Chapter 166: This Will Be Our Little Home From Now On!
After frankly sharing her worst-case scenario and receiving Xie Xitong’s answer, Jiang Xue relaxed and continued eating the hot pot, her tongue burning from the spiciness, yet still adding meat and vegetables to the spicy broth.
Xiao Luohan opened a pre-ordered carton of soy milk and handed it to her, then wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue a few minutes later, making Jiang Xue feel embarrassed. She quickly added more of Xiao Luo’s favorite ingredients to the sour soup, scooping them up as soon as they were cooked and feeding them to Xiao Luo.
Since Xie Xitong was leaving the day after tomorrow, after finishing the hot pot, Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan didn’t go home immediately, but accompanied her to the amusement park.
“Actually, I like the pirate ship, the swing ride, and the roller coaster the most, the more thrilling ones are more fun,” Xie Xitong said, looking towards those rides and patting her stomach regretfully. “Unfortunately, I’m too full today!”
“I remember there’s a huge amusement park in the province where Y University is, an ice and snow themed one,” Jiang Xue recalled the notes she had seen about Province Y.
“Yes, Yuanyuan and I are going there before school starts. If it’s fun, we’ll go together next time when you’re free,” Xie Xitong said, smiling and glancing at Xiao Luohan. “If I remember correctly, Xiao Luo isn’t afraid of snow anymore, right?”
“Yes, I’m not afraid anymore,” Xiao Luohan nodded with a smile.
During the cold winter days, when snow had accumulated in the Xie family’s courtyard, Jiang Xue had held an umbrella for her, Cheng Shizhu had rolled a snowball and shaped it into a rabbit, and then they had decorated it with leaves and cherries for ears and eyes.
She would never forget that scene.
The three, having eaten their fill, only went on the gentler, all-ages rides. Passing by a vendor selling helium balloons and cotton candy, Xie Xitong, after asking for their opinions, bought them cotton candy.
Jiang Xue got a light green, mint-flavored cotton candy, and Xiao Luohan was eating an orange-flavored one. The cotton candy made with the old-fashioned machine was fluffy and soft, but you couldn’t eat too much, it was too sweet.
Xie Xitong, however, was playing with a light purple helium balloon, gently bouncing it.
The balloon had a print of a lavender field, beautiful, dreamy, and calming.
“When I was in kindergarten, also at this amusement park, Mommy bought me a helium balloon, and I was playing with it, and somehow, I let it fly away,” Xie Xitong said, looking up at the sky. “I tried to grab the string, but I missed, and I just watched as it rose higher and higher, until it was just a small dot.”
“Then I burst into tears, crying so hard, but when Mommy came and asked me why I was crying, I was too upset to say a word.”
Very young children often had this phase, their rationality overwhelmed by emotions, only able to express their thoughts and feelings after they stopped crying.
Wrapping the string of the helium balloon around her wrist, Xie Xitong continued, “Later, a new helium balloon, exactly the same as the one I lost, was handed to me.”
“I didn’t react, just stared at it, and then Mei-jiejie tied it to my wrist. She said that this way, the balloon wouldn’t fly away easily.”
Glancing at Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan, seeing them listening attentively, Xie Xitong suddenly smiled mischievously. “Actually, after I grew up, I realized that I preferred the way the helium balloon floated high in the sky.”
“Free and unrestrained, unlike a kite, no matter how high it flies, there’s always someone holding the string below.”
She wrapped her index finger around the balloon string.
Just as Jiang Xue thought she was about to untie the balloon, she gently withdrew her finger.
“But if the person holding the balloon string is also someone she likes, would she be willing to stay by her side until it deflates?”
This question didn’t require an answer.
Xie Xitong returned home with the helium balloon tied to her wrist, picked up the white cat, which was still sleeping soundly in its bed, and went to the Jiang family’s home with the two girls who were carrying cat food and treats.
The white cat’s new home had already been set up by Sister Cheng. On their way upstairs, Xie Xitong noticed the small Non-Dream merchandise displayed on the shelf and casually asked Xiao Luohan, “How did it feel meeting your ‘idol’?”
Xiao Luohan paused, recalling the busy staff members she had seen.
“…They all came from ordinary beginnings,” she murmured.
She now understood why Non-Dream had so many routes, and why the “commoner route” was a prerequisite for the Empress’s true and happy endings.
“Then do you want to become one of them in the future?” Xie Xitong asked.
If this question were asked by Ms. Silin, Yin Yuan, or even Ms. Liu, Xiao Luohan would have replied with “I’ll have to think about it.”
But Xie Xitong was the one who had introduced her to Non-Dream, and also her first friend in this world besides the Jiang sisters, so she answered seriously, “If Non-Dream still needs me at that time, I’m willing.”
September 7th, marked on the calendar as “N University Reporting Day.”
Shortly after seeing off Xie Xitong and Dan Yuanyuan, Jiang Xue moved her belongings to the new apartment, ready to prepare for the start of university.
She took her desktop computer, scanner, and printer, along with her drawing tablet, stylus, and easel. Before leaving, she glanced at her almost empty bedroom and felt a pang of loneliness.
Fortunately, Xiao Luo would come and sleep with her at night, otherwise, she would probably have insomnia again if she stayed here alone.
As she passed by the living room, the white cat, curled up on the sofa, suddenly opened its eyes, jumped down, and ran towards her, rubbing against her legs.
Jiang Xue couldn’t help but squat down and pet it for a while.
“Be good, A-Xi and I will come back to see you during breaks. Be nice to Xiao Luo, my sister, and Sister Cheng, okay?”
Xie Xitong’s white cat had always been a little perceptive. It meowed twice, circled around her, brushed its tail against her leg as if saying goodbye, then jumped back onto the sofa and watched as she and Xiao Luohan left.
At the door, Jiang Xue bowed twice towards the growing plum sapling. “Elder Sister Red Fox, we’re leaving now! Please bless Xiao Luo’s journey!”
The plum sapling didn’t move, but soon, the small robot with Xiao Linghan’s soul walked out from the Xie family’s home and waved its shovel hand. “Have a safe trip!”
Sister Cheng, missing her daughter, volunteered to drive them today.
Arriving at the new apartment and seeing that her daughter wasn’t home, Sister Cheng first assembled the desktop computer, then made the beds while Jiang Xue was setting up the computer.
She was efficient as always, quickly tidying up their bedroom, bathroom, and study, making them as comfortable as the Jiang family villa, even sweeping Cheng Shizhu’s room.
Cheng Shizhu, having just returned from grocery shopping, saw her mother mopping the floor and hurriedly took the mop from her. “Mom, don’t tire yourself out! I mop every day!”
Xiao Luohan was only sleeping here for now. Her guqin lessons were still at the Jiang family’s home, as were her livestreams and recordings. She didn’t bring much with her. After putting away her things and confirming that there was nothing else for her to do, she went to the balcony to check on the flowers and succulents.
Leaving the bedroom, she heard mother and daughter chatting and laughing, and she couldn’t help but slow down, watching them for a moment.
She thought of Shizhu, the servant who had taken care of her in the ancient world, and also of her own mother.
But she didn’t linger for too long and continued towards the balcony.
Whether it was Shizhu or her mother, they wouldn’t want her to dwell on the past.
“Celebrating our housewarming!”
That evening, Cheng Shizhu prepared a table of home-cooked dishes, raised her newly bought wine glass, and toasted with Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan. “This will be our little home from now on!”
She knew that Second Miss Jiang liked this kind of lively atmosphere, so she acted as the “host” as the “older sister.”
But they didn’t like formalities, so after clinking their glasses, without even taking a sip, they started eating.
Cheng Shizhu’s cooking skills were taught by Sister Cheng, and she had been “trained” since childhood. Even when she was away at university, they could still enjoy “the taste of home.”
“I explored all the streets and shops around here during summer vacation and made a list of notes. I’ll send it to you later,” Cheng Shizhu said after they had almost finished eating. “If you’re not tired, we can go out for a walk. Rice noodle shops, cafes, milk tea shops, flower shops, fruit stores, and the supermarket, I can show you all the important places.”
Jiang Xue was tempted and instinctively looked at Xiao Luohan, who also happened to be looking at her.
Seeing them exchange glances, Cheng Shizhu suggested, “By the way, do you want to make another vlog? I saw that the data for the last one was quite good.”
Everyone loved watching vlogs of couples’ daily lives, they were relaxing and easy to watch, and you could also “ship” them.
“That’s a good idea, but let’s start filming from the street this time,” Jiang Xue said. “I’m a little worried about revealing our address.”
Although “doxxing” was rare in this society, it wasn’t completely eradicated, and even the internet police couldn’t predict which fan would suddenly become obsessed and malicious.
Xiao Luohan naturally had no objections, after all, she had vowed to make the “Traces of Xue Luo” ID a reality.
With Cheng Shizhu, they could all appear on camera. Last time, when filming the glass walkway vlog, neither of them had been comfortable asking strangers for help, which was a little regretful.
“Then I have to bring out my ‘baby’,” Cheng Shizhu said, then went to her study and returned with a camera. “I used to be in the photography club, and my senior asked if I wanted to inherit her ‘legacy’ before graduating—she realized during her internship that she wouldn’t have time for her hobbies anymore, so she sold her camera to me.”
This camera was better quality and had more functions than the one Cheng Shizhu had bought herself. She had been planning to save up for a new one, so she simply “inherited” this one.
When the three left, the purple-red sunset sky had been completely swallowed by the night, the full moon hanging high above, the surrounding stars barely visible under the city lights.
Cheng Shizhu first took them to the café where she worked part-time, the one Jiang Xue had recommended. After placing their orders, seeing that there were many orders waiting, she told her colleagues to take their time and continued exploring the street with Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan, filming.
The fruit store on the street also sold “fruit salad” where you could choose your own ingredients, with yogurt, sago, or coconut milk as the base, sweet and sour, perfect for this season when the summer heat hadn’t completely dissipated.
Across the street was a flower shop. Teacher’s Day was in a few days, and bouquets of carnations were displayed on the shelves, with clearly marked prices. You could also create your own bouquets.
While Jiang Xue was carefully choosing ingredients for her fruit salad, Xiao Luohan unconsciously walked towards the flower shop.
