Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 17

Before night arrived, there was one very important matter: dinner.

“Shuangshuang, my mom called to say she has to work late tonight, so she told us to eat instant noodles,” Zhao Tianhang announced.

It wasn’t that Jiang Wan insisted the children eat instant noodles; it was just that, previously, the two children preferred eating instant noodles at home over going out.

But Teacher Xia did not agree. Instant noodles are high in oil and salt and lack complete nutrition. If children ate them too often, it could lead to nutritional imbalances. Xia Wanshuang didn’t want the two children to eat instant noodles.

“Brother Tianhang, I remember you still have leftover rice from lunch, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s in the fridge. Why?”

Zhao Tianhang was already excited and ready to boil water for his instant noodles. Instant noodles are simply a delicacy!

“Let’s not eat instant noodles tonight. Watch this.”

Just as she was about to go next door, Xia Wanshuang suddenly remembered a portion of fried noodles that had been in her fridge for two days. She quickly took it out and threw it away.

“C-can’t we eat it?”

Zhou Qinglang looked regretfully at the fried noodles. Xia Wanshuang had bought it for her the day she took her in, but she had only managed a few bites because she was sick.

It has meat and egg in it. Is she really going to throw it away?

“It’s gone bad. I forgot about it, and it’s spoiled. I’ll buy you a new one next time you want to eat it.”

Eggs are not good to eat after sitting overnight. Xia Wanshuang had initially planned to heat it up for a late-night snack but forgot amid all the busyness.

“Never mind, Sister. I don’t want to eat it; I just thought it was a waste.”

Zhou Qinglang shook her head. That specific bowl of fried noodles was unique; buying an identical one wouldn’t hold the same significance.

Xia Wanshuang held Zhou Qinglang’s hand and went next door. Zhao Tianhang watched Xia Wanshuang take leftover food from the fridge, feeling a little nervous.

“Shuangshuang, you, you, you… maybe we shouldn’t do this. It feels dangerous.”

Zhao Tianhang felt anxious thinking about knives and other things in the kitchen. What if something happened to Shuangshuang?

“It’s fine. If you’re worried, just stand and watch.”

Xia Wanshuang was only going to fry leftover rice, so she didn’t need a knife. She moved a small stool in front of the stove.

“Sister Langlang, maybe you should try to convince Shuangshuang?”

Even though he knew his Sister Shuangshuang was now very capable, Zhao Tianhang still thought gas stoves and things like that were too dangerous for children.

“My sister is super capable,” Zhou Qinglang emphasized loudly. She had seen Xia Wanshuang chop fruit and was confident her sister wouldn’t hurt herself.

Zhao Tianhang was ready to call his mother for help until the aromatic fried rice was placed in front of him.

Because Zhao Tianhang liked peas with minced meat and shredded potatoes, Jiang Wan often made those dishes. Since they hadn’t finished them at lunch, Xia Wanshuang used the peas to fry the rice and heated up the shredded potatoes to layer on top of the fried rice. It was exactly one bowl for each of them.

Jiang Wan also had a tomato at home. Fearing the children wouldn’t be full, Xia Wanshuang quickly made an egg drop soup, one bowl for each.

“Shuangshuang, you’re amazing!”

Zhao Tianhang’s eyes sparkled, and his face was filled with admiration.

Shuangshuang used to be the little girl who just followed him around calling him ‘brother,’ but suddenly she was acting like an older sister. This made him feel both a little left out and happy. But he quickly stopped thinking about it and took a bite of the fried rice. It smelled and tasted so good.

“I told you my sister is super capable.”

Zhou Qinglang looked at Zhao Tianhang with a slight air of contempt. Dummy. How dare he doubt her?

“Hurry up and eat. I’ll wash the dishes when you’re done.”

Xia Wanshuang smiled and ruffled Zhou Qinglang’s hair, her expression full of affection.

This expression looked too mature on a ten-year-old girl. Any adult with a keen eye would notice something was off, but the person in front of her was Zhou Qinglang. The little girl couldn’t see anything unusual; she only felt the genuine warmth from the soul of the person in front of her, and she was drawn to it.

Zhao Tianhang and Zhou Qinglang happily finished their fried rice and soup. Zhao Tianhang rubbed his round belly and made a sound of satisfaction.

“Shuangshuang, are you going out to sell things again tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll come with you. I’ll help. I’ve already finished my homework.”

“Okay, thank you, Brother Tianhang.”

Xia Wanshuang said while washing the dishes. She felt a bit embarrassed to say “brother” directly, but saying it with his name somehow made the shame less intense.

When the time was right, Xia Wanshuang got ready to leave.

She had more to prepare today. Besides the juice, she also had the essentials for the ice jelly. One bag was barely enough, so Xia Wanshuang divided everything into two bags.

Zhao Tianhang helped carry the table. Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang each carried a bag. The three children slowly made their way downstairs.

The spot was the same as usual. The barbecue stall owner seemed to have tacitly approved of Xia Wanshuang doing business there.

Xia Wanshuang took out the ice jelly and opened the stainless steel lid. At home, she had already dumped the ice cubes from the tray into it to ensure the ice jelly stayed as cold as possible.

She took out a plastic bowl, scooped in the ice jelly, then added crushed peanuts, red beans, raisins, and watermelon, finally drizzling it with brown sugar water. She placed it in front of the owner.

“Shuang’er, what’s this? Never seen it before.”

The owner was a man in his thirties who looked quite honest. He didn’t know Xia Wanshuang’s name before, but since Zhou Qinglang called her “Sister Shuangshuang,” he figured the little girl had the character shuang in her name and started calling her that.

“Brown Sugar Ice Jelly, Uncle. Give it a try.”

The owner used his spoon to stir the ingredients and took a bite. The ice jelly was cool, with a jelly-like texture. The sweetness of the brown sugar mixed with the unique aroma of the crushed peanuts, plus the sweet-sour taste of the raisins, the grainy sweetness of the red beans, and the fresh sweetness of the watermelon. It was delightfully cool.

“That’s pretty good. I’ll buy another bowl for my little girl.”

“Coming right up.”

“How much for a bowl?”

“One yuan and fifty cents.”

The owner handed over three yuan. Xia Wanshuang quickly waved her hands, trying to give back the change.

“Keep it.”

The owner shook his head. To an adult like him, a few yuan wasn’t much. Plus, the little girl was only taking up a small space to run her stall. Customers who came to his shop had mentioned that the child’s father was gone, and her mother was missing. Since he also had a young daughter, he naturally wouldn’t take advantage of her for a few cents or yuan.

Xia Wanshuang gave the owner’s daughter a bowl of ice jelly and deliberately added extra toppings.

The locals hadn’t tried Brown Sugar Ice Jelly prepared this way and were all quite curious. The customers at the barbecue stall were always the first to try something new. Xia Wanshuang was busy preparing the orders and sent Zhao Tianhang and Zhou Qinglang to deliver them.

Passersby also came over to sample it. They would then go to the park to stroll and chat, bringing in more customers.

The feedback for the ice jelly was excellent. Xia Wanshuang’s large bowl of it sold out in no time. Customers who missed out had to settle for a cup of juice.

Xia Wanshuang smiled as she took the money. Although it was just small amounts of money, the sense of satisfaction she felt was indescribable.

When there was only a little juice left, Xia Wanshuang decided to pack up.

“Huh? Aren’t you going to sell the rest?”

“There are only two cups left. We’ll drink them ourselves.”

“Yay!”

Zhou Qinglang smiled sweetly. As Xia Wanshuang poured the drinks, she handed the first one to Zhao Tianhang, being impeccably polite.

It wasn’t that Zhou Qinglang no longer found him annoying. It was just that because he was helping Xia Wanshuang, Zhou Qinglang’s perception of him improved.

“Thanks, Sister Langlang.”

Zhao Tianhang felt pleasantly surprised. He drank the sweet and sour strawberry juice and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Just as they were about to pack up and leave, the owner suddenly called out to them.

“Here, take this home to eat.”

The owner handed over a take-out box containing a substantial amount of barbecue.

“Uncle, I… I’ll pay for this. How much is it?”

Xia Wanshuang was flustered, instinctively reaching for her money.

“No need, no need. Just take it. My treat. You’ve been busy for an hour or two, and besides, you’re bringing me customers by selling here. Take it.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Xia Wanshuang thanked him repeatedly. Zhou Qinglang and Zhao Tianhang also chimed in with their thanks.

“Go on now. Be careful not to trip on the way.”

The three children’s figures faded into the night. The owner shook his head, sighed, and continued with his business.

In this world, extending kindness to others brings a two-way happiness the moment it is acknowledged.

After watching Zhao Tianhang go into his house, Xia Wanshuang immediately went to scrub the containers clean. Then she sent Zhou Qinglang to bathe and went to do the accounts herself.

After deducting all expenses, the profit was thirty-three yuan.

This meant Xia Wanshuang’s total assets were now seven hundred and eighty yuan.

Xia Wanshuang let out a long breath, as if exhaling all the worries from her chest.

It’s not enough, but this is just the beginning.

The sound of water mixed with steam came from the bathroom. Xia Wanshuang glanced at it, firming up her resolve.

She didn’t have many big ideas or grand goals right now. She just wanted to make life a little better for herself and Zhou Qinglang. Just a little better would be enough.

It was the most she could do.