Chapter 129: A Normal Mindset
The usually aloof and reserved dairy cow cat, having finally taken the initiative, was thus “punished” in a bewildered state.
By the time it realized what was happening, it was already being carried back to the cat tree by the smiling owner and started meowing anxiously.
Xiao Luohan hadn’t expected Jiang Xue to even be jealous of a cat!
She couldn’t help but chuckle and gently squeezed Jiang Xue’s hand, asking her to wait for her at the table, then entered the shop with the owner’s permission, produced the dairy cow cat’s favorite treat stick as if by magic, and started petting it while feeding it.
The dairy cow cat did miss her, otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken the initiative today. It only protested softly for a bit before rubbing against her hand and eating the treat stick.
Jiang Xue was sitting at the table, but she craned her neck and watched the entire time, only looking away when the owner called her to get their noodles, pretending to be nonchalant as she walked to the counter and carried the bowls back to the table with Xiao Luo, who had finished petting the cat and washed her hands.
After lunch, Jiang Xue returned to the classroom for her lunch break, while Xiao Luohan went to the library to find Cang Ling and then went home together, separating at the hallway stairs.
The graduation photos were just a brief interlude, and after that, their lives returned to normal.
Time flew by, and soon it was the end of May, and the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. After the holiday, in four days, they would face the final “battle” of the college entrance exam.
“This year’s Dragon Boat Festival is better than previous years. It’s said that one year, the Dragon Boat Festival was right before the college entrance exam—the exam was on June 7th, and the holiday was on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The Department of Education even adjusted the holiday dates, afraid that university students would take the exam for others during the break,” Jiang Xue said, helping Sister Cheng sort the bamboo leaves while explaining to Xiao Luohan.
“Take the exam for others?” Xiao Luohan asked, surprised.
“It means taking the college entrance exam in place of another student to get a high score,” Jiang Xue explained. “It’s almost unheard of now, the security checks at the exam venues are very strict, but ten or twenty years ago, there were quite a few cases.”
“Second Miss, these bamboo leaves are enough!” Sister Cheng said from the side. “Just leave the rest to me!”
Even though there were only three subjects left for the college entrance exam, Jiang Xue hadn’t dared to slack off and barely had any free time. It wasn’t until the holiday arrived that she realized she needed to relax, both physically and mentally, lest she become a “bundle of nerves.”
So, starting from the first morning of the holiday, she started helping Sister Cheng, mainly preparing for the Dragon Boat Festival zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
Without having to study, even sorting bamboo leaves was interesting.
Jiang Xue even washed the glutinous rice, red beans, red dates, and candied dates. If she weren’t so critical of her own skills, she might have even tried making a few zongzi herself.
Actually, there was never a shortage of zongzi in their home during the Dragon Boat Festival. Her two mothers and Jiang Mei would bring home all kinds of zongzi, from those with luxurious fillings to ordinary ones. Every year, they could only eat a portion, and the rest were given to acquaintances, even the housekeepers received some.
But Jiang Xue, considering that this was Xiao Luohan’s first Dragon Boat Festival in this world, after asking for her opinion, had asked Sister Cheng to buy various ingredients in advance, both sweet and savory.
If Xiao Luo was interested, she could make some herself to experience it. If not, she could eat the ones Sister Cheng made.
Xiao Luohan wasn’t particularly interested. When she was still with her mother, her mother would make zongzi for her every year, but wouldn’t let her eat too much—glutinous rice was difficult to digest and not good for her health.
Her mother would divide the unwrapped zongzi with her chopsticks, and if there were fillings like candied dates or red bean paste, her mother would always give her a piece with filling, dipped in sugar, just a taste.
Zongzi reminded her of her deceased mother. It was then that she realized that she hadn’t been able to completely let go of the past as she had imagined.
And as her resentment towards her mother gradually dissipated, she even started to miss her mother’s kindness. Now, seeing these ingredients, she stared at them for a long time, finally sighing and saying “sorry,” unable to bring herself to touch them.
She thought that she probably still needed a long time to process and overcome this sadness.
The Jiang family’s dinner tonight was especially sumptuous.
Stir-fried eel with preserved vegetables, baked yam with salted egg yolk, roasted yellow croaker with pepper salt and cumin, and a refreshing smashed cucumber salad with Sister Cheng’s secret chili sauce. Four of the “five yellows” of the Dragon Boat Festival were on the table. As for realgar wine, it had already been sprinkled in the corners of the house where snakes and insects might enter.
The eel and yellow croaker were Sister Cheng’s specialties. Jiang Xue couldn’t help but have a few extra servings, and she also finished most of the smashed cucumber salad, feeling satisfied.
But in the middle of the night, she was woken up by itching.
It was like the red welts from mosquito bites in the countryside, on her hands, arms, and all over her body, burning to the touch.
Jiang Xue was stunned for a long time before realizing that she was having an allergic reaction, a rather severe one.
Fortunately, it was just itchy skin for now, her breathing wasn’t affected. Taking medicine quickly might suppress it.
She didn’t dare disturb Xiao Luo, so she quietly got out of bed in the dark and rummaged through her first-aid kit for allergy medicine.
After taking the cetirizine, she went to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and was about to apply calamine lotion when she heard soft footsteps behind her.
Xiao Luohan hadn’t been sleeping well, but following the light, she saw Jiang Xue’s condition and was incredibly grateful for the subtle “connection” between them, allowing her to wake up and help immediately.
“Are you allergic to the eel and yellow croaker? Have you contacted Dr. Qi?” she asked, taking the lotion from Jiang Xue and picking up a cotton ball, ready to apply it.
“Not yet, I was planning to try and suppress it myself…” Jiang Xue said embarrassedly. “I woke you up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Xiao Luohan retorted. “Allergies should be taken seriously! Even if it’s just itchy skin, it will still affect you!”
Even though Xie Xitong had reminded her not to take Grandma Xie’s words too seriously, she still remembered the “tribulation of the college entrance exam.” Now that Jiang Xue was suffering right before the exam, her tone unconsciously became urgent.
Jiang Xue understood, but she still instinctively didn’t want to trouble anyone. After being scolded by Xiao Luohan, she obediently went back to the bedside, took her phone, contacted Dr. Qi, and also informed Jiang Mei, who wasn’t asleep yet.
Dr. Qi said she would come over immediately. Jiang Mei found some hormone pills with fewer side effects from her room and, after consulting Dr. Qi, watched as Jiang Xue took them.
During this time, Xiao Luohan had already applied the calamine lotion for Jiang Xue.
The light pink lotion covered the affected areas, patchy and unsightly. Jiang Xue felt that it looked ugly, so after it was applied, she put on her clothes and huddled under the covers, feeling a little down.
They had eaten home-cooked dishes tonight, the kind Sister Cheng often made, but they had usually been separate dishes, not all together like today.
But when it came to “bad luck,” there was nothing she could do. She could only pray that she would recover before the college entrance exam, and not be itching during the test.
Jiang Mei stayed by her side, while Xiao Luohan stood by the desk, repeatedly touching the small red pouch containing the amulet.
Would this be the last tribulation?
But the college entrance exam was still a few days away. And their “magical time” this month hadn’t arrived yet. According to their previous records, it would probably come around the time of the exam, but the exact date was uncertain.
After careful consideration, Xiao Luohan put the amulet back in Jiang Xue’s drawer, not using it prematurely.
Dr. Qi soon arrived, gave Jiang Xue an IV drip, and instructed her to eat bland food for the next few days, avoiding “allergy-triggering foods.”
Jiang Mei naturally also thought of the same things as Xiao Luohan. Early the next morning, a little after 5:00 AM, she went to visit the Xie family.
With the warmer weather, Grandma Xie usually woke up around 4:30 AM and would sometimes exercise in the courtyard, practicing Tai Chi, when it was sunny.
“You’re here to ask about A-Xue,” Grandma Xie said, welcoming her in and casually sitting down in the living room, as if she had already anticipated her visit. “She does tend to have bad luck during exams, but she’s always fortunate enough to have someone help her and overcome the difficulties.”
Because of this, she hadn’t specifically warned Jiang Xue to avoid disasters. Some minor misfortunes would happen unexpectedly, and experiencing them was sometimes better than avoiding them, making it easier to overcome the true “tribulation” later.
As for who the “benefactor” was, there was no need for her to specify.
Even if something happened during the college entrance exam, she had already given Xiao Luohan a protective amulet. It was up to the little girl when to use it.
Jiang Mei returned home with the answer, but still went to check on Jiang Xue, worried.
Jiang Xue’s IV drip had lasted until 3:00 AM last night, and the rashes had mostly subsided. The two girls were currently sleeping soundly in each other’s arms.
Jiang Mei just took a closer look, and after Xiao Linghan, with her sharper senses, also checked on the younger sisters, confirming that Jiang Xue’s allergic reaction had stabilized, she quietly left the room without disturbing anyone.
“Just in case, let A-Xue stay at home during the college entrance exam,” Jiang Mei said to Xiao Linghan, remembering that Sister Cheng had mentioned that the dust mite levels in the rented apartment were exceeding the standard. “I’m afraid she might have a dust mite allergy at night, which would be another problem.”
Xiao Linghan agreed, so when Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan woke up around noon, they discussed the arrangements for the college entrance exam.
Jiang Xue had no objections. She had only been staying at the rented apartment to sleep in a little longer in the morning, but now, with Xiao Luo, her wake-up time had become more regular, so there wasn’t much need for her to live near the school anymore.
And if worst came to worst, since A-Xi lived in the same area, if there was a traffic jam during the exam, they would both be affected.
After finalizing the plan, Jiang Xue stayed at home during the period she had to eat bland food, which, in her words, was a “blessing in disguise.” Unable to go out and have fun, she could only focus on studying and maintain her momentum.
After the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the students returned to school.
On the eve of the college entrance exam, when Jiang Xue went to the bathroom after returning home and saw a dark red stain, having experienced a series of misfortunes recently, she was able to treat it calmly.
She couldn’t explain her mentality. Perhaps she had gradually become “unfazed”? Or perhaps the previous two incidents had been more alarming, so this “accident,” caused by her normal physiological cycle, didn’t bother her much.
The amulet finally came into use. Sister Cheng, following Xiao Luohan’s request, sewed it inside the jacket Jiang Xue would wear for the exam.
Early the next morning, Xiao Luohan got into Sister Cheng’s car and accompanied Jiang Xue to school.
Si Ling was also one of the exam venues. Jiang Xue had already visited her assigned exam room yesterday. All three exams would be held in the same place, and the desks and chairs were brand new, the height just right.
Afraid that the ginger and red date soup would spoil, she only brought a thermos of hot water.
After getting out of the car at the school gate, Xiao Luohan looked up and saw two banners hanging on the bushes, filled with well wishes for the college entrance exam takers.
She, taking the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Special Enrollment” exam, wouldn’t receive such blessings, but she could continue following Jiang Xue’s path in a different way.
“Xiao Luo, I need your hug.”
Her beloved’s request brought Xiao Luohan back to her senses, and she hugged Jiang Xue tightly in front of the parents and students.
“The reward is still the same, right?” she whispered into Jiang Xue’s ear.
“Yes, I’ll be waiting,” Jiang Xue nodded.
