Chapter 58: She Held Her, Guilty Yet Self-Satisfied
The night was foggy, and Jiang Xue didn’t dare let Xiao Luohan stay outside for too long. After about half an hour, she took her back inside.
But even after returning to the room, she wasn’t idle. She first explained the use of the toiletries to Xiao Luohan, then demonstrated how to use the faucet and showerhead.
“The styles here are slightly different from those in your country, but the principle is the same.” She turned off the faucet. “You can use the towels, toothpaste, and toothbrush here. They’re all disposable, and my uncle will throw them away after we leave. When we get back home, you’ll have your own towels. I asked Sister Cheng to install an extra towel rack.”
Sister Cheng was truly all-purpose, knowing a little about everything.
“As for toothpaste, I use mint…” She opened the shopping app again.
But Xiao Luohan felt there was no need to buy more things and hurriedly said, “I’ll use what you have at home.”
She pointed at the phone and changed the subject, “After we’re back and there’s no more diary, can I contact you with the phone?”
“Look at my memory!” Jiang Xue patted her head, rummaged through her backpack, and took out the spare phone Xiao Luohan had used. “I brought it too!”
This was the first time Jiang Xue had personally handed it to Xiao Luohan. Before, she had always sent it through the diary.
“The settings haven’t changed, but now that you’re here, and your ID is ready, you can register accounts for all the apps!” Jiang Xue said excitedly. “Try it, I’ll watch.”
Xiao Luohan nodded, but the first thing she did was change the font back to simplified characters in the settings.
Jiang Xue was surprised. “Eh?”
“Since I’ve come to this world, I should learn the language as soon as possible,” Xiao Luohan explained. “If I can’t recognize all the characters, I’ll just read and write more. I haven’t finished all the works you downloaded.”
Jiang Xue had thought that Xiao Luohan would eventually start learning simplified characters, but she hadn’t expected her to be so proactive, having just arrived!
She was happy for a moment, then felt a pang of guilt and sadness.
After all, this was someone she had personally brought from another world!
And Xiao Luo was so intelligent, she knew very well that if she couldn’t keep up with the pace of the new world, she might be left behind.
She wanted to tell her that there was no need to rush, that she would take care of her, that her older sister and two mothers also liked her, and that she didn’t have to worry about anything in this home.
But Jiang Xue also understood that saying this wouldn’t give Xiao Luo enough security—Xiao Luo had already experienced what it was like to live under another’s roof, ever since she could remember.
Living in the cold palace before the marriage alliance, a princess in name only, constantly at the mercy of her environment.
And her life after the marriage alliance didn’t need to be mentioned. She had almost lost her life!
So, while Xiao Luohan was figuring out how to register a WeChat account, Jiang Xue suddenly hugged her tightly.
Xiao Luohan was stunned. Turning her head, she saw Jiang Xue leaning against her shoulder.
“…What’s wrong?” she asked, at a loss.
“I feel sorry for you,” Jiang Xue whispered. “I originally thought that you would have a free and easy life after coming here, but I forgot that you can’t stay idle.”
Although she was still a student, she knew from various works and the experiences of her elders that some people couldn’t stay idle.
They didn’t dare to be idle, didn’t dare to rest, as if they were afraid that if they stopped, they would instantly lose everything.
But if you asked them why they couldn’t rest, they would look confused, only knowing that they felt more secure when they were busy.
Xiao Luohan paused, then sighed softly, understanding what she meant. “A-Xue is truly kind.”
She wanted to tell Jiang Xue not to worry, so she used the nickname like everyone else.
“But A-Xue, don’t forget, I chose this willingly.” She softened her voice. “Your world is very good, and precisely because it’s good, I want to integrate quickly, interact with more people with you, and do more things.”
“Then don’t overwork yourself!” Jiang Xue emphasized. “Your health is weak. Focus on recovering first. You can gradually get used to new things during this time. Don’t be too anxious, it’s not good for you.”
“Yes, I know.” Xiao Luohan smiled, then hesitated for a moment, reached out, and ruffled Jiang Xue’s hair, imitating Jiang Mei. “I won’t overwork myself.”
Jiang Xue felt that tingling sensation again and quickly let go of her, abruptly changing the subject. “Th-Then continue registering. Tell me when you’re done, and I’ll add you as a friend.”
She sat beside her, watching as Xiao Luohan slowly registered her WeChat account.
When it came to choosing a username, Xiao Luohan thought for a moment and simply entered “Yu” (Jade).
“Luo” was too precious, “Zhuìyù” (Adorned Jade) implied subservience, she disliked the “cold” winter months, didn’t dare mention “snow,” and “mei” (plum blossom) she planned to keep in her heart as a symbol of remembrance, so she simply used this single character.
Seeing her staring at the blank profile picture box, lost in thought, Jiang Xue was about to send her some ancient-style pictures she had saved for her to choose from, but Xiao Luohan had already skillfully opened the photo album and found the picture of the plum blossom branch she had taken earlier.
This was the plum blossom branch Shizhu had brought. It had been knocked to the floor along with the vase when the Crown Prince came that night, and Xiao Luohan had entrusted it to Jiang Xue when she “moved out.”
After placing it in her room, Jiang Xue had taken a picture with her spare phone.
In the photo, the plum blossom branch, having just been transferred to the new vase, still looked a little wilted, but Xiao Luohan still set it as her WeChat profile picture.
—This was her now.
Jiang Xue quickly added her as a friend, taught her how to enable and disable friend requests, and then continued to guide her through the registration process for other apps.
Two or three hours passed unknowingly. Xiao Luohan, having slept for most of the day, was still energetic after taking her cold medicine, but Jiang Xue was starting to feel sleepy.
“You can play by yourself later. Don’t mind me,” Jiang Xue said, yawning, and went to the bathroom. “I’m not a light sleeper.”
Xiao Luohan replied with an “Okay” and immediately put the phone on silent.
Considering that she also needed to wash up, Jiang Xue, after returning, crawled to the far side of the bed, hugged the rolled-up blanket, and closed her eyes. But a few moments later, she sat up in a panic.
“I only took one blanket!” She looked at the blanket in her arms in dismay. “If I hug this, what about you?”
What was even more terrifying was that if she didn’t hug the blanket and left it for Xiao Luo, what if she accidentally hugged Xiao Luo in the middle of the night?!
Xiao Luohan: …
She wanted to laugh, but managed to restrain herself and said softly, “You can hug it. I don’t need it tonight.”
Jiang Xue was still a little worried, but Uncle Seuss was already asleep, and she didn’t want to rummage through his cabinets. After much hesitation, she chose to trust Xiao Luohan, turned towards the wall, hugging the blanket, and tried to fall asleep.
She was very sleepy, and the blanket was soft and comfortable to hug. Soon, she drifted off.
Hearing her even breathing, Xiao Luohan slowly put down her phone and looked over.
Jiang Xue slept soundly. At least, she hadn’t seen her frown in her sleep these past few times, but she herself would.
Not only would she frown, but she would also curl up.
She watched Jiang Xue for a long time, first sitting up, then lying down, moving closer.
In her dreams, she had seen the lively and active Jiang Xue many times and loved her energy.
But she was also happy to see Jiang Xue like this, quiet and peaceful.
So happy that she couldn’t help but want to get closer.
She couldn’t describe this feeling, but looking at Jiang Xue’s fair neck, she felt a strange warmth in her heart.
Like a cat pawing gently.
…It was strange, but even stranger was that she didn’t mind it.
She thought for a moment, then turned off the lights, lying there and quietly listening to Jiang Xue’s breathing.
Without the lights, she couldn’t see.
Jiang Xue had told her that looking at her phone in the dark was bad for her eyes, so she also turned off her phone screen and placed it on the nightstand, next to Jiang Xue’s phone.
Then, counting Jiang Xue’s breaths, she let sleep come.
She didn’t know when she fell asleep, only vaguely feeling that she was also hugging something soft.
Soft, warm, fluffy, and breathing.
She sleepily thought that she must be hugging a human-sized cat. Even though she knew it wasn’t right, she was so attached to this sense of security that she snuggled closer, apologizing in her heart.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Xue was woken up by the embrace.
Without even turning around, she knew that Xiao Luo must be hugging her like a cat again.
But Xiao Luo was sleeping so soundly, her breathing even and peaceful, that Jiang Xue only hesitated for a few seconds before closing her eyes again.
Xiao Luo had just arrived. Being able to eat and sleep well was the most important thing.
As for the rest… they could deal with it later, there was still time.
The two slept peacefully until morning.
Xiao Luohan woke up at her usual time and, opening her eyes, found herself hugging Jiang Xue tightly. She instinctively wanted to let go.
But before letting go, she couldn’t help but check.
…Jiang Xue was still asleep.
Her fingers, which had already loosened, tightened again, and she continued holding her, guilty yet self-satisfied.
And because she felt so at peace, she unconsciously drifted back to sleep.
So when Jiang Xue woke up, she found the arm around her still there.
“…” But she had woken up because she needed to use the bathroom. Feeling a little embarrassed to wake Xiao Luohan, she first tossed the rolled-up blanket to the foot of the bed, then used the extra space to “wriggle” out of Xiao Luohan’s embrace.
She didn’t know that Xiao Luohan, a light sleeper, had already woken up when she tossed the blanket.
But she continued pretending to be asleep, not daring to open her eyes, afraid of embarrassing Jiang Xue.
It wasn’t until Jiang Xue returned from the bathroom after washing her hands that she slowly opened her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand and yawning as she greeted her.
Jiang Xue was relieved, and Xiao Luohan was happy.
But while getting dressed, they both thought of the future.
“I should prepare two body pillows,” Jiang Xue thought. “Otherwise, Xiao Luo will be embarrassed when she wakes up and finds herself hugging me.”
“Should I keep pretending like this every day?” Xiao Luohan thought. “When should I confess? Jiang Xue is also very perceptive. After a while, she’ll definitely notice and talk to me about it.”
But she truly enjoyed cuddling with her while sleeping.
But… was this something she could talk about now?
Xiao Luohan felt that it wasn’t, so she just continued getting dressed.
She asked Jiang Xue how to use the electric toothbrush. In her opinion, it was much better at cleaning teeth than the disposable toothbrushes at her uncle’s house.
With this back and forth, the matter of “cuddling while sleeping” was forgotten.
The two, each with their own thoughts, finished washing up, went downstairs for breakfast, and then went out for a walk and to bask in the sun.
The winter sun was good for one’s health.
“There won’t be such nice sunshine after we get back. I saw the weather forecast, the temperature will drop in the next few days,” Jiang Xue said, stretching. “The climate here is warmer than back home. It’s a good place to visit in winter.”
“When is our flight?” Xiao Luohan asked. “I’ve almost recovered and can travel by plane.”
“Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. If there are no delays, we’ll be home around 4:00 PM.” Jiang Xue replied. “Do you want to go shopping nearby? Buy some local specialties or something?”
“No need, maybe next time,” Xiao Luohan shook her head. “I’ll rest more and try to fully recover.”
She was truly afraid that something might happen to her on the plane and worry Jiang Xue and the others.
Jiang Xue blinked, then suddenly took her hand. “Then let’s pick some ‘manor specialties’! You can just hold the basket and watch me pick!”
She led Xiao Luohan, excitedly entering her uncle’s vineyard.
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