Chapter 56: I Like to Cuddle People in My Sleep
Before her older sister could open the door, Jiang Xue quickly let go and curled up on the far side of the bed, practically plastered against the wall, afraid of being misunderstood.
When Jiang Mei reached the bedside and saw her younger sister’s face as red as a cooked shrimp, she probably guessed what awkward situation had transpired. Without saying anything, she simply asked, “How are you two feeling today? Do you want to come downstairs for breakfast, or eat in bed?”
“I’m going downstairs!” Jiang Xue wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible, scrambling out of bed and grabbing a brush to tie up her hair.
Xiao Luohan also wanted to get out of bed, but Jiang Mei checked her forehead with a thermometer first. “…You still have a low fever. You can stay in bed for another day.”
“I’ll bring her breakfast!” Jiang Xue said and ran off, tying her hair on the way.
The sisters’ reactions puzzled Xiao Luohan. She instinctively bowed her head. “I’ll be troubling you in the future.”
“Don’t mention it, we’re family now. There’s no need for formalities.” Jiang Mei smiled and ruffled her hair.
Her hair was soft and fine, but lacked luster. It needed to be properly cared for.
Xiao Luohan replied with an “Mm,” then fell silent.
She didn’t know how to interact with… this Mei-jiejie, who resembled her elder sister so much, yet wasn’t her elder sister.
If it were really her elder sister here, she would have so much to say.
However, she answered all of Mei-jiejie’s questions seriously.
Her preferences, dislikes, the kind of clothes she wanted to wear in the future, the hairstyle she preferred, and… whether she wanted a separate room or to share with Jiang Xue.
“If Jiang Xue doesn’t mind, I also don’t mind sharing with her,” she answered the last question without hesitation, secretly omitting a word.
Jiang Mei noticed, but she didn’t ask further, only nodding. “Then I’ll confirm with Jiang Xue when she comes back.”
Young people’s feelings were often confusing and ambiguous. Many times, they themselves couldn’t clearly define what it was. As long as it didn’t affect major life decisions, it was best to let them explore on their own.
So when Jiang Xue returned with breakfast, she heard this arrangement.
If it were earlier, she wouldn’t have hesitated and would have immediately agreed—sharing a room with another version of herself, what was there to be unwilling about?
But after repeatedly experiencing that “tingling sensation,” she became a little worried, afraid that she would, like just now, sleepily “cuddle someone in her dream.”
“This… I need to talk to Xiao Luo privately.” She coughed lightly, put down her own breakfast, and handed Xiao Luohan’s portion to her. “Uncle Seuss’s breakfast is a bit special. See if you like it.”
After closing the door and making sure Jiang Mei was gone, Jiang Xue looked at Xiao Luohan for a moment, then decided… to eat first!
Xiao Luo had finally escaped that mire. Her first breakfast in the new world had to be enjoyable!
One leaned against the bed, and the other sat by the bedside, each holding a bowl of oatmeal and milk porridge, occasionally taking a bite of soft, toasted cheese bread.
It wasn’t until Xiao Luohan put down her bowl and stopped eating the toast that Jiang Xue straightened up.
“Just to be clear, I’m willing to share a room with you, but I’m really curious about something and can’t help but ask,” she said. “You’re a princess, and in our world, where personal needs are valued, you can definitely request a separate room.”
“And our house is big enough. The guest rooms are usually empty. With a little cleaning and renovation, it would be a great room.” She paused. “You… don’t have to force yourself to share with me just to repay our kindness or anything. You’re free now. Don’t think about owing me or owing us anything. We’re helping you out of our own free will, without expecting anything in return.”
Xiao Luohan listened attentively, then softly asked, “What if I also sincerely want to share a room with you?”
Before Jiang Xue could answer, she softened her voice and explained, “I’m new here and feel apprehensive. If I can stay with someone I’m most familiar with, and have her guidance, I think I can adapt to the environment more quickly.”
Jiang Xue couldn’t refute this. She herself liked staying in her familiar “comfort zone.” Even though she traveled during vacations, she still preferred staying at home, with the people she was most familiar with.
She was convinced by Xiao Luohan, but then she remembered the awkward incident that had just happened.
“But, uh… I’m a very restless sleeper,” she said, rubbing the bottom of the bowl and carefully choosing her words. “You just now… should have experienced it, right?”
On her way to get breakfast, she had thought about it and figured that what had probably happened was that Xiao Luo, waking up and seeing her sleeping on the floor, had been worried she would catch a cold and tried to move her onto the bed, but she had then clung to her as a source of warmth.
Xiao Luo, kind-hearted, hadn’t wanted to wake her up, so she had let her hug her until she woke up.
…Anyway, she had been sound asleep at the time, not even dreaming, just instinctively snuggling closer to the warmth.
“It’s not strange,” Xiao Luohan said, smiling and shaking her head. “It was cute. I just treated it like being hugged by a cat.”
Jiang Xue: …
She felt a mixture of shock and an indescribable disappointment.
“If-If you don’t mind, then let’s share a room,” she mumbled. “But my room is very messy. We’ll have to tidy it up together when we get back, and you’ll have to gradually add your own things.”
Seeing Xiao Luohan nod seriously, she stood up and took the empty bowl and plate. “I’ll be right back. Let’s make a shopping list first.”
Before Xiao Luo crossed over, she had repeatedly asked about her preferences, but Xiao Luo had always avoided the topic. Now that everything was settled, Xiao Luo should start thinking about her future.
When Jiang Xue went downstairs, Uncle Seuss was about to start the dishwasher. Seeing her, he strode over and added their bowls and plates.
Xie Xitong was still by the pantry, deciding what to bring on the plane. Her flight was at 1:00 PM. She had only taken one extra day off and had to go back to school tomorrow, taking notes for Jiang Xue so she wouldn’t fall behind in her studies.
“It’s a pity I can’t see Xiao Luo’s reaction to her first plane ride,” she said regretfully, taking three blueberry jam tarts, two ciabatta rolls, and finally, a bunch of fresh grapes.
Uncle Seuss also expressed regret. “If only the New Year’s holiday was seven days long, I could have seen more of the ‘yin-yang eyes’!”
“Leave A-Xi alone!” Jiang Xue retorted. “I know you! If A-Xi had seven days off, you would definitely take her to the cemetery to see ‘dirty things’! Grandma Xie would scold my sister and me to death!”
“But there isn’t a seven-day holiday,” Uncle Seuss said slowly. “Besides, A-Xi will be an adult soon. If she doesn’t want to go, I won’t force her.”
Xie Xitong raised her hand. “I actually kind of want to see if vampires and ghosts really exist…”
“Both of you, stop it!” Jiang Xue interrupted, exasperated.
She had only come downstairs to put away the dishes. Seeing that there was nothing else for her to do here, she hurried back upstairs, grabbing paper and pen from her uncle’s study on the way, to make a shopping list for Xiao Luohan.
Xiao Luohan did have some ideas, but she hadn’t seen Jiang Xue’s room yet and didn’t know how to adjust the layout to satisfy both of them. When Jiang Xue returned, she asked about this first.
“You can do whatever you want with my room, even if you want to change the single bed to a bunk bed,” Jiang Xue said, not minding at all. “I’m very adaptable!”
She handed the paper and pen to Xiao Luohan, opened her phone, and asked Sister Cheng to take a video of her bedroom and study. After Xiao Luohan finished watching, she opened a shopping app.
“You write first, write down whatever you think of, and I’ll search for it. If you like anything, we’ll buy it directly. If you don’t like anything, you can draw it, and I’ll find someone to custom-make it.”
Besides the room furnishings, Jiang Xue planned to do the same for Xiao Luo’s clothes and daily necessities.
Since Xiao Luohan needed to rest all day and didn’t have to do anything, Jiang Xue carefully selected all the necessities she could think of.
And when Jiang Xue was paying, Xiao Luohan memorized the not-insignificant amount.
After lunch, Dr. Qi came over with supplies for a skin test and tested Xiao Luohan for the most effective antibiotics currently available.
Xiao Luohan wasn’t afraid of needles. In the ancient world she came from, acupuncture was a common treatment.
But before the needle pierced her skin, she suddenly felt her vision go dark, her eyes covered by a pair of hands from behind.
“Why are you covering her eyes?” she heard Dr. Qi ask, exasperated. “Do you think Xiao Luo is you, fainting at the sight of a needle?”
Xiao Luohan was about to laugh when the needle pierced her skin. Although it didn’t hurt much, the feeling of the cold liquid being injected under her skin made her shiver.
“She’s a patient! I’m just taking care of her!” she heard Jiang Xue retort confidently.
“Really? Then let me give you a shot too? A calming acupuncture point.”
“No! I sleep very soundly, ask Xiao Luo if you don’t believe me!”
So Xiao Luohan said with a smile, “Yes, A-Xue does sleep soundly.”
So Jiang Xue was afraid of needles. That was… even more endearing.
The results of the skin test came back quickly. Fortunately, she wasn’t allergic to the antibiotics. Dr. Qi gave her another check-up, then prescribed the medicine and watched as she took it.
“Although your constitution isn’t very good, you’re young, so you’ll recover quickly,” Dr. Qi said, packing up her medical bag. “But don’t do that kind of thing again.”
She understood the pride and stubbornness of people from ancient times, but as a doctor who grew up in a peaceful world, she always felt that life was more important than anything else.
Where there’s life, there’s hope.
After Dr. Qi left, Xiao Luohan took her cold medicine and soon felt sleepy. Feeling sleepy made her a little worried.
“It’s okay, it’s just a side effect of the medicine. If you’re not allergic, it’s normal.” Jiang Xue wiped her face with a cleansing wipe, removing the remaining traces of eyebrow makeup. “Just go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to eat.”
Xiao Luohan replied with an “Okay” and turned over, closing her eyes.
But soon, she opened her eyes and turned back, asking softly, “Is there anything… I want to hug something.”
Jiang Xue was afraid of accidentally hugging her in her sleep if she felt a source of warmth. She had the same worry.
After all, this had actually happened before they crossed over, although Jiang Xue had been in her white cat form at the time, she had still hugged her.
But this request stumped Jiang Xue.
“…Is it too late to go out and buy a body pillow?” she wondered. “My uncle lives alone and prefers a minimalist style. He doesn’t have anything like that at home.”
Before Xiao Luohan could answer, she continued brainstorming. “You… if you really want to hug something, why don’t I… why don’t I find a summer blanket and roll it up for you?”
She stammered, and Xiao Luohan almost thought she was going to ask if she could hug her. Coming back to her senses, she felt the little deer that had stirred in her heart die.
Forget it, she was staying at her uncle’s house for now. A blanket would do.
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