Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 14

If Zhao Tianhang’s unilateral joy counted as “getting along well,” then Zhao Tianhang and Zhou Qinglang were indeed getting along well.

 

Zhou Qinglang patiently answered several of Zhao Tianhang’s questions. But when he asked about her family, she finally lost her patience.

 

“They’re dead.”

 

Zhou Qinglang’s face was ice cold. She didn’t look like a seven-year-old at all.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

 

Zhao Tianhang immediately apologized, his expression becoming more cautious.

 

“I’ll go play with my toys with you. I can give you a toy. Don’t be sad.”

 

“No thanks.”

 

Zhou Qinglang refused. She wasn’t actually sad right now. She had already come to terms with it long ago.

 

Her grandmother died of an illness because they had no money for medicine. Her health got worse and worse, and one morning, she was gone.

 

Before she passed, her grandmother had a premonition and told her that everyone would have their day and that she should live her life well.

 

What made her angrier than Zhao Tianhang bringing it up was his constant questioning. It made Zhou Qinglang feel as if her world was being intruded upon, and it made her very uncomfortable.

 

Xia Wanshuang didn’t know the two children were at odds. She had already found the supplier on Dongsan Road.

 

After she chose the bowls and cups she wanted, Jiang Wan haggled with the seller.

 

The price for a box of cups, a box of bowls, and a bag of spoons was more than what Xia Wanshuang had on her, so Jiang Wan paid and put the items in the front of her scooter.

 

“Auntie, I’ll pay you back when we get home.”

 

“No need. It’s only a few dozen yuan. Think of it as me investing in you. Don’t be so polite.”

 

“Okay, thank you, Auntie.”

 

Xia Wanshuang kept this act of kindness in her heart without saying more.

 

“Oh, right, Shuangshuang, we’re going to the police station on Sunday. Remember to bring your documents. I organized them for you in a small bag. Do you remember where you put it?”

 

“I do.”

 

“That’s good. But what about your guardianship? Do you have any other relatives?”

 

Jiang Wan knew it was unlikely she would get a positive answer to this question. After all, the child’s mother had been missing for half a year. If there were any relatives, they would have shown up by now.

 

“Uh… I don’t know.”

 

Xia Wanshuang hadn’t thought it all the way through and had almost forgotten about the guardianship.

 

If a missing person report was filed and confirmed, she would still be under eighteen and would need a legal guardian.

 

So, who was the original owner’s guardian?

 

[System]: Her mother! In the original plot, this money wasn’t supposed to be taken out early, so they never filed a missing person report.

 

Oh, great.

 

“If you don’t have any other relatives, you can move your residency here. You’ll be my daughter from now on, and we’ll be a complete family.”

 

[System]: Ahhh! Host, stop her! What are we going to do?! You and the male lead can’t be on the same residency! It’s absolutely impossible!!!

 

[Xia Wanshuang]: Calm down. I know.

 

Xia Wanshuang sat on the scooter, letting the wind blow her bangs back. She looked calm as a cucumber but was panicking inside.

 

Of course, she knew she couldn’t share the same residency as Zhao Tianhang. He was the male lead, and she was a supporting character. If they were on the same residency, the story would fall apart.

 

In that case, wouldn’t the script turn from “childhood sweethearts and a lovestruck side character” into “a morally corrupt and obsessed younger sister”? That sounds so twisted. Not only is it illegal, but it’s also morally wrong and against the core values of socialism.

 

Teacher Xia would never play a part like that. It would ruin her reputation.

 

So how could she explain it? If she didn’t get the certificate, she couldn’t get the hundred thousand yuan. If she did get it, the plot would fall apart. There was another way: to have someone else be her legal guardian. But there was no one, and Xia Wanshuang didn’t want to create any more complications.

 

Besides, if she let Aunt Jiang know that she was willing to find someone else to be her guardian instead of her, wouldn’t that show a lack of trust and hurt her feelings?

 

“Shuangshuang, you don’t want to?”

 

The little girl on the back seat had been silent for too long, and the joy on Jiang Wan’s face faded.

 

“I think… I can wait for my mom.”

 

Xia Wanshuang spoke, her face filled with sorrow.

 

Xia Wanshuang was truly sad. Why was getting this hundred thousand yuan so complicated?

 

“But…”

 

Jiang Wan sighed, but she didn’t finish her sentence.

 

It had been so long. Everyone knew it was unlikely her mother would come back. She was probably gone, but Jiang Wan couldn’t just say that to Xia Wanshuang and destroy the child’s hope.

 

“What about the money? You’re not going to get it out?”

 

Jiang Wan didn’t think that was a good idea, either. After all, Xia Wanshuang wasn’t living alone; she had a little sister with her.

 

“Let’s not get it for now. I still have some money at home. It should be fine.”

 

“Are you sure it’s okay? We can file the report now. If your mom comes back, you can always change it back.”

 

“Thank you, Auntie. It’s okay. Let’s just leave it as it is for now. It’s fine.”

 

Xia Wanshuang took a deep breath. Her heart was aching a little.

 

[System]: We’re back to square one. Waaah, this is so sad.

 

Jiang Wan didn’t know what else to say. She could only repeat what she had said before—to let her know if they had any problems. There was nothing else she could say.

 

“Langlang will be starting first grade soon, too. I’ll see if I can find some friends to help me with Langlang’s residency and get her into a school.”

 

The evening breeze was gentle. Jiang Wan’s voice was carried on the wind, filled with a warm sense of human kindness.

 

“Thank you, Auntie, for everything.”

 

Xia Wanshuang had said “thank you” many times today, but when it came to human connection, this sentence without the words “thank you” was the most meaningful.

 

When Xia Wanshuang and Jiang Wan got home, it was already dark. The streetlights shone brightly, some bright and some dim. Moths and little bugs swirled underneath them.

 

Jiang Wan carried the boxes into Xia Wanshuang’s apartment and neatly arranged them.

 

“Are you going to sell juice now?”

 

“Yes, we’re going now.”

 

“Okay, I’ll go wash the dishes. I’ll have Tianhang go with you, and I’ll come down to find you after I’m done.”

 

Jiang Wan opened her door and called for Zhao Tianhang. But she saw Zhou Qinglang dart out first and rush towards Xia Wanshuang. She couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Sister, you’re back! Are we going to sell things now?”

 

“Yes, we are. I’ll get the bags.”

 

Xia Wanshuang put the bottles in the bag she had used yesterday and took out three packs of cups from the box, putting them in the bag.

 

These cups were a little smaller than yesterday’s, with about twenty in each pack.

 

“I’ll carry it.”

 

Zhou Qinglang volunteered to carry the heaviest bag, and Xia Wanshuang went to get the small table.

 

“Sister Langlang, I’ll help you carry that.”

 

Zhao Tianhang had already put on his shoes. He was excited when his mom told him he could go with his sisters to sell things, but he saw the bag in Sister Langlang’s hand looked heavy.

 

“No thanks.”

 

Zhou Qinglang coldly refused. She didn’t want to carry the same bag as him.

 

“Then Shuangshuang, I’ll help you carry the table.”

 

The small folding table wasn’t heavy. Zhao Tianhang took it from Xia Wanshuang and ran ahead.

 

“Brother Tianhang, slow down.”

 

Xia Wanshuang was scared the child would fall, and she watched Zhao Tianhang’s back with a bit of a fright.

 

[System]: I’ve noticed that humans often say one thing and mean another.

 

[Xia Wanshuang]: What makes you say that, my friend?

 

[System]: For example, you call him ‘brother’ but you treat him like your son in your heart.

 

[Xia Wanshuang]: Maybe that’s just friendship.

 

Xia Wanshuang, of course, wasn’t just standing there empty-handed watching the two children work. She went over and shared Zhou Qinglang’s load.

 

With two people carrying one bag, Zhou Qinglang suddenly felt that the back of the person carrying the table looked a bit more pleasing to the eye.

 

It was completely dark. A few stars were scattered in the sky.

 

The grill of the barbecue stand was set up outside. The meat on the rack was flipped repeatedly. The owner sprinkled cumin and sesame seeds on it. They sizzled as they fell onto the charcoal. Small bubbles appeared on the cooked meat. The wind blew, and the smell drifted into the noses of passersby, pulling at their senses like a hook.

 

Xia Wanshuang had Zhao Tianhang put the table down. She set it up, arranged the cups and juice, and poured a cup for the busy owner. She smiled at him, which was her way of paying for her spot.

 

Once the juice was ready, Xia Wanshuang began to call out.

 

“Cool, freshly squeezed juice, one yuan a cup, or one-and-a-half yuan for two cups! Uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters, come and take a look!”

 

Her clear, childlike voice was carried far on the wind. Someone curious walked up to the stall and gave her one yuan.

 

And just like that, they were in business.

 

We have to work hard to live today, too!