Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 24

Since she planned to sell at the school, she definitely couldn’t rely on walking to the stall location as she currently did. She absolutely needed a suitable mode of transportation.

There was no vehicle more appropriate for a street vendor than a tricycle.

Xia Wanshuang planned to buy a second-hand tricycle for her commuting needs.

However, she wasn’t sure about the market price for tricycles and used vehicles, so she asked the Grandpa she was most familiar with, Grandpa Zhang.

“A used tricycle, huh… I’m really not sure. I’ll ask around for you this afternoon.”

Xia Wanshuang nodded, her mind still preoccupied with an unresolved matter.

Xia Wanshuang still didn’t know what to do about Zhou Qinglang’s household registration (hukou).

Although she had promised to find a solution, Xia Wanshuang was currently unable to act, not because she didn’t want to, but because she simply couldn’t.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t even trust having her own hukou under someone else’s name, so how could she trust handing over Zhou Qinglang’s?

This was no joke. Being placed on someone’s hukou meant establishing a legal relationship with them. The guardian could exercise their rights and do many things. If she chose the wrong person, it would lead to endless trouble.

Xia Wanshuang couldn’t definitively judge who was purely good, nor did she know who was reliable and who she could ask for help. Currently, the only person she could trust was Jiang Wan.

But if she chose Jiang Wan, the future lovers would become siblings!

It was a complete deadlock.

Zhou Qinglang noticed that Xia Wanshuang would sometimes stare blankly at her, accompanied by deep thought and a frown, looking very troubled.

“Sister, is my hukou issue worrying you?”

“I don’t seem to be able to find any other way.” Xia Wanshuang forced a bitter smile, looking at Zhou Qinglang with an apologetic expression. She had promised to find a solution, but right now, Aunt Jiang was the only one she trusted one hundred percent.

“Aunt Jiang is a very kind person. If she is willing to take me in, I would be very grateful. And I am very lucky that I met you, Sister.” Zhou Qinglang’s voice was not as clear or childishly soft as a typical child’s, but carried a natural hoarseness that made her sound particularly earnest and solemn.

Xia Wanshuang stroked Zhou Qinglang’s head. Because of her experiences, Langlang was also a little adult. If there wasn’t the hurdle of the plot, she would have agreed instantly.

Now, it seemed she had no choice but to go this route and let Zhou Qinglang become siblings with Zhao Tianhang for the time being.

Xia Wanshuang’s fear was that if the two became legal siblings, the romance would be over.

After all, Zhou Qinglang was still eleven years away from adulthood. If they truly bonded as siblings, the plot would be ruined. She might as well resign her post as the love rival.

The system sighed deeply in Xia Wanshuang’s mind, also preoccupied.

Everything is in chaos.

The system still couldn’t contact its superiors. It felt a sense of despair, wondering what would happen if they still couldn’t make contact when the 24-year mark came. To the system, being forgotten would be terrifying.

Xia Wanshuang went to the bathroom to wash her face and suddenly remembered the question she had asked the system earlier.

“System, did you find out why Langlang doesn’t have a hukou?”

[System]: Mmhmm, I found it.

The system pulled itself out of its depressed mood and shared the information it had retrieved from the data.

[System]: The old woman who first raised her had no awareness of household registration, so she never got one. The first orphanage she stayed at was only for less than half a month. Due to financial struggles, that orphanage couldn’t handle so many children. When she arrived, they were in a difficult period, and the person in charge was completely overwhelmed, so they didn’t have time to register her.

[System]: You also know there’s something shady about the orphanage here, Shuangshuang. They prefer children they don’t want to be visible to be unregistered… so…

Xia Wanshuang’s eyelashes fluttered, her expression complex.

She was never an idealist or a naive optimist about the world’s darkness. She knew how many dark tentacles hid behind the light, yet she felt helpless against them.

Wherever there are people, there are desires and interests.

In a way, it was a good thing that Zhou Qinglang’s guardianship wasn’t in the hands of the orphanage.

••••

The hukou matter was provisionally settled between Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang. Xia Wanshuang was grateful to Jiang Wan but didn’t know how to express it, other than to take good care of Zhao Tianhang when Jiang Wan was away so that Jiang Wan could rest assured.

That afternoon, as soon as Xia Wanshuang arrived at the park, the grandpas surrounded her.

“Shuang’er, Old Liu has a spare tricycle. Go pick it up from his house later.”

“Huh?” Xia Wanshuang was stunned and looked at Grandpa Liu.

“Grandpa Liu, you have one? I was just looking to buy a second-hand tricycle. How much are you selling it for?”

“Hmm… how much…” Grandpa Liu looked around, exchanging glances with the people nearby.

“Fifty?” suggested Grandpa Liu.

“Thirty?” suggested Grandpa Zhou.

“Ten yuan.” offered Grandpa Zhang.

“Ten yuan sounds good. Is that still too expensive?”

The grandpas whispered to each other. Xia Wanshuang had already won over the grandpas with her superior chess skills (best in the neighborhood) and her cute, sweet-talking personality. Her young age, difficult background, and strong self-reliance made the grandpas feel even more protective, wanting to help her whenever possible.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, her face filled with genuine emotion.

“Grandpas, you really don’t have to do this. I think I have enough money to buy a used tricycle.”

“You have money? What money do you have?” Grandpa Zhang, who was straightforward, glared at Xia Wanshuang.

He was supplying goods to Xia Wanshuang, so he knew how busy the child was, starting work right after school and still finding time to come to the park.

He had told Xia Wanshuang she didn’t need to come and accompany them, but to rest more. She was only a ten-year-old girl, and her sister was only seven, yet they were bearing the heavy burden of life too early.

His heart ached. He wanted to help, but Xia Wanshuang was stubborn and insisted on coming.

This child is so capable; she’s sure to be successful in the future. She shouldn’t be constrained by her current life.

“Shuang’er, ten yuan. If you don’t agree, I’ll sell it for five, or even give it away for free.” Grandpa Liu, the owner of the tricycle, made the final decision, and the others agreed immediately.

“No, no, no! How about two hundred?” Xia Wanshuang wasn’t clear on the market price. She didn’t have much money now and was truly embarrassed, but she also didn’t want to take advantage of their kindness. She felt that offering two hundred was still too low and was very apologetic.

“Shuangshuang, we know you’re polite, but you’re too young right now. This isn’t the time for negotiating prices. You can pay us back when you grow up. Or just visiting us more often is fine too.” Grandpa Liu said, smiling. He was a portly man and looked especially amiable.

These old men, the youngest of whom were in their fifties and the oldest in their seventies or eighties, were comfortable financially. They didn’t hang around stingy people and felt it was good to help the child. In the end, it wasn’t a fortune. Grandpa Liu’s tricycle had been unused for a year and wasn’t serving any purpose.

Xia Wanshuang couldn’t refuse any further. Knowing that courtesy dictated compliance, she profusely thanked them and followed Grandpa Liu to his house.

“It hasn’t been used in a while; it’s covered in dust.” Grandpa Liu pushed the cart out of the storage room and blew some of the dust off.

“I’ll go grab a rag to wipe it down for you.” Without waiting for Xia Wanshuang to answer, Grandpa Liu went into the house.

Xia Wanshuang helped wipe it, fetching water and wringing out the cloth. It took a while to clean. Xia Wanshuang was ready to ride it back but realized she didn’t have the strength. Seeing that Xia Wanshuang couldn’t pedal it herself, Grandpa Liu helped push it all the way back to her home.

“Shuang’er, you… if you can’t ride it, how will you go out?”

“It’s okay. I can push it. It’s not far.” No. 3 Middle School was not far from here, just a few streets away.

“Alright then. Call us if you need anything, Grandpas.”

“Mhm, okay. Thank you, Grandpa.”

With the new mode of transport, Xia Wanshuang was ready to head towards No. 3 Middle School.

Zhao Tianhang came over to help load the supplies onto the tricycle.

With everything loaded, Zhao Tianhang pedaled the tricycle, and Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang pushed alongside, and the three children set off toward No. 3 Middle School with great momentum.