My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 86

Chapter 86: Snow Rabbit

Since Ms. Wei loved milk tea, the Jiang family always had various tools and ingredients for making it.

“Then let’s start with osmanthus, fermented rice, and matcha milk tea,” Xie Xitong quickly decided on her drink, her gaze fixed on Cheng Shizhu’s lime green highlights. “Your highlights are so vibrant! I also want to dye my hair green after the college entrance exam~”

Jiang Xue instinctively thought of “red and green”—Xie Xitong had a crush on her older sister, and her older sister liked wearing red, so this hair color would be a perfect match for a couple… No! Using hair color for couple coordination was a bit much, wasn’t it?!

Cheng Shizhu expertly found the necessary ingredients, mixed the matcha powder with boiling water, whisked it until frothy, and set it aside.

She added fermented rice to the bottom of the glass and coated the inside with osmanthus honey.

“Do you prefer more matcha or more milk?” she asked Xie Xitong.

“Matcha, I quite like the bitterness,” Xie Xitong said. “And I want it iced.”

Cheng Shizhu added half a glass of ice, poured milk up to two-thirds of the glass, then filled the remaining third with matcha, and gently stirred it with a long spoon, creating a layered drink.

“I remember that replacing matcha with latte also tastes good,” Jiang Xue said, resting her chin on her hand and thinking about what she wanted to drink. “Why don’t you make me one?”

“Then I’ll need to borrow your coffee machine,” Cheng Shizhu said, already by the coffee machine, preparing.

Xiao Luohan had been observing the whole time. Cheng Shizhu’s skillful and efficient manner reminded her of the Shizhu in the ancient world, and she felt a little dazed.

It wasn’t until a glass of orange-red tea was placed in front of her that she came back to her senses.

“I didn’t know what you liked, but A-Xue’s ‘Dianhong’ tea makes a delicious red tea macchiato,” Cheng Shizhu said, sitting across from her. “Since you can’t drink cold beverages, I used hot tea. It might be a little bitter. I also added a bit of sea salt to the milk foam, like I usually do, so it’s slightly salty. Try it?”

Xiao Luohan paused, thanked her, and took a sip.

She heard Jiang Xue trying to stop Xie Xitong. “Don’t even think about chili milk tea! The containers will smell of chili, and Mommy will definitely scold me!”

“But you said that after Shizhu Jiejie came back, we could have any kind of milk tea—”

“That’s assuming someone will drink it! Who would drink chili milk tea?!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll make some soy milk, and you two can try adding chili to make salty soy milk.”

“No! Absolutely not! I only drink sweet soy milk!!”

Even with the added sea salt, the milk foam was still sweet, complementing the sweet red tea, very refreshing.

Watching the girls playfully bickering and discussing strange milk tea recipes, Xiao Luohan held the slightly warm glass, a comforting smile on her face.

Her elder sister must have also created such a free and easy environment in the ancient world, right?

There was no such thing as “having to get married at a certain age.” Girls of any age could happily pursue their interests.

Cheng Shizhu still made soy milk in the end, deep-frying the leftover youtiao from breakfast until crispy. During this time, she prepared three bowls according to each person’s preferences, both sweet and salty, only adding chili to her own bowl.

“Chili oil, although not as pungent as fresh chili peppers, is enough for soy milk,” she explained, adding chili oil and soy sauce to the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkling chopped green onions, a small piece of seaweed, and a pinch of dried shrimp. Finally, she poured in the hot soy milk, creating a fragrant and appetizing bowl of…

Jiang Xue couldn’t describe what it was called. She took a couple of sips of her sweet soy milk, glancing at Cheng Shizhu’s reaction.

Xie Xitong also obediently drank her sweet soy milk.

Xiao Luohan, however, had expressed her interest in trying the salty version as soon as Cheng Shizhu started preparing the sugar—only without the chili oil in Cheng Shizhu’s own bowl.

Halfway through, she even asked Cheng Shizhu for a couple of drops of chili oil, stirred it in, and tasted it, realizing it was a familiar flavor, almost tearing up again.

“If it were summer, we could use the leftover soy milk as a base for cold noodles,” Cheng Shizhu said, shaking the large container of soy milk, her eyes filled with regret. “Unfortunately, the temperature just dropped today. I was even a little worried when making iced milk tea for you.”

“It’s okay, A-Xue and I aren’t afraid of cold drinks,” Xie Xitong said with a smile, then went to appease the white cat, which was scratching at her leg again.

“Yes, I’m even thinking about playing in the snow,” Jiang Xue said, looking out the window. “It’s been snowing since this morning. There should be quite a bit of snow accumulated in the courtyard, right?”

“Hard to say, when I came, Sister Cheng seemed to be clearing the snow with the other two housekeepers,” Xie Xitong reminded her.

Jiang Xue immediately put down her bowl and rushed to the courtyard.

Although it was winter break, seeing Xiao Luo studying hard every day, Jiang Xue had also gradually become more focused. During this time, besides going out, she mostly stayed in the study with Xiao Luo, reading and doing exercises, not paying much attention to the outside world.

Unfortunately, by the time she reached the courtyard, the snow clearing was already finished—the new snow blower Sister Cheng bought last year was truly efficient.

“If you want to play in the snow, why not come to my house?” Xie Xitong said, coming out with her cat. “My grandmother doesn’t mind the snow. Anyway, with the snow blower, we can just ask the housekeeper to clear the area before we go out.”

Jiang Xue’s spirits lifted, and she even picked up the heavy white cat, smiling brightly. “Okay! Let’s go!”

She instinctively turned around. “Xiao Luo, do you want to come too…?”

But before she could finish, she saw Xiao Luohan, standing inside, purse her lips slightly.

“Okay.”

Xiao Luohan replied almost without hesitation, as if the slight pursing of her lips had just been Jiang Xue’s imagination.

Jiang Xue thought for a moment, then returned the white cat to Xie Xitong. “Maybe another day. I’m a little worried about Xiao Luo…”

“Then I’ll go with you,” Cheng Shizhu said, coming out with an umbrella. “I should also pay my respects to your ‘ancestor.’ A large part of my peace of mind while traveling comes from her.”

—Grandma Xie often gave safety amulets to younger generations who were traveling, and those amulets, imbued with spiritual power and magic, could truly ward off disasters.

Watching the two walk away, Jiang Xue brushed the snowflakes off her clothes and hurried back to Xiao Luohan’s side.

She had been so excited about the rare snowfall that she had forgotten the most important thing.

Last time, on the street during the “New Year’s Goods Festival,” she had simply mentioned how beautiful the snow-covered lanterns looked. But this time, it was the snow in the courtyard…

“Why didn’t you come?” Xiao Luohan asked, looking at her as she took her hand.

“Because I remembered something unpleasant,” Jiang Xue whispered. “Even though it’s in the past, I should still ask you about it.”

Back in the study upstairs, Jiang Xue brought Xiao Luohan the different colored Shiba Inu plushie—she had bought it during her later trip to the mall, and now it was indeed with the original colored one by their pillows.

“During the check-up, your mental health questionnaire scores were all within the normal range, but you’ve had unpleasant experiences with snowy courtyards… twice.”

Jiang Xue carefully chose her words. “I just saw you purse your lips. I don’t know if it was just because it was cold outside, or if you subconsciously recalled those events… Anyway, if there are any activities you can’t handle for now, or places you don’t want to go, don’t force yourself.”

“It’s a normal reaction, PTSD, or ‘allergy to specific people or things.’ Like after I hit that Crown Prince with a jar, whenever I see a similar jar, I instinctively flinch. And when I search for pictures of ancient times, seeing bridal chambers makes me uncomfortable, and I quickly scroll past them.”

After listening attentively, Xiao Luohan carefully recalled her feelings just now and said uncertainly, “I did feel a little uncomfortable, but since it was your invitation, I didn’t think much about it.”

“You must tell me next time! Even if it’s my invitation, you can refuse!” Jiang Xue immediately reminded her. “By the way, what kind of discomfort was it?”

If the reaction had a significant physical impact, she would have to inform Dr. Qi.

Xiao Luohan was silent for a while. “…Cold.”

“Cold?”

“Yes, but it was indeed cold outside today, so I’m not sure,” Xiao Luohan nodded. “To exaggerate a bit… it was like a bone-chilling cold from the depths of my soul.”

This description was abstract, but Jiang Xue, recalling the two incidents where Xiao Luohan had almost died in a snowy courtyard, understood.

“One time, you fainted from the cold there, and the other time, you got sick trying to save the books from the fire,” she sighed, stood up, walked to Xiao Luohan, and hugged her. “It was indeed cold.”

So cold that the sensation was etched into her memory. Even after arriving in another world where she wouldn’t experience such coldness, the snow accumulated in the courtyard would unconsciously trigger the memory.

Xiao Luohan clutched the different colored Shiba Inu plushie tightly, letting Jiang Xue’s warmth envelop and protect her.

“I’m thinking, can we do ‘desensitization therapy’ for this?” she finally said. “There’s a type of therapy that involves diluting the allergen and gradually exposing the body to small doses, so it slowly adapts to its presence…”

“But this is a mental allergy!” Jiang Xue hurriedly reminded her. “Don’t torture yourself, it’s okay if I don’t play in the snow!”

“But what if I also want to play in the snow?” Xiao Luohan countered. “I want those ‘past events etched into my soul’ to be covered by new, happy memories.”

“To do that, overcoming fear is a necessary step, and it’s something I want.”

Jiang Xue was stunned by her words, then, after thinking about it carefully, started looking for her special gloves for playing in the snow.

“It’s something I want.” These words were good.

Not to please others, not forcing herself to do things she didn’t want to do.

Fifteen minutes later, in the Xie family’s courtyard.

Grandma Xie, her hands tucked inside cat-shaped hand warmers, looked down through the window.

A dark blue umbrella shielded Xiao Luohan from the snow. Jiang Xue, who loved playing in the snow, wasn’t touching the snow, just standing there holding the umbrella.

Cheng Shizhu rolled a large snowball over and placed it beside Xiao Luohan, patting it firmly from top to bottom, quickly shaping it into a smooth sphere.

“What should we build? A snow rabbit?”

“A Chinese-style or a foreign-style snow rabbit?”

“There are foreign ones too?”

“Yes, wait, I’ll get some leaves!”

“Then I’ll get some cherries for the eyes~”

Soon, the snowball, under Cheng Shizhu’s skillful hands, became oval-shaped, resembling the coconut-filled frozen “rabbit buns” from the supermarket.

She taught Xiao Luohan how to tear the leaves in half and insert them into the small grooves she had made, then took the cherries from Xie Xitong, removed the stems, and placed them where the eyes should be, muttering, “Using cherries for eyes, this snow rabbit must be valuable!”

Grandma Xie watched from afar, and Jiang Xue also quietly observed.

She watched as Xiao Luohan was surrounded by her friends, gently stroking the finished snow rabbit, a genuine smile appearing on her face, and felt a warmth spread through her heart.