Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 15

Because of yesterday’s groundwork, today’s business went smoothly. Many customers from the barbecue stall came over to show their support.

Zhou Qinglang was still as quiet as she was yesterday, silently pouring drinks without saying a word. In contrast, Zhao Tianhang was much more energetic. He and Xia Wanshuang were a sweet-talking duo, smiling and complimenting everyone they saw, which made people feel good.

Jiang Wan watched from the shade of a nearby tree, smiling as she saw the children bustling about.

Someone chatted with her, saying that she was good at teaching children to be independent. Jiang Wan shook her head and said that it was all the children’s own hard work.

Seeing how motivated Xia Wanshuang was, Jiang Wan felt more energized herself.

All the juice was sold out in less than an hour.

Before they sold out, the little boss, Xia, didn’t forget to give a cup to Zhao Tianhang and Zhou Qinglang each so they could cool off.

“Time to go home.”

Xia Wanshuang held the empty bags, Zhou Qinglang carried the small table, and Zhao Tianhang walked beside them. Not far away, grandmas in the park were still fanning themselves, chatting, and gossiping.

Xia Wanshuang said goodnight to Zhao Tianhang and Aunt Jiang and then went inside with Zhou Qinglang.

The door closed, and the day’s work was finally over.

Xia Wanshuang got some clothes for Zhou Qinglang and told her to go take a bath. She went into the kitchen to wash the bottles and then went to her room to do the accounts.

Aunt Jiang paid for the cups and bowls, so that expense wasn’t on the ledger. All in all, they had made ten yuan more than the first day.

This was a good thing; at least it covered their expenses. Xia Wanshuang thought this, but she still couldn’t help but sigh.

[System]: Host, we are so poor! Waaaah!

The one hundred thousand yuan on that card was like a mischievous sprite, something they could see but not touch.

“Sister…”

Zhou Qinglang walked in, still a little damp from her bath, and happened to hear Xia Wanshuang sigh.

“Why don’t you let me go pick up trash? Even if it only earns a little money, it’s better than me not doing anything.”

She was fully aware that Xia Wanshuang had taken her in.

Seeing how hard Xia Wanshuang worked, going to school and busying herself with all these things, Zhou Qinglang felt she wasn’t contributing anything by staying at home.

“No, Langlang, it’s okay. I know you want to help, but I can’t bear to let you go out and pick up trash in the sun. Don’t worry, we’ll get by.”

Xia Wanshuang knew that Zhou Qinglang’s “picking up trash” wasn’t just picking up bottles from the side of the road or from a trash can. It meant going through dumpsters and going to many places, and what was the difference between that and her old life? Xia Wanshuang couldn’t bear to let the child suffer.

“Langlang, do you know that the trash outside has a lot of germs on it? They can get on you and make you sick, and being sick is easy to spread to others, too.”

“Then I won’t go.”

Zhou Qinglang immediately replied nervously. If she got sick, it would cost money to get better, and they didn’t have any money. Plus, she didn’t want to make Sister Shuangshuang sick.

“Good girl.”

Xia Wanshuang patted the little girl’s face. Because her living environment had changed these past two days, Zhou Qinglang’s complexion looked much better. With her beautiful eyebrows and eyes, who would know she used to wander the streets?

Once I have money, I’ll raise my daughter to be fair and soft, Teacher Xia silently vowed to herself.

The system, which had read her thoughts, was already tired of repeating its “mother-daughter” objections.

“I’m going to take a bath now. You can wait for me in the room, or you can go play on the computer for a bit.”

“Okay.”

After Xia Wanshuang entered the bathroom, Zhou Qinglang went to the study, but she didn’t turn on the computer. Instead, she looked at the books on the shelf.

Among the pile of books, Zhou Qinglang found a photo album and curiously pulled it out.

The first photo in the album was of a baby with a red mark between its eyebrows, biting its finger and looking at the camera. Next to the photo was the word “Full Moon.”

If Xia Wanshuang had seen this photo, she would have found it familiar, as it was her own full moon photo.

The system saw this but didn’t pay it any mind.

To help first-time hosts immerse themselves, when data is extracted, the original owner’s appearance data is replaced with the host’s, and this applies to small details like photo albums, too.

Thinking about this, the system felt a little sad again. It still hadn’t been able to contact its superiors. It was like a small boat that had lost its lighthouse, drifting aimlessly on the sea.

Zhou Qinglang sat in the chair and flipped through the album. The album didn’t have many photos; the pages at the back were empty.

Sister Shuangshuang was so cute when she was little, Zhou Qinglang said to herself, poking the child’s face in the photo and unconsciously smiling.

Just as the bathroom door opened, Zhou Qinglang put the album back and walked out.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t come out of the bathroom but started filling the tub with water to wash clothes.

“Sister, I’ll help you.”

Zhou Qinglang carried a small stool into the bathroom and watched as Xia Wanshuang added water and laundry detergent.

“Okay, be careful not to let the soap get in your eyes.”

“Okay!”

Zhou Qinglang imitated Xia Wanshuang’s movements, rubbing the clothes with her. She moved however Xia Wanshuang moved, and the grunting and groaning she made while washing the clothes was quite funny.

There weren’t many clothes for the two of them. After rinsing them three times, Xia Wanshuang started wringing them out.

A child’s strength was limited. Xia Wanshuang put all her effort into wringing the clothes out and putting them in the basin.

Zhou Qinglang took the piece of clothing that Xia Wanshuang had just put in, shook it out like Xia Wanshuang had, and wrung it out again, squeezing out a lot of water.

Xia Wanshuang: “…”

And so, Zhou Qinglang took on the job of the 2.0 spin cycle.

After the clothes were hung to dry, the day was completely over.

Xia Wanshuang turned on the fan, lay on the bed, set the alarm, and turned off the light.

Zhou Qinglang actually wanted to hear a bedtime story from Xia Wanshuang but was afraid she was tired, so she just closed her eyes silently.

“Langlang, do you want to hear a bedtime story tonight?”

“Yes!”

Zhou Qinglang blurted out. She then realized she sounded a bit too eager and blushed in embarrassment. Thankfully, it was dark, and Sister Shuangshuang couldn’t see her face.

Xia Wanshuang told the story of “The Little Mermaid,” a tale about a lovely mermaid.

When she got to the part where the prince mistook the princess for the person who saved him, little Zhou Qinglang ruthlessly complained.

“Are all princes this stupid?”

Zhou Qinglang originally wanted to say “dumb,” but to maintain her image in front of Sister Shuangshuang, she chose a more subtle word.

“That’s called a twist of fate. After all, the Little Mermaid was already hidden when the prince woke up. The first person he saw was that princess.”

“Fine.”

Zhou Qinglang was unhappy and mentally added that shameless princess to her blacklist.

The Little Mermaid traded her voice for a pair of legs, danced on the tip of a sword, and finally turned into seafoam.

“What was the point of her doing that?”

What’s so great about the prince? Little Zhou Qinglang was furious inside.

“If the Little Mermaid thought it was worth it, then it was meaningful.”

Whether losing one’s life for love is worth it has always been a debatable topic.

Xia Wanshuang saw this clearly, but Zhou Qinglang didn’t understand.

So, in her dream that night, Zhou Qinglang dreamed of a sea.

On the shore, she saw a cute mermaid, and the mermaid had Sister Shuangshuang’s face.

The prince was lying on the sand. When he woke up, he saw her.

She kicked the prince away and hugged the little mermaid’s arm.

You don’t want the trashy prince? Well, I do!