic problems while reciting “Li Sao” in her head.

 

Suddenly, someone poked her arm. Xia Wanshuang turned her head and looked at the little boy next to her.

 

Lin Qiushui held up something in his hand and mouthed the words, “Do you want some?”

 

Xia Wanshuang was very touched and declined.

 

It wasn’t that she was holding a grudge for the prank, but twenty-seven-year-old Teacher Xia simply had no desire to sneak snacks in a primary school class.

 

When the bell rang and the teacher left, the classroom was liberated and became very noisy.

 

Xia Wanshuang yawned and put her head down on her desk.

 

“Xia Wanshuang, hey, say something to me.”

 

Lin Qiushui persistently bothered his deskmate, who gave him a questioning look.

 

“I’m sorry for scaring you this morning. I brought you some good stuff from home. My uncle brought this back from overseas. It’s really expensive.”

 

Lin Qiushui looked sincere and shook the item in his hand.

 

Xia Wanshuang hadn’t gotten a good look at it during class, but now she saw it was a chocolate bar.

 

“Have some. We’re good friends now.”

 

Lin Qiushui placed the chocolate in front of Xia Wanshuang. He had taken one bite and wanted to spit it out. It was so bitter. He thought, She scared me with a caterpillar, so I’ll poison her with this bitter chocolate.

 

Lin Qiushui waited to see Xia Wanshuang’s tearful expression, and he smiled even more happily.

 

Xia Wanshuang didn’t hold a grudge against children. Seeing how sincere the child was, she took the chocolate.

 

“Thank you.”

 

It was a small piece, beautifully wrapped. When she opened the wrapper, a rich chocolatey smell filled the air. It was dark chocolate.

 

But to Xia Wanshuang, who loved chocolate, this was a wonderful thing.

 

The taste of chocolate spread on her tongue. Xia Wanshuang narrowed her eyes. It was actually quite good.

 

Lin Qiushui’s expression went from amusement to horror. He thought Xia Wanshuang must have been possessed by some terrifying spirit. Not only did she catch a bug with her bare hands, but she could also eat something like this.

 

It was too terrifying.

 

After Xia Wanshuang finished the chocolate, she even smiled at the little boy to show her friendliness. But Lin Qiushui felt a chill down his spine and his scalp tingle.

 

So much so that when school was over, he was still deeply immersed in the fear of being dominated by his deskmate.

 

After school, Xia Wanshuang didn’t rush to buy cups. Instead, she looked around outside the school. She parted ways with Zhao Tianhang, giving him the excuse that she was going to walk home with a classmate.

 

There were many breakfast stalls outside the school. You wouldn’t see any in the mornings, but they would appear when school let out. From fried skewers to mung bean soup, they were very popular with the children.

 

Xia Wanshuang walked up to a stall run by an auntie. She was selling sticky rice cakes. The rice cakes came out of a container, were cut into small round pieces, and rolled in sesame sugar. They were coated in a layer of sugar and looked delicious. There was a sign next to them that said, “Six for one yuan.”

 

“Auntie, I’ll take a one-yuan portion.”

 

“Alright, little girl, just a moment.”

 

There was someone in front of Xia Wanshuang. She waited for a while and then got her portion. The auntie stuck two toothpicks in it for her convenience.

 

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t really interested in the sticky rice cakes; she wanted to know where the small plastic bowls were sold.

 

“Auntie, where do you buy these bowls?”

 

“I buy them from a supplier.”

 

The auntie answered casually. After finishing the other order, she waited for a new customer.

 

“Where do you buy them? I want to buy these small bowls to put food in.”

 

“You want some? I can give you a few.”

 

These things weren’t expensive. The little girl was well-behaved and charming, and the auntie was happy to give her two small plastic bowls.

 

“No, thank you, Auntie. I want to know where to buy them so my mom can go buy them.”

 

“There’s a supplier on Dongsan Road. What do you need so many for?”

 

The auntie asked curiously. Before Xia Wanshuang could answer, a few more students walked up.

 

“Auntie, I want a one-yuan portion.”

 

“I want a fifty-cent portion.”

 

“Okay, okay, coming right up.”

 

The auntie had new customers and didn’t have time to wait for Xia Wanshuang’s answer. Xia Wanshuang had her answer, so she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

 

Xia Wanshuang ate two of the sticky rice cakes in her hand, then decided to save the rest for Zhou Qinglang. She thought about how to get to Dongsan Road.

 

Xia Wanshuang took out her key at the door, but before she could put it in the lock, the door opened.

 

“Sister, you’re back.”

 

“Yeah. Here, have some.”

 

Xia Wanshuang put the small bowl in Zhou Qinglang’s hands, turned around to close the door, changed her shoes, and put down her backpack.

 

“These are so good.”

 

Zhou Qinglang still had sugar powder on her mouth, licking her lips as she spoke to Xia Wanshuang.

 

“I’m glad you like them. I’ll buy them for you again next time. What did you do at home this afternoon?”

 

“I watched TV, read books, and played the card game you taught me.”

 

“Did you remember to turn off the computer when you were done?”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“Good. I’m going to do my homework first.”

 

Xia Wanshuang assumed Zhou Qinglang was playing the beginner level of the card game, so she didn’t think much of it. She wanted to finish her homework before starting her tasks.

 

But Zhou Qinglang was actually already figuring out how to beat the two-suit version on her own. She had succeeded once, but it took a long time.

 

She also tried to play Minesweeper but gave up because she couldn’t understand the rules.

 

Xia Wanshuang finished her elementary school homework as quickly as possible. The teacher always assigned it during the last period and didn’t allow students to finish early, so Teacher Xia, the older student, had to write it at home.

 

She finished her homework in less than ten minutes. Xia Wanshuang opened the fridge and took out the fruit and the ice jelly that had been chilling all afternoon.

 

Xia Wanshuang took out four strawberries, didn’t use them for juice, but cut them into small pieces and set them aside.

 

After juicing the remaining fruit into strawberry and orange juice, Xia Wanshuang put the large bottles back in the fridge and started to prepare the bowl of ice jelly.

 

The ice jelly had turned clear and looked very refreshing.

 

Xia Wanshuang took out some brown sugar from home, which she had only used a little of, and made a cup of brown sugar water.

 

Zhou Qinglang watched from the side, eagerly awaiting her treat.

 

Xia Wanshuang found a jar of raisins that she had found while cleaning, took one, and tasted it. It hadn’t gone bad; it was sweet and sour.

 

Xia Wanshuang casually put another one in Zhou Qinglang’s mouth. Zhou Qinglang chewed it, and the longing in her eyes intensified.

 

She took out a spoon and a porcelain bowl, put some ice jelly in it, and then added raisins and the strawberries she had just cut. Then she poured in the brown sugar water.

 

“It’s a shame I prepared this so quickly. I don’t have peanuts, watermelon, or red beans.”

 

Xia Wanshuang mumbled. This was a spur-of-the-moment idea, so she hadn’t been fully prepared.

 

“Langlang, try it. Is it good?”

 

“It’s delicious!”

 

“You haven’t even tasted it yet.”

 

Xia Wanshuang said with a laugh, pinching Zhou Qinglang’s cheek.

 

“As long as Sister makes it, it’s good.”

 

Zhou Qinglang said with certainty. She took the bowl from Xia Wanshuang’s hand and ate it with the spoon.

 

“It really is delicious! And so cold!”

 

Zhou Qinglang had never eaten anything like this before. It was a wonderful feeling.

 

The ice jelly slid down her throat into her stomach. The sweetness of the brown sugar mixed with the sweet and sour taste of the raisins and strawberries. The three different kinds of sweetness, combined with the coldness, made Zhou Qinglang feel great, and her admiration for Xia Wanshuang grew.

 

How can someone in the world be so amazing?

 

“I’m glad you like it.”

 

Xia Wanshuang also made a bowl for herself. Ice jelly was an essential summer treat, and after drinking it, she felt much cooler.

 

There was enough left in the bowl for two more servings. Xia Wanshuang prepared two more bowls, put in the ingredients, and asked Zhou Qinglang to carry one to Zhao Tianhang’s house next door.

 

“Shuangshuang, what are you two carrying? It looks delicious.”

 

Zhao Tianhang looked curiously at the contents of the bowls. He had never eaten this before.

 

“It is delicious. Brother Tianhang, do you have any peanuts?”

 

“I think so. My mom bought some a few days ago. Look, I found them. They’re here.”

 

Zhao Tianhang opened the coffee table drawer and took out a bag of peanuts.

 

Xia Wanshuang took a few, shelled them, and used a small plastic bag to smash them into pieces. She poured the pieces into the two bowls and then went to Zhao Tianhang’s kitchen to get two spoons.

 

“Where’s Aunt Jiang? Isn’t she back yet?”

 

“She should be back soon. Can I eat this just like this?”

 

Zhao Tianhang was already a little impatient.

 

When Jiang Wan came back, she saw the three children sitting on the sofa, and her son was eating something. She put the groceries on the floor and looked over curiously.

 

“Hanghang, what are you eating?”

 

“The ice jelly Shuangshuang brought over. It’s so good, Mom. Come eat. Yours is in the fridge.”

 

Ice jelly wasn’t as good if it wasn’t cold. Xia Wanshuang didn’t know exactly when Jiang Wan would be home, so she had put the bowl in the fridge.

 

“Shuangshuang made it?”

 

Jiang Wan opened the fridge curiously, took the bowl out, stirred it, and took a bite. She felt much better and was surprised.

 

“Shuangshuang, where did you buy this?”

 

“Auntie, I made it myself.”

 

“Wow, Shuangshuang, you’re amazing.”

 

Zhao Tianhang looked at her with admiration, but Jiang Wan felt a strange mix of emotions. She looked at Xia Wanshuang with suspicion.

 

“Shuangshuang, when did you learn to do all this?”